best_fullback
Academy Player
- Joined
- Jan 23, 2006
- Messages
- 375
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I don't know about you but for me Rugby has been a massive part of my life. It has done two very important things. It provided a brilliant sport in which to I could flourish and secondly a great social atmosphere. This is what rugby is all about for me.
In the past year however I have been so close to be being put off playing Rugby again after the experience that is University Rugby.
I am a second year student and after a spell in Rugby Union and Rugby League side I have pretty much given up playing rugby for the rest of this year and the next year.
My reasons are so:
1. Firstly the Union. The whole set up of Rugby selection is a farce. In both of the 'trials' I attended you were randomly put into teams of around 25 players and put into a match. Fair enough. That was until you found out you only had 15 minutes each to show what you can do. Needless to say you can't really do much in 15 minutes if the ball doesn't come your way. I had said I was a fly half, but in classic Rugby ways I was just shifted to the wing because we had several fly halves.
Everyone at the end then is sat down and they read out the numbers of 15 players they 'like' out of the 70 or so that had come. They then say to the rest of us "Yeah better luck next time". The ridiculous thing is though that the people they pick they either know, or are 'big', meaning no skill is actually taken into account. They simply see 15 minutes of Rugby and pick basically any Tom, Dick or Harry who has biceps. Seriously there were people who were picked who were garbage but big.
To add insult to this, people who were obviously mates with the 1st team Captain walked up to him after the selection and were like "Mate, you didn't read my name!" "Oh sorry man didn't see you, don't worry about it come along with the 1st team".
Its not as if I have a bad 15 minutes either. I put in two big hits but didn't get the ball. Players were even saying to me when I came off "Well done mate, you'll be in". Not being the biggest guy though and technique counting for nothing I wasn't picked, and I wasn't alone as several very good players were just brushed aside.
2.After this experience I thought I would try my hand at Rugby League. My mate played for them so I decided to go along and see what it was like. Everything went well and I was training with the 1st team and even got selected to play for them after two sessions. I soon found out though that I really didn't enjoy playing for the 1st team. Pretty much all the players were cocks. I don't understand what it is with some players who play at a quite good standard (i.e. 1st team uni) that makes them think they are the dogs boll**ks, to coin a phrase. They have their head shoved so far up their own recrum it makes it even painful to sit in the same room as them.
I have played in club teams with players who have represented England U18s, South West of England and Wales U18s and they are the most down to earth guys you can meet. It just seems like when some players discover protein shakes and flip-flops they think they turn into gods gift. Needless to say I didn't really get on with them and it literally became the barrier that made me leave.
3. Initiations/Socials. I know some of you may groan at this and say 'man up' but what happened to just going out with the team, getting drunk and having a good time? Thats what im used to. Not drinking vomit, come, ****, strawpedoing bottles of wine, getting completely naked, having things shoved up/in strange parts of the body, forced homosexual activity etc. I don't know about you but this really isn't my idea of fun. It really, really isn't. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love a drink like the next guy but drinking my body weight in urine - no thanks. Thankfully I didn't have it too bad but some of my friends tell me stories from their unis that frankly make my toes curl.
This week I have come to the conclusion that im just going to slack off rugby at uni. Ill just play whenever im home and practice when im at uni. I've played at a high level in my life (Club, County, trained with South West) and I really couldn't care if I never played rugby for uni again. Its their loss really if they want to pick big lumps instead of investing maybe a whole day and finding out who the actual good players are. I have a brilliant club at home with some really, really top lads. They know how to have a laugh and play at a good standard, plus don't take themselves too seriously. Its such a shame because I know a lot of players are being put off playing because of this. You may argue that its part of the uni 'ethos' that sports teams are like this but i just don't agree with it. Their selection policies are flawed and incredibly bias, 90% of