Rugby: A non-stop contest with moments of magic

Adam Diver says:

07:42am | 22/03/10

If Rugby got rid of the three point penalties and drop goals it would seriously improve the game. Why they persist so we get to see goal-kickers taking free shots constantly is beyond me.

Quick facts for the weekend:
34 penaltie goals scored
2 drop kicks scored

Thats 108 points out of 274 or 40%. Thats the equivalent of 2 spot kicks out of every 5 goals in soccer.

Also that doesnt include the free shots taken but were missed.

Chris Rhyss says:

08:25am | 22/03/10

As someone who played both union and league for more years (and beers) than I care to remember I have absolutely no qualms with publicly stating that we needed to be fitter, tougher and smarter to play rugby. I’m not saying NRL players are trogladytes, just that rugby is more of a thinking man’s game where we literally had to be thinking on the run whilst watching their backs etc which is far more physically demanding than NRL. Having said that, Im looking forward to watching my first Bronco’s live game this Sunday!

BULMKT says:

08:53am | 22/03/10

What ever happened to running rugby?
The modern game is boring.
Who was the genius who introduced 3 pts for penalties and field goals? That killed the game as you now kick to victory. If I want to watch a kicking to victory sport I’d watch AFL or soccer.
The only form of rugby that’s worth watching is Rugby 7’s. It has the missing ingredient - tries and plenty of them.

Ryan says:

09:18am | 22/03/10

The sport is not “AFL”
Thats the national pro league of Australian Football or Australian rules for the foreigners.
You make a fool of yourself every time you refer to the sport as “AFL”.
Do we call Association Football (soccer/football) FIFA?????

Markus says:

09:50am | 22/03/10

Absolutely love Rugby, always have.
It is the true ‘game for all body types’, and the only one of the 3 codes that has a legitimate international competition.
Some of the greatest matches I have seen didn’t even involve my beloved Wallabies. Watching Fiji knock Wales out of the last World Cup, then almost beating the Springboks in the QF was almost as good as watching the Wallabies hoist the Webb Ellis Cup back in ‘99.

Rugby has been its own worst enemy in terms of exposure though. In Sydney and Brisbane the school age competitions are exclusively for the private GPS schools.
Canberra is the only place I have found where the public clubs and the school teams play in the same competition, and it is no surprise that it is the only place where Rugby dominates local sports coverage.

Dick J says:

10:52am | 22/03/10

I watch my young 10 yo play rugby. There is really not a better game for young boys. Pushing, shoving, wrestling, running, passing, laughing & teamwork. Schoolboy rugby is about as pure as it gets. Rugby is a game firstly to play . Once played appreciation comes for the game.
There is a part of each game at which one can excel hence there is is a place and position for everyone. Even for Dad who has a run with the ‘golden oldies’ from time to time.

I don’t agree with the private GPS only thought. Every club has a juniors and the subbies comp in Sydney is huge.

David says:

12:00pm | 22/03/10

I laugh when people complain about the 3 point penalties - they were first introduced when points were first introduced! Before that, I am fairly sure that games were decided by how many kicks were landed, hence why a try is named thus.

Rugby is the superior code in my eyes; I grew up with it, my heroes were All Blacks players. Nothing was as thrilling as watching a Bledisloe Cup match or going to the old Rugby Park in Hamilton to watch our Waikato team defend the Ranfurly Shield. When I moved to Australia, I saw my first live game of rugby league at Suncorp and I can say it was much more exciting to watch union rather than league - you can nod off for 5 minutes in a game of league and not really miss much. It’s fun to play and watch, but rugby is streets ahead. Even the kickfests!

Steph says:

12:46pm | 22/03/10

Being a rugby man (and referee)  born & living in the southern states, my exposure to aerial ping pong is highly developed. I grew up on Aussie rules but moved across to Union whilst playing for school. My initial reason was because they sent us to NZ to play, but 20 years later I’m still heavily involved.

