Lifetime armchair league fan chooses to play rugby

[Martli]

True, I don't know if it's the same ehre in NZ, but I think it may very well be both on saturdays. I know that union is definately played on saturday...

 

[screeny]

Well, I haven't been on this board for ages. Stumbled upon this thread.

Crusader: what....who.....why?? OK I'm a moron, nice argument, cogent discussion. Congratulations.

Hazy, shit, so you're the only person in the world who I've heard say they've run more in their union matches than their league matches. All I can say is your caoch can't have been very happy with your workrate in your league matches!

10-metre gap to maintain every 3-5 seconds, and the ball in play for at least twice as long and you still ran more in union? Jeez, Jon Davies, Scott Gibbs, Alan Bateman, Alan Tate et al should've played for your union team as all thos ex-cross code internationals are all of the opinion union doesn't hold a candle to league in the physicality stakes.

I know a player who's going to play pro Ru in France at the end of the year. He was told to try out for a league side but he declined as he said 'union's easier' - and this after having only played for a low standard league side!

As I keep saying, if you prefer union then good on ya, but why can't you just be secure enough to admmit league is the superior technical and physical specimen, like the bloke who said you have to think more in union (I disagree wholeheartedly as I think you've far more time in union to weigh up your options and far less likely to take any kind of a risk - but that's another story).

Over to you guys, I'll brace myself for some well thought out name calling.....

 

[Hazy]

Screeny - playing league I would take one hit-up in a set of six, then jog into position.

In defence I had the middle of the ruck, quick three step off the line, slow down and position for the tackle.

In union, I played flanker and ran the ball myself or ran to support whoever had the ball.

In defence, I would sprint and put pressure on the 5/8 from every scrum, then similar to in attack I would be expected to get to every break down and attempt to steal the ball.

(I'll also admit that I was 20 kilo's lighter when I played union... :lol: )

I'll admit that in general league players are 'physically' fine specimens, but I will disagree on technical, especially scrummaging, rucking, mauling, ball retention, defensive positioning (Hello Wendell!! looking at you here!)

How can you have more time in union to weigh up your options when the defence is set at the last feet of the scrum, ruck or maul and not ten metres away from the play the ball?

Less likely to take a risk?
I would have thought that submitting in tackles is generally risk adverse compared to the common possibility of loosing the ball in or after the tackle or skewing a clearing kick off the side of the boot.

After fielding a kick, a league fullback or wing normally just heads for the opposition and falls over, while the similar union players try to counter attack or drive the ball out of the danger area.

 

[screeny]

Hazy,

Your description gives the impression that after your one hit-up and your three-metre burst of the line you do no more running in league!?

Come on, be serious. I don't think anyone who is being honest with themselves can say that, flanker or not, there's more running involved in union than league. Nobody. It's just a fact that league requires more running as there's less players on the field, the ball's in play at least twice as much and there's a 10-metre offside gap. That's just the laws of the game. Add onto that the greater amount of tackling in league and the constant going to ground and getting up again (the real killer) at tackles and PTBs, all of which make league - by far - the more physically demanding game. (And I'm not even getting into the greater ferocity of collisions in tackles compared to union, I'm just talking about the cardiovascular demands).

All union converts to league at the pro level admit that the most shocking thing is the phhysical aspect and how long it takes them to get used to the conditioning element in league.

Your description about pressuring the 5/8 and getting to breakdown is fair enough (I've played far more union than league and my initial position was flanker, then moved to centre) but you fail to mention that this is a fraction of the total time of the game. League running is constant.

Technically, in the areas the two games can be compared, league wins hands down. Passing and tackling. Of course line outs etc are union victories as league doesn't use them!

League produces better ball handlers and tacklers, and better team defenders and off the ball runners than union. I don't see many league teams crying out for union technical help whereas the opposite is certainly true.

Your point about distances between defence and attack is also misleading in my opinion. Union defences are behind the back foot but union attackers are deeper whereas league attackers begin barely behind the PTB. In my experience, due to the speed of the game and the constant need to readjust and attack again and again you have to think quicker in league. In union you've just got too much time on your hands ever to get pressured. And if you do lose the ball, then so what, whereas in league possession is paramount therefore the pressure on players to make the right decisions and to be technically sound is far greater.

