UQ Centre – Josh Birch – has found a new lease on his sporting life after switching from rugby league to rugby union. Michael Atkinson reports. In the eternal battle of league versus union, it feels like the latter is always one step behind when it comes to holding on to talented young players. With more money and a longer history of professionalism, rugby league is a major threat to the 15-man code retaining talented juniors coming through club and school systems. However, in Josh Birch, rugby has struck a major blow by luring him back to ‘the game they play in heaven’. “I started playing rugby when I went to (Brisbane) Grammar in year 11,” Birch said. “Before that it was all rugby league.” Recruited to the prestigious Brisbane Boys Grammar as a talented rugby league player from Bundaberg, Birch got his first taste of rugby and, in 2012, helped deliver BGS its first GPS title in 20 years. But even then, Birch still harboured dreams of forging a career in rugby l