The wallabies jersey is one of only a few items recognised worlwide as Australian, especially near Austria (where you really need it), and watching the Wallabies play at any choice of places around the world kept this homesick individual sane for a great many years.

In Aust you may have experienced quiet spectators, but having been on the ground in Melbourne during the long past British Lions tour, I can assure you it was loud, as we had to abandon all audible communications protocols due to the spectator noise.

I certainly love sports and do like an entertaining game of Aussie rules, (sorry Leaguies, I think your game is dead boring), but nothing for me compares to a full blooded game of union, whether it is between two local schools here in Melbourne or a 6 Nations game held in Cardiff.

Rin says:

12:57pm | 22/03/10

The only true international winter footy code in Australia, it is also the only sport that can be played by any body shape, fat, thin, tall, short that is why it has got a general world wide appeal. Rugby world cup 2007 was the third most watched sporting event after the olympics and soccer world cup.

Andrew says:

01:23pm | 22/03/10

Davo thought he’d try his luck down in the big smoke after a cracka of a season for the GLen Innes Rams. He threw his swag and his boots in the ute and headed off to see if he could get a game down at Easts in Sydney (he’d heard from his mate there were a few boys from the bush down there).

Davo gets to Sydney and drives across the harbour Bridge only to get a little confused around William St. He pulls over, winds down the window and leans out to talk to what he thought was a rather glamorously dressed young lady but before he can speak she says;
“Hi luv, you looking for a date”.
Davo always thought he looked pretty good but had seldom if ever been approached by a women before midnight at a B & S.
“Sure am” says Davo and in to the ute jumps the young lady in question.
Wanting to get the deal done quickly she grabs Davo’s hand and places it on her inner thigh and says; “have you ever felt really good”,
Davo a bit taken aback says “my oath I have, last year in the first grade cricket final for Glenn Innes there was one ball left and I was facing Beamer Johnson needing six runs to win. Well in steams Beamer and throws down a ball quicker than a flash flood. The crowds screaming Davo! Davo! Davo! I smack the ball back over the bowlers head for six. That felt pretty good.”

The girl shakes her head and moves Davo’s hand further up her inner thigh and says; “Davo, have you ever felt sensational”
“My oath” says Davo, “about six months later I was playing for the Rams against Moree in the rugby grand final. We needed a convertedd try to win and it was the last play of the game. The crowd was shouting, Get it to Davo! Get it to Davo! The ball spills out the back of the ruck and the half spies me running down the centre of the field, he throws a top pass that hits me right on the chest. I step the five eigth, chip the fullback and carry the No 8 and open side flanker over the line to score under the posts. That felt sensational!”

Clearly exasperated the lady of the night grabs Davo’s hand and places it fairly and squarely on the old map of Tassy and says: “Well, have you ever felt a c***”

Davo’s snaps back: “my oath, I missed the goal!”.

Scoop says:

03:04pm | 22/03/10

Colgo, I grew up playing union but over past years have fallen out of love. So much kicking.  But union can be beautiful - check out Gareth Edwards’ try for the Barbarians v All Black in 1973. Not that is a try.
Re the Haka—dare I say it, the Haka is arguably the best thing in international sport. It sends a shiver down my spine EVERY time I see it. Brrrr.

John Ryan says:

05:29pm | 22/03/10

Reading some of these comments you gotta laugh if Rugby Union is such a wonderful all round exciting game,wheres the FTA cover,union battles to beat u/20s RL on Pay,and hes your banker.
As for when the AFL/NRL season starts rugby union drops back to oblivion or about number no 16 or 37 on the Pay TV ratings,its a bloody boring game gents,and hangs on because of old school snobbery and the GPS/Upper class thing,let League into the GPS and see what happens

KLM says:

08:52pm | 28/06/10

It is an international sort played by most of the world unlike AFL and League which are mostly white games played in Australia. If you’re not white you will soon find out this very long and old truth. Ask the Mundine family and their dead relatives.