Rugby Showdown

[Jeff Jones]

I like watching rugby, when England is winning. I don't know the difference between union and league. Other than that, it doesn't interest me.

I hear a lot of people say football is boring and I can see why, sometimes. I mean, unless you're watching a team you actually support it often is.

If, say, Stoke are playing Fulham and both sides are struggling to get out of there own half except when they hoof it on the way to a 0-0 draw Do you know what I mean?

Rugby's like that, for me.

 

[rascal]

Union for me, couldn't give two ****s about league and neither can most of the country it would seem given how quiet coverage of the League World Cup has been!

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Union for me, couldn't give two ****s about league and neither can most of the country it would seem given how quiet coverage of the League World Cup has been!

Liverpool are more popular than Everton, doesn't mean they're better, does it?

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I went to watch England v Australia on Saturday in Cardiff with some mates and we were close to leaving. What a **** sport, so one dimensional and pointless. Yeah some the hits were huge and those guys are a bunch of fit, hard bastards. But watching a whole game of the same repeated moves is shocking. Union anyday.

What is exciting though? In an average international match, the ball is out of play for longer than it is in play. So you get to see more of them doing nothing than actually doing something, and that doesn't include rucks where to all intents and purposes they're doing nothing. In the NRL by contrast, the ball is in play for 62 minutes.

In the last Union world cup, the most tackles made in a match was the 181 made by Wales against Samoa. The average number of tackles made by Leeds in every match of super league this season was 349, so practically double.

Likewise, if you look at England over the last year, they score on average just over 2 tries per game. The Warrington Wolves scored over 6 per game in the last Super League season.

So the ball is in play for longer, you get twice as many tackles, three times as many tries scored. All you get less of is scrums (the vast majority of which in Union fail to result in anything but a penalty/free kick) and line outs.

 

[Maxwell]

What is exciting though? In an average international match, the ball is out of play for longer than it is in play. So you get to see more of them doing nothing than actually doing something, and that doesn't include rucks where to all intents and purposes they're doing nothing. In the NRL by contrast, the ball is in play for 62 minutes.

In the last Union world cup, the most tackles made in a match was the 181 made by Wales against Samoa. The average number of tackles made by Leeds in every match of super league this season was 349, so practically double.

Likewise, if you look at England over the last year, they score on average just over 2 tries per game. The Warrington Wolves scored over 6 per game in the last Super League season.

So the ball is in play for longer, you get twice as many tackles, three times as many tries scored. All you get less of is scrums (the vast majority of which in Union fail to result in anything but a penalty/free kick) and line outs.

Its easy to make League seem exciting in that sense, more tackles, more time in play etc, but that is literally all League has. The only tactic to it is run at the opposition a few times, boot the ball down field, then repeat the process. Union is a lot more evenly contested in every aspect.

Also for all intents and purposes, players at the ruck are not doing 'nothing'. Everyone is fighting to get hold of the ball. Winning a turnover is an extremely difficult thing to do yet some lads (Pocock, McCaw) do it with ease.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

Laughin at Sonny Bill the other day like, thats funny in whatever code, funniest since Jeff Wilson in last min of Bledisloe Cup Game.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Its easy to make League seem exciting in that sense, more tackles, more time in play etc, but that is literally all League has. The only tactic to it is run at the opposition a few times, boot the ball down field, then repeat the process. Union is a lot more evenly contested in every aspect.

Also for all intents and purposes, players at the ruck are not doing 'nothing'. Everyone is fighting to get hold of the ball. Winning a turnover is an extremely difficult thing to do yet some lads (Pocock, McCaw) do it with ease.

Running at the opposition is the point of the game. Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran at the opposition As with union, attacking plays often come off the back of a quick play of the ball, be that from the tackle in league, or the ruck in union. The difference is that it happens more often in league because there are simply more opportunities for it to happen.

That's the basic essence of the game. Take something simple like a kick return by the full back. If you look at the video below of Ben Barba from last season, it's incredibly exciting stuff. That kind of flair is only really possible in league though because in union, if the attacker was tackled they would lose possession or give away a penalty through not having big forwards on hand to contest the breakdown. It disincentives the back three running back a kick return, hence why so often you have garryowen after garryowen back and forth.

[video=youtube;RffAff7gUBI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RffAff7gUBI[/video]

Offloading in the tackle is something else you so seldom see in union. You only have to look at how damaging Sonny Bill was when he crossed codes. It doesn't happen often though because you seldom have support players running off the shoulder of the attacker.

It's the same with dummy runners. In league such things can happen because it doesn't matter so much if the dummy runner is then largely out of the play because they aren't required to contest the breakdown. That isn't the case in union, so back moves often see the ball crabbing across the field so that the breakdown can be contested by lots of players.

It's no surprise that New Zealand dominate union as they do because they're largely the only team that play the game properly. They rarely try and win through goal kicking, but instead through securing very quick ball and relying on an exceptional running game.

