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Rugby: Brushing up on the game?

It's been about 12 years since I last played Rugby at school, and although I used to enjoy it.. I never really had a feckin' clue what I was doing. I always enjoy watching the Six Nations and Rugby World Cup, but once again.. I'm often completely confused as to what is actually going on.

This weekend I'm off to see a Rugby match though, and although I'm quite excited, I may need to do some reading/watching this week to brush up on my knowledge. Has anyone got any decent recommendations, either for books, videos or decent websites? I enjoy watching football as I can understand different formations, see how different attributes work in different styles and so on.. but sometimes I watch Rugby and all I can think is "Wow, that big b*stard just totally ran into that slightly bigger b*stard!".

Comments

  • Addickted
    Addickted Posts: 19,456
    Union or that stupid Northern game?
  • LuckyReds
    LuckyReds Posts: 5,866
    Addickted said:

    Union or that stupid Northern game?

    Union.

    League seems a whole new layer of completely and utterly bizarre! I can do without trying to understand those weird possession rules..
  • Leuth
    Leuth Posts: 23,314
    Thirty blokes have a pointless ruckus for 80 minutes and then repair to the bar where they drink one another's vomit out of one another's socks
  • LuckyReds
    LuckyReds Posts: 5,866
    Leuth said:

    Thirty blokes have a pointless ruckus for 80 minutes and then repair to the bar where they drink one another's vomit out of one another's socks

    Pffft.. Says the one who watches Cricket. ;)
  • The_President
    The_President Posts: 14,280
    I used to have the same feeling about Rugby League until i worked in Leeds for 2 years and went to watch the Rhinos occassionally. Its a good fast game and requires huge fitness and strength- and you dont have times during the game where 10 mins is wasted whilst they're re-setting the scrum 26 times !
  • This always used to confuse me - until I googled it.

    PENALTY
    When a player kicks to touch from a penalty kick anywhere in the playing area, the throw-in is taken where the ball went into touch.

    FREE KICK OUTSIDE THE 22
    When a free kick awarded outside the 22 goes directly into touch without bouncing, the throw-in is taken in line with where the ball was kicked, .

    FREE KICK INSIDE THE 22
    When a free kick is awarded inside the 22 and the kick goes directly into touch, the throw-in is where the ball went into touch.
  • ricky_otto
    ricky_otto Posts: 22,600
    Leuth said:

    Thirty blokes have a pointless ruckus for 80 minutes and then repair to the bar where they drink one another's vomit out of one another's socks

    I think you're confusing this with an episode of Geordie Shore.
  • palarsehater
    palarsehater Posts: 12,296
    watch both league can be more entertaining certainly a lot more brutal if you want to see a serious game of rugby league youtube state of origian is a annual series of 3 matches between new south wales and queensland and it gets pretty violent.
  • bobmunro
    bobmunro Posts: 20,843
    Most scrum penalties are technical infringements (even the players are confused at times!!) but the most common in open play are:

    - any player ahead of the ball is offside
    - a player must be on his feet to play the ball
    - when a player is tackled he must release the ball

    That covers the vast majority of playing infringements plus dangerous play (high tackles, tacking whilst in the air and so on).