OT - Anyone watch or follow Rugby??

[upstater1]

I enjoy a good scrum as much as the next guy, but I've got to admit, the way you wrote your post...ahhh, an awful lot of colorful tradition there!

As an aside, my father went over to Ireland in the late 60s and told me about these rugby players. Said they were all built like middle linebackers. Since I was a kid then, that only added to the game's mystique.

What are injuries like in this sport?

Inuries are not as bad as in football, but when they do happen, they are usually very bad because of the awkward positions you can get yourself in when you're constantly pushing against all those bodies.

Consider this: in football, one guy gets the ball, his teammates block, and the other team comes at him full speed. Without blocking in rugby, the key is to move the ball quickly from back to back until you see an opening you can pop. This means defenders can't take a full speed run at a ball carrier because he probably won't even have the ball by the time they get there. So, tackles aren't as hard. We took a team to Scotland one year and we hit those guys very very hard, all of them were smaller than us, most of us had played varsity football. They killed us on the scoreboard. We were just hitting them hard after the ball was out, and while they were lying on the ground, their teammates were scoring tries. It's a different game in that sense. A lot of fluid movement, not much in terms of hard hitting. Here's an injury our scrumhalf suffered: severed nerve in the arm, left arm paralyzed. Ever hear of that one in football? I haven't.

 

[Triumph]

Inuries are not as bad as in football, but when they do happen, they are usually very bad because of the awkward positions you can get yourself in when you're constantly pushing against all those bodies.

Consider this: in football, one guy gets the ball, his teammates block, and the other team comes at him full speed. Without blocking in rugby, the key is to move the ball quickly from back to back until you see an opening you can pop. This means defenders can't take a full speed run at a ball carrier because he probably won't even have the ball by the time they get there. So, tackles aren't as hard. We took a team to Scotland one year and we hit those guys very very hard, all of them were smaller than us, most of us had played varsity football. They killed us on the scoreboard. We were just hitting them hard after the ball was out, and while they were lying on the ground, their teammates were scoring tries. It's a different game in that sense. A lot of fluid movement, not much in terms of hard hitting. Here's an injury our scrumhalf suffered: severed nerve in the arm, left arm paralyzed. Ever hear of that one in football? I haven't.

It sounds alot like the NHL way back when. The American teams were more physical like Boston, Chicago and Philly and Canadian teams more finesse, better play makers and fast.

I knew a bunch of rugby guys in Atlanta. Crazy bastards. When English or Irish teams would come over to the USA these guys would wake them up around 6:00 in the AM and start feeding them shots. They told those guys everyone downs shots for breakfast in the America. The game is quite popular in Atlanta. Some of the Chiropractic colleges have good teams with players ranked as "Eagles" or something like that.

 

[Mike the Brit]

I had it on at work today, saw Ireland play England.. I dont understand it, but it sure look fun to play and watch.. I rather watch this than any Nascar event... But does anyone here follow it at all?? Just curious..

I love the Six Nations, though I didn't see the match. As a matter of interest, what channel carries it in the U.S.?

 

[Polar Bear]

Just got back from 4 days in Dublin with a bunch (24) of fellow rugby alumni from a local college. While most of us weren't able to score tickets to the England/Ireland match at Croke Park, just watching it in a Temple Bar pub was truly an amazing experience.

 

[primetime]

I knew a bunch of rugby guys in Atlanta. Crazy bastards. When English or Irish teams would come over to the USA these guys would wake them up around 6:00 in the AM and start feeding them shots. They told those guys everyone downs shots for breakfast in the America. The game is quite popular in Atlanta. Some of the Chiropractic colleges have good teams with players ranked as "Eagles" or something like that.

The Eagles is the name of the US national team (New Zealand is All Blacks, Australia is Wallabies, etc.), so any "Eagles" would be guys who play (or have played) on the national team.

 

[NE_Paddy]

Just got back from 4 days in Dublin with a bunch (24) of fellow rugby alumni from a local college. While most of us weren't able to score tickets to the England/Ireland match at Croke Park, just watching it in a Temple Bar pub was truly an amazing experience.

What pub were you in?

There's some great ones around the city for rugby atmosphere. Sheahan's is always packed. It's a tiny pub, with 2 crappy little TVs, but the atmosphere is worth the sacrifice.

 

[primetime]

What pub were you in?

There's some great ones around the city for rugby atmosphere. Sheahan's is always packed. It's a tiny pub, with 2 crappy little TVs, but the atmosphere is worth the sacrifice.

Though a little off topic (though probably more on topic than the original post), I'll be in Dublin next year studying. Any idea where I can catch Pats games? Maybe Bruins games too, though that'd be kind of a vain hope I'd guess.

 

[upstater1]

Though a little off topic (though probably more on topic than the original post), I'll be in Dublin next year studying. Any idea where I can catch Pats games? Maybe Bruins games too, though that'd be kind of a vain hope I'd guess.

