Just curioius is anyone really interested in this game. I know there are a lot of rugby union fans on this board, me included, and this is a completely different game, but i have really got into this over the last season. The super league in england really throws up some great games, none more so than the 1st play-off game on friday night past, when bradford at home were 30-6 up against wigan with an hour played and lost 30-31 ! fantastic stuff. the season is near over but if your bored on a friday night and not going out, it is worth tuning in to. Anyone else watch it ?
Yea, i'm a fan here, (former player too!)
rugby league is excellent. It's surreal to watch match and try to switch to watch a union match after. Madness to compare the france v ireland dirge with the elimination match from bradford, savage stuff!!
No Ruck, No Mauls , No Line outs , No Scrums , No proper Tackles . So why am i watching it?
If you want to watch a game where the breaking ball isn't contested NFL is your only man. Rugby Union Lite is pure muck
turk you must be a hard hoor if you played that game. its savage
gnevin, im a massive union fan too and agree about no rucks, mauls etc. but what do you mean no proper tackles.maybe turk can give you an example !!
Quote from: Gnevin on September 24, 2007, 10:11:41 AM
No Ruck, No Mauls , No Line outs , No Scrums , No proper Tackles . So why am i watching it?
If you want to watch a game where the breaking ball isn't contested NFL is your only man. Rugby Union Lite is pure muck
Are you having a laugh??
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jULWyiSNM_w
Quote from: Hoof Hearted on September 24, 2007, 10:16:10 AM
turk you must be a hard hoor if you played that game. its savage
gnevin, im a massive union fan too and agree about no rucks, mauls etc. but what do you mean no proper tackles.maybe turk can give you an example !!
I'd rather be tackled and then let go off , rather than tacked by 2 players , bound up in a maul which turns into a ruck . Once your tackled in league you just pass the ball off . Their is a lot more to do at the break down in union . Having never played either code the majority of hits look bigger in union .
Quote from: turk on September 24, 2007, 10:07:03 AM
Madness to compare the france v ireland dirge with the elimination match from bradford, savage stuff!!
Yes, who could get excited about France v Ireland when you could be watching the clash of the titans that is Bradford Bulls (?) v Wigan Warriors (!).
Rugby league won't be really noteworthy until it can break out of its north of England ghetto. And it can't break out of its north of England ghetto until it becomes really noteworthy. Catch 22.
Quote from: deiseach on September 24, 2007, 10:22:56 AM
Quote from: turk on September 24, 2007, 10:07:03 AM
Madness to compare the france v ireland dirge with the elimination match from bradford, savage stuff!!
Yes, who could get excited about France v Ireland when you could be watching the clash of the titans that is Bradford Bulls (?) v Wigan Warriors (!).
Rugby league won't be really noteworthy until it can break out of its north of England ghetto. And it can't break out of its north of England ghetto until it becomes really noteworthy. Catch 22.
You could say that about hurling deiseach!! (obviously not the north of england bit)
Quote from: turk on September 24, 2007, 10:27:08 AM
You could say that about hurling deiseach!!
I know what you're saying, but comparing hurling to other sports is comparing apples with cannonballs. League and Union have a common root so comparisions are valid. And boy, do League fans get their collective knickers in a twist over this. They see media conspiracies everywhere to raise up the clearly inferior Union at the expense of League, yet turn a blind eye to the utter shambles that has been just-about-every Rugby League World Cup. League should get its own house in order rather than assuming that its (ahem) superiority to Union would sweep all before it if only the blind could see.
Quote from: deiseach on September 24, 2007, 10:41:48 AM
Quote from: turk on September 24, 2007, 10:27:08 AM
You could say that about hurling deiseach!!
I know what you're saying, but comparing hurling to other sports is comparing apples with cannonballs. League and Union have a common root so comparisions are valid. And boy, do League fans get their collective knickers in a twist over this. They see media conspiracies everywhere to raise up the clearly inferior Union at the expense of League, yet turn a blind eye to the utter shambles that has been just-about-every Rugby League World Cup. League should get its own house in order rather than assuming that its (ahem) superiority to Union would sweep all before it if only the blind could see.
