Part of the problem with American commentators is that they’ve been told by the powers that be that we Americans know nothing of football. So they call it soccer, and over explain every thing they say, and omit the more complicated nuances of the game, all for fear of losing red-blooded American viewers.
Then there are those commentators who got the job because of their mellifluous vocal tones and not their knowledge of the sport. That does kind of suck.
Hey, you’re not supposed to admit ANYTHING good about backs 
I’m a lock/number 8 myself.
1st class rugby players are clearly more fit in the professional era than they were back in the amateur day but I suppose you are right about the football vs. rugby fitness. Certainly though, there would be certain kinds of fitness that would be different among rugby players. Tight forwards clearly need a lot of anaerobic energy for the high intensity 20-30 seconds of scrummaging and rucking/mauling. Backs need more aerobic energy as their exertion tends to be more long term if less intense. Loose forwards need both of them and generally have to be the most fit players on the pitch, and I would put an international loose forward against any footballer in terms of fitness! I suppose footballers need a great deal of aerobic energy but the anaerobic energy would be surplus to them.
Yeah, but that’s because they don’t play properly anyore. Hell, some of the regional teams around here have banned players from drinking during the week! How the hell can you call yourself a rugby player under those terms?
** Say it ain’t so!!! **
They had the special for the Bermuda World Rugby Classic on TV this week. One segment featured Willie John McBride, Andy Haden, Carol du Plessis and Colin Deans sitting around and discussing how the game has changed, and certainly one of the points they brought up was the loss of camraderie that the professional era had brought in. Apparently, it’s now pervaded the lower ranks too! 
Now, mind you, I think the game of rugby is more enjoyable to watch then ever and certainly these players are showing me new things every day that simply blow my mind! However, the game is also losing it’s spirit.
I think one of the best parts of rugby is the 3rd half! I can’t think of another game where you sit down and have a pint or 2 or 10 with the opposition, tell bullshit war stories, sing those excellent songs that would make a sailor blush…and well, in short, be men in one of the few places it’s safe to be!! And I DO NOT want to lose the third half!!!
I always loved the way I’d find myself, an hour after the game, knocking back pints with people who during the game I’d been swapping punches and headbutts with. That is one definite advantage of rugby over football (or just about any other sport I play, come to think of it)
Welcome, everybody, to the “Great Rugby Hijack.”
I just have to say that I do not understand the rules of rugby, therefore it is a stupid game.
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Just joking.
But seriously, can the rules and/or positions of rugby be distilled down to a paragraph or two? I’d sure like to know what you guys are talking about.
A paragraph or two? No. but have a look at here
Thanks for the link. It’s going to take me a bit of time to get through all of that. For the record, I have enjoyed watching rugby, but I’ve never played it.
Rugby union at lower levels tends to leave me cold, line out , kick, line out, kick but the Aussie and NZ game is good to watch, just as the French used to be.
I still prefer Rugby League, every player has to have good ball skills, every player has to be able to run reasonably and even the flimsiest winger has to be able to stop a prop forward dead.
In Union there are players who hardly make a tackle, they seem to be more specialised to the exclusion of other areas of the game.
I think US folk have difficulty with the fluidity of soccer and the lack of natural breaks and plays.
It is very physical but makes completely differant demands of the participant.
The only sport that makes me struggle with its concept is WWF wrestling - entertainment maybe - sport no.
Hey, that’s not going to help anyone! The laws of rugby in the original legalese are rather complex to say the least. I would recommend the rugby primer at Rugby Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Fixtures, Results, Tables - ESPN, which gives plain English explainations of the basics of the game.
…and been confused out of your mind, correct? Certainly, it’s different enough from American football as well as soccer that it’s not similar enough to pick up right away but at least there are some so that you can start to learn and then work from there…after all, American football is derived from rugby!
Surely, the Aussie/NZ game is fun to watch, but clearly everyone’s not going to have the same skills as Super 12-caliber players! In the lower levels you have to surely go with what works…if you have decent backs you can throw around the ball a little bit more, or with good forwards keep it in tight and if necessary have your flyhalf boot to touch (and personally, I’d be scared shitless to see one of my wingers running from behind the 22 with the ball!)
There’s no rugby league in the US so I wouldn’t know that besides which I’ve heard.
I suppose that you’re talking about flyhalves here. Perhaps they aren’t tacklers quite as great as other players, but I think their kicking, both tactical and goalkicking (especially if they can get up into the 80-90% range!) more than makes up for it! The team’s loose forwards can cover up for that slight deficency without leaving too many defensive gaps if the flyhalf stays in close to the loose play in case of turnover…a winger that can’t tackle on the other hand is almost useless (I’d call wingers useless anyway, but that’s just forward talk ).
