Football versus Rugby

I'm sat here being forced to watch 6 Nations. Just wondering if any Saints fans out there can enjoy both football and rugby?

Personally, I absolutely hate it. I have tried to get into rugby, I really have, but I find it so boring, tedious, stop start, nothing happening, not exciting (bit like watching us this season lol)

I just can't see what the attraction is.

The whole thing annoys me. Rival fans sit with each other, what the ****? Songs are ****. And even the referees whistle is annoying me.

Don't get it. Will someone enlighten me?

It's tactical and high-scoring and I disagree with the stop start bit. That bit is actually a common complaint of rugby fans about football, that and the fake injuries.

Go and live in Wales for a few months and you will soon understand it.

I don't get it

I'm not Welsh. I don't intend to live in Wales, ever. Still don't get it. Nothing to do where you live, just don't get it

I'm sat here being forced to watch 6 Nations. Just wondering if any Saints fans out there can enjoy both football and rugby?

 

Personally, I absolutely hate it. I have tried to get into rugby, I really have, but I find it so boring, tedious, stop start, nothing happening, not exciting (bit like watching us this season lol)

 

I just can't see what the attraction is.

 

The whole thing annoys me. Rival fans sit with each other, what the ****? Songs are ****. And even the referees whistle is annoying me.

 

Don't get it. Will someone enlighten me?

Quite predictable as well. Hasn't got the random factor that makes football so exciting.

Yeah true, very predictable. Did you see the ireland - Italy score? What was the ****ing point?

It's OK. Prefer watching cricket and cycling though.

I don't mind watching it now and again, but i have no idea of the rules. It appears very technical to me as well, lots of things happen that totally confuse me.

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I'm not an avid rugby fan but I do enjoy a good Union match on the big occasions (6 Nations, World Cup, Lions Tour etc).

I grew up in a rugby family. I still enjoy watching it, but unfortunately unless I’m missing something the 6 nations is not televised over here.

it would be a better sport if they allowed more violent tackling, hits above the shoulder, and if they could throw it forward, or at least have one guy who could, and if they brought in a turnover of possession, maybe after 4 attempts to move it forward a certain distance, 10 yards or something. they'd need to bring in helmets to allow for the increased violence, and it would change the make up of the squad - you'd need tall fast guys who could catch, and monstrous fat guys who can help protect your throwing guy. you would still want to run the ball, so you'd need some fast tough guys who can take a hit. and the throwing guy would be so dangerous in terms of moving the ball quickly down the field, you'd need some super quick guys on the other team who can get to him quickly, but they'd also need to get past the monstrous fat guys, so they'd also have to be big as well. but if they could do all that, that'd make it better i reckon.

it would be a better sport if they allowed more violent tackling, hits above the shoulder, and if they could throw it forward, or at least have one guy who could, and if they brought in a turnover of possession, maybe after 4 attempts to move it forward a certain distance, 10 yards or something. they'd need to bring in helmets to allow for the increased violence, and it would change the make up of the squad - you'd need tall fast guys who could catch, and monstrous fat guys who can help protect your throwing guy. you would still want to run the ball, so you'd need some fast tough guys who can take a hit. and the throwing guy would be so dangerous in terms of moving the ball quickly down the field, you'd need some super quick guys on the other team who can get to him quickly, but they'd also need to get past the monstrous fat guys, so they'd also have to be big as well. but if they could do all that, that'd make it better i reckon.

And breathe....!!

it would be a better sport if they allowed more violent tackling, hits above the shoulder, and if they could throw it forward, or at least have one guy who could, and if they brought in a turnover of possession, maybe after 4 attempts to move it forward a certain distance, 10 yards or something. they'd need to bring in helmets to allow for the increased violence, and it would change the make up of the squad - you'd need tall fast guys who could catch, and monstrous fat guys who can help protect your throwing guy. you would still want to run the ball, so you'd need some fast tough guys who can take a hit. and the throwing guy would be so dangerous in terms of moving the ball quickly down the field, you'd need some super quick guys on the other team who can get to him quickly, but they'd also need to get past the monstrous fat guys, so they'd also have to be big as well. but if they could do all that, that'd make it better i reckon.

That sounds like American football. Now that is boring.

Rugby is ****.

That sounds like American football. Now that is boring.

Don't get me started on American football.....or baseball

Rugby is tedious with little skill required for most positions. American football on the other hand is spectacular, harder tackling, too.

The atmosphere at a rugby match is like a slightly tipsy tea party with good chaps singing hymns as they don’t really care about the outcome. Give me the rawness of a football match (certainly pre Premier League Sky cleansed b0ll0cks) anyday.

i have been watching football since I was kid and hated rugby. My son started playing aged 7 and have watched him every Sunday for 8 years. Initially bemused by what was going on but once I understood the rules it changed it completely for me,

Now absolutely love watching it almost as much as footy.

