( Three minute read)
For a start I am not a rugby league fan, and I do not intend this post to insult those who are, but to describe what is needed to make me a fan.
Rugby League began as a working man’s game – those who couldn’t afford to swan around the country for weeks at a time but had to turn up Monday morning and put in eight hours in the pit. That’s why they invented a rule to stop the cascade of stamping which can still be a feature of Rugby Union. None of this history now applies.
What’s wrong with Rugby League?
For me ( not a fan of the game) rugby league like American football a possession game.
In both games a kick-off always goes as far as it can within the field of play and then let’s try to pin them down as far away from our try line as possible.
The receiving team then has six tackle or to be more descriptive wrestling matches with more or less any brutality permitted in the tackle – other than pulling the opponents head off to carry the ball back up the pitch. In these ( usual two or three to one encounters) it is forbidden to actually try to take the ball from your opponent other than devised ways of reefing the ball away, which appears to be a penalty kick if you manage to make your opponent lose his grip on the ball.
After the sixth stoppage it is compulsory to kick the ball away.
The whole economy, momentum, structure of each game hinges on that instant – which of course takes place hundreds of times
A scrum is a rest period. What a farce – what stupid nonsense, simply hand it to dummy half who then shoots it off wherever he will, without the onerous duty of bending down to pick it up. It has no relevance to what the players on the ground are actually doing. You see a few blokes vaguely touch arms while someone throws the ball exactly where he wants to.
It would appear those who administer Rugby League (i.e. they make up the rules) have never understood the nature of their own game, and every bit of fiddling demonstrates they do not know what they’re doing.
Then we come to video referee, who takes more time than a blind man crossing a road to announce that he has made a decision
The only time both sides are allowed to compete for possession is the up-and-under, and the knock-on other wise possession is always under contest.
The you have the draw a legitimate result. But the first to in extra time either by a drop gaol, penalty kick or try bring the conclusion of the game is a farce and injustice to the loosing team.
Now the screeching commentators (the so called experts) that are unable to stay silent with their continues flow of verbal diarrhoea’s ruin any appreciation of the skill on view.
The problem is.
Is this a running game or a battering ram game. If running game we need to see the ball handling in open play, without the stamping of a foot before the player is mauled to the ground.
So here is a suggestion to make it more attractive.
On the third tackle the defending team must line up 20 meters away.
All human comments and suggestions appreciated. All like clicks and abuse chucked in the bin.
Contact: bobdillon33@gmail.com
Rugby League began as a working man’s game – those who couldn’t afford to swan around the country for weeks at a time but had to turn up Monday morning and put in eight hours in the pit. That’s why they invented a rule to stop the cascade of stamping which can still be a feature of Rugby Union. None of this history now applies.
What’s wrong with Rugby League?
For me ( not a fan of the game) rugby league like American football a possession game.
In both games a kick-off always goes as far as it can within the field of play and then let’s try to pin them down as far away from our try line as possible.
The receiving team then has six tackle or to be more descriptive wrestling matches with more or less any brutality permitted in the tackle – other than pulling the opponents head off to carry the ball back up the pitch. In these ( usual two or three to one encounters) it is forbidden to actually try to take the ball from your opponent other than devised ways of reefing the ball away, which appears to be a penalty kick if you manage to make your opponent lose his grip on the ball.
After the sixth stoppage it is compulsory to kick the ball away.
The whole economy, momentum, structure of each game hinges on that instant – which of course takes place hundreds of times
A scrum is a rest period. What a farce – what stupid nonsense, simply hand it to dummy half who then shoots it off wherever he will, without the onerous duty of bending down to pick it up. It has no relevance to what the players on the ground are actually doing. You see a few blokes vaguely touch arms while someone throws the ball exactly where he wants to.
It would appear those who administer Rugby League (i.e. they make up the rules) have never understood the nature of their own game, and every bit of fiddling demonstrates they do not know what they’re doing.
Then we come to video referee, who takes more time than a blind man crossing a road to announce that he has made a decision
The only time both sides are allowed to compete for possession is the up-and-under, and the knock-on other wise possession is always under contest.
The you have the draw a legitimate result. But the first to in extra time either by a drop gaol, penalty kick or try bring the conclusion of the game is a farce and injustice to the loosing team.
Now the screeching commentators (the so called experts) that are unable to stay silent with their continues flow of verbal diarrhoea’s ruin any appreciation of the skill on view.
The problem is.
Is this a running game or a battering ram game. If running game we need to see the ball handling in open play, without the stamping of a foot before the player is mauled to the ground.
So here is a suggestion to make it more attractive.
On the third tackle the defending team must line up 20 meters away.
All human comments and suggestions appreciated. All like clicks and abuse chucked in the bin.
Contact: bobdillon33@gmail.com 
bobdillon33blog 