Whats the point of League they don't even contest the ball at the break down . Its just running with tackles . The ball isn't even needed ,they should just give the runner a flag .
have been interested and watching rugby league since the late 70's when it was shown on saturday afternoons on BBC1 Grandstand.
Played RU, but preferred watching RL to be honest.
the boom in the game in the late 80's was a far cry from the behemoths trundling up and down in the muck in those late 70's matches.
If you think RL is boring now, you wouldnt have wanted to watch it then.
For me, like a lot of sports, I have stopped watching it because of its migration to SKY sports TV, which I do not have.
a diff type of rugby and when played by good teams, is imo very exciting to watch.
League would be much more interesting to the completely uninitiated. Union must be incomprehensible to someone who hasn't grown up with it.
Quote from: deiseach on September 24, 2007, 10:55:07 AM
League would be much more interesting to the completely uninitiated. Union must be incomprehensible to someone who hasn't grown up with it.
As someone who hasn't grown up with either ,as you well know i find union much more interesting, union can be hard to understand fully but i remember being at my first few football matches thinking what the hells going on here then.
Quote from: deiseach on September 24, 2007, 10:41:48 AM
I know what you're saying, but comparing hurling to other sports is comparing apples with cannonballs. League and Union have a common root so comparisions are valid. And boy, do League fans get their collective knickers in a twist over this. They see media conspiracies everywhere to raise up the clearly inferior Union at the expense of League, yet turn a blind eye to the utter shambles that has been just-about-every Rugby League World Cup. League should get its own house in order rather than assuming that its (ahem) superiority to Union would sweep all before it if only the blind could see.
They're right, there is a media conspiracy! ;)
I think that european rugby league will never break out of the north of england despite the efforts to establish it in london and france. It's too strong there, Wigan for example still get bigger crowds than their soccer team does in the EPL.
Quote from: turk on September 24, 2007, 10:59:09 AM
It's too strong there, Wigan for example still get bigger crowds than their soccer team does in the EPL.
I remember watching Wigan, then in the Championship, play Man City in the League Cup (it was on in the room, all right?). The commentator said the crowd of 15,000 was a record for Wigan Athletic, and I was briefly baffled as to why they'd build such a big ground.
Then the penny dropped
whatever happened to the london broncos ? didn't they win a grand final ?
no they got pasted in the challenge cup final a few years back. they're now "harlequins RL"
Quote from: Hoof Hearted on September 24, 2007, 11:05:52 AM
whatever happened to the london broncos ? didn't they win a grand final ?
They were absorbed by Harlequins after the RFL turned a blind eye of their own to Broncos financial issues that would have made Shelbourne blush. And they didn't reach a Grand Final
Been a minor fan of League since Geordie Carson (Celtic Armagh fame) introduced me to the Bradford Bulls, got me a signed shirt. Some great C Cup finals involving St. Helens and Bulls at turn of the Century, Robbie Paul was great to watch
Rugby League players are fantastic athletes, they are all about 16 stone of muscle but can run like the wind.
Quote from: Balboa on September 24, 2007, 11:37:29 AM
Rugby League players are fantastic athletes, they are all about 16 stone of muscle but can run like the wind.
Some of our own Gaelic players wouldn't be far off it, I believe Shane Ryan is 15 stone
Quote from: Gnevin on September 24, 2007, 11:42:23 AM
Quote from: Balboa on September 24, 2007, 11:37:29 AM
Rugby League players are fantastic athletes, they are all about 16 stone of muscle but can run like the wind.
Some of our own Gaelic players wouldn't be far off it, I believe Shane Ryan is 15 stone
Our players wouldnt have the same fitness levels.
Quote from: Balboa on September 24, 2007, 11:46:27 AM
Quote from: Gnevin on September 24, 2007, 11:42:23 AM
Quote from: Balboa on September 24, 2007, 11:37:29 AM
Rugby League players are fantastic athletes, they are all about 16 stone of muscle but can run like the wind.
Some of our own Gaelic players wouldn't be far off it, I believe Shane Ryan is 15 stone
Our players wouldnt have the same fitness levels.