Each to their own really. I enjoy football, rugby, F1 and sometimes cricket but I can't be doing with tennis, darts, snooker or golf.

Like England international rugby games

Enjoyed Watching that earlier

saints season ticket holder for 25years now watch my local rugby team every week just got fed up of watching overpaid prima donna's .fiver to go proper beer no aggro

Love Rugby love footie......going out with the rugby mates so much more fun and civilised to start....I miss Wednesday evenings/nights in the uni bar after match day.

Love Rugby love footie......going out with the rugby mates so much more fun and civilised to start....I miss Wednesday evenings/nights in the uni bar after match day.

Isn't that more to do with hankering after 'student life' than the games themselves?

I wish I could roll back the years ( going back to the early 80's now) for uni days, but that's not making a choice between which game I prefer.

As to original question,its been the round ball game for me most of my life, although I did play and enjoy rugby at school for a few years and then at university, although that was more about working up a thirst than playing to any great standard.

I went to watch Gloucester a few times on moving over this way, and enjoyed it (late 80's/early 90's) as it was different from football in that era, especially on the terraces and in the bars. More recent visit to Kingsholm and found it a pale imitation of what football has become, corporate and sanitised.

I might watch some of the 6 Nations, and England internationals, but in truth it's largely Saints or not bother now (including the national football team in that indifference as well).

It's all about Curling for me for the next two weeks. And the fact that it appears to have united North & South Korea speaks volumes

my other half is welsh, ospreys and swansea fan, been to loads of rugby matches, can have a beer etc, rugby fans can behave themselves and have lots of respect for other fans, football can learn a lot from rugby

I fell out of love with football a while ago. I have been watching Saints since the late 50's and always will....I love my visits to St Mary's......but I rarely watch football on TV....never watch England but never miss an England Rugby match. I love it on the odd occasion when I can get to Twickenham. It is a much more honest game and a much more "grown up" game...I love the respect that the players have for the refs...

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agree, been to a lot of 6N games in cardiff, great days out, loads of beer, no trouble. off to osprerys next week always a good time, hope saints and swans both stay up, my life will be much better if they do!

we have a house in mumbles, Colin Charvis came round to quote for a wooden floor (he runs a flooring company in swansea) GF was speachless ex captin of wales was in the living room. he was such a nice guy, credit to his sport and much respect to him.

agree, been to a lot of 6N games in cardiff, great days out, loads of beer, no trouble. off to osprerys next week always a good time, hope saints and swans both stay up, my life will be much better if they do!

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If I can drink beer there and its not totally mind numbing like golf I'll watch it , me and the boy have done a few sporting events like England cricket , England football, Barcelona, Super bikes etc and hopefully we'll be going to watch the next round of the autumn international's !

If I can drink beer there and its not totally mind numbing like golf I'll watch it , me and the boy have done a few sporting events like England cricket , England football, Barcelona, Super bikes etc and hopefully we'll be going to watch the next round of the autumn international's !

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Rugby is ****.

This.

I fell out of love with football a while ago. I have been watching Saints since the late 50's and always will....I love my visits to St Mary's......but I rarely watch football on TV....never watch England but never miss an England Rugby match. I love it on the odd occasion when I can get to Twickenham. It is a much more honest game and a much more "grown up" game...I love the respect that the players have for the refs...

 

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Disagree that it is more honest. Rugby players regularly cheat i.e. eye gouging and blood capsules. No worse than footballers who dive.

It's OK. Prefer watching cricket and cycling though.

What is actually good about watching cycling apart from the scenery and crashes?

For me, rugby is awful but cricket is even worse. Do not see the appeal in either.

Olympic curling on the other hand... Now THAT'S A SPORT.

Over here Rugby and even Cricket seems to be more popular than Football but I like to wind them up by telling

Kiwis, when asked about All Blacks Rugby etc, that I find it an instant cure for insomnia. Well they do insist on

calling Football soccer and try and say "going to the football" is about Rugby Union and Rugby League.

Rugby is played by people:

1/ Not skillful enough to play football

2/ Not tough enough to play in the NFL

Did you know that 96% of people who watch the England rugby union games on TV have never been to a live rugby union club game in their lives?

For me, rugby is awful but cricket is even worse. Do not see the appeal in either.

Treason.

Disagree that it is more honest. Rugby players regularly cheat i.e. eye gouging and blood capsules. No worse than footballers who dive.

Utter crap. Blood capsules incidents are incredibly rare as there are protocols around blood injuries. Eyegouging is detested in the sport as one of the ultimate cheap shots and again, very rarely happens. I played league and Union at semi-pro standard and a lot of the comments on this page are hugely ill-informed.

