I hope you are not thinking of refereeing a match soon .....are youIn general I agree and I'm gratified to see our coach and players rewarded with their Team of the Year awards. However, set pieces need a lot of tidying up.
- Dan Sheehan
- Tadhg Furlong
- Caelan Doris
- Garry Ringrose
- Bundee Aki
- Andy Farrell
Scrums in particular are a shambles a lot of the time and the number of re-sets is bordering on the ludicrous. Simplify the laws and send the first infringer (or hinger) off with a yellow card, and peno to the opposition. Persistent infringement to be penalised by uncontested scrums awarded to the opposition. Please discuss.
Lineouts are not a lot better. "The gap" law is being ignored by England, NZ and SA, depriving teams like Ireland of an attacking option. Unless a match official can walk the length of the line-out with arms outstretched without making contact with a player, s/he awards a penalty against the first player s/he touches with an outstretched hand. No line-out takes place. Please discuss.
When an illegal tackle results in the tackled player being injured, the tackler is automatically penalised and given a red card. Please discuss
A lot of people argue in favour of letting a game flow, but that simply rewards cheating. These players are pros who try to play to the limits of what a referee will allow. If refs consistently crack down on common infringements, then they will disappear from the game.If we go by your suggestions there won't be enough players to start the second half...
It was a game for those who understand the game. I find soccer dreadfully boring nearly all the time, especially when either of the two Irish teams are playing. The Champions League is usually less boring. That, I'm sure, is because I don't really appreciate the game. The same, it seems, applies to you watching Rugby.I have seen the Saturday games as myself and my friends have gone to and left the pub earlier to avoid crowds .
If last nights game was the apex of the Rugby Union game then the sport is truly in trouble , perhaps the worst game between top teams in the tournament- ferociously competitive with neither side rising above mediocrity.
Exactly. You just cannot compare Rugby to soccer. Most Rugby games are exciting. Occasionally, like the final, you get two well matched teams who just cancel each other out. Soccer is not a good game because there are too many cheaters, or divers, whichever you prefer, inconsistent refereeing and now inconsistent VAR decisions.It was a game for those who understand the game. I find soccer dreadfully boring nearly all the time, especially when either of the two Irish teams are playing. The Champions League is usually less boring. That, I'm sure, is because I don't really appreciate the game. The same, it seems, applies to you watching Rugby.
If you read a social media discussion of a rugby game after the match there will be usually be a lot of discussion of the cheating that went on and what was missed by inconsistent refereeing in scrums, mauls and line outs. The 'dark arts' in rugby are just less obvious because it happens in the 'fog of war' in a melee and cameras may not pick up on half of it.Exactly. You just cannot compare Rugby to soccer. Most Rugby games are exciting. Occasionally, like the final, you get two well matched teams who just cancel each other out. Soccer is not a good game because there are too many cheaters, or divers, whichever you prefer, inconsistent refereeing and now inconsistent VAR decisions.
With Rugby you hear consistently what is going on. There doesn't seem to be many wrong decisions.
In American football, because the play is stopped, on TV show you exactly what the penalty calls were for. Also helps the penalties are usually one on one.There was only one try in the final and I didn't have a clue why any of the 6 penos were awarded. All the same it was more exciting than your typical soccer match - there always seemed to be a possibility of a breakthrough and no obvious spoiler play.
Though of course Maradona's goal against England (not the hand of god one) beats anything in rugby for beauty.
Fair play to you , you say you cannot compare rugby to Football and immediately proceed to do so !Exactly. You just cannot compare Rugby to soccer. Most Rugby games are exciting. Occasionally, like the final, you get two well matched teams who just cancel each other out. Soccer is not a good game because there are too many cheaters, or divers, whichever you prefer, inconsistent refereeing and now inconsistent VAR decisions.
With Rugby you hear consistently what is going on. There doesn't seem to be many wrong decisions.
I was only pointing out the differences between the two sports, in my opinion.Fair play to you , you say you cannot compare rugby to Football and immediately proceed to do so !
The football World Cup final featured two well matched teams In Argentina and France who went on to produce a game for the ages viewed by 1.5 billion featuring a level of skill by both teams as compared to it’s Rugby equivalent which was physically attritional and exciting but the rugby itself was mediocre.
I read a surprising statistic that all the knockout games were lost by teams who spent more time with the ball in hand with the likes of South Africa employing a blitz defence , tastical kicking and bone shuddering tackles , welcome to Catennacio rugby .
The humiliating defeats suffered by Namibia , Chile ,Italy , Romania and Uruguay have prompted World Rugby to make radical changes for the next World Cup - yes they’re increasing the number of teams by 4 instead of decreasing the number of teams to ensure more competitive games !
The one change to rugby laws that should change immediately is the lowering of the legal height of the tackle to waist high level as in the amateur game before it is becomes unavoidable as a result of the upcoming multi million lawsuits being pursued by retired Rugby players suffering from early onset dementia .
It was regrettable to read of the death threats against Wayne Barnes but the decision made by the team of officials to send off Cane and not Kolisi seemed remarkably inconsistent triggering the usual moronic outpourings.
Sure Football is the most venal sport on the planet due in no small part due to it’s dominance and the vast quantities of money involved but the popularity of the game continues to expand exponentially nonetheless due to the fact that it dominates in terms of tv coverage and media reporting and most importantly that people appreciate the beauty of the game .
Sure there is a minority of cheaters and divers in the game but VAR has ultimately made diving for penalties a no win game , people seems to forget that Football is such a pacy game that the slightest touch sends players to ground.
It should also be remembered that rugby has produced players like Dylan Hartley , Trevor Brennan,Danny Greenock and Chris Jones who have been sent off for a variety of offences including biting , gouging, stamping, abuse of referees and attacking a fan and who knows what happens in the Southern Hemisphere!
I say this as someone who has attended many rugby games particularly 6 Nations games ( as I have said before on this site not enthusiastically , rather entertaining and being entertained in return by clients of the Bank I worked for ) I find rugby is far less skilful than Football but then any game , with the exception of Hurling, where you can control and pass the ball with your hands is bound to be .
Indeed, I’m aware that you are comparing the two sports !I was only pointing out the differences between the two sports, in my opinion.
And I am sticking to the points that I made....with all due respect..
Really?@Deiseblue, I think some people are partially blinded by inverted snobbery and that informs their view of Rugby.
I never played it having gone to a GAA school run by the Christian Brothers but I thoroughly enjoy watching it and attending matches where the fans can be trusted to behave like human beings and mix with each other adds to that enjoyment.
Suggesting that the skill levels in Soccer are higher is just silly. There are certainly different skills required but that's a different matter.
There have certainly been dirty players in Rugby but I've never seen any of them deliberately break an opponents leg and end their career like a certain former Irish soccer player did.
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?