What did rugby league do to Wales?

First topic message reminder :

Other than raping a small country of it's bet players for a decade, did rugby league also stall and delay professionalism to Welsh rugby?

I just looked at Wales squad for the 1995 rugby LEAGUE world cup. The majority of players on there had previously played union for Wales. Some came back to play union for Wales and some didn't.

Here is the whole list. Would have been lovely if players like Keiron Cunningham had chosen union and if Iestyn Harris had come sooner.

I'm sure Wales would have had a better 95 world cup with this lot.

Paul Atcheson 1 - - - -
Allan Bateman 3 - - - -
Dean Busby
Neil Cowie 1 - - - -
Keiron Cunningham 3 - - - -
Jonathan Davies (c) 3 - 10 1 21
John Devereux 3 1 - - 4
Kevin Ellis 3 1 - - 4
Richard Eyres 3 - - - -
Phil Ford
Scott Gibbs 2 - - - -
Jonathan Griffiths
Adrian Hadley 2 - - - -
Martin Hall 3 - - - -
Iestyn Harris 3 2 1 1 11
Mark Jones 2 - - - -
Paul Moriarty 3 - - - -
Mark Perrett 1 - - - -
Rowland Phillips 3 1 - - 4
Scott Quinnell 2 - - - -
Kelvin Skerrett 3 - - - -
Gareth Stephens
Anthony Sullivan 3 4 - - 16
Richard Webster
Dai Young

mckay1402 wrote:

slartibartfast wrote:

mckay1402 wrote:

HammerofThunor wrote:Given that the rules on payment for Welsh players were bent to ensure the largely working class players didn't ditch post-1895 I wouldn't complain too much if I was you.

Substantiate.

?

well you've made a comment that has no real back up. I very much doubt you can prove it. I know Jiffy came out in the 90's and said it but it wasn't just Welsh rugby that bent the rules.

Wrong person

Have you read "A game for Hooligans" by Huw Richards? I'd recommended it. Direct references aren't given but there's a nice long bibliography to read through if you can be arsed. Relevant parts to this, on page 83 Huw talks about the issues regarding the payments for Arthur Gould in 196 that resulted in the WRU leaving the IRB. Ireland and Scotland refused to play Wales in 1897 and Scotland again in 1898. WRU rejoined the IRB in 1898 and promised not to pick Gould again. It was at this point the RFU decided the Gould was an amateur at heart and fixing the idea a pro was someone the RFU said was a pro.

He's a quote from the book, but no reference

A game for Hooligans, Huw Richards, Page 83-84 wrote:
Wales was permitted a degree of local flexibility over 'blindside remuneration', crackdowns coming only if, as when payment was compunded by allegations of match-fixing at Aberdare in 1907, the breac was outrageous.

That's the best I do to be honest

welliamwibb wrote:

Paul Atcheson 1 - - - -
Allan Bateman 3 - - - -
Dean Busby
Neil Cowie 1 - - - -
Keiron Cunningham 3 - - - -
Jonathan Davies (c) 3 - 10 1 21
John Devereux 3 1 - - 4
Kevin Ellis 3 1 - - 4
Richard Eyres 3 - - - -
Phil Ford
Scott Gibbs 2 - - - -
Jonathan Griffiths
Adrian Hadley 2 - - - -
Martin Hall 3 - - - -
Iestyn Harris 3 2 1 1 11
Mark Jones 2 - - - -
Paul Moriarty 3 - - - -
Mark Perrett 1 - - - -
Rowland Phillips 3 1 - - 4
Scott Quinnell 2 - - - -
Kelvin Skerrett 3 - - - -
Gareth Stephens
Anthony Sullivan 3 4 - - 16
Richard Webster
Dai Young

How old were these guys when they left for Rugby league?

Biltong, if memory serves me right, I do not think any of those players were over thirty, some of them were not even over twenty six. I know Dai Young had only just broke into the Wales side. Scott Quinell was about 21 so was Scott Gibbs, could not tell you about anyone else as I am just guessing, but I remember they were all current Welsh internationals and when some of them came back they were in their late twenties early thirties and still played union for Wales.

I think the 1995 world cup may of been pushing it, but certainly the 1991 world cup would of gone a lot better with out all those lads deserting. In 1991 we should of beaten Samoa.

In 1995 we were in a world cup pool with ireland and new zealand and that is a bloody tough pool!