Need a Primer on Rugby?

[Griff]

NBC now... New Zealand vs. South Africa. Maybe the biggest, longest lasting rivalries in sports.

[Blaine]

NBC now... New Zealand vs. South Africa. Maybe the biggest, longest lasting rivalries in sports.

So, an Englishman walks into a bar............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. and the New Zealanders and South Africans were not there....

[KiwiKev]

20-18 to the All Blacks

I know most folks have a passion for American football. We get some games live here on Mondays. I enjoy the game. Rugby however flows at a faster pace. Not the stop start as in American football. I think you folks would enjoy the game. There is nothing wrong with enjoying both games. Actually three if you enjoy rugby league. But Aussie Rules- well let's say there is no World Cup.

What about a genuine World Series for national American code football. Apparently other countries play the game as well.

Next week end is the final of the Rugby World Cup. NZ vs ?
Personally I hope it is Argentina as NZers love Australians as much as Americans love the Taliban.

[Rusty]

I noticed it was on yesterday when I got up to go to work but I didn't want to get involved with watching it right before work time. I had to resist.

[KiwiKev]

Aussies thumped the Argies.

I suspect next week's game will be a brawl.

Saturday 31st of October, Kick- off 4.00pm Twickenham, England

What ever time that is where you live??????????

Go the All Black's.

[Tycer]

I've had two related bumper stickers. "Give blood...play rugby" and " It takes leather balls to play rugby". Tough sport. Makes American football seem woossified.

[octagon]

Have seen rugby and looks like a great game. Our local high school team currently has three fellows on the sidelines with broken legs. They must have missed the memo on the woosified descriptor. These boys are 7-0 on the year thus far.

[Old Ironsights]

https://youtu.be/Z_WEP9ZkpS4?t=2



The Rugby team at GU was called "The Outcasts" - because it was not a sanctioned club/sport... though we often played a team made up entirely of Jesuit Priests...

Pad Wars... Sports Science - Ruggers vs US Football...

Turn the sound DOWN on this one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROFEAL08Zy4 (8:39 to the End is for OS...)

[Bill in Oregon]

Nothing but respect for rugby players. Nothing but confusion when it comes to cricket, though.
Did I ever bore you gents about the time I used a BBC Havana staffer with relatives in Florida to smuggle cricket bats into Cuba?

[harry]

Nothing but respect for rugby players. Nothing but confusion when it comes to cricket, though.
Did I ever bore you gents about the time I used a BBC Havana staffer with relatives in Florida to smuggle cricket bats into Cuba?

Cuba must have some bad azz crickets, we just use a fly swatter.

[Leverluver]

I spent a stint working in Dubai in the mid 90s. Lots of Aus and NZ expats in Dubai so there was lots of rugby on the TV. I grew to enjoy it quite a lot. Of course pretty much all else that was on day time (worked nights) TV was Arabic soap operas and Bay watch Those are some tough guys that can take all that without armour.

[KiwiKev]

Watched the video. No doubt American Footballer forwards (?) pack more hitting power than your average rugby forward. But it depends who is hitting you. I was amused to see in the video one rugby player tackling another whereas the American Football player had to tackle a dummy.

How many American Football teams did you have at your High School?

We have lots, Ages grades (open weight), Weight grades and Ability grades.

In rugby when a player goes to ground a ruck will often develop. When the ball comes out of the ruck it can be played again. Play only stops because of a penalty or mistake (knocking the ball forward, forward pass, off side etc)

You can use rugby tactics in American Football if you wish, for example running and passing behind.

I think the point are the same? 5 point for try, touch down, 2 for a conversion and 3 for a penalty or drop kick.

[Griff]

American football is 6 pts for the TD, 1 pt if the conversion is kicked, 2 pts for a run conversion. 3 pts for a field goal.

[Old Ironsights]

Watched the video. No doubt American Footballer forwards (?) pack more hitting power than your average rugby forward. But it depends who is hitting you. I was amused to see in the video one rugby player tackling another whereas the American Football player had to tackle a dummy.

That irritated me too. And the best way I can explain why is: Shoot a .45-70 offhand then shoot it from the bench.

Even if the bench slides, the felt/recordable recoil impact will be greater.

It was an unfair, unscientific comparison with unequal datasets.

[Griff]

The amount of dissipation the padding gives is immeasurable. To both the hittor and the hittee!!

[Griff]

Yesterday's final in Twickenham was indeed, a challenge met, and overcome. NZ dominated the first half, with AU staging a suspenseful comeback in minutes 50 to 70, but the last 10 minutes belonged to NZ. I thought the officiating was fair, with the few poor calls going both ways. I also thought it a much closer contest than the score indicates. Ball handling errors on both sides tipped the scales... the ABs didn't make theirs at crucial times, whereas the Wallabies did.

Gotta hand it to the Aussie captain, a bit of class there in his closing remarks.

But, maybe the best was center Sonny Bill Williams giving his medal to a young Kiwi fan that rushed the field after the victory!

Even better, the commentary explained nearly all the questions my wife had about the play as it occurred. Saving me trying to explain... but I did have to look up one question... "when was Rugby born?" But it also led me to learn when American Football split off from Rugby. Interesting bit of sport history there.

[Rusty]

I rolled out of bed yesterday about the time they were presenting the medals. One thing I saw I hadn't seen in a long time was a commercial for Tullamore Dew. I didn't think they had commercials for spirits on TV any more? Maybe it was on the overseas feed? I was watching broadcast TV, all I have.

[KiwiKev]

Got up at 4.50am to watch a thriller of a game. We have one Australian at work. Best to say nothing. If you watched the game it was pretty intense through out. Overall we were pleased with the result. Dan Carter kicked an amazing drop goal. Can you do this in American football? do you have penalty kicks?

[williamranks]

I watch here on the Be-In channel. No commercials except at the half. Commentary in english.
Same reason I watch Formula One on Univision with NBC as a back up in case I need to hear the commentary in english.
I've seen medics working on a player while the game continues around them. Blood substitutes threw me at first, they're temporary subs while the regular player gets the bleeding stopped on the sidelines.
My opinion, rugby was invented so men that size would quit running at each other with swords and battle axes.
They were loosing too much breeding stock.

[KiwiKev]

The blood aspect of the sport is a function of the brutality of the game. While I am tempted to post examples they are rather look quite gruesome. I understand the brutality of American football in the 1900s just about had the game banned with 148 deaths in one year.

Doug Flutie kicked the last drop kick in NFL in 2006 I read. It was the last drop kick since 1941. What a legend.

If the ball was slightly less sharp at the ends it might be more common.
Can you drop kick a field goal?
Can you kick the ball along the ground? You can do this in Rugby as Beauden Barrett did for the last try.

So a player receives the ball and runs. Can he then kick the ball? Chases, recovers the ball, and then scores a touch down?

[Griff]

Theoritically, a player could. But those pointy ends make for even more erratic bounces than the rugby ball.