Yes, in your apartment on your Slingbox.

Have a family member set one up on their TV. That's what I do. Costs $170, but well worth it! Good picture, I get all the games.

 

[NE_Paddy]

Though a little off topic (though probably more on topic than the original post), I'll be in Dublin next year studying. Any idea where I can catch Pats games? Maybe Bruins games too, though that'd be kind of a vain hope I'd guess.

Well, Sky Sports show 2 back-to-back live games every sunday from 6pm (GMT). Obviously, it's not always Pats games, but if you go down to Buskers Bar in the Temple Bar area of the city, there's usually a small gathering of US students who watch games there (they also throw one of the better Super Bowl parties in Dublin). Are you studying in Trinity or UCD or somewhere else?

Now I am curious about this box that upstater mentioned. Can I get one here in Dublin?

 

[gomezcat]

I'm a rugby fan and also Irish, which makes me just that extra bit happy this morning!

:rocker:

Congrats. You absolutely destroyed us. The pack blew the English pack apart and O'Gara was outstanding.

I just hope England don't hit the panic button. We need to stick with players and look at building for 2011.

 

[gomezcat]

pity i not saw the game but i think it was a real great win (there was a lot of interest on tv for our rugby team yesterday)

if we will have 2 wins it will be fantastic imho

ps = i will try to see next italian game @ '6 Nazioni'

FORZA AZZURRI !!!

Remember that England used to put 40 or 50 points on Italy and that was not even close to happening two weeks ago. OK, some of that is down to a weaker England team but the Italian forwards look much, much better. You also deserved to beat the Scots on Saturday.

 

[gomezcat]

I love the Six Nations, though I didn't see the match. As a matter of interest, what channel carries it in the U.S.?

Consider yourself fortunate. The Irish destroyed us, apart from one period of the second half. Quite a few columnists are blaming Farrell, which is grossly unfair, given that we had little ball. Most of it was in our own half. The ball we did have was desperately slow and was kicked away half the time by Wilkinson.
Still, it takes time to turn a team around and Brian Ashton is going to need a couple of years.

 

[F0nSY]

i say...go football

 

[ironwasp]

Consider yourself fortunate. The Irish destroyed us, apart from one period of the second half. Quite a few columnists are blaming Farrell, which is grossly unfair, given that we had little ball. Most of it was in our own half. The ball we did have was desperately slow and was kicked away half the time by Wilkinson.
Still, it takes time to turn a team around and Brian Ashton is going to need a couple of years.

He's the easiest one to target and kick. He was OK, but we do have a lack of pace in the midfield.

Imagine #39 in there at inside centre

 

[F0nSY]

Please Italian Pat Patriot,which is the meaning of azzurri?

 

[PromisedLand]

this point in the year might be the worst tv wise without the nfl and spring training just starting

March Madness will be here soon...

 

[gomezcat]

He's the easiest one to target and kick. He was OK, but we do have a lack of pace in the midfield.

Imagine #39 in there at inside centre

Now there's a thought. Maroney would give the opposing centres, fly half and open side, if he made it across in time, the heeby jeebies.
You're right about the lack of pace in the midfield. I guess Ashton will think about Matthew Tait or Anthony Allen (perhaps trying him as an outside centre)...

 

[Polar Bear]

What pub were you in?

There's some great ones around the city for rugby atmosphere. Sheahan's is always packed. It's a tiny pub, with 2 crappy little TVs, but the atmosphere is worth the sacrifice.

We ginned together enough euors to send the coaches we'd broguht to the actual match and ended up watching in the Turk's Head, where we'd started the day with kangaroo court. Were lucky enough to have the seats directly in the front of the joint since we'd been there since about 5 hours before the match began.

 

[primetime]

Well, Sky Sports show 2 back-to-back live games every sunday from 6pm (GMT). Obviously, it's not always Pats games, but if you go down to Buskers Bar in the Temple Bar area of the city, there's usually a small gathering of US students who watch games there (they also throw one of the better Super Bowl parties in Dublin). Are you studying in Trinity or UCD or somewhere else?

I'll be at Trinity for the year. If that's the best I can do, that's the best I can do, I guess. Can only hope they get a good number of Patriots games (guessing by the time, they show a 1 PM and then a 4 PM game... any way to see the primetime Thursday/Sunday/Monday night games?).

Slingbox is a little too expensive, and I guess I can always stream the radio coverage if I need to (there's hockey on stream through CBC too, and they like to show the Original Six).

 

[TomBrady'sGoat]

never played, and it couldn't keep my attention on TV. i don't think it helps in the states that rugby is most (only?) popular in college and that the people who play it in college tend to be the biggest jerks you can find. i'd root for cancer before those guys.

i enjoy watching aussie rules, not that it really has anything to do with the question at hand