Rugby League's Secret of Chambers - Dwain of The Jungle

Read Chris Irvine's post below and then vote in our poll: should rugby league welcome Dwain Chambers with open arms?

Welcome to rugby league Dwain Chambers, at least I think that's a welcome. Athletics really didn't want him after his two-year drugs ban, American Football didn't work out, so next stop Castleford, and Dwain of The Jungle. When I first heard the whisper before St Helens and Leeds kicked off on Friday night, I was tempted to offer the same two-word response to the mad rumour sweeping the KC Stadium around this time last year that Paul Cooke was leaving Hull for Hull KR. But the maddest of stories have a tendency to be true, don't they Paul ?

Cue meltdown in the Knowsley Road press box, with journos writing the story scratching their heads and wondering if April 1 had come a few days early. Sad but true, Leeds beating St Helens 14-10 was upstaged by a disgraced 29-year-old athlete turning to rugby league - for what I can't possibly imagine - and Castleford insisting that they're not pulling a publicity stunt. Really ? And I can just see Castleford's Super League licence application going in at the same time they're introducing their new recruit on Monday, with a scribbled postscript to their new stadium plans: "On top of that, look who we've signed." Classy Cas ?

The whispers, nods and winks - and a strange Castleford press statement released on Friday evening announcing a media conference that we would "appreciate what it is about come Sunday morning" - were quickly turned into the "Chambers joins rugby league" story that appeared in Saturday's Times as the back page lead and featured in many other weekend newspapers. "Drugby league" was one of the more innovative headlines.

Read here our athletics correspondent's thoughts on the latest chapter in the Chambers soap opera as it rolls into Wheldon Road, the Boot Room and Early Bath for an unpaid month's trial with the lure of a potential £60,000 contract. "I'm not doing this for a laugh - I know how badly you can be hurt in rugby league but I'm ready," Chambers told the News of the World.

"I've no idea what the reaction of Cas players will be but I can offer them something. While I learn the game they will have the chance to chase and try to tackle someone who has run a legal 9.97 seconds for 100 metres, and that can only enhance their training. Rugby league incorporates catching a ball, which I'm good at, and I've got speed. The combination is pretty good."

On Monday we'll hear from Chambers at a press conference called at Wheldon Road. According to Cas and Chambers's representative, he's going there for trials, although it seems that the likes of Bradford rather than Beijing are on the sprinter's agenda for Olympics time in August. If so, what can we expect ? Can a man who is 30 next week make an impact in a sport he's never had experience of before ?

He'll be quick, yes, quicker than anyone, and pace is a killer for the best of defences. But can he tackle ? There are no hiding places in defence any more. If he turns out to be an inspired acquisition, then fantastic. But from a club that has trumpeted the importance of bringing through its young players this season, what signal does it send out ? The secret of Chambers is out. The Castleford pursestrings are being loosened for a wing on a prayer.

Crazed, bizarre, ambitious, I'm not quite sure which. What next ? Tim Henman for Widnes ?

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Comments

[old gregg]

its a disgrace to league that chambers is allowed. if league is willing to open its arms to a drug user/sprinter who has never tackled in his life then ronnie wood will sign next. above all chambers will get hurt and i hop the cheating little **** does.

[Paul Rourke]

I really hope that Chambers succeeds in League. Although I've only ever played Union I watch loads of league and agree that there is nowhere to hide a poor tackler.

That said you can teach (nearly) anyone to catch, tackle and to a lesser extent kick, but it's just about impossible to teach someone to run faster than Brian Habana.

On a different note, what's happened to the Catalan Dragons? I've never seen them play like they did tonight before!!

[matt]

to be honest putting a player who can t catch or tackle into a super league side isnt that unusual. Cas have put 13 similar players out for the last couple of weeks so what difference will one more make. Don t get me wrong i will follow cas to the ends of the earth but perhaps an all this publicity might shake them up a bit and get them to perform how we all know they can (leeds and warrington). If Lupton actually decides to pass outwide to the wing perhaps one of the fastest men on the planet might be a good alternative to knocking on and watching the opposition steaming over our own try line.
WE ALL HATE LEEDS

[Ripley]

perosnally i think he should be aloud to trial, but if the Cas are going to make his first game against St. Helens it could well be his first and last game, sure hes got the speed and power, maybe even the skill to some extent, who knows. but has he got the spirit to play? the game isnt all about physical atributes, you need the passion of the game to play at that level.