That sounds like American football. Now that is boring.

it would be a better sport if they allowed more violent tackling, hits above the shoulder, and if they could throw it forward, or at least have one guy who could, and if they brought in a turnover of possession, maybe after 4 attempts to move it forward a certain distance, 10 yards or something. they'd need to bring in helmets to allow for the increased violence, and it would change the make up of the squad - you'd need tall fast guys who could catch, and monstrous fat guys who can help protect your throwing guy. you would still want to run the ball, so you'd need some fast tough guys who can take a hit. and the throwing guy would be so dangerous in terms of moving the ball quickly down the field, you'd need some super quick guys on the other team who can get to him quickly, but they'd also need to get past the monstrous fat guys, so they'd also have to be big as well. but if they could do all that, that'd make it better i reckon.

Love it! (Also like the fact no one quite got it).

Gridiron is a brilliant game. I love watching it. Probably second only to Cricket.

Football is my first love, but for enjoyment to watch it is Cricket and NFL.

Rugby is alright, but not anywhere near as tactical or as skillful as people think, nor is it as tactical as Football. Rugby fans have a massive chip on their shoulder too - check out the numbers of memes which are pro rugby /anti football compared to vice versa.

Even in Rugby, real rugby (League) is much more exciting to watch, but Union is more passionate on a national level.

As others have said Curling is good. It's like team darts on ice. And who doesn't love the darts?

I can't think of any sport I don't enjoy watching. Even Golf has its moments.

But yeah, Rugby is better than people think - if you like watching fast paced premier league football, try watching a Rugby League game. Might get you into it.

Oh, yeah, just remembered one sport I hate watching. It is dull, pointless and depressing: England Football Internationals.

Love a good game of union. Love any sport to be fair ..... with the exception of rugby league, baseball and basketball.

Football is my #1 sport but outside of that it’s hard to beat a good international union game.

interested to see what people think of Aussie Rules. Now that is also a great sport.

I lived in London for many years.

I used to travel down on Saturdays to see saints....or go wherever they were playing.

Then on Sundays go to see London Wasps play at Loftus road,then also to High Wickham when they moved there.

Those weekends were great.

A real contrast in the two days.

Although both were influenced by a few beers.

You could mingle with the players in the bars afterward and was so much more accessible.

The matchday experience was always far better than at football.

It helped that Wasps were fantastic and had so many well known players at that time.

The games themselves were fantastic and exciting....never mundane unlike many football matches.

I miss those days far more than if I miss a Saints game.

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I like any sports, unless it involves animals - just can't get excited about horses or dogs racing. Or fishing.

The tactical & technical side of sports interest me, so even if a game is dull I like to see how tactics might change (or not) and how individual players try to influence the game. Not having been a professional sportsman (though I've coached & reffed/umpired many sports at youth level), I'm fascinated by the technical skills on display.

It's interesting to get close to the action (even if it's just through tv cameras) to see just how top players play their game - what makes them better than us average joes.

If you want some positives (and some other reasons why I enjoy them):

Rugby is like a constant high-pressing football match - remember how exciting that was for Saints fans not so long ago?

American football is a constant source of surprise - you never know where the ball is until you see the replays.

Cricket is like speed-golf on the move. I do like the slow burning, tactical nature of test cricket.

Golf is like a cross between thoughtful cricket and countryside snooker. I love playing golf - a good walk enhanced, imo.

Baseball? I can't help but laugh at the posturing, but I also enjoy the explosive nature of it. Boom! Home run/strike out!

Each to their own, though. You don't have to like something just because I do.

Anyone else combat sport fan? I love Grecko-Roman wrestling and I've got into MMA in the last few years. I also enjoy a bit of kick boxing. The only one I dislike is boxing which I just find boring as hell.

I also got into handball at the 2012 Olympics and have always been a follower of basketball.

GAA is good, especially Hurling. They make Rugby players look like absolute pussies.

Football and Cricket are my top 2 by some distance.

... have always been a follower of basketball.

That is one sport I have never 'got', along with baseball. When it comes to elite professional team sports, the USA seems to excel at developing 'world championships' in sports that nobody else bothers with. ( Other than the team brawls where the occasional ice hockey match breaks out ).

In my younger and more immature days I used to ttake great pleasure in arguing with rugby friends about how rubbish rugby was. However, now I am a convert and love the game. Given a choice between watching England rugby match or an England football match, I’d pick rugby every time. Saints still just edge it over Exerter Chiefs though.

That is one sport I have never 'got', along with baseball. When it comes to elite professional team sports, the USA seems to excel at developing 'world championships' in sports that nobody else bothers with. ( Other than the team brawls where the occasional ice hockey match breaks out ).

Basketball is petty big in South America. I don't really follow it as much now due to having Sky but I grew up in the Shaq-Kobe-LeBron era. It was reasonably "in" when I was in school.

I love watching Rugby, I watch Leinster as a club as I have a young cousin that plays for them who came on as substitute for Johnny Sexton in the second half for Ireland yesterday. tipped as possibly Ireland's next big star. Nearly messed up yesterday, pass on intercepted but bailed out by a brilliant Robbie Henshaw chase and tackle. I watch Hurling and Gaelic football which I played in my youth.