Rugby Union

[mune ni kamome]

In football we have the old saying that women don't understand the offside rule but watching the rugby this week I reckon that a huge percentage of rugby fans and even many of the players don't fully understand some of the rules and decisions. I have watched England in the Six Nations for donkeys years and have to admit I don't know why loads of decisions are given. Anyone else in the same boat?

 

[Dick Knights Mumm]

That is one of rugby's flaws. Look at the 2003 World Cup Final. Biggest showpiece event in the game the ref is blowing up and no-one has a clue why. Isn't the main issue that no-one from the outside has a clue what is going on in the front row ?

 

[Driver8]

Absolutely. I haven't a clue most the time.

 

[Gwylan]

I'm pretty good with offside but as DKM said, scrummaging laws are truly arcane and I often haven't a scooby.

 

[SeagullsT0m]

I used to play rugby and be a pretty avid follower, and I still don't understand why the ref is blowing half the time.

 

[Icy Gull]

Refs are miked up and with commentators discussing infringments I think most things are explained, whether you agree with the interpretation which can variy enormously depending on whether it's a Southern or Northern Hemisphere ref is something else. What you also have to bear in mind is that most of the top rugby playing countries really don't like England and refs sometimes have trouble not making this obvious with 50/50 decisions..imo.

 

[KZNSeagull]

Half the problem is that they seem to change the rules every year.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

That is one of rugby's flaws. Look at the 2003 World Cup Final. Biggest showpiece event in the game the ref is blowing up and no-one has a clue why. Isn't the main issue that no-one from the outside has a clue what is going on in the front row ?

Yes, but that ref gave one of the most biased performances in the history of the game. England would have trounced the Aussies if there had been any other ref. I remember Woodward made a formal complaint about him a few days after the win

 

[sten_super]

Refs are miked up and with commentators discussing infringments I think most things are explained, whether you agree with the interpretation which can variy enormously depending on whether it's a Southern or Northern Hemisphere ref is something else. What you also have to bear in mind is that most of the top rugby playing countries really don't like England and refs sometimes have trouble not making this obvious with 50/50 decisions..imo.

I think another problem is that the vast majority of top-level refs are players that were backs, so they have no idea what's going on in the scrum. They seem to keep resetting scrums until one of the props is unable to bind properly (the only thing that is obvious) and then ping that side.

They are also wildly inconsistent, I suspect because the game happens so fast and they only have one viewpoint. In the England game last week the Argies were consistently not entering the ruck through the gate yet getting away with it (it's something the southern hemisphere teams are very good at) whereas in the Six Nations anyone not entering from directly behind the ball will get pinged 19/20.

 

[wehatepalace]

If you don't know the rules and it bothers you, take the trouble to learn them. As someone else mentioned, all the refs have a mike and clearly explain why he's stopped play.

 

[beorhthelm]

the rules are difficult to follow, though ironically the offside rule is very simple.

 

[Glawstergull]

The laws are complicated but if you play they are pretty intuitive.Saying that most refs interpret them ever so slightly differently and it may take a few penalties to work out which way the B**tard goes.Captaining my local side on and off for 10years i've had a few disagreements.

 

[ArcticBlue]

We know the debates football fans have over penalties, was it wasn't it etc. Magnify this across the whole 80 mins of Rugby and there you have it. Almost constant player contact on and off the ball make the refs job tough as. Football is simple, Rugby is anything but.

 

[somerset]

In football we have the old saying that women don't understand the offside rule but watching the rugby this week I reckon that a huge percentage of rugby fans and even many of the players don't fully understand some of the rules and decisions. I have watched England in the Six Nations for donkeys years and have to admit I don't know why loads of decisions are given. Anyone else in the same boat?

I don't understand what goes on in netball, or baseball, or water polo, or Aussie rules, or any of a hundred other sports, but I don't talk those sports down because of it. Union is a complex tactical game with a place in the game for all physiques, tall, short, fat, thin, fast, slow,... I guess to those of us who have played it, me for more than 30 years, it comes naturally, but don't hide behind ignorance or football blinkers, use that brain and find out about the laws of the game..... its easy when you know how.

 

[somerset]

The laws are complicated but if you play they are pretty intuitive.Saying that most refs interpret them ever so slightly differently and it may take a few penalties to work out which way the B**tard goes.Captaining my local side on and off for 10years i've had a few disagreements.

Since when do Gloucester teams knoiw anything about the laws of rugby,... in my experience of playing against the many Gloucester teams they have just been interested in giving us a good 'shoeing'.... almost as bad as the Welsh teams I have played.... chuckle......

 

[Glawstergull]

Since when do Gloucester teams knoiw anything about the laws of rugby,... in my experience of playing against the many Gloucester teams they have just been interested in giving us a good 'shoeing'.... almost as bad as the Welsh teams I have played.... chuckle......

A (Girlie)back like me by any chance?

C'mon Glaws...........

 

[DumLum]

I enjoyed the game this morning as it seemed quite exciting but didn't really understand what was going on.

What's crossing?

In football you kick it into touch and the other team gets to throw it in, simple. In rugby, when somebody kicks it out I've no idea who is gonna throw it back in and why.

 

[wehatepalace]

I enjoyed the game this morning as it seemed quite exciting but didn't really understand what was going on.

What's crossing?

In football you kick it into touch and the other team gets to throw it in, simple. In rugby, when somebody kicks it out I've no idea who is gonna throw it back in and why.

in open play if one team kicks it out the line out thro goes to the opposition, if it's from a penalty then the team that kicks it out retains the line out throw.

And crossing is when an attacking player deliberately obstructs a defender from tackling the ball carrier, which then sends the ball carrier through the gap created by the obstruction.

Hope this helps.

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

in open play if one team kicks it out the line out thro goes to the opposition, if it's from a penalty then the team that kicks it out retains the line out throw.

And crossing is when an attacking player deliberately obstructs a defender from tackling the ball carrier, which then sends the ball carrier through the gap created by the obstruction.

Hope this helps.

Doesn't accidental obstruction get penalised too?

 

[Alex Alex Dawson oo! oo!]

I don't understand what goes on in netball, or baseball, or water polo, or Aussie rules, or any of a hundred other sports, but I don't talk those sports down because of it. Union is a complex tactical game with a place in the game for all physiques, tall, short, fat, thin, fast, slow,... I guess to those of us who have played it, me for more than 30 years, it comes naturally, but don't hide behind ignorance or football blinkers, use that brain and find out about the laws of the game..... its easy when you know how.

Hear! Hear!