There is no doubt, across the board, RU kickers are better.



It is simply a matter of putting more importancve on that part of the game in training.

The odd one or two in Rugby League prove very skillful and can compete in the stats but in a consistancy test RU would be better.



I think Rugby League has a lot to learn from the kicking techniques in Union and the kiking coaches they emply.......however, if it's a choice, I'd rather see tries than goals!

Kicking is much more a priority in union than league. When union changed tries to 5 points they should have just reduced all kicks to 2. the 5 point try has had very little effect on the game.

Also with 15 players it is easy to hide a poor rugby player but excellent kicker in a team.

It's not so much the goalkicking that they are better but rather drop goals, Generally when you get a one point game in league some of the drop goal attempts are pretty woeful whereas in union they seem to boom them over from a long way out. Again when they're worth 3 points I suppose they pratice them a lot more.



I know at Hull kr we must have the worst drop out kickers in the league, from under our sticks we're lucky to get the ball 35 yards.

Could there be a more boring video

No but there is a shorter one.



It's Johnny Wilkinsons tries.

There's a video out there somewhere of the great French RL player Puig Aubert kicking a goal from the corner flag.

Hazem Elmasri kicked one the other day from the sideline ,and you wouldn't believe it, it went straight between the post..

... while smoking a fag.



Probably.

It's not a like for like comparison at all. The ball is a different shape. The Steeden ball used in the NRL and SL is shorter, pointier and lighter than a regulation rugby union ball. An AFL ball is even easier to kick accurately and further, being rounder and inflated to a higher pressure, whereas american football goes the other way - it's difficult to kick accurately (in spite of the fact that they keep aside a box balls just for kicking in the NFL).



Of course you could make the same argument for the superior handling skills of our players - it's easier to slip out a one-handed pass with our smaller ball.



Dave Alred who was the RFU and Saint Jonny's kicking coach for many years (and also Lions, Wallabies etc.) is of course a former RL player, having turned out for the previous pro RL team in Bridgend and Cheltenham in the early days of amateur RL in the midlands.

Yes. Kicks from the touchline are fairly common. Kicks from the corner flag? ie, on the touchline [iand[/i the tryline?





ps: How long has El Masri been one word?

All the ball dimension facts and picking specific goal kickers in rugby league simply proves that RU are better. You are trying too hard to prove the point.

The more you practise the better you will be. RU penalties are a much bigger part of the game than they are in League.

I hope it is no surprise to anyone that the are better scrummagers than us too, and pretty good at lineouts.



.....and I'm ok with that.

Let them have the kicking practise. I'd rather have someone who can actually pass a ball and make a tackle.

Kicking is an important part of Rugby League and should practised to the point of excellence ......along with tackling, defensive strategy, passing long, passing short, etc etc.

Rugby union kickers are almost like the special team in American Football. That's not what I pay to see.

Played Union at Full Back for many years.

As a result, I can say that I could probably(at 44yrs of age) still Kick a ball further out of my hands for touch or a 40/20 further than any current Superleage player.

As for place kicking, specialist place kickers in Union are a vital part of the team as they produce most of the points scored in a game in most instances.

Examples

NZ v Australia last weekend...37 points, 32 from the boot 86%

2 weeks earlier, SA vAustralia...46 points, 31 from the boot 67%

Week before, SA vNZ, 50 points 40 from the boot 80%



League on the other hand...

Australia v NZ 48 points, 12 from the boot 25%

NZ v Aust 54 points 12 from the boot 22%.