The All Blacks are just as good to watch imo as Australia are in League.

 

[bluemangroup]

Running at the opposition is the point of the game. Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran at the opposition As with union, attacking plays often come off the back of a quick play of the ball, be that from the tackle in league, or the ruck in union. The difference is that it happens more often in league because there are simply more opportunities for it to happen.

That's the basic essence of the game. Take something simple like a kick return by the full back. If you look at the video below of Ben Barba from last season, it's incredibly exciting stuff. That kind of flair is only really possible in league though because in union, if the attacker was tackled they would lose possession or give away a penalty through not having big forwards on hand to contest the breakdown. It disincentives the back three running back a kick return, hence why so often you have garryowen after garryowen back and forth.

[video=youtube;RffAff7gUBI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RffAff7gUBI[/video]

Offloading in the tackle is something else you so seldom see in union. You only have to look at how damaging Sonny Bill was when he crossed codes. It doesn't happen often though because you seldom have support players running off the shoulder of the attacker.

It's the same with dummy runners. In league such things can happen because it doesn't matter so much if the dummy runner is then largely out of the play because they aren't required to contest the breakdown. That isn't the case in union, so back moves often see the ball crabbing across the field so that the breakdown can be contested by lots of players.

It's no surprise that New Zealand dominate union as they do because they're largely the only team that play the game properly. They rarely try and win through goal kicking, but instead through securing very quick ball and relying on an exceptional running game.

The All Blacks are just as good to watch imo as Australia are in League.

I like both codes, but you need the technicality of scrubs and line outs and rucking and mauling in Union for the fancier stuff to function. It keeps the game moving, it opens up space and 6 tries in a game really takes the shine off of scoring them. League has superior athletes at the moment but Union has the greater technical exponents. League defences are too good and the players not technically gifted enough or too reliant on smashing it up the middle to really tear up a defence. A few years ago that wasn't the case.
Offloading in the tackle happens all the time in Union. The interplay between England's forwards in the autumn internationals was pretty bloody good. Northampton this year and last offload as much as possible to keep the ball moving. Very few of either code offload to put players through gaps though. Sonny Bill is exceptional in both codes for doing that.

 

[chicoazul]

Bruce you're confusing opinion with fact mate. A tightly contested low scoring Union game can still be very enjoyable to watch with the packs battling for every metre of territory with no room for error as penalties will decide it. Its tense, very skillful and not a sport reliant of fat wools taking steroids and running dead fast into each other for #HITZ!!!!lol!!!!

There is a lot more skill and tactics in the Union game, thankfully most of the world appreciates that a lot more than the Americanised bastardisation of rugby that you strangely find alluring. Played by wools and weird Australians.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

Let's face it, Chico knows absolutely feck all about either code of Rugby and is basing his 'knowledge' on 1 night of Hospitality in the Millenium Stadium, if it had been Aussie Rules night he'd be walking round in an Essendon vest and saying that the extra officials in european games should dress like green grocers and have flags to signal any decisions.

 

[chicoazul]

I've played union lid. I know that you may be terrified of what goes on in the scrum or ruck but don't be, were all men here right? The only reason I want to play League is because I would be the envy of the showers afterwards with all the steroid addled acorns in there.

 

[Reidy's Bottle Of Grecian]

I've played union lid. I know that you may be terrified of what goes on in the scrum or ruck but don't be, were all men here right? The only reason I want to play League is because I would be the envy of the showers afterwards with all the steroid addled acorns in there.

I went to a school where we weren't allowed to play anything but Rugby League, I played hooker and it was in the days when scrums were actually contested, never wore shinnies either socks rolled down at all times. I was the dirtiest little ba$tard in there as well, scrum half was hairier due to the studs on the Walsh Rugby boots being like something on Ice Boots, broken fingers all over show for them lads.

 

[chicoazul]

I went to a school where we weren't allowed to play anything but Rugby League, I played hooker and it was in the days when scrums were actually contested, never wore shinnies either socks rolled down at all times. I was the dirtiest little ba$tard in there as well, scrum half was hairier due to the studs on the Walsh Rugby boots being like something on Ice Boots, broken fingers all over show for them lads.

Yer mar played hooker lad, and let me tell you she was hairier than the scrum half.

Union is much more skillful and hence very much more popular the world over. League is like someone from the NFL decided to do a jarg spin off with cheerleaders and BIG HITZ and moN5t3R tRUx like a circus coming to a wool town.

Ultimately it's sh*te though and played exclusively by English and Australian hillbillies.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

What Inga thought of Yawnion

[video=youtube;ccJlv32kCfw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccJlv32kCfw[/video]

 

[chicoazul]

Lid that's like producing one of your right wing think-tank surveys to 'prove' your point.

The world have spoken and League is a farce. How's them ticket sales for the World Cup? lol

Its like the Baseball World Series.