English Rugby League on red alert as Union has ‘strong interest’ in stars

After the successful debut of cross-coder Joseph Sua’ali’i for Australia, England’s Union side could look to raid Rugby League per reports.

Sua’ali’i, who played full-back for Samoa in the 2022 Rugby League World Cup but has been a centre at club level, made his brilliant international debut in the ‘other code’ this past weekend as he proved pivotal in Australia’s victory over England.

In a dramatic game that the Aussies won late on as big underdogs, the storylines still focused on Sua’ali’i showcasing just how special his performance was. Whilst it’s a nod of the cap to the skills on display in Rugby League, it’s also now a huge advert for other nations to try and raid the 13-man code themselves.

The Daily Telegraph have reported that Dom Young could be next on the list of Sydney Roosters stars to cross codes as they quoted Young’s agent, Michael Cincotta, as confirming: “There’s also been strong interest from rugby union for Dom.”

Young, who has just completed his fourth NRL season, already has 63 tries in just 75 games in the competition and his huge frame of six foot and seven inches could make him ideal for the 15-man code.

Rugby League legend highlights possible cross-code candidates

Young’s agent Cincotta would go further as he explained to The Telegraph that advances and offers had been made to Young prior to his NRL switch ahead of the 2021 season.

“There were some discussions prior to Dom beginning his NRL career,” revealed Cincotta.

“It’s certainly something that will be considered down the track if it’s the right opportunity. Dom is an exceptional athlete and would make a seamless switch with his game-breaking ability.”

Whilst he is locked into a lengthy contract with the Roosters that sees him tied down until the end of the 2027 season, there could be intrigue from Young to switch to the other code.

He is already a favourite of England head coach Steve Borthwick according to legendary Wigan winger Martin Offiah who revealed to The Telegraph just how much Borthwick admires the 23-year-old.

With international rugby league on the up, it is surely imperative that those in charge firm up the international calendar so as to help the sport retain its stars.