The Rugby

[Derek Hardballs]

Always amazes me that people feel the need to stop by and give their views on a sport they don’t like or watch.

If you're referring to me, I played rugby for years, played for my county and watch all England internationals. I just don't think it's a particularly big sport in this country relative to places such as Wales, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, where it has a much higher profile and plays a much bigger role in the national psyche. Part of rugby union's problem in the UK is its association with the public school system and hence a class division that doesn't exist elsewhere.

I went to a comp. 

Rugby was the winter sport, Association Football was against school rules. You couldn't even play football at break or lunch time. 

After I'd left they relaxed the rules and the school maintained an excellent rugby team and an all conquering (Association) football team.

Personally, I loved playing rugby.

Sure, but that's atypical. In terms of participation in sport, data from 2019 shows around two and a half million participants in football. The rugby union figure is 10% of that.

But we still have the third biggest pool of players to choose from only bettered by South Africa and France. Either it’s not a very good pool of players, a lack of ambition to attract a wider gene pool of players or we aren’t very well coached. We should be doing better no matter how it’s dressed up.

[Baggie_Nick]

Always amazed how poor we are. How many people play Rugby in England compared to Scotland, Wales, Ireland etc and yet we lose at least one game to them each year. Similarly what is the population of Australia and New Zealand and yet we just about hold our own against them at best at worst get beat by them.

Rugga, Rugga, Rugga... nah!

If only that was how sport worked.

USA would win the football World Cup every tournament.

This!

And China would be a whole lot better.


Not keen on rugby at all but don't feel the need to slag off England.

Didn't Jones get us to a final last time round? If Southgate had done that then he'd be in credit.

[baggpuss]

Always amazes me that people feel the need to stop by and give their views on a sport they don’t like or watch.

If you're referring to me, I played rugby for years, played for my county and watch all England internationals. I just don't think it's a particularly big sport in this country relative to places such as Wales, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, where it has a much higher profile and plays a much bigger role in the national psyche. Part of rugby union's problem in the UK is its association with the public school system and hence a class division that doesn't exist elsewhere.

I went to a comp. 

Rugby was the winter sport, Association Football was against school rules. You couldn't even play football at break or lunch time. 

After I'd left they relaxed the rules and the school maintained an excellent rugby team and an all conquering (Association) football team.

Personally, I loved playing rugby.

Sure, but that's atypical. In terms of participation in sport, data from 2019 shows around two and a half million participants in football. The rugby union figure is 10% of that.

But we still have the third biggest pool of players to choose from only bettered by South Africa and France. Either it’s not a very good pool of players, a lack of ambition to attract a wider gene pool of players or we aren’t very well coached. We should be doing better no matter how it’s dressed up.

I am sure a fair few of our footballers could have been good Rugby players if they wanted to (didn't Giggs play as a kid?) but picked the sport that they prefer or has (much) more earning potential.
Likewise - many in SA/NZ/Oz could possibly be good players but again, have a passion for a different shaped ball.
Plenty of NFL players would excel but have no interest!

[Derek Hardballs]

Always amazed how poor we are. How many people play Rugby in England compared to Scotland, Wales, Ireland etc and yet we lose at least one game to them each year. Similarly what is the population of Australia and New Zealand and yet we just about hold our own against them at best at worst get beat by them.

Rugga, Rugga, Rugga... nah!

If only that was how sport worked.

USA would win the football World Cup every tournament.

This!

And China would be a whole lot better.


Not keen on rugby at all but don't feel the need to slag off England.

Didn't Jones get us to a final last time round? If Southgate had done that then he'd be in credit.

We should be doing a lot better than we are. No ifs or buts. Southgate has a far harder job on his hands.

[Baggie_Nick]

Always amazed how poor we are. How many people play Rugby in England compared to Scotland, Wales, Ireland etc and yet we lose at least one game to them each year. Similarly what is the population of Australia and New Zealand and yet we just about hold our own against them at best at worst get beat by them.

Rugga, Rugga, Rugga... nah!

If only that was how sport worked.

USA would win the football World Cup every tournament.

This!

And China would be a whole lot better.


Not keen on rugby at all but don't feel the need to slag off England.

Didn't Jones get us to a final last time round? If Southgate had done that then he'd be in credit.

We should be doing a lot better than we are. No ifs or buts. Southgate has a far harder job on his hands.

Perhaps. And the England football team has also gone through times where they have dipped.

That's sport.

[Jack Halford]

Scotland outplaying England. 38 years since they last won in England.
All that talent at his disposal. Jones should have gone by now.

Too true mate.

The Jose Mourinho of the Rugby world. Eddie, here’s a tip play your form players. Fed up with watching Farrell kick straight to the opposition.

[Jack Halford]

That was very much like the teeth-pulling exercise of watching Albion this season. If it could be made to go wrong, it did. England looked inept in every department bar some last ditch Johnstonesque defending. Scotland looked faster, fitter, quicker-thinking and creative. Thought I was going to get a break from that sort of hopeless feeling today!

As soon as the players took to the pitch, my wife who is becoming an expert on Rugby after 11 years of watching our son play just said Scotland will win as they look leaner and fitter!!

Should have put the bet on then!

[Borin' Baggie]

Always amazed how poor we are. How many people play Rugby in England compared to Scotland, Wales, Ireland etc and yet we lose at least one game to them each year. Similarly what is the population of Australia and New Zealand and yet we just about hold our own against them at best at worst get beat by them.

Rugga, Rugga, Rugga... nah!

We are literally the number 2 ranked team