Rugby league legend Gareth Ellis has revealed how he turned down the offer of a cross-code switch to play centre for England RU.
The Hull FC assistant coach, one of the greatest forwards of his generation, releases his autobiography on Saturday. And in it, the former Great Britain second-row details for the first time how he was offered the chance to potentially star outside World Cup winner Jonny Wilkinson for the newly-crowned champions. Ellis, who was just 23 at the time and contemplating moving from Wakefield to Leeds, spurned the RFU's advances and instead signed for Rhinos, winning two Grand Finals before becoming a huge hit in the NRL and then returning to Super League where he helped Hull to two Challenge Cup glories.
In an exclusive extract from Never The Easy Option : The Gareth Ellis Storypublished at Mirror Online, Ellis recalled: " Towards the end of the 2004 season (before signing for Rhinos), I was called to a clandestine meeting at the prestigious Oulton Hall on the edge of Leeds. The men on the other side of the table were keen to keep their approach under wraps.
“Although they were league men by upbringing, Joe Lydon and Phil Larder were, at that time, part of the coaching set-up of the England Rugby Union team. Joe had just been appointed as backs coach and, during our meeting, spoke of the success he envisaged for me in union at inside centre. He spoke about Stirling Mortlock playing in that position for the Australian Wallabies.
"Joe had watched my career and believed that I could emulate Mortlock. At that time, the RFU were trying to poach a number of players by recruiting them to the national team and then finding a suitable club to join. It was very flattering, but I had never really been a fan of rugby union and didn’t know much about it. I left the meeting with a promise that I would think about it but, deep down, I wasn’t interested.
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“Leaving Wakefield would be a wrench, leaving the sport unthinkable. Lydon continued to send me DVDs of Mortlock, which I watched with only mild interest. I had barely achieved anything in rugby league and was still only learning about my game. I gave it serious consideration, but the timing wasn’t right and it came to nothing. It was a decision about which I have no regrets.”
Never The Easy Option : The Gareth Ellis Story is available from Saturday from Scratching Shed Publishing £13.99
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