I agree there!
Fooba is dull.
Fooba doesnt make sense.
Fooba is a dull and senseless sport
But I recently played it and enjoyed it (as we won)
and I am in Europe where everybody loves fooba…
so I ll keep my mouth shut and praise “king fooba”
translation from gibberish: fooba is football as if you didnt notice hehe
dodgy
RugbyMan
Sorry that there is no Rugby League over there.
It came about in the 1870’s when there was split from Rugby Union over the broken time payments when Union would not allow players to be recompensed for time they spent playing rahter than working.
It was largely class related, those in the North of the country were largely working class and could ill afford to lose income whereas in the Union heartlands the players tended to be from the professional classes and had few money problems.
The fact that the scruffy Northern oiks would stuff the Southern ‘better persons’ week in week out rankled the governing body which was made up of old boys wearing University ties and gave them an excuse to kick out such great sides as Wigan, Salford etc.
Anyway it is all moot since Union went professional a few years ago.
Untouched by much of this both League and Union coexisted with paid players down under and their game developed far better than ours.
If you can I would suggest you get hold of some Australian rugby league video’s.
League is closer to American football in several ways, such as guarunteed possesion for both sides, set plays but it can also develop into a freer flowing game, certainly at the level of the Aussies.
We in the UK are probably a decade behind the Southern Hemisphere teams in Rugby League but we have adopted their acadamy teaching methods so we may catch up - eventually.
It is paying off in the Rugby Union world in a big way, we’ve just turned over South Africa making it our third win over Southern Hemisphere teams on the run.
I can’t remember when we last did that.
Alright, bavk to the OP… kinda. I’ve realized that we SHOULD take advantage of the refs if need be… if it would work. My school is one of the two public schools in our league, we played against a boarding school on Thursday and while they called everything against us one of our players got elbowed in the back of the head. She had balance problems and had to spend the night in the hospital, another concussion. For those of you who’ve said to just accept that it’s a violent sport I’m okay with it but what are the odds of having two concussions on our team and a very severely injured player on crutches now in just a week?
Rugby players out there, I guess I can’t comment much because I know absolutely nothing about rugby. I’ve watched it for short periods of time, got confused, changed the channel. I love how it is very physical and it is a very athletic sport, I never said it wasn’t. I merely mentioned the merits of soccer because of the football fans that were trying to say that soccer wasn’t a “real” sport. I think Soccer and Rugby require more skill both mental and physical than American football.
Kitty
hmm… I ve never seen anybody getting seriously hurt while playing soccer… but most of the guys in my class who play it have problems with their knees - or are on some kind of strange med to stop pain in various parts of the body…
Rugby is kind o cool - I only played it once - but I liked the fact that I was allowed to just drag people away from the place where you can make a point (excuse leck of knowledge) LOL I ve never made the aquaintance of any other sport where that was allowed…
It is very frustrating for my oponents though - cause they run and run and when they get near making a point I wrap my arms around their waste and wait until somebody from my team takes the ball from her…
I am evil… and I still wonder why my p.e. teacher would let me do it… that just cant be allowed in regular rugby…
dodgy
FWIW, a coworker’s son played through two concussions this last season as goalie for his college. I’m sure others can give better examples (FPK’s story included.)
After watching the Man U-Liverpool game today on Canal+ I will never again complain about Yank commentators overexplaining. The Canal+ guy went to all the trouble of telling us that “Manchester are in the red shirts, white shorts and black socks. Liverpool are in the gold shirts, navy shorts and navy socks.”
Oh, and dear GOD where did Man U get that Chadwick boy from - the Ian Dowie school of good looks? Poor lad! 
As for serious injuries from soccer, here are a couple pretty horrific ones.
Also in the 1930s a Celtic goalkeeper died from injuries received in a collision with a Rangers striker on the pitch.
ouch
Hey, Dodgy, it’s OK if you don’t like football. After all, how can we expect you to like it when your country’s prime example of football is Tony “Hackentrick” Polster?
ducks and runs 
coughcoughcoughPierreVanHooijdonkcoughcoughcough
Hey, I never claimed he was our BEST player, right?
Besides, the premier league is full of talented Dutch players. Yet, not a single English player is playing in the Dutch league! So THERE!
[sub]OK, I know our league is completely inferior to the English one, save 3 or 4 teams. I just don’t let that stand in the way of my argument here![/sub]