RU vs RL, what's the big idea?

[stek]

As a Northerner, I should prefer the 13 man game, but being from Bolton we had no real Rugby history, so I just preferred Twickers for the annual Four/Five/Six Nations on BBC.

Having watched Leeds Rhinos a few times, and England (off to the Final on Sat!) I feel it's a faster, more athletic game. None of the mishandling we see in RU (well England RU) just fast, accurate passing and superb handling...

Incidentally, four tix for the Final, 45 quid. Cost me 150 quid last time I went to a Prem game, and that was only Man City vs Brum....

[Mich the Tester]

As a Northerner, I should prefer the 13 man game, but being from Bolton we had no real Rugby history, so I just preferred Twickers for the annual Four/Five/Six Nations on BBC.

Having watched Leeds Rhinos a few times, and England (off to the Final on Sat!) I feel it's a faster, more athletic game. None of the mishandling we see in RU (well England RU) just fast, accurate passing and superb handling...

Incidentally, four tix for the Final, 45 quid. Cost me 150 quid last time I went to a Prem game, and that was only Man City vs Brum....

TBH at the moment almost anything's more entertaining than international rugby union; it's all too defensive and rigid. But watch club games and you'll see something very different. Agree that RL is more entertaining than watching international RU, but so was Biarritz vs Ospreys, and so is your average local club game. Playing's a different matter; RU has an advantage in offering a place to all shapes and sizes, because the scrum and lineout remain real (except in international RU, where refs don't seem to understand the laws about straight put-ins and take so long over setting up the scrum that it inevitably collapses when the two packs hit each other).

[Arturo Bassick]

RL: Big men running in straight lines.



** as an Irish friend of mine put it.

[Mich the Tester]

RL: Big men running in straight lines.



** as an Irish friend of mine put it.

Men who are all about the same size and build

[Churchill]

RL: Big men running in straight lines.



** as an Irish friend of mine put it.

RU: Kick Tennis!

[FiveTimes]

Men who are all about the same size and build

Sam Tomkins and Thomas Leuluai aren't the same size and build as Stuart Fielden.

[Mich the Tester]

RU: Kick Tennis!

Let me correct you; tactical kicking, as employed by many great international fly halves is an approach to gaining ground and pressurizing the opponent that leads to the possibility of a ...


...spectator falling asleep and deciding to go and watch RL instead.

[Mich the Tester]

Sam Tomkins and Thomas Leuluai aren't the same size and build as Stuart Fielden.

That's a couple of exceptions your giving me there; you won't see people of Steve Thompson's build on an RL pitch, and not many of Simon Shaw's size or age. You won't see many Shane Williams types either.

[northernladuk]

Playing RU most of my life as I am too small to play RL I am a bit biased but there is nothing better than a good game of RU. Lot of passing, free flowing action, edge of the seat stuff. RL can't compare but the only down side is that there is also nothing worse than a bad game of RU when they start putting too much boot to ball or have an over zealous ref. I enjoy a good game of League as well but end up sitting there yelling at the screen cause he won't pass it!!

There will never be a resolution to this argument IMO. I enjoy a bit of both but RU is for me. I am glad each code won their own years ago when they tried each others game. If League had one both Union would have died.

[Churchill]

Let me correct you; tactical kicking, as employed by many great international fly halves is an approach to gaining ground and pressurizing the opponent that leads to the possibility of a ...


...spectator falling asleep and deciding to go and watch RL instead.

Morning Mich!

It was a toss-up between you and Dodgy as to who would be the first fish of the day.

You won!