EVEN IF IT isn’t Sonny Bill Williams or Sam Burgess making the switch, it is always interesting when a big name jumps from rugby league to union. There hasn’t been a big move from cross-code move in England for a few years but that changed today, with the news that Leeds Rhinos’ Kevin Sinfield is joining Yorkshire Carnegie.
This move is different to when Andy Farrell joined Saracens because although Sinfield is a league legend, he is also turning 35 in September.
It is a little strange that he chose now to make the move but Sinfield should be comfortable at either out-half or first centre.
He has scored over 3500 points (mostly from the tee) for Leeds and has also won six Super League titles since making his debut in 1996.
And if the first page of his Youtube search results is anything to go by, Sinfield might be more of a physical back than a ball-handler when he comes to union because there are videos featuring him ‘being sent off for an altercation’, ‘headbutting’ someone and getting ‘sin-binned for an off the ball tackle’.
Yorkshire Carnegie are in sixth in the RFU Championship at the moment so it looks like Sinfield just wanted to give union a go before he retires rather than make a big splash like Burgess or Farrell.
