Former England call-up Lewis Boyce offered rugby league trial
Leeds Rhinos have reportedly invited former Harlequins and Bath forward Lewis Boyce to join the early stages of their pre-season training on trial, according to Love Rugby League.
The initial group of Rhinos players resumed training last week after the off-season hiatus, with Boyce, a prop in rugby union, apparently set to join them.
Boyce, a 27-year-old with roots in the Leeds area, has spent his entire professional career in union, starting with Yorkshire Carnegie in Leeds before moving to Harlequins in 2017 and subsequently joining Bath in 2019. More recently, he featured in the RFU Championship for Ealing Trailfinders.
At one stage Boyce was in the mix for an England cap, having been called into an England training camp in January 2018 by Eddie Jones prior to their Six Nations Championship opener against Italy. The former England U20 star ultimately never won a cap at senior level.
The fact that the 6'1, 113kg Boyce was a loosehead in rugby union, a specialist position not often associated with cross-code swaps, makes the move all the more intriguing. Although there were question marks over his scrummaging in the fifteen-man game, Boyce was known as a strong ball carrier and tackler, which suggests a move to rugby league might be a good fit for the 27-year-old.
The trial, which was organised by Rhinos' coach Rohan Smith, spans two weeks and serves as an exploratory opportunity for both parties to assess Boyce's adaptation to rugby league.
While discussions regarding a potential deal have not transpired, Boyce aims to impress during Leeds' pre-season preparations in the hope of securing a longer-term opportunity.
Although a formal agreement remains distant, Leeds could exploit a salary cap loophole if Boyce were to join, valuing him at £0 in the first year under the new talent pool dispensation, applicable to players transitioning from union to league.
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Whats interesting now is the evolution of rugby. More and more the laws are favouring the team in possession and the ball carrier. Teams can keep the ball for longer periods more than ever before with little risk and wear down defences as long as they don’t knock it on. Set pieces are seen as hindrances and as time wasting annoyances by law makers and they are being depowered as lawmakers strive for higher ball in play time. Perhaps its only natural then that teams will take a more assertive and aggressive approach in defence. An offensive defence as you said Nick. This may force errors and turnovers and help teams to break up attacking plays while providing counterattacking prospects. Perhaps we will see more and more teams adopt the blitz in the next 4 year cycle and beyond much like Gegenpress has met Tiki Taka in football. Instead of Pep and Klopp we will have Farrell and Nienaber.
Go to commentsArrogant entitled prick with a huge chip on its shoulder
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