Anyway, thanks for an honest and well thought out answer, even if I think you're totally wrong and just being a rah rah apologist!

 

[Polynesian Warrior]

Screeny ! Why don't you just except what Hazy has to say instead of trying to spread your league is king stuff .
I played both games and I find that I ran with the ball and without the ball more in union than league .
When Davies and company switch to league union was amateur and everyone had jobs and only train twice a week .
It is now a fulltime job and they train just as long and hard as any NRL or SL teams .

I also have heaps of Polynesian friends who went to France for league but ended up in union because they said league is shit in France .
If union was easy then Andrew Johns would have taken the money and run .

Im sure Ricky Stuart would have droped Luke Ricketson if he deside to follow the ball from right side of the field to left , up and down the field .
Some rules and certain game plans in league stop some players or most players from getting involve and limited their run .
There is times when I play league where I can stand on the left side of the field watching my teammates on right side take up the ball without us(on the left side) touching the ball or did any running .
Most league forwards don't play 80 minutes anymore so they dont run that much .

 

[Te Kaha]

Screeny Your one and only warning. If you want to do the whole Rugby vs League thing, do it in the Fight club. Don't hijack threads to post your crap. Anything in a similar vain will be considered trolling and therefore deleted.

 

[screeny]

Read the first post of this thread Te Kaha. A punter asks for opinions on the merits of both codes. I'm giving mine in a polite, succinct manner, and you threaten to ban me? What about the fellas who insulted me instead of entering into moderate debate.

Hazy doesn't seem to have a problem discussing the issue, and Stewbum is getting what he wanted. What's the problem with that?

 

[Te Kaha]

Screeny.... This.....

I'd like to start a discussion about the pros and cons of playing either sport at the grassroots level.

Tell me your experiences.

Does not equal this......

but why can't you just be secure enough to admmit league is the superior technical and physical specimen....

like the bloke who said you have to think more in union (I disagree wholeheartedly as I think you've far more time in union to weigh up your options and far less likely to take any kind of a risk - but that's another story).

.......Over to you guys, I'll brace myself for some well thought out name calling.....

and this....

Come on, be serious. I don't think anyone who is being honest with themselves can say that, flanker or not, there's more running involved in union than league. Nobody. It's just a fact that league requires more running as there's less players on the field, the ball's in play at least twice as much and there's a 10-metre offside gap. That's just the laws of the game. Add onto that the greater amount of tackling in league and the constant going to ground and getting up again (the real killer) at tackles and PTBs, all of which make league - by far - the more physically demanding game. (And I'm not even getting into the greater ferocity of collisions in tackles compared to union, I'm just talking about the cardiovascular demands).

Technically, in the areas the two games can be compared, league wins hands down. Passing and tackling. Of course line outs etc are union victories as league doesn't use them!

League produces better ball handlers and tacklers, and better team defenders and off the ball runners than union. I don't see many league teams crying out for union technical help whereas the opposite is certainly true.

Anyway, thanks for an honest and well thought out answer, even if I think you're totally wrong and just being a rah rah apologist!

As I said Screeny...take it to the fight club. You are the one who started the us vs them fight..... I'm the one finishing it. All future posts will be deleted.

 

[Hazy]

Te Kaha and Screeny.

I'll take a bit of responsibility here as well, I was happy to keep the discussion going, but even my next post would have started to drag the topic towards the fight club.

eg...

How can you say BLAH BLAH BLAH, when its quiet obvious that it isnt like that...

PM me if you want screeny, we can agree to disagree in our spare time.

 

[screeny]

Oh well, an interesting debate killed at birth.

A debate that deviated slightly from the first post? My god, it must be the first time this has ever happened on a sports forum!

Hazy, cheers for the offer, but I prefer keeping stuff on the public domain as I like the varied opinions of all concerned.

Plus the fact that you're wrong!

Toodle pip.....

 

[Thomas]

Is that a dummy I see flying across the room?