Two codes, both called rugby, both played with an oval ball, and in some parts of the country both available at clubs ten minutes apart.
Parents ask me which one their child should play. I played league professionally, so you might expect a particular answer. You are not going to get one, because it is the wrong question. Here is the right one.
The differences that actually matter
Set aside the history and the tribalism. On the pitch, these are the differences a player feels.
Number of players
League is thirteen a side. Union is fifteen. Union's two extra players are forwards, which shapes everything about how the two games look.
What happens after a tackle
This is the big one, and everything else follows from it.
In league, a tackled player gets up and plays the ball back with their foot. The defending side must retreat ten metres. A team gets six of these before possession changes hands. The result is a game of structured sets, quick play-the-balls and constant repeated running.
In union, the ball is contested on the ground at the ruck. Players compete for it. Possession can turn over at any moment, and a team can hold the ball for many phases. The result is a more continuous, less predictable game with a genuine contest for possession.
Set pieces
Union has contested scrums and lineouts, both of which are substantial skills in their own right. League's scrums are uncontested and there are no lineouts.
Scoring
Union: try five points, conversion two, penalty three, drop goal three. League: try four points, conversion two, penalty two, drop goal one.
What that means for a child
Both codes are excellent for children. Genuinely. The differences are matters of flavour, not quality.
Broadly speaking
- League gives more running, more ball in hand, and a simpler structure to learn early. A child who loves carrying the ball tends to take to it fast.
- Union has a wider variety of specialist roles. There is genuinely a position for every shape and size, and the set piece skills give some children a route in they would not find elsewhere.
Neither is harder. Neither is safer. They are different games.
The "there's a position for everyone" point
You hear this said about union more than league, and there is something in it. Between the front row, the second row, the back row, the halves, the centres, the wings and full back, union does accommodate an unusually wide range of body types.
League is less varied in that respect, but do not overstate it. League has always found room for the small and quick as well as the large and durable.
What actually decides it
After forty years around both codes, I will tell you plainly: the code matters far less than these three things.
1. The club
A well run club with good coaches and a welcoming atmosphere will do more for your child than the code ever will. A badly run one will put them off rugby entirely, whichever version it plays.
Go and watch a session at both. You will know within twenty minutes. Watch how the coach speaks to the children who are struggling, not the ones who are good.
2. Their friends
Children stay in sport where their mates are. This is not a small factor, it is close to the deciding one. If half their class plays at the league club down the road, that is a serious argument.
3. Whether you can actually get them there
The best club in the county is no use if it is a forty minute drive twice a week and you cannot sustain it. Sustainable beats ideal, every time.
Ken's verdict
I played league and I loved it. I would not tell any parent that makes it the better code, because it does not.
Pick the club, not the code. And if you can, let them try both — most children work it out for themselves within a few weeks, and they are usually right.
Can they play both?
Plenty do, and the skills transfer well in both directions. Union players often bring strong contact skills into league. League players tend to arrive in union with excellent hands and a good eye for space.
The practical obstacle is seasons, which in some areas overlap. Talk to both clubs before committing — most are more accommodating than people expect, particularly at junior level.
Watch the workload though. Two clubs, two training schedules and two match days is a great deal for a young body, especially through a growth spurt. Rest is part of development, not a break from it.
Free coaching plans for both codes
Session plans for rugby league and rugby union, built to RFL and RFU standards.
Download free plansWhere to start
Find your nearest clubs of each code. Ring them, or turn up on a training night — junior sections are almost always glad to see a new face. Most will let a child try a few sessions before anyone asks for money.
Then let them decide. They will pick the one where they had the best afternoon, and that is exactly the right basis on which to choose.