Hense why i said wouldn't be far off it , but it a different kind of fitness i suppose . Players like Ryan will run for 70 minutes ,their is more rest periods in league
QuoteHense why i said wouldn't be far off it , but it a different kind of fitness i suppose . Players like Ryan will run for 70 minutes ,their is more rest periods in league
Just saw this thread, Ryan's stamina would come close to these guys but that's about it. Rugby League fitness levels are phenomenal condition, power, stamina and strength, they would piss all over your average inter-county football. It's a professional sport for over 100 years for god's sake.
As for the sport, I love watchin the top super league sides, great game when two sides are evenly matched, tactically it's not the brightest and hasn't evolved much, this is due to only 2 countries playing the sport. . Rugby Union is a far superior game tactically and has that international dimension that keeps driving the game forward..
Then again I just love my sport but Rugby League players and AFL are probably the fittest team sports players around. Individually I believe ice climbers are the fittest...
"As for the sport, I love watchin the top super league sides, great game when two sides are evenly matched"
No doubt then Dinny you will tuning in this Friday, top 2 meet St Helens / Leeds - winner through to Grand Final, loser to play Wigan / Hull winners.
Clashes exactly with England / Tonga in RWC, but as i said, thank God for Sky +.
QuoteNo doubt then Dinny you will tuning in this Friday, top 2 meet St Helens / Leeds - winner through to Grand Final, loser to play Wigan / Hull winners.
Clashes exactly with England / Tonga in RWC, but as i said, thank God for Sky +.
Blessed be the lord
I know this thread has been dormant for a year but did anyone watch the climax of the Super League season tonight. The Grand Final between Leeds and St Helens which Leeds won (2 in a row) against all odds. Fantastic game, the next game at Old Trafford wont be 1/00th of the excitement of this (and im a soccer fan)
Quote from: Hoof Hearted on October 04, 2008, 10:43:02 PM
I know this thread has been dormant for a year but did anyone watch the climax of the Super League season tonight. The Grand Final between Leeds and St Helens which Leeds won (2 in a row) against all odds. Fantastic game, the next game at Old Trafford wont be 1/00th of the excitement of this (and im a soccer fan)
Watched it HH, they are some athletes. All 16st and can run like sprinters. You never see the dissent towards refs the way you do in soccer. Thye take their belts and get on with it, moreso than in Gaelic Football even.
League players are as hard as nails. You don't seem to get the same variation in the size of the players like you get in union so they're just all big men. The nature of the game too means it is always moving so the players take a big hit and just get up and get on with the game.
d**kheads beat my weekend bet. put them in as banker ;D ;D if ya didn't laugh......
come on Gaelic bet ;)
Quote from: milltown row on October 04, 2008, 11:04:07 PM
d**kheads beat my weekend bet. put them in as banker ;D ;D if ya didn't laugh......
come on Gaelic bet ;)
Milltown your like Paul Merson, he used to bet on the Ice Hockey !
aye minder, small guy loads of skill and a serious lifestyle :P
tony, milltown and minder i know yous boys are hurling men and yous boys are all hard hoors but as yous say these boys are unreal. But i suppose if your training 2/3 times are a day 6/7 days a week theres no reason not to be in that shape
Just a reminder to anyone who might be interested. The 1st State of Origin game starts in less than an hour.
NSW up 10-4 at half time.
Quote from: stephenite on May 28, 2014, 12:19:24 PM
NSW up 10-4 at half time.
Delighted and not just cos I had a tenner on NSW at 15/8. Jarryd Hayne gave one of the all-time great performances. He can do it all. Great entertainment. They could break the 8 or 9 year winning streak of Queensland now.
Savage game, the hits were huge. 2005 the last year NSW won a series
Rugby League gets hammered a lot but you'll go far to find Union players with the skill set of those playing State of Origin!
Skill set? Running straight, buck lepping on the ground with a lad on your back, and forearm smashes are hardy a great skill set. It's a physically and aerobically demanding game, but for all round skills I think Union is better. Union players have to run, pass, catch, kick, and then use all the technical skills at breakdown and set plays etc.
