Rugby is shit, nobody understands it, and anyone who watches it is akin to a lady's inguinal region

[Leonard Hatred]

Fuck off.

[southbankbornnbred]

Don’t dislike rugby union (league is better - ball in play more often), but never really played it. We told our PE teachers we had no interest in playing it at school - just wanted to play football and cricket. They agreed!

What I do find odd is just how bad England are at union. About the third/fourth best team in Europe - which is vastly inferior to the southern hem sides. Considering there are only ten “decent” or better rugby playing nations in the world, quite how England contrive to be so utterly shit at the sport on a regular basis is genuinely beyond me.

They’ll finish below Ireland and France, and possibly Scotland, again this year. Add NZ, South Africa, Australia and possibly the Argies (on occasions) on top, too, and it’s embarrassing.

Posh people are fucking useless.

Southbank . I agree reference England being usless now for like 20 years in the Six Nations. You can maybe argue that every team except Italy wants to beat us more than any other. However in the WC we have been far more successful. In fact has any European country ever eliminated us? Maybe Wales I'm not sure. 

 

 

Swiss - you’re absolutely right: England have tended to perform well at World Cups - certainly relative to their year-on-year achievements.

But you could argue that one World Cup win is not great for the country that has the highest number of registered clubs and teen/male participants globally, and an RFU (at least, although not clubs) that is resource rich.

I’m no expert - it’s not a sport I read much about - but it strikes me that it’s a poorly run sport, professionally,  in England and that far smaller states - NZ and Ireland (currently) most notably - achieve more on a lot less. In NZ’s case, of course, considerably more.

I’d be interested to hear what the well-informed rugby mob think lies behind that (I’m sure there are many reasons: cultural, finances etc). But realistically there are 10-12 “decent” rugby playing nations globally - including the likes of Italy, Samoa and Fiji. It’s quite an achievement by England to be regularly around the bottom 50% of those states. Few would argue that, since 2003, SA, NZ, Australia (up and down), France and Ireland have been stronger more regularly. Wales, too, at times.

Perennial under-achievers, England.

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

In a word SURFACE yes
If the play is on one side of the pitch should be able to ping the ball sideways the width of the pitch to someone on the move
Might have to be one of the players that isn’t clinically obese as there may be some severe chafing attempting a kick

I see that instead of answering my question you decided to respond with a load of waffle. Still, nearly worked...

[Bungo]

Also the best (and possibly the first) use of the word 'inguinal' on a WHO post.

Very well done!

[Swiss.]

Don’t dislike rugby union (league is better - ball in play more often), but never really played it. We told our PE teachers we had no interest in playing it at school - just wanted to play football and cricket. They agreed!

What I do find odd is just how bad England are at union. About the third/fourth best team in Europe - which is vastly inferior to the southern hem sides. Considering there are only ten “decent” or better rugby playing nations in the world, quite how England contrive to be so utterly shit at the sport on a regular basis is genuinely beyond me.

They’ll finish below Ireland and France, and possibly Scotland, again this year. Add NZ, South Africa, Australia and possibly the Argies (on occasions) on top, too, and it’s embarrassing.

Posh people are fucking useless.

Southbank . I agree reference England being usless now for like 20 years in the Six Nations. You can maybe argue that every team except Italy wants to beat us more than any other. However in the WC we have been far more successful. In fact has any European country ever eliminated us? Maybe Wales I'm not sure. 

[Swiss.]

I see England lost again due to players making stupid give away penalties. Really is a scrapy crapy game with stupid players. 

[Russ of the BML]

Stupid post. 

[Bungo]

The way it screws up the A316 whenever England are playing at home is EXTREMELY irritating!

[southbankbornnbred]

Union is also just such an ugly game to watch. The ball is stationary or out of play for an astonishing amount of the 80 minutes.

Was it the World Cup final, or semi final, when a prolonged series of collapsed scrums or illegal line outs, plus a couple of penalties and injuries. Meant the ball literally wasn’t in play - at all - for almost 16 minutes.

It was just the ref telling off posh public schoolboys players for the entire time. Which, presumably, is what the housemasters at Rugby school always intended.

It’s too boring too regularly. Get rid of scrums - absolute joke phase of play.

[southbankbornnbred]

Don’t dislike rugby union (league is better - ball in play more often), but never really played it. We told our PE teachers we had no interest in playing it at school - just wanted to play football and cricket. They agreed!

What I do find odd is just how bad England are at union. About the third/fourth best team in Europe - which is vastly inferior to the southern hem sides. Considering there are only ten “decent” or better rugby playing nations in the world, quite how England contrive to be so utterly shit at the sport on a regular basis is genuinely beyond me.

They’ll finish below Ireland and France, and possibly Scotland, again this year. Add NZ, South Africa, Australia and possibly the Argies (on occasions) on top, too, and it’s embarrassing.

Posh people are fucking useless.

[Gank]

I don’t agree about the people that like it vs people that played it thing.

I always loved football but wasn’t great at it, played for Chatham Colts but never even trialled for Chatham Town. Didn’t really like rugby but was good at it, played for Maidstone for years, our team captain was David Flatman who went on to play for England. When he left us for Bexleyheath we went on such a losing streak it ruined the team.

[Stickleback]

Harsh? I thought it was quite mild given the original title of this thread.

[MaryMillingtonsGhost]

Played a game at Craven Cottage whilst at school, early 80's. Langdon Park vs Daneford. Think it was the warm up to an inter-forces game. Only rocked up as a spectator until one of the (LP) players dislocated their shoulder
League (unusually), not union.
Fucking hated it, and all the subsequent games we played (although now as East London as there weren't enough schools playing it individually in East London at the time to generate more than one team).
Still, gave us half a day off of lessons so not all bad. And even though we were kids, taught you how to take a punch (dirty cunts, those northern monkeys).

[zebthecat]

People who played rugby love it. People who didn't play it don't understand it and hate the fact that they have missed out on one of the great sports.

A bit harsh and sort of right.
I played it a lot at school and club rugby for a few years (open side).
There few things more satisfying in sport than crunching someone in a tackle.
Good Test rugby, which does not apply to England at the moment, is a really good watch.

[MaryMillingtonsGhost]

Thought Soldo would've been all over this thread.
Did he make the transition between sites?
Is he still with us?

[Fauxstralian]

Rugby union?
Bit of a low ebb in Australia… only really played in NSW & Queensland & AFL has made major inroads into those traditionally non AFL states in recent years. Brisbane beat Sydney in last years AFL Grand Final

That said Australia have won more Rugby World Cups than all of the northern hemisphere countries combined & beat England last time out 

 

[,]

With regard to faux’s post I can’t blame anyone for downplaying a sport that his country is not very good at.

Always helps too to compare it unfavourably with a game only played in his country. 

[Far Cough UKunt]

GayEffEll

[Fauxstralian]

In a word SURFACE yes
If the play is on one side of the pitch should be able to ping the ball sideways the width of the pitch to someone on the move
Might have to be one of the players that isn’t clinically obese as there may be some severe chafing attempting a kick

[only1billybonds]

My boys have played rugby all t for the same club since they were kids and it really is a big feature of their lives, I can take it or leave it personally, been to a few big games at Twickenham but that was more about the day out than the game. My Mrs daughter lives 10 minutes from Warrington Wolves ground, been once or twice and it's a good day out, still got a very working class feel to it which I find preferable to the Justin's and Jermimah's that union tends to attract.

[SurfaceAgentX2Zero]

This interest in rugby by football fans seems to be a recent thing
Can remember being in the away end at Highbury the day Mike Small scored our winner (Nov 2 1991) and at one point they announced the result of the World Cup Final at Twickers & there was complete disinterest 

When I have joined mates to watch random games in pubs it is obvious that as said the vast majority of people don’t know the laws. I don’t 
Always seems a good atmosphere but fat men running into each other doesn’t do much for me
And the standard of kicking from hands is abysmal. Need some AFL coaches in to teach them how to put a 50m drop punt on someone’s chest. Basic skill

Do AFL coaches know how to get someone to land a 50m drop punt on someone's chest who has to be behind the kicker when he kicks it?

Any cսnt can punt a ball 50 yards to someone who's already standing there, waving his arms in a gay T-shirt

[Fauxstralian]

This interest in rugby by football fans seems to be a recent thing
Can remember being in the away end at Highbury the day Mike Small scored our winner (Nov 2 1991) and at one point they announced the result of the World Cup Final at Twickers & there was complete disinterest 

When I have joined mates to watch random games in pubs it is obvious that as said the vast majority of people don’t know the laws. I don’t 
Always seems a good atmosphere but fat men running into each other doesn’t do much for me
And the standard of kicking from hands is abysmal. Need some AFL coaches in to teach them how to put a 50m drop punt on someone’s chest. Basic skill

[Far Cough UKunt]

Jonah Lomu was the reason that got me to like Rugby, I still don't understand all the rules but I'm getting there. Oh and the Welsh are cunts.

[Stickleback]

People who played rugby love it. People who didn't play it don't understand it and hate the fact that they have missed out on one of the great sports.

[,]

Sort of enjoyed the Ireland England game but the subjective refereeing was off putting and the trend of officials ignoring forward passes went very much in the favour of the home team.

[Alfs]

I've loved International Rugby all of my life, but being Welsh, I now think it's shit.