Going from rugby union to rugby league and vice-versa is a daunting task.
It can sometimes leave a bitter taste in peoples’ mouths – particularly going from league to union with the 15-man code seemingly looking down on some of those that make the journey over.
Of course, greats such as Jonathan Davies and Jason Robinson were revered in both codes, but some often leave an impact wide of the mark.
Two of those include Joel Tomkins and Sam Burgess, with rugby union site Ruck not exactly holding back in its opinion of the duo’s time in the sport with their Worst England XV Ever.
“Tomkins began his League career with Wigan in 2005 and outside of a short stint with the Widnes Vikings in 2007, played with the Warriors until moving to Saracens in 2011,” Ruck said.
“While Tomkins initially struggled to adapt to union, but his form during the beginning of the 2013/14 season saw him earn an England cap against Australia in November 2013. Although he went on to make two further international appearances, he looked completely out of his depth and returned to league soon after.”
If the diagnosis on Joel Tomkins wasn’t bad enough, the rugby union site then went in on Sam Burgess.
“England, who fast-tracked Burgess into their World Cup squad in defiance of logic, Bath and the player himself each shoulder varying degrees of blame for arguably the greatest cross-code flop in history. We’re not saying he was an awful player, but the whole thing was a complete disaster.”
