Canberra Raiders NRL star Sandor Earl to target place with England rugby team ...

Sandor Earl is hoping to crack the England rugby team for the 2015 Rugby World Cup. Picture: Gregg Porteous
Source: The Daily Telegraph

SANDOR Earl will target a spot in England’s 2015 World Cup team following his decision to defect to rugby, but understands it is easier said than done.

The NRL star, who will join French club Pau once his commitments finish with Canberra Raiders this season, has English heritage and would be eligible for the old foe should his form warrant selection.

“That is an end goal, because rugby is such an international sport,” Earl told the Daily Telegraph.

“But I don’t want to be big-noting anything about a World Cup spot.

“With this decision I’ve made, I’ve always had in mind that I am in my prime at 23.

“I am not just going over there at the end of my career for a payday, I want to make a dent, make an impact and be as good as I can be.

“I am lucky I have three different nations I’m eligible for through my heritage (England, Australia and New Zealand), and playing in France, England is probably the closest link.

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“It seems any bloke who goes from league to rugby at the moment plays for the Wallabies, but it was the whole package of France that appealed to me.”

Earl will play on the wing for Pau, who are a second division club that missed promotion to the Top 14 by one point this season.

Earl played against Wallabies star Kurtley Beale and NSW winger Peter Betham in under-17s rugby for Randwick, before targeting a professional career in league.

While he has international ambitions, Earl was also realistic about the benefits of the Pau deal, thought to be around $220,000 net, with a second-year option in his favour.

“You invest so much time and effort into footy, you don’t earn much until you get to a certain point in time, so I want to explore the world and earn what I can,” Earl said.

“I had a double shoulder reconstruction in 2011, spent the whole year out, I’ve had to move clubs for various reasons.

“It takes a bit of maturity to realise that this is not just something you grew up wanting to do, this is your source of income and your future. You can’t look at it as just something to enjoy.

“I am always interested in the bigger picture.

“It goes hand in hand with my mentality of what I want in life, it’s part of the journey I’ve had in footy, of big ups and big downs.

“If I look at it, if an opportunity has popped up, albeit a little risky, if I embrace it, it usually comes off.

“I thought, `Let’s do this’. There are disadvantages in league, if you’re not playing top grade in Australia there are few options. Rugby is such an international game, there are so many pathways.”

IMG agent Carl Giammarco, who brokered Earl’s deal, said French clubs are targeting NRL players with aerial skills.

“Sandor’s ability to attack the ball in the air was a reason why he was seen to fit with the style of play in France,” Giammarco said.

“The NRL is more advanced in developing the adaptability of players, so league players are becoming very successful in different codes.”

Article source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22765007

Canberra Raiders NRL star Sandor Earl to target place with England rugby team ...