I also dont think that he'll have his mind in the game, i can remeber my first game of rugby league, i was lost, and that was only a Div 2 U15 team! how can he be expected to be the level of those pro's who'v played from being 9 - 10 or even younger!

but by all means let him play, i'll be looking closley at his first tackle and first drive.

[adrian]

I say let him have a go if he is tough enough. Asthey say all publicity is good publicity. Although given the choice my first game of league would not be against St Helens!! Having said that Ady Gardner isn't very good so he may do OK.....

[marmate]

All I can say is that UK Athletics are disgusting...he has served his ban, learned his lesson and trained hard and clean to yet again become the fastest man in Britain.

He should be allowed to race in the Olympics, others have been allowed back, why not chambers????

I feel sorry for him, he made a mistake when he was young and he;s been treated like dog **** by UK Athletics.

[Curious]

Copa, fair riposte.

[copa]

Curious - I don't use Union forums. I'm as pro-RL as they come. I must have a copycat elswhere. As they say.. imitation/flattery and all that.

I suspect this runner will be on the end of a monster shoulder charge from one of the best and it'll all end in tears.

What a freak show.

[Curious]

Copa, just who are you trying to kid? Your name is well known on union forum’s as a League basher. Your original post had all the hallmarks of another immature union attempt to disparage League. The fact that you openly admit you know nothing about union only serves to diminish your input.

The Nigel Walker reference is quite true and, by your own criteria, proves that standards in union are indeed rubbish (although, I personally disagree - just as I disagree with your League insinuation).

So far, Dwain Chambers has not played Rugby League at any level; ergo, he has not proved that he can play Rugby League at any level. Perhaps your original comments are therefore somewhat premature.

[Old Faithful]

Ignoring the drugs issue, I don't have a problem with the idea of Castleford giving Chambers a few outings in their reserve team as a trial. However, my strong suspicion is that he will be found wanting - whilst he obviously has the pace & physique, his defence will almost certainly be a major liability in terms of positional knowledge, tackling skills, and the ability to deal with the large number of kicks that will inevitably be directed his way. Put simply, any tries he does score will be more than offset by the number he concedes. Although I hope that the intention is simply to try him out in the reserves, if Castleford do have any idea of throwing him in the deep end I don't think this should be allowed - both for the sake of SL's integrity, and for his own safety.

[Rachel]

It's intruiging, that's for sure. The viewing figures for his first match on sky (assuming he makes the team sheet) will be stratospheric.

As for it making rugby league look desperate, I disagree. He's there on a free trial; if he doesn't prove himself he doesn't play. He's not a shoe-in by any means, so neither the club or the sport has anything to lose. In the short term, it brings a level of publicity the sport can normally only dream of, and what's more, does so at zero cost. As far as I'm concerned (and I'm a PR consultant), it's a master stroke. I just hope the RFL are taking notes. When was the last time any of their press conferences excited this much interest?

[Rugby_Fan]

Sam, Offiah couldnt tackle to save his life, was weak under the high ball and hand the ball handling skills a 10 year old would be ashamed of, phil ford was just just fast and elusive, couldnt pass or tackle, henderson gill was hard to put down and could certainly boogie. the point i was trying to make is, they were all athletes and great try scorers despite non of them terribly good footballers. rugby league is a game for athletes. i think Dwain could fit into that category, though maybe he is too old now. problem with astleford is they dont have any good footballers to play inside him!

[Sam]

Rugby Fan, how can you possibly say that Offiah, Gill and Ford were just quick and had no other facets to their game? Did you ever see them play?

Offiah scored over 500 career tries! Gill was amazing strong and Ford was amazingly elusive. All three were capped many times by GB and proved themselves versus Australia.

No other facets to their game but pace? Bah! Rubbish!

[Marcus Chamberlain]

Not sure how he'll withstand the first tackle. It'll definitely hurt.

Surely he should be better off (as should so many directionless teen sprinters who are allowed to drift out of athletics and sport in general) going into union sevens?

He'd be perfect.

I used to sprint for my county and then took up union at 17 because of the social life (athletics is very dull outside of the 11 second race). Had I known then that

a) I'd have got a lot faster had I stuck with it and

b) I could have travelled the world playing union sevens

I would never have stopped.

