Farrell is one of the finest players of his generation

England rugby union convert Andy Farrell may not be well known to most fans of the 15-man code, but he is a legend to their cross-code cousins in rugby league.

In 2004 Farrell won the rare double of the Golden Boot, awarded to the world's leading player, and Man of Steel, which is awarded to the best player in the British Super League.

It was fitting recognition for a rugby player whose career has touched heights few achieve.

Farrell's reliability and longevity - he made his Wigan debut as a 16-year-old back in 1991 - makes it easy to overlook the massive contribution he has made to the sport.

The fact that he first won the Man of Steel award back in 1996, the first year of Super League, speaks volumes about his ability to produce the goods on a consistent basis.

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The 29-year-old loose-forward may not have always caught the eye with a flaring side-step or a searing break.

But his week-in, week-out excellence made him a player that any coach would want in his side.

His powers of inspiration are also the reason he was an automatic choice for the Great Britain captaincy despite the strong claims of St Helens' Paul Sculthorpe.

Farrell is the Super League record points scorer

As a league player, Farrell had an uncanny knack for almost always doing the right thing, and not even a broken nose or his dodgy knees seemed to faze him.

When he broke his nose in the first half of a game against Leeds in June 2004, the 6ft 4in, 17 stone forward chose to play on rather than retreat to the safety of the stands.

It was those sort of leadership qualities that saw him appointed Wigan captain in July 1996 at the age of 21.

And he has led the club to four Super League Grand Finals, although only one victory.

He captained Great Britain a record 29 times in an unbroken run since taking the reins in 1996, and in addition to twice being Man of Steel he also won the Golden Boot in 2004.

He is the youngest man to play in a winning Challenge Cup team (17 years 11 months) and holds both the Wigan record for most points in a season (429 in 2001) and the Super League record (388 in 2001).

He also holds the Super League record for most career goals (979) and points (2,228).

In addition to his Super League Grand Final winner's medal from 1998 he also has four Challenge Cup winner's medals and was man of the match in the 1996 and 1997 Premiership finals.

Farrell was awarded an OBE at the start of 2005 in recognition of his services to the 13-man code.