This letter is in "The Times" today (26th November).

=#0000FFSir,

It cannot be surprising that rugby union has fallen to the depths occupied by professional footballers in recent decades (letters, Nov 25). The huge sums of money poured into the game from the commercial world was eventually bound to contaminate the ruling body, the clubs and players.

Clubs, heavily in debt from development costs, are forced to pay players exorbitant sums and they in turn find it impossible to exist without the lifestyle it produces. Winning becomes the prime objective, playing to the rules is forgotten, which in turn creates stress and this can only be alleviated by trying to escape through the consumption of alcohol and drugs.

However, the question must be asked: why have the clubs, officials and players of rugby league remained immune?

Peter Hughes
Burnham, Bucks

One answer to the question is money but I would like to think that a better answer is that RL has not forgotten a) what it is about and b) it's roots.

I thought it was the opposite - from what I read, some players didn't care who won as long as the bonus went into their bank accounts.

There's no balance with the finances. True - there'd be no game if there were no players. Equally, where would we be without stadia, infrastructure, development, etc etc.

and it take a RL man to score for the Baa Baas