hate rugby hate 9 year old son playing it

[swallowthree]

Gave in and let 9 year old son have a go at rugby at our local club. He loves it. I went to watch last week and was horrified. Don't know why I expected any different but horrendous, just seemed like a big excuse for a scrap. Husband used to play so he is all for it. How do I get out of this one?

They don't want boys that play football. They are ALL thugs, dontcha know.

True Taffeta you should see them all lined up on Presentation Day with their certificates and trophies for thuggishness.

Yy, my DS has assessments 3 x per year, and they don't include areas such as communication, teamwork, social and emotional development, it's all faking injury, hitting people and swearing.

I love rugby, my ds1 has just started and the discipline is phenomenal. The boys are allowed to let of a bit of steam yes, and it's a contact sport so bumps and bruises are par for the course. But they obey the rules or face the consequences.

Ds1 has ADHD and ASD and it's amazing the difference its made to his self control. I was worried he'd use what he learned off the pitch but the trainees drum it into them to keep it on the pitch and they do. It's a real team sport too, a boy was told off for show boating last week... A pleasant change from football where the better players are encouraged to dominate the game. If you don't pass in rugby it's q different response altogether.

I'm a rugby mum, DS plays for the local under 9s. He is about to play in another festival this weekend.

I insist on headgear and body armour. I have a good line in antiseptic cream, arnica and hot baths. It's a tough game, but is generally seems well reffed.

Or possibly its arrogance connected to the Grammar?

Showboating and ball hogging is dimly viewed in football these days. Modern professional football is all about the Barcelona model, which is short passing.

I rode ponies growing up then played rugby when I was a bit older. Mum didn't like the idea of the rugby but actively encouraged the nags, which I believe are more dangerous. Let him play (but massively tight adherence to guidelines on concussion please OP...zero tolerance).

Taffeta - that is just wrong - I can understand why you are a bit about rugby.

Where we are, it was all we could do to find a school that plays rugby. Dh had told me half jokingly that ds could go to a state secondary if it played rugby from S1 (Y7) not that we could afford to go private even if I'd been prepared to forego my principles . At the time, the only one in Glasgow that did that was the giant Catholic secondary. Fortunately, the school that I already wanted ds to go to (and was going to put a placing request for as it wasn't his catchment school) was in the process of applying to become an SRU funded "School of Rugby". Nothing to do with selection - just trying to encourage and develop rugby and rugby values at all levels. Ds misses a period of English and a period of Maths and two periods of PE to be in the rugby class - plus a strongly encouraged after school club - but no weekend matches or training.

The state schools in Glasgow (those that even play it) don't even play "full" rugby (no scrums) as they are starting from scratch and it's more important to teach them the basics like passing. (He plays his "full" rugby on a Sunday).

If you want to get out of it then stay at home whilst DH takes him. TBH ds1 plays U10s and next year ds2 will start U6 rugby. I love the ethos and discipline it teaches them. My boy loves it. My favourite photo of him is one on the pitch with 5 boys trying to tackle him and pull him down.

Interestingly queenoflouisiana - at ds' club we actively discourage body armour as the coaches believe that the armour encourages the kids to think they are invincible and go into contact that bit harder (think American football). We've got no issue with headgear though

I like the idea of dosing with arnica post games though - I already had arnica on my checklist for cycling events but hadn't thought of it for rugby

Interesting to hear about body armour. None of my DS team mates wear it anymore. Though headgear is normally worn.

DS plays rugby and football, both very well. I love watching him play rugby, the team are a fabulous bunch who are respectful to the ref and each other. I don't like watching him play football as much, there are too many egos on the pitch at every game. I have no idea what the difference is, but it is definitely there.

Both of my brothers have had numerous footballing injuries.

Amongst the knackered knees and ankles, a particularly unpleasant injury followed a professional foul (which wasn't seen by the ref) where a twat on the other side raked his boots over my brother who was lying face down after a particularly offensive tackle. Brother ended up having his scrotum stitched back together at A&E and being unable to walk without looking like John Wayne for weeks.

I simply dont buy the argument that football is non contact and safer.

"No rugby fan ever punched a horse.

Tis all Im saying.
"

Football has never had a long history of fellow professionals trying to blind each other and the authorities failing to punish it.

Play both sports, love both sports. The comparisons are pathetic as both sports have far too many flaws internally to start chucking stones.
Another example being raising your hands in football = automatic red card. In rugby unless its a full on punch then scuffles and minor digs = talking to and possibly sin bin

For diving just see continual hands in the maul and failing to release. Deliberate efforts to cheat and deceive the ref to gain an advantage. See: R McCaw

"I simply dont buy the argument that football is non contact and safer."

Much more frequent injuries especially wrt to muscle injury at an amateur level In football but very few serious injuries compared to rugby.

At a professional level the Lions your last year averaged something like 3.6 injuries per match. The professional game has a huge problem at the moment in addressing the frequency of injuries and recovery time between matches.

Ugh and I said maul above when I meant ruck

I hate sport of any variety, and hope my toddler son turns out to be a bookworm/dancer/trainspotter, but having never very much thought about social class and sport, what keeps striking me about the local rugby parents (just moved from London to a village) is their social aspiration.

I'm a foreigner, so not really involved in the class system as such, but judging by the dress code, speech etc of the rugby parents, is that they are are rather anxiously middle-class and anxious to be perceived as such. It's a bit depressing to be around.

At the moment I hate it.

My ds (15) is in hospital with a head injury sustained whilst playing during PE. He is waiting on a scan just now.

DS ,15, plays county, for school and local club. He plays no 8 and is often at the bottom of big piles of men sized boys. He wears a gum shield,scrum cap and recently body armour (because it makes him look muscly!) too. He's 6ft and all muscle, can look after himself.
What worries me is the difference in size of boys at secondary school age....and the awful neck injury accidents you hear about.
But.......I would never stop DS playing the sport he adores because I worry he'll injure himself.
It's a great, exciting sport.

mayor "ruck's in the muck, for a maul stand tall"

What a load of ridiculous, I'll informed snobbery. I grew up in a rugby family, my Dad was chairman of our local rugby club. The idea that rugby players are all gentlemen is frankly ludicrous. I've had plenty of family members and boyfriends who have suffered stud injuries, eye gouges, yes and even bite marks.
And at the very top level of the game, the England team are frankly a disgrace. Role models they are not. The England football team is actually far more professional and well behaved.
And don't even get me started on the pathetic macho drinking culture. Even at University all the idiots were the rugby club boys.
My boys play football, their choice entirely. But I would rather they were doing a sport based on speed and skill than one based on how big and tough you are.

I can't see why it matters if you prefer rugby or football or hate them both. It is what your son likes that matters. Thank goodness my mother didn't have a narrow 'approved' list of activities but fully realised that it was my choice.

Has OP actually come back onto this thread? Wouldn't blame her if she hadn't!

As usual it has become a bun fight & typically a football hating / class issue Sport / being part of a team, finding something you are passionate about and encouraging children to keep fit & active is the most important thing here.

I think any sport where you have to commit/sign up for the year/go to training twice a week and play as a team has got to be a good thing.
Rugby and football teams often do social events and overnight stays at tournaments.

It's all good as they say.....