Even if Chambers fails overall if he scores one or two superb tries rugby (union or league) could catch the eye of the young sprinters who felt as I did, and I trained with some devastatingly fast young men (who hopped the 100 faster than I could at full pelt) who also gave it up.

Anyway, pace is priceless in either code so if he can take a hit who knows where it'll end up?

[copa]

Curious - I know nothing about rugby union... but if a similar situation occured with union.. well then yes.. it would show rubbish standards.

[Rugby_Fan]

Kevin Penny gets picked every week purley because he is fast, he can't tackle and has no ball skills. before todays 16 stone wingers who cant run, it was tradition in rugby league to have a fast winger with no other facets to his game, see Brimah Kebbie, Martin Offiah, Gerald Cordle, Phil Ford, Henderson Gill.

shame he isnt joining a team capable of making space and using his speed out wide. I doubt wether even Offiah would have shone in this Castleford team :-)

[Mr Sheen]

Actually, I like the idea of Tim Henman at Widnes too. We could get some other "favourites" in the firing line too. Ashley Cole propping for Featherstone?

[Rob]

Apart from killer speed he has guts and determination, a great combination in any sport. As a Cas fan I'm happy with the signing as are the vast majority of my peers.

[Castiger]

Watching Cas at Bradford today I'd get chambers in for Saints match next Sunday because he couldnt do any worse

[Numptyboy]

Was Terry Matterson out of the loop on Chambers arrival, because reading his comments after the Bradford game he didn't seem to know much about Chambers coming to the club - PUBLICITY STUNT!

[Curious]

Copa, did you pass the same judgement on union when the athlete Nigel Walker signed for Cardiff in the early nineties?

Nigel Walker represented Great Britain at the 1984 Olympics in the 110m high hurdles. He failed to make the squad for the 1992 Summer Olympics though and turned to rugby union, where he played on the wing for Cardiff RFC. Walker made his Wales debut in 1993 and went on to win 17 caps for Wales.

Is union so rubbish that a person with no rugby background can play at international level in less than a year? The standards must be terrible.

[Perry Farrell]

How predictable that some blazered boardroom plonker thought this would be a good idea and presumably got the nod of approval from his similarly amoral head coach.

Few sports do crass and naff like ours; we are shamed again.

[John Marchant]

I’m proud of a lifetime’s support of a sport that treats all people equally regardless of race, creed, colour, school or previous misdemeanours for which amends have been made.

So why should Chambers not turn to Castleford? He has “done the crime” by his own admission and “done the time,” too.

Quite rightly, our society rehabilitates people, from those who merely have points on their licence right through to those who deliberately take someone else’s life.

However, for some reason, Chambers appears to have attracted the wrath of the sporting chattering classes, much more so than the numerous others in athletics who have transgressed - from those who have "forgotten" to turn up for a simple test right through to those with a lifetime of drug-taking behind them. In any case, is what Chambers did any worse than the widespread cheating of the taxpayer indulged in prior to 1995 by another sport?

Since it was ostracised by the Southern rugby union establishment some 113 years ago, our sport has suffered (and in some quarters such as the deplorable columns of a certain Sunday Times “journalist” and the corridors of BBC - still suffers) bigotry and prejudice and this is another opportunity for them to have a go. However, our sport is open and inclusive and has a record second to none in terms of drugs testing, detection and punishment, something the Mirror’s owners and writer Trevor Baxter an should be reminded of by the RFL;s solicitors.

As to Chamber’s rugby skills: lack of stamina as well as lack of tackling, passing and positioning skills didn’t hamper Guscott’s career, so why should it affect Chambers?

Oh, yes, I see now – different codes – no hiding place in Rugby League!

[Dave]

Copa, he's only coming on trial but surely he will have more skill than your average union player. We've signed many union players in the past and a few actually succeeded, so let's not be too judgemental at this stage.

[oliver]

he's not played yet so let's delay judgement until after his first appearance, assuming that is the club decides to play him.

He;s got speed and size but League his the most brutal of sports even at schoolboy level so he'll need to toughen-up a little.

It'll be a million miles away from Crystal Palace when he runs out at a cold, rainy Jungle against Leeds Rhinos!