National Rugby League on Spike [Archive]

Indifferent Clox

09-10-2009, 09:24 PM

Very excited as I've never understood rugby but always have been mad interested in it.

Question though... On SETA they also play rugby, so if I watch this I can watch that too right, or will it be totally different rules and stuff?

Bad Company

09-12-2009, 05:06 AM

NRL is rugby league, not rugby (or rugby union as it's called). They are completely different.

It's currently the finals, so should be good.

Supreme Olajuwon

09-12-2009, 12:16 PM

I was watching it last night. It was good but compared to Union it's really kinda boring.

Bad Company

09-12-2009, 08:52 PM

Yeah, I really prefer union. Still, some pretty amazing players in the NRL.

Downunder

09-12-2009, 10:53 PM

League is rather one dimensional but for the casual observer far easier to understand.

Union is proper Rugby

The Pope

09-12-2009, 11:07 PM

i don't get this union,league thing.
is it like NFL,AFL or what are you guys comparing?

Bad Company

09-12-2009, 11:34 PM

They are two different games.

toxic rooster

09-13-2009, 02:40 AM

They have a lot of similarities. Over here the best rugby league players often spend a few years in rugby (union) because it's bigger internationally and there's a lot more money in it. Often as backs/wingers/centres. So if you're good at one, the other one can be picked up

Rugby (union) has 15 players a side and the ball is always in contest. When a guy gets tackled, there's a ruck where players from both teams come in and try to take the ball. Same thing on a scrum (which is where the forwards on both teams pack together, the scrumhalf puts the ball in between them and they fight for it) and lineouts (where the ball is out of play, the teams line up, guy on the other team throws it between them and they fight for it). Rugby props are generally bigger than league props, and it's a lot harder to gain territory by running with the ball, which is why you see more kicking in rugby.

Rugby league is a derivative of rugby, with a few rule changes that make the game more conducive to running the ball. Tackles, scrums and out-of-bounds restarts are not in contest, you have 6 tackles to get the ball as far as you can. I like to see guys running the ball so league is more entertaining to me, though that may also be due to my Queensland public school upbringing.

For the incredibly casual observer, watch till the first guy gets tackled. If 4 people from his team don't jump on top and try to get the ball out from under him, you're watching league.

Stickman

09-13-2009, 06:26 PM

I love real rugby. 15 a side, anything but is terrible.

toxic rooster

09-13-2009, 10:12 PM

You're fine to think that, I just find rugby is slow and stop-start in comparison. I appreciate the contest involved but being used to the faster ruck in league, union rucks make me cringe sometimes. Especially the amount of things you can do to slow it down, the English being particularly adept at this.

I should also mention for the casual observer the kicking game changes from union to league. In union, kicks in play are all about gaining territory or earning points (3 for a drop-goal). In league, drop-goals are only worth 1 point so you don't really see that unless the game is tied. Also in league there are a variety of attacking kicks you will see near the opponent's line - chips, bombs, grubbers and even the odd banana. You won't see these near as much in rugby because of the rules about fielding kicks in the defensive third.

redoneja

09-18-2009, 07:27 PM

So is rugby league what is most played here in the states? My university won the national title in rugby last year or the year before, but I have no idea whether it was in union or league.

Also, thanks Gooner for explaining rugby. Now I just need someone to tell me how cricket is played and I'll be good to go

redoneja

09-18-2009, 07:28 PM

Ok apparently we won the Div II National Title in 03 and 08. Still no clue whether it's Union or League though.

Bad Company

09-18-2009, 08:16 PM

Union.

redoneja

09-19-2009, 11:08 AM

So I watched some of that National Rugby League show. Really did not understand what was going on at all. All I could get out of it was one team would snap the ball, run it for 3-5m and then get tackled, rinse and repeat. Once they got to about midfield they would kick it downfield, the other team would get the ball and the process would start over.

Obviously I get that I didn't 'understand' it because it was the first time I've ever watched rugby (in any form).

Stickman

09-19-2009, 12:38 PM

So I watched some of that National Rugby League show. Really did not understand what was going on at all. All I could get out of it was one team would snap the ball, run it for 3-5m and then get tackled, rinse and repeat. Once they got to about midfield they would kick it downfield, the other team would get the ball and the process would start over.

