=#0000BFDo you still regret your decision to not prove yourself against the greatest ever club rugby side - Wigan - in the 1996 cross-code challenge? Yours in sport, [iJohn Marchant, England[/i No, I don't and I never will. My reasoning is that we were never going to beat Wigan at rugby league and, if Bath played properly in union, Wigan's forwards wouldn't have been able to walk off the pitch, because they didn't know how to scrum. I didn't disapprove of the concept or what happened because the games helped break down barriers, but I didn't need to play in them. It may sound a tad arrogant but I felt I didn't have to prove myself at rugby league, and even if I had felt that way I certainly couldn't do that playing for a rugby union side against one of the best sides in the world - Wigan had an unbelievable side with unbelievable stars. Jonathan Davies has told me before - and I respect his view - that I would have enjoyed rugby league, and for me that's good enough. I don't regret not playing and I don't regret not going to rugby league, but I do like watching rugby league. news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8410924.stm

=#0000BFDo you still regret your decision to not prove yourself against the greatest ever club rugby side - Wigan - in the 1996 cross-code challenge? Yours in sport, [iJohn Marchant, England[/i No, I don't and I never will. My reasoning is that we were never going to beat Wigan at rugby league and, if Bath played properly in union, Wigan's forwards wouldn't have been able to walk off the pitch, because they didn't know how to scrum. I didn't disapprove of the concept or what happened because the games helped break down barriers, but I didn't need to play in them. It may sound a tad arrogant but I felt I didn't have to prove myself at rugby league, and even if I had felt that way I certainly couldn't do that playing for a rugby union side against one of the best sides in the world - Wigan had an unbelievable side with unbelievable stars. Jonathan Davies has told me before - and I respect his view - that I would have enjoyed rugby league, and for me that's good enough. I don't regret not playing and I don't regret not going to rugby league, but I do like watching rugby league. news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/rugby_union/8410924.stm

It does sound arrogant, but I agree with the basis of his comments

I can't see why he didn't want to accept the challenge or taste the experience.



I think he's happy to be branded arrogant opposed to accepting that he was frightened to death.

Are DVD's still availiable. If so does anybody have a source. Would be interesting to watch again as i have not seen since.

I've seen the games on a generic video hosting website.

Shaun Edwards missed the game for the same reasons. In many ways the game was a pointless exercise but both games made a good spectacle. As he said, their forwards took it easy on us in the union game. They could have turned it into a ruck and maulathon but they tried to make it an open game which kept us involved.



We had a 40 year old graeme west and inga playing in the forwards. It was the best game Shem tatupu played for us though.

Exactly the reason he didn't play imo.



As for his comments about Bath not playing 'proper Rugby Union' against us at Twickers I wouldn't have liked to have sat through the first 60mins if they'd have played anymore boring! To be fair though we had to take our fair share of blame for that as we went and tried to actually play Union instead of running them ragged League style. We realised after 60 mins it just wasn't working trying to play the Yawnion way and started to throw the ball around leading to 3 of the best trys Twickers as ever or will ever see





I was only talking about that game with my girlfriend the other day whilst watching top gear. They had a range rover on with a champagne fridge built in and it reminded me of the pre match picnics the Bath and Wiganers had.............they were having cucumber sandwiches, strawberries and champagne out of the back of the range rovers whilst the Wiganers were having cans of Skol and pork pies out of carrier bags

Of course it was boring. It was a union game 13 years ago when open rugby and professional levels of fitness weren't an option. In fairness to Bath, they did try and play an open game. The league game was ridiculous though. They couldn't even tick Robinson, never mind about tackle him. Robinson's performance in both games and the sevens, proved to be quite costly for the game of league.



That being said, we had already nicked Inga, Quinnell, Tatupu, Davies, Deveroux, Bentley, Bateman, Gibbs, Koloto, Offiah.......................................

It's hearing people talk about things like this that makes me think I'd started supporting Wigan at the wrong time

Boston, Sullivan...

Marking Inga was his real reason not to play..the guys a bitch

You can say that about Shem Tatupu again,



Anyway still say Guscott was a coward though