To think that rugby players really show footballers up for the wimps that they are?

[HangingBasketCase]

Just saw on the news that a Welsh rugby player was knocked out cold during their game with England last night, despite most likely being concussed he got up and carried on. Earlier in the game another player broke his nose, was strapped up and just carried on. Meanwhile footballers roll around on the pitch in mock agony when they break a sodding finger nail!

I'm a life long football fan, but I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with the game if I'm honest. The vile insults hurled at each other by fans, the over dramatic displays of "agony" because the played want a penalty thrown in their way. It's pathetic.

Why isn't rugby more popular than football?

A snapped tibia versus being knocked out... I know which one I'd take!!

With rugby, either is likely. Not like there is a choice.

football is a non contact sport. And the more the agencies running it insist on making it really no contact, the more strategic it has become to play the drama queen over anything that the ref can possibly be convinced was contact, and claiming injury is one way to do so. The penalty has value to the other team. (It is much the same in basketball, at least college and pro basketball in the US). End result: what a bunch of wimps!

Whereas in rugby, and American football, physical contact is the main strategy. There isnt any point putting up a fuss and demanding the referee do something about it, s there are only penalties for the most truly egregious situations. so the players sustain serious, life altering injury, but carry on as if nothing has happened because rarely will it matter, strategy wise.

I agree that the manager and team doctor should be punished for allowing a concussed player back on the pitch. He should have been sent straight off, and knowing what we do now about suchinjuries, probably be off the roster for some number of weeks.

Usually - cos the distances are usually greater, you have to go over a high bar rather than low and straight through between two goalposts and also with the ball being oval shaped, its not as predictable or easy to kick as a round ball...

Why not get Beckham to kick a rugby ball at a goal and see how he gets on!

There is more discipline in rugby. There has to be, as it's a contact sport. The repercussions are too frightening.

There is way too much feigning of injury in football.

I'd love to see some of the pampered and preening football players
trying to play rugby.
Can you imagne the likes of David Beckham [though I know he's well Past it these days) trying to keep his hair in place.
It'd be hysterical. Bring back Spitting Image I say.

Why would footballers want to play Rugby Celtic?, they know they'd be hammered, don't use their hands and they're not built like brick shithouses, they're not that stupid although you seem to think it.

Yes, it'd be hysterical, of course it would be.

Beckham, kicking at a rugby goal!

SoupDragon your wish is my command!

They're not ALL muscle bound oafs! Look at Shame Williams - when he was younger they said he'd be too small to make it as a top rugby player.

This football = soft and rugby = hard is just ridiculous. They're different sports. Lots of rugby players follow football, and fans too.

It's just the salaries, ref and abuse and playacting in football I can't stand. Otherwise it's a great spectator sport, and a damn sight easier to understand than rugby. Still prefer rugby obviously.

Beckham and wilkinson did take the opposing sports kicks in a programme on sky.

Beckham was much better than wilkinson at his foreign sport. And beckham had never played rugby whilst wilkinson played football for years so presumably had some experience.

Most rugby players in the 'skill positions' full backs, fly half and scrum half were schoolboy football players that didn't make the grade

Ok - sorry but that is bollocks.
I know several professional rugby players, they, and my son and all his friends played rugby from about five.

My brothers all played football - I did too actually.
Football requires an astonishing skill set.
But so does rugby - they are just different skills.

This is the best football match I've watched - Greece vs Germany (Monty Python)

Where are you from Pag?

Wales / South west that's probably true as rugby is the predominant sports there. But in the Midlands and the North and South east it's certainly the case, Matt Dawson, Austin healey, Danny cipriani were all released by football clubs. I know one of those three personally and he had a choice 'be a top level rugby player or maybe make it into a lower division football team' and he chose the former. I could probably find a lot more if I looked.

Note I'm saying "skill positions" obviously Martin Johnson didn't have that decision to make!

It's probably evolving now as the elitism in English rugby (very slowly) diminishes and professionalism continues to grow and you'll see more career rugby players from an early stage.

This is also skewed by the private school / state school difference with rugby. Football was historically frowned upon by private schools and the parents,( but injuries are changing that) so rugby picked from one school pool and football from the other

State educated players have been kept out (well significantly limited) by the rugby Union 'system' in the past. They now realise they must open the pool to stay competitive, hence converted rugby league players walk into the England rugby team with 3 weeks of pro experience.

Wingers and centres in the modern game are too big to play football, so obviously are most forwards, they use their years of (often private school) experience in technical areas like scrums and lineouts. But Im certain that of the players who use hands and feet at least 50% were or wanted to be soccer players.

All shapes and sizes can play football not so for rugby. Are you sure about that?

Usually- what a load of rubbish! Ds2 detests football. He's never played it other than at school and he hates it even on the tv. However he's an excellent county rugby player and team rugby player he also plays lacrosse for a team several age groups above his actual age due to ability and size. He wouldn't play football if you paid him to!

Playing with a head injury is not a good idea, he should have been taken off.

Ok help, obviously your son, a sample size of erm..... One..... Outweighs the FACT that most of the recent international fly halves, scrum halves and full backs were released by professional clubs as teenagers.....

Edit, professional football clubs

Nope . Not in Wales.

I still don't recognise the 'couldn't make it at football' nonsense - however much you try to dress it up as being to do with size. Wingers and centres aren't born too big to play football. They bulk up. The game is physical but your average 14 year old winger is the same size as his football playing peers.
I do understand what 'skills positions' referred to. But thanks for helpfully indicating that Martin Johnson is not a winger.
And the three professional backs I know were never interested in football.
DS1 never played it at all -except for in the park - until he was 17.

If you are pissed off with posters being sneery about football I understand that. But again, making up stuff to try and prove a dumb position doesn't improve it.

And your son plays above his age group due to his size....... so guessing he's not a scrum half, fly half or full back.

My god, the logic of some people on here Read the whole post

Most of the current international backs were released by football clubs ?

Erm, do you have some evidence of that? Proper like proof - other than 2 players who haven't played for years and Ciprani.?

Actually don't bother. You are just sounding monstrously chippy for reasons I don't really understand.

I think most sports make footballers look wimpy! Look at motorcycle racing. There's plenty of examples of riders riding with broken legs, arms, even just amputated fingers and just getting on with it...

I'm not making stuff up!! That's a fact that those three wanted to play professional football! If I used "couldn't make it at football" then that's probably unfair, 'didn't make it as footballers' is probably better and once again, I was talking about three positions generally having been released by pro football clubs which can be empirically backed up.

Above all its a statistical inevitablility that more rugby players will have played and stopped playing football at a decent level (either by choice to focus on rugby or because they were told they wouldn't make the grade) than footballers who played rugby and quit because of the numbers who play the respective sports as kids. The only one I can think of who 'chose football over rugby' is Alex oxlade chamberlain who's father played

and apologies if you took the Martin comment as patronising, wasn't intended that way. You clearly know the sport but there's obviously more than one on here doesn't get the point re skill players, vs other rugby positions who never had And would never have the skill set to play football (and vice versa).

as it happens, i agree with OPs sentiment that rugby players are 'tougher' and certainly more honourable than footballers. But not for the reasons posted by 90% of the people in this thread.

Ps - does not Wales mean not South west as well?

Aaargh post too soon - *alex oxllade chamberlains father was an ex pro footballer and could afford to send his son to a rugby playing private school, I guess we will see more of that in future with the money footballers now make.