Obviously I get that I didn't 'understand' it because it was the first time I've ever watched rugby (in any form).

If you ever see real rugby watch it. There's a lot more going on that makes it more entertaining. In this league, yeah, you're description is pretty bang on. I personally find it very boring with no strategy.

Ol Dirty Dastard

09-20-2009, 02:00 PM

The scrum and the breakdown and the lineouts are the 3 biggest parts of the game and that's what rugby leage lacks.

The scrum itself is pure psycological warfare.

Stickman

09-20-2009, 09:52 PM

The scrum and the breakdown and the lineouts are the 3 biggest parts of the game and that's what rugby leage lacks.

The scrum itself is pure psycological warfare.

Exactly, there's really not much to the league. Run, get tackled, everybody stop, pass, run, repeat. There's no strategy.

toxic rooster

09-23-2009, 11:08 PM

To make league, they reduced the teams to 13 a side and took out a lot of the stuff that slows a union game down (contested rucks, scrums etc) so there's more running and play is turned around faster, which requires players to be fitter in league. That's why forwards in league are leaner than they are in union, and their careers only last till 30ish. And in league, the halves are more effective at putting plays on. If you've been watching league all your life, you'll find union slow, complicated and a bit of a clusterfuck.

If you don't know which is which, just assume you're watching union. Much more widespread. League is only played on the east coast of Australia, parts of England and a few places in NZ.

I'm probably the only person here from a place where league is more popular than union. It exists here, but like some other places it's a richboy game, played by sons of doctors, private school kids and the like. Our team is consistently last in the Supers competition.

The rugby union over here lures a few league players across every year because they can afford to pay players more. They usually end up playing for Australia in rugby too, the Wallabies' last decent run coincided with when they had lured a few leaguies across. In the 2003 World Cup (when Australia made the final), they had 3 leaguies in their backline (Wendell Sailor, Mat Rogers, Lote Tuqiri). Most of them tend to end up back in league (Sailor, Rogers, Timana Tahu have, Lote Tuqiri is thinking about it). Berrick Barnes (current Wallaby) used to be a leaguie, as did Brad Thorn (All Blacks) who switched between league and union twice. Sonny Bill Williams and Mark Gasnier are 2 former league players who are playing club rugby somewhere in Europe right now, Karmichael Hunt will join them soon.

toxic rooster

09-23-2009, 11:22 PM

All I could get out of it was one team would snap the ball, run it for 3-5m and then get tackled, rinse and repeat. Once they got to about midfield they would kick it downfield, the other team would get the ball and the process would start over.

That sounds exactly like the NFL, except add helmets, pads and stoppages.

toxic rooster

09-24-2009, 03:06 AM

Downunder

09-24-2009, 06:21 AM

I don't know how they survive without crash helmets and pads - they must be some kind of supermen.

Ol Dirty Dastard

09-24-2009, 11:53 AM

Ol Dirty Dastard

09-24-2009, 11:57 AM

Also, the Union video has hits from like 10 fucking years ago. Watch this years tri nations, and super 14 and premiership and you'll see guys getting smashed.

Also, most of the league tackles, they didn't even fucking wrap.

toxic rooster

09-24-2009, 12:01 PM

This proves nothing though lol.

It proves that they hit each other. Were you looking for a cure for cancer?

Bad Company

09-25-2009, 06:44 AM

Bulldogs Eels is fucking epic just going into half time.

Stickman

09-25-2009, 10:17 PM

Watching those clips made me realize I miss playing rugby.

toxic rooster

09-26-2009, 12:28 AM

yeah bulldogs eels was fantastic. hope tonight lives up to it, in front of about 4,000 people in melbourne on AFL grand final day. great scheduling that

Bad Company

09-27-2009, 01:51 AM

Jesus, I hope you haven't killed yourself Gooner.

toxic rooster

09-27-2009, 05:51 AM

Nah, last year was harder to take. I knew we were gone when Lockyer was named at halfback. Last night was pretty miserable, but in all we didn't expect to be there so it was kindof a bonus.

that said...I think I'm going for the eels this week. but as long as a lot of people on both teams get hurt, I'm happy.