Smith is head and shoulders above Phelps.

No. Expensive and injury prone. I'd sooner have Diskin.

Once maybe, but since then Phelps has been training under Michael Maguire and Lee Smith has been in Rugby Union.



Go figure.

They are both 5' 10"

Yeah, course he is. That's why he's ripped it up at in that toughest of all games, Rugby Union, eh?

Saints should be in for him IMO, they are still a great side but they still lack pace.



We don't need him.

Major announcement to be made tomorrow morning by Leeds

Well it cant be about Smith if its major

I would hardly call his resigning as "major". Good news for England though. Wonder who's been axed off the salary cap to resign him.

He should be England's No.1. He embarrassed himself at centre last year.

The words used by Leeds themselves. Some speculation suggesting it will coincide with the announcement of Buderus' early departure?

6 months seems to be a long time in rugby league!



I write this as a Leeds fan, knowing he has left Wasps and knowing that there is a press conference at Headingley tomorrow. So no other insight than that. All I will say are the following:



- Lee Smith is not a centre, never has been, and probably never will be. Any clubs' fans comparing him to their own centres completely miss the point. Even a currently off form and old Keith Senior would be way ahead of Smith in the Leeds side, even if Smith was definitely coming back to the Rhinos



- The talk of him "Regaining his fitness" after going to Union - as much as I dislike the game, and feel their players are nowhere near as fit as league players, do you honestly think that he will have become completely unconditioned in 6 months? He was playing league until November, probably had Christmas off, and then will have started playing union pretty much straight after. Will he have gone to London, started eating pies and stopped training? His absence from league (if he is coming back) will be the equivilant of a player getting injured in a boxing day friendly and being out for 3 months



- Lee Smith is a fullback. If it was up to me, he would be the Leeds full back instead of Brent Webb (who I admire greatly). He can kick, he has a nice turn of pace, and he knows his way to the line. He also manages to turn it on in massive games, which playing for Leeds, comes in handy. He has played a major part in a couple of Grand Final wins. He hasn't just won the man of the match "a few years ago"



I was gutted that Smith was going, not necessarily for what he has already achieved, but that I saw him as the Leeds full back for the next 5 years. He continuously performs at the highest level. If Wigan fans don't think he would improve their side then that is fair enough.



But come October, would you change your mind? Who knows.



However if Leeds re-sign Smith I will be over the moon. If Wigan have better backs than Lee Smith then we will see the result of it at the end of October.