Rugby World Cup: We're not out yet ......

[LMcD]

The England soccer team has rarely if ever during my lifetime come anywhere near achieving the potential we’re so often told exists. I have my own suspicions about footie as an industry but as I’m not a forensic accountant I’d best keep them to myself. Rugby on the other hand......this should be a great game this morning. Fingers crossed for the country’s second world title in a major sport this year (no super over equivalent though, please,).

It could be a great game if the Springboks allow it to be - at the very least it should offer an intriguing difference in approach. I'm not normally overtly patriotic, but this morning I shall be unashamedly jingoistic.

[DracoM]

Thugs, fists, stamping, bullies, maul after maul after maul after maul - repetitive, wearisomely formulaic, crash balls, - trainers, first-aid personnel have been on practically every five minutes.

I mean.....why is this a game? It's a barely organised punch-up.

Just think back ten years? More? Guile, speed mid-field trickery, RUNNING WITH THE BALL.

What the hell has happened to Rugby Union? If this is the World Cup Final........the best vs the best..?

Crikey.

[Nick Armstrong]

Could be that England win two major world cups in a single year. Whodda thought?

Alas, no longer...

[Stanfordian]

Alas, no longer...

Just think how good England might be if most schools instead of some schools played Union.

[Dave2002]

Just think how good England might be if most schools instead of some schools played Union.

I always hated playing this “game”. I was surprised to find some people actually liked it, including to my surprise some relatively old (compared with 20 year olds - not necessarily to me) relatives. Mind you, I was not over fond of other team games - probably regular (soccer) football was the best, but alas I didn’t play much. I did like tennis and squash, though.

Now I do watch “big” events such as the latest one - though in fact I missed it. I quite enjoyed watching in the year when England did actually win - but my overall feeling is that rugby is a horrible game. The idea that all schools should play this is anathema to me. Offer it as a possibility - perhaps, but insist that kids play it - absolutely not.

[johncorrigan]

Very dull...nothing but kicking. One of the most irritating developments in test match rugger is everyone geeing everyone, high-fiving, face shouting etc when they have a successful move, big hit, legal turnover etc. Just blinkin' get on with the game.

[teamsaint]

Is that the sound of rich people preparing to flee the country?

Oh no, wrong thread.......

[Judith Robbyns]

John Corrigan "Very dull...nothing but kicking. One of the most irritating developments in test match rugger is everyone geeing everyone, high-fiving, face shouting etc when they have a successful move, big hit, legal turnover etc. Just blinkin' get on with the game."

[Richard Tarleton]

It's a different game, isn't it? Sheer poetry, normal sized men running like gazelles. Thank you for posting this. But those shorts, less said the better.

[DracoM]

Very dull...nothing but kicking. One of the most irritating developments in test match rugger is everyone geeing everyone, high-fiving, face shouting etc when they have a successful move, big hit, legal turnover etc. Just blinkin' get on with the game.

Totally agree. What a dull,, dull, predictable, smack, bash, maul, kick, kick, kick and maul. Blimey.

Rugby League is a far better skill set.

The one - only?? - bright piece in that game was the fine last South African try.

[muzzer]

I always hated playing this “game”. I was surprised to find some people actually liked it, including to my surprise some relatively old (compared with 20 year olds - not necessarily to me) relatives. Mind you, I was not over fond of other team games - probably regular (soccer) football was the best, but alas I didn’t play much. I did like tennis and squash, though.

Now I do watch “big” events such as the latest one - though in fact I missed it. I quite enjoyed watching in the year when England did actually win - but my overall feeling is that rugby is a horrible game. The idea that all schools should play this is anathema to me. Offer it as a possibility - perhaps, but insist that kids play it - absolutely not.

I had to play rugby all the way thru to the 6th form. It wasn’t unusual in the winter to be playing in sleet. I’m not advocating that, but it’s a really skilful and quite safe game if played by teams where everyone is more or less the same size, which ironically it was at the low level we were left with as all the proper and large players were playing for the school. Now that was another level entirely. I still remember House matches, which included those who played for the school, and they could be brutal for the rank amateurs when facing ‘boys’ who were shortly to be picked for their country.

I agree entirely that the kicking game today was dull, and also brutal. I thought SA were lucky, in so far as the got the better of the mauls and rucks, which I found painful to watch. Give me a nice cricket match anyday,....;)

[LMcD]

I had to play rugby all the way thru to the 6th form. It wasn’t unusual in the winter to be playing in sleet. I’m not advocating that, but it’s a really skilful and quite safe game if played by teams where everyone is more or less the same size, which ironically it was at the low level we were left with as all the proper and large players were playing for the school. Now that was another level entirely. I still remember House matches, which included those who played for the school, and they could be brutal for the rank amateurs when facing ‘boys’ who were shortly to be picked for their country.

I agree entirely that the kicking game today was dull, and also brutal. I thought SA were lucky, in so far as the got the better of the mauls and rucks, which I found painful to watch. Give me a nice cricket match anyday,....;)

Far from a good advertisement for the sport.

[Pulcinella]

Far from a good advertisement for the sport.

Child cruelty, more like!
Especially on a Saturday afternoon, if you were unlucky enough to be in the second slot (3:15–4:15 rather than 2:15–3:15) after school finished at 12:30, and had to lurk around (or in my case go home but turn out again later!).
How some of us hoped that the signal that 'games' was cancelled (a rather pathetic windsock) would appear before the end of morning school.

[Serial_Apologist]

Child cruelty, more like!
Especially on a Saturday afternoon, if you were unlucky enough to be in the second slot (3:15–4:15 rather than 2:15–3:15) after school finished at 12:30, and had to lurk around (or in my case go home but turn out again later!).
How some of us hoped that the signal that 'games' was cancelled (a rather pathetic windsock) would appear before the end of morning school.

It was compulsory at the school I went to: we called it "thugby", for what should be obvious reasons.

[LHC]

Thugs, fists, stamping, bullies, maul after maul after maul after maul - repetitive, wearisomely formulaic, crash balls, - trainers, first-aid personnel have been on practically every five minutes.

I mean.....why is this a game? It's a barely organised punch-up.

Just think back ten years? More? Guile, speed mid-field trickery, RUNNING WITH THE BALL.

What the hell has happened to Rugby Union? If this is the World Cup Final........the best vs the best..?

Crikey.

The final was played like that because South Africa knew that if they allowed England to play as they did against the All Blacks just a week ago, they would be blown off the park, but if they could turn the game into a slug fest, their forwards could win the game for them. There are plenty of rugby fans who complain about the negative tactics employed by teams like South Africa and Wales, but it clearly works for them.

I would also point out that finals in many sports are often not the greatest adverts for their games because of nerves.

Oh, and for those who think that dour games are a modern affliction, the dullest game in history was the game between Wales and Scotland in 1963, which featured 111 line-outs as both teams continually kicked the ball out of play to try and gain territory.