Jason Robinson says rugby league gave him the attacking skills to succeed in rugby union Guscott said players like Billy Twelvetrees, Ben Foden and Mike Brown are being held back by an "autocratic, prescriptive" attacking style that has come about due to the number of rugby league coaches in union. But Robinson, who played league for nine years before switching to union where he represented England 51 times, says his time in league was devoted to attack, defence and handling rather than "clearing rucks, waiting for them to finish the lineouts or the scrums or rolling mauls." He added: "My gift was counter-attacking. In league, you can run anywhere without support. Comparing himself to Josh Lewsey and Ben Cohen, his former England team-mates in the back three, he explained: "I didn't understand rugby union like the others. But I knew and understood how to beat somebody. Robinson was known by his trademark sidestep, which he put to use when touching down in the victorious 2003 World Cup final, but he says the mental side to his game was as important as his quick feet. "I believe what made me different is I took risks," he says. I didn't know whether I was going to beat a player until the last metre. But not many people will get to the last metre. They will kick it beforehand, because that's the safest option. I earned my money in that last metre. But mentally I had to go there first to put myself in that position.