Disagree AZ. The lines of running, off loading, grubber/chip kicks are all of a higher standard.
For years Darren Lockyer and Andrew Johns were the best footballers in Australia.
I still prefer Union but League gets a hard press, especially in this neck of the woods as its the working mans game in England.
Nothing to do with it being the working man's game at all, as far as I'm concerned. (BTW, serious question, who are the working men?)
Anyway, I like watching RL, and some, SOME, of the players are good offloaders and good at running support lines, but I think the far more rounded skillset is the Union player. Rugby league players very seldom kick unless they are on 5th tackle, and usually it's the dummy half or whatever they call them. They seldom if ever kick a ball high, and never have to catch it under real pressure. Any back in Rugby Union has to be able to kick the ball.
That's not even taking into account the technical skills they have to master in Union at ruck time, in a maul, lineout, scrums etc.
You're probably right about lines of running, and I'm sure there are some skills RL lads are better at, but to say the 'Skill Set' is better is not correct in my opinion.
I mean working mans game with regard to media coverage/newspaper reporting etc. The north/south divide still exists in the UK media IMO.
I just feel there are too many Union players who are the stereo type robots nowadays. You cant really compare League and Union forwards and I'm not. I'm talking more about backs and broken lines of running, thats where I feel League have the better handling, running skills and spacial awareness.
Quote from: Walter Cronc on May 29, 2014, 10:14:56 AM
I mean working mans game with regard to media coverage/newspaper reporting etc. The north/south divide still exists in the UK media IMO.
I just feel there are too many Union players who are the stereo type robots nowadays. You cant really compare League and Union forwards and I'm not. I'm talking more about backs and broken lines of running, thats where I feel League have the better handling, running skills and spacial awareness.
Funnily enough the criticism I'd have of Union now is that it's turning into League, especially in these islands. Crash ball centres, biff bang wallop. England style.
I just picked up on your use of the word skillset, and even in the backs, I think a Union back is required to have a more varied and rounded skillset than a League back. Catching and Kicking are two that the League back seldom does (not counting the grubbers here). Kicking for touch, which any Union back does regularly is also a skill not used in League much. Running, Offloading and Passing would be similar I'd have said, but League lads might be very good at that. Tackling and being tackled in Union is also a more 'skillful' situation, in the technical sense, as you have to negotiate the technicalities of ruck play, presenting the ball, releasing the tackle, contesting for the ball etc etc. Even as a back.
I'm not saying that League backs don't do some stuff better. Probably they get more practice at it than in the more structured Union game, but in my view a Union back has to be able to perform more skills than a League back.
Quote from: Walter Cronc on May 29, 2014, 09:51:18 AM
Rugby League gets hammered a lot but you'll go far to find Union players with the skill set of those playing State of Origin!
How did Rugby League Superstar Benji Marshall get on?
Quote from: Dinny Breen on May 29, 2014, 01:39:12 PM
Quote from: Walter Cronc on May 29, 2014, 09:51:18 AM
Rugby League gets hammered a lot but you'll go far to find Union players with the skill set of those playing State of Origin!
How did Rugby League Superstar Benji Marshall get on?
Benji needs time :D
Trying once again to watch League and I've given up already. It's awful stuff.
Quote from: gallsman on October 25, 2025, 03:26:56 PMTrying once again to watch League and I've given up already. It's awful stuff.
It's the far superior version of rugby
Quote from: tonto1888 on October 25, 2025, 04:57:42 PMQuote from: gallsman on October 25, 2025, 03:26:56 PMTrying once again to watch League and I've given up already. It's awful stuff.
It's the far superior version of rugby
With all due respect - yer hole!
It's an absolute travesty of a game played by far superior athletes at the highest level.
Quote from: Tony Baloney on October 25, 2025, 06:59:09 PMQuote from: tonto1888 on October 25, 2025, 04:57:42 PMQuote from: gallsman on October 25, 2025, 03:26:56 PMTrying once again to watch League and I've given up already. It's awful stuff.
It's the far superior version of rugby
With all due respect - yer hole!
Right back at ye haha