The Oval Ball Game

[Leinster Lass]

I understand that Gosforth is an affluent district of Newcastle. I also believe that Richmond was - and perhaps still is - home to a successful RU club. Sale seems to be solidly middle-class commuter country.

[teamsaint]

(not apparently in the bottom right, though …)

My father played rugby, and indeed played for the Bristol club. In fact he was fanatical about (playing) sport and remained attached to Bristol RFC for decades. But even he came to feel that rugby was no longer a game for 'sportsmen'. His experience, as with tennis, was in the days when the professional (League) and amateur games were completely separate - and the amateurs were the ones who reigned supreme (at least in the south).

The geographical point is interesting - note also the strong rugby tradition in the south of France - Pau, Toulouse, Montpellier etc.

Blackheath would be the biggest club in SE London, would it not ?

Bristol is , and always has been an odd one as you know well FF, with the two soccer clubs splitting the support ( between businessmen and Rovers fans as I have heard it said ) and the relatively higher profile Rugby club which also has a slight underperformance tendency ?

( With the greatest respect, obvs......)

[french frank]

Blackheath would be the biggest club in SE London, would it not ?

Probablement. I was thinking more of the Dulwich/Crystal Palace area.

Bristol is , and always has been an odd one as you know well FF, with the two soccer clubs splitting the support ( between businessmen and Rovers fans as I have heard it said ) and the relatively higher profile Rugby club which also has a slight underperformance tendency ?

Never great shakes at footie, either of them - but think in terms of a merger between Labour and Tories… The rugby team suffered its greates ignominy when it was forced to sell out to the upstart cuckoos in their nest, and losing its iconic ground to here-today-gone-tomorrow (I wish) asset strippers.

( With the greatest respect, obvs......)

Feel free to say what you like about the Gas and the Robins

[Serial_Apologist]

I'm not sure what it proves, but 6 of the 12 teams in the English Premiership are based in cathedral cities, and a 7th plays its home games very close to an abbey.

One couldn't possibly comment...

[kernelbogey]

I'm not sure what it proves, but 6 of the 12 teams in the English Premiership are based in cathedral cities, and a 7th plays its home games very close to an abbey.

"Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goal posts of life....'

[kernelbogey]

I'm not sure what it proves, but 6 of the 12 teams in the English Premiership are based in cathedral cities, and a 7th plays its home games very close to an abbey.

"Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goal posts of life...."

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

In the north, we prefer the Nowak version to the Haas. Rugby League has a less cluttered pitch, and is intended to be more entertaining for spectators.
RL has parallels with musicians, who quite reasonably expect to be paid, rather than performing just for “the exposure”, though in recent years RU has learnt a few lessons, so it’s no longer the sport exclusively for toffs.

[Leinster Lass]

In the north, we prefer the Nowak version to the Haas. Rugby League has a less cluttered pitch, and is intended to be more entertaining for spectators.
RL has parallels with musicians, who quite reasonably expect to be paid, rather than performing just for “the exposure”, though in recent years RU has learnt a few lessons, so it’s no longer the sport exclusively for toffs.

80 minutes to spare .... tough call!

[Padraig]

Oh! Calcutta. England 6 Scotland 11. Sweet.

[DracoM]

For me,. watching that game was watching the death of any kind of field-based skills - a game I have coached and played in all my life, now the province of bashing, bullying thugs and cheats. Scrum after scrum, maul after maul after maul after kick and kick and kick............unwatchable.

A true disaster, a death of a once skilled game. Parents now increasingly calling for their kids to be taken out of this bar-room / street-fighting made compulsory in some schools.

Sharpe? John? Edwards? Forget them as Jones drives English rugby union into a very dark place.

Because, to beat such teams, everyone else has to adopt the same 'tactics'.

[french frank]

For me,. watching that game was watching the death of any kind of field-based skills - a game I have coached and played in all my life, now the province of bashing, bullying thugs and cheats. Scrum after scrum, maul after maul after maul after kick and kick and kick............unwatchable.

A true disaster, a death of a once skilled game. Parents now increasingly calling for their kids to be taken out of this bar-room / street-fighting made compulsory in some schools.

Sharpe? John? Edwards? Forget them as Jones drives English rugby union into a very dark place.

Because, to beat such teams, everyone else has to adopt the same 'tactics'.

Never mind, just feast your eyes on this.

[DracoM]

Exactly.

[johncorrigan]

Oh! Calcutta. England 6 Scotland 11. Sweet.

[antongould]

Never mind, just feast your eyes on this.

Excellent ff and I am going to send the little bit of my fortune I didn’t give to the Stop The Steal campaign to our Nigel ...

Seriously though just watch Fergus Slattery amongst all that brilliance ....

[johncorrigan]

Excellent ff and I am going to send the little bit of my fortune I didn’t give to the Stop The Steal campaign to our Nigel ...

Seriously though just watch Fergus Slattery amongst all that brilliance ....

It's Quinnell's take and off load to Edwards that I always thought was amazing among all the magic - rugby won't be played like that again - actually two of the All Black's would have been in the sin bin for high tackles, but they didn't worry about namby-pamby stuff like that back in them days.