Chris Rattue: Why Ardie Savea needs to switch from rugby to league as soon as possible

COMMENT:

I'm not surprised All Black crowd favourite Ardie Savea sounds sick of rugby and is thinking about playing league.

League is a very simple game but at least you get a chance to grab the ball and have a bit of a run around, pass it to your mates now and then, and get in a few big hits.

League has its own limitations, of course. But at least in rugby league, players are given the playing conditions to do the things they have trained for.

Its comparative simplicity is what footy is all about to kids who dream of growing up to be an All Black.

League must look like a load of fun to Savea, who is among the most energetic blokes in rugby union these days.

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Because the most common sight on a rugby union field is confusion.

Penalised props haul themselves off the ground looking at the referee like they've seen a poltergeist while their marker giggles in delight, having pulled the wool over the official's eyes.

Seconds later a loose forward who has spent 10 years turning his body into a mass of power and expertise dives into a dangerous trench, fights for the ball while keeping three behemoths at bay, only to find the referee accusing him of not holding his own weight.

Meanwhile, a linesman who is only supporting the weight of a flag fails to notice that an entire defensive line is offside.

The TV commentators, who are supposed to unravel all of this for the punters, haven't got a clue what's going on so talk a load of gibberish, while people at the ground make wild guesses.

In all honesty, a lot of the referees give the impression that they are making it up as well and who can blame them with that rule book?

That's when they aren't trying to explain some of the rules to players who would need a laser tool to get all their angles right.

It must be an infuriating game to play. All that effort during the week ends up like film on the cutting-room floor.

Every time a ball of energy like Savea gets the ball, he's already surrounded by what must feel like 200 opponents. And heaven help him if he gets into clear air.

Because the worst thing you can do in rugby union these days is make a clean break, something which leaves the ball carrier isolated and almost guaranteed to lose the ball to a turnover or penalty.

A sport which used to celebrate Phil Bennett's sidestep and David Campese's goose step is left lauding tackle counts.

Here's a question: when's the last time you saw a rugby player make a thrilling long run, the way Christian Cullen used to do every week? Sweeping moves have been swept away.

In a way, rugby has become rugby league, without the space. It's even stolen the cross-field kick from league, with brilliant playmakers like Richard Mo'unga reduced to kicking the ball to their wings because there's no room to run.

As thanks for their efforts, the players either play 10 months of the year or miss some of their teams' campaigns. Some of them are told to come off at halftime in February, so they are fit enough to play in November.

Player power is starting to take over and a lot of those players have had enough.

Ageing and not so ageing New Zealand players flock to Europe or Japan where they play boring or inferior rugby just to make an extra buck. That's how much they enjoy the sport.

It also gets them away from the clutches of New Zealand Rugby, which based their business model and attitude towards their star employees on the values of the Kremlin.

Rugby league is far from perfect but unlike rugby, it is not obsessed with penalising imperfections.

So go Ardie. Make the move as quick as you can, before your spirit and body are broken.

You would make a terrific league forward or even a centre. And you'll have a ball.