Yesterday, Armchair Playmaker mentioned that rugby league might be losing one of its big names to rugby union. The confirmation is in with today’s announcement that Mark Gasnier will sign with French rugby union club Stade Francais. It’s no coincidence that the side is coached by Ewen McKenzie, who coached a few rugby league converts while with the New South Wales Waratahs.
Australian rugby league legend Gorden Tallis, known as the “Raging Bull” during his playing days, says good riddance, opening his newspaper column yesterday thusly:
“Mark Gasnier is a wonderful player, but if he is so driven by money that he wants to go and play rugby union in France, I say au revoir.”
Gasnier’s departure is certainly timed poorly for rugby league, given his prominence in the advertising campaign for the upcoming Rugby League World Cup (see this earlier Armchair Playmaker post for one ad featuring Gaz). Considering that, Gasnier might have got off easy from Tallis, considering what we’ve seen him do to opposition in the past:
