Football v Rugby

[marty]

Following on from England's glorious romp to defeat against Croatia I was wondering which sport CH forum members preferred. Whilst I watch and support the England football team (albeit from behind the sofa) I'd much prefer to watch rugby.

What will last night's result mean? Will cricket get a boost next summer? Will people realise that our footballers are rubbish and start watching a real man's game like rugby?

Apologies for lack of a Fiona option but I am actually genuinely interested.

[Mid A 15]

At International level Rugby all the way for me.

At Club level I would still say football but Club Rugby is improving as a spectacle.

I therefore don't really know which way to vote in the poll!

Fiona where are you?

[Ajarn Philip]

Rugby has always been my game, which may not be totally unconnected to the fact that I'm wide and I've always been crap at football.

My opinion has nothing to do with the relative success of the international teams (or I'd have stopped watching cricket years ago.)

There were fleeting moments of rugby brilliance 30 or more years ago, but the game has become much faster, more free-flowing and entertaining since the rule changes (not to mention the physical/training changes - can't help thinking that the Bill Beaumonts of the 70s wouldn't even get a club game nowadays) that came with professionalisation of the game. You don't see many 3-3 draws nowadays. There are still some grey areas that result in a bit of a lottery as far as penalties are concerned, almost all involving the scrum, but 'twas ever thus and probably always will be.

One of the things that really irritates me about 'soccer' (and I still follow the game, though as a lifelong Spurs supporter, I'm used to disappointment) is that cheating has become an intrinsic and generally accepted part of the game. How often do you hear a commentator, following a graceful swallow dive and the award of a free kick or penalty, saying something like, "Well, there definitely was contact?" I've noticed the faintest traces of this in rugby over the last few years, and I sincerely hope it doesn't catch on.

Another thng I've noticed is that a disturbingly large number of football players would otherwise probably be in prison, while quite a few (former) rugby players are ex-coppers!

Another dichotomy that must have struck many of you is that overseas footballers interviewed in English often speak better English than most English players and invariably make a hell of a lot more sense - with the possible exception of the French former Leeds/Man U/kick-boxing champion/seagulls-following-trawler chappy whose name temporarily escapes me.

OOH.

AH.

It's come back to me. Eric. What a name.

[blondie95]

Always have been a rugby girl and always will be. I will watch Spurs for the sake of Ben but other than that im quite happy the footabll team lost. Maybe now they will realise that to play for your county requires-talent, pride and passion-not to get lots of ridiculous bonuses from tv deals etc.

[Ajarn Philip]

I will watch Spurs for the sake of Ben

Ben's alright then!

[sejintenej]

Always have been a rugby girl and always will be.

Good for you - but what on earth are you doing with a soccer supporter?:o

Maybe now they will realise that to play for your county requires-talent, pride and passion-not to get lots of ridiculous bonuses from tv deals etc.

The pride and passion I can accept but in our eras talent was definitely not a prerequisite. I never got anywhere near the CH teams but I did play in the representative internationals where I was living in the late sixties.

Everyone makes a fuss about Jonny Wilkinson but there were a lot of us in my day who could expect to get the ball over the bar between the posts from the touch line close to the half way line; failure was then not an option. OTOH we seldom if ever used the drop goal - I don't even know if it was allowed because we never saw the rule book if there was one at Horsham.

However, robust play was allowed - a kick in the head was answered by a return kick in the head or groin, a hand off was a straight arm and heel of the hand, hopefully where the opposition would be temporarily incapacitated.
This mode of play followed me into outside teams. A certain amount of toughness was required - playing for Wanderers I remember in one match the number 8 (I was right lock) who carried over 20 stones and could really push was off the pitch at the end with his third dislocation of the match. In that team we reckoned on one fracture every two matches (ie a fracture a week) and you came off the pitch oozing blood from so many cuts and grazes - and I'm a "bleeder".

There was no TV in those days, at CH we never ever saw an outside match so we were not even allowed to learn from other teams.

[blondie95]

Always have been a rugby girl and always will be.

Good for you - but what on earth are you doing with a soccer supporter?:o

for plenty of other reasons other than football! He is getting into the rugby more-was quite hooked by the world cup

[Mid A 15]

Forgot to say above that from a PLAYING viewpoint Rugby is the better game - on and off the pitch.

[Richard Ruck]

The lovely Fiona is Scottish, and therefore is probably not really aware of rugby.

[J.R.]

Where's my post of yesterday gone ??????????

[Great Plum]

I have always preferred rugby... as Lawrence Daliligo (spl?) said on Top Gear, the football Premiership is known as the Andrex Premiership in some circles, soft and overpriced...

[J.R.]

Go on ! Have a larf ! It's Friday.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SmnjV5juzw4

Who said the Japs don't have a sense of humour ????

[cj]

Go on ! Have a larf ! It's Friday.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SmnjV5juzw4

Who said the Japs don't have a sense of humour ????

Maybe we'd have a chance of winning if it our opponents were togged out with binoculars like that. It would make a cracking party game. And I lurve the stripey outfits.

[Jo]

I liked football in my teens but prefer rugby now, though I don't watch it much and it's harder to understand. I really like cricket best of all

[midget]

I'm with you there, Jo, except for the bit about watching football.