Rugby League really gives me the shits
- Thread starter TheRiddler
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mxyzptlk
Colin Windon (37)
Peter Freedman
Frank Row (1)
I enjoy League, but much prefer rugby. League is too predictable, provided you don't make a mistake you can rely on keeping the ball for six tackles. I can't think of any other contact sport where there is no continuous contest for the ball.
But there are some rules I think rugby could steal, the drop out from under the posts instead of the 22 and the offside line.
League scrums are a farce, I saw one recently where the ball didn't even go into the scrum at all - it was just rolled behind the scrum and was picked up by the lock.
But there are some rules I think rugby could steal, the drop out from under the posts instead of the 22 and the offside line.
League scrums are a farce, I saw one recently where the ball didn't even go into the scrum at all - it was just rolled behind the scrum and was picked up by the lock.
It is what it is
John Solomon (38)
NFL?
Peter Freedman
Frank Row (1)
Quite right. I tend to forget gridiron because I have no idea why anyone would ever bother to watch it.
Bullrush
John Hipwell (52)
Cos it's actually a great sport.
Peter Freedman
Frank Row (1)
Obviously the Yanks love it, but it is far too stop-start for my liking.
Can never understand how you can score a touchdown without grounding the ball.
Can never understand how you can score a touchdown without grounding the ball.
Rob42
John Solomon (38)
Given that the ball is in play for around 34 minutes of the average rugby game, I'm not sure we can stand strong on the "stop-start" argument. American football has its own rhythm, once you get into it you don't notice the delays so much. It's perfectly paced for a couple of TV replays in between each play.
If you've got Foxtel, watch some college games on ESPN - they're a lot of fun, and tremendous atmosphere.
If you've got Foxtel, watch some college games on ESPN - they're a lot of fun, and tremendous atmosphere.
WorkingClassRugger
David Codey (61)
They also tend to be played at a higher tempo than NFL games. Was watching the Sth Carolina v Nth Carolina game and Sth Carolina's offensive line was setting up immediately after every possession. Good to watch.
mxyzptlk
Colin Windon (37)
Speaking as a Yank who's worked around college football, I can say I do notice the delays, to a painfully large degree. But the delays are now part of the entire experience, which is as much about socializing and marketing as it is about the game itself.
The majority of people who gather to watch games on TV watch something around only 20 minutes of the actual game; most of the time they're socializing, drinking and eating, which is what the event is more about these days. It's even more so for the Super Bowl. College football is a bit snappier -- fewer TV time outs, for one thing -- but it still drags compared to rugby. Being at a game is a different story, but you still have to sit through the television breaks while in the stands, which is a little strange. If you want a fast-moving game, watch high school football or go to a college game that isn't being televised, or is on a local channel with limited interruptions. There's plenty of good DII and DIII football games that aren't televised, but you're not seeing that down under.
My wife and I are from Green Bay Packer land, who are some of the most fervent football fans you'll find (they're the only team that's partly owned by the public). We don't live where we can get regular games on TV, and can only tune in to watch on occasion. But rugby has kind of ruined it for us. My wife flipped for rugby a few years back, and since has a hard time sitting through a half of a Packer's game. We timed it once for fun, comparing how many phases you'd see in a typical Heineken Cup or Super Rugby game compared to getting from one play to another in gridiron, and it was something like 7-12 (pretty sure I'm off on that -- it was a year ago). If you approach it as a game of set-piece play after set-piece play, it's a little different, but we wouldn't want to watch a rugby game that was all scrums and line-outs, and no chain-passing or breakdown battles.
Rob42
John Solomon (38)
Perhaps that's it, mxyzptlk - my only live experience of American football was watching lower grade college football - DII, or I-AA or FCS, or whatever they called it, which was great fun, great atmosphere and very much local. But I do admire the Sunday Night Football game when it is shown on One - it would have to be about the best produced sports program anywhere, I reckon. So many cameras.
boyo
Mark Ella (57)
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/...cer-matchfixing-syndicate-20130915-2tsh5.html
Scandal follows David Gallop.
Scandal follows David Gallop.
JSRF10
Dick Tooth (41)
Thought I'd regale the site with a story from my weekend. Woke up feeling worse for wear on Sunday morning and checked some social media sites to see some of my mungo loving friends crowing about how the Roosters against Manly was one of the greatest, bestest, hardest, brutalest glorified touch football games of all time.
I decided I'd better check this out maybe loig had finally delivered a game that could compete with a bad rugby game? Watched the highlights, what I saw was a game with one score littered with bad handling and some decent front up tackling. The kind of tackling which makes you think they are professionals so of course they can tackle. Some how the media have spun it into something that will be talked about for years to come! The Emperor officially has no clothes its a pity so few people can see it.
I decided I'd better check this out maybe loig had finally delivered a game that could compete with a bad rugby game? Watched the highlights, what I saw was a game with one score littered with bad handling and some decent front up tackling. The kind of tackling which makes you think they are professionals so of course they can tackle. Some how the media have spun it into something that will be talked about for years to come! The Emperor officially has no clothes its a pity so few people can see it.
Fixed.
So many people in the rest of the world either can't be bothered with such a silly game, or have seen the unclothed Emperor and moved on.
mxyzptlk
Colin Windon (37)
Only saw a bit of that game, but also saw a little actual tackling in the Roosters-Rabbitohs game -- emphasis on a little. You could count the number of proper tackles on one hand.
The worst part is -- and I'm not sure if this was in the first or second Roosters-Rabbitohs match -- SBW had a clear open-field tackle at one point, and tried to grapple the ball-carrier up, clearly thinking that two more Roosters would be there to help drown the bunny. But they didn't make it, and the guy just shrugged SBW off and trotted by for a try.
We all know SBW can hit pretty hard in a tackle, and that's all he had to do in that tackle. Instead he looked like he was trying to dance with the guy and going for a dip -- a technique that doesn't seem to work that well unless you've got support. Folau's missed a couple of tackles himself this past year using similar league technique.
Williams has said that five years ago when he was in league, the wrestling wasn't really there, at least not to the degree it is now. In the same statement, he noted that he's being targeted in those grapple matches, and that's adding up to a shorter sporting career -- which is one of the reasons he's looking at getting back to rugby sooner than later. (He has world cup, sevens, and boxing options to try to take advantage of.) The funny (or predictable) thing is how that's being spun in the league press, that their game is too hard for SBW and rugby is just that much easier.
Right. Tell that to the post-Bismarked Dan Carter. The grappling in league is a different kind of wear and tear on the body. Speaking as a wrestler, the most dangerous kind of grappling is done by overly-muscled and overly-aggressive dudes who don't know the technique; they're particularly dangerous to themselves when they try to force something with improper technique. It takes years of steady practice and drilling to perfect technique, not just a jujitsu class a week. I spent over a dozen years on the mats, and the worst injuries I saw came from tough guys who weren't really sure how to properly execute or defend against a technique, but tried to force it anyway. If I were SBW and had other options, I'd be thinking about them as well.
mxyzptlk
Colin Windon (37)
Ask Jonathan Thurston and the Cowboys.
P
Pokinacha
Guest
The Finals are on and I still don't care.
Apparently the game that aggressively markets itself to the inner bogan will see the grand final contested between Bondi Beach and Manly Beach.
What is the ratio between Bogan and Millionaire in Manly and Bondi?
They will sell more Chai Latte with Soy than VB's at the grand final next week.
So much for being the game of the people.
What is the ratio between Bogan and Millionaire in Manly and Bondi?
They will sell more Chai Latte with Soy than VB's at the grand final next week.
So much for being the game of the people.
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