3 Players Who Should Join Josh Charnley and Switch Codes

Many have tried and failed in their attempts to break the mould in rugby union after dominating in league, and next season will see Wigan Warriors wonder Josh Charnley become the latest marvel to switch codes.

The Press Association confirmed in March that Super League star Charnley will follow the footsteps of fellow Wigan alumnus and former England great Jason Robinson by joining Sale Sharks of the Aviva Premiership (h/t Guardian).

Expectations are always high whenever players make a cross-code move, with many waiting to see exactly how their skills transfer from one form of the sport to another—sometimes to great effect, but often without success.

Here, we take a look at a handful of league stars from both sides of the equator who should consider mimicking Charnley's example and hop over to union.

Honourable Mention: Joe Burgess, Sydney Roosters

A choice motivated somewhat by a desire to see one of league's most promising up-and-comers try his hand in union, Joe Burgess would undoubtedly give any team in the alternative code a major threat out wide.

Still a babe at just 21 years of age, the Wigan native and former team-mate to Charnley hasn't quite established himself enough to warrant the same kind of high-profile move that tends to tempt league stars in their prime.

That being said, having left his hometown club for the heights of the National Rugby League in 2016, the starlet, now with Sydney Roosters, is clearly causing waves as one of the biggest prospects in the sport.

Burgess scored a brace of tries on his NRL debut, a 42-10 defeat to the South Sydney Rabbitohs, but has since found it almost impossible to make the team. Should his frustrations linger, he may consider a return to Super League, or a completely new avenue as a barnstorming winger or centre in union.

1. Kallum Watkins, Leeds Rhinos

The first of two Leeds Rhinos representatives on our list, Kallum Watkins has evolved into a shuddering Super League force in recent seasons, a player many would undoubtedly have no trouble in dubbing the best centre in the division.

Elected to the Super League Dream Team in both 2014 and 2015, Watkins is a veritable poster boy of the European game after climbing his way through the ranks at Headingley, and rightly so.

Those who make the switch from league to union tend to be either outright speedsters or brutes, but what's so intriguing about Watkins is his blending of those traits, not to mention the skill he brings to his craft.

So revered is the playmaker, even, that The Australian writer Brent Read reported back in January that NRL giants, the Rabbitohs, were examining the prospect of tempting Watkins to South Sydney.

If there were a player around the England union camp Watkins had to be compared with, centres Jonathan Joseph or Kyle Eastmond may come close. However, teams may be tempted to field Watkins on the wing considering his impressive record of 96 tries in 169 Leeds appearances and ratio of nine tries in 15 games for England.

2. Johnathan Thurston, North Queensland Cowboys

What can be said about NRL legend Johnathan Thurston that hasn't already been uttered by gushing commentators across Australia following a glittering 14-year stay at the peak of rugby league?

For the past 11 years, Thurston has led the North Queensland Cowboys with as much of a sheen as any player could hope to find in their captain, and it was his steady feet that guided the club to last year's NRL championship.

The four-time Daily M Player of the Year will assuredly have retirement in some corner of his mind, now 32 years of age, but with time fleeting, this could be the moment to try his hand in union. 

Owing to his combination of accurate kicking, robust carrying and standout defence, it may not be unjust to look upon Thurston as the Dan Carter of rugby league—or perhaps Carter is the Thurston of union.

Regardless of comparisons, however, the rugby league veteran is an intuitive mechanic of his trade, going about his game with surgical precision in every regard, with two NRL Grand Final winners' medals to show for it.

The official NRL website even named Thurston the best player in the league for 2015, and while kicking may be one strength, the player has many more dimensions. His running game in particular is more than sound considering he racked up 28 try assists and 26 line-break assists during the regular season, both of which were highs in the competition.

Though he wouldn't be a long-term investment for any union outfit able to tempt him, Thurston would undoubtedly provide a comforting presence at fly-half, while he could also offer safe hands in other areas, too. 

3. Ryan Hall, Leeds Rhinos

Arguably the greatest scoring force England currently boast, Ryan Hall has been tearing Super League defences apart for close to a decade, now in his 10th season with Leeds Rhinos after debuting in 2007.

Considering just how effective he's been on the wing for Leeds and England over the past nine years, it would be difficult to imagine Hall lining up anywhere except out wide if he were to make the switch to union. 

At 6'2" and close to 17 stone, Hall combines a frightening frame with terrific handling and a bullish approach taking ball into contact, a concoction perhaps not too far from New Zealand sensation and former League experiment Sonny Bill Williams.

England union coach Eddie Jones is currently settled with the likes of Anthony Watson and Jack Nowell on his flanks, but Hall, now 28 and a devastating threat when fully fit, could be a different kind of imposing presence.

All that being said, a code-switch seems all but impossible for Hall at present considering he signed a new four-year deal with the Rhinos in 2014, but fans of the 15-a-side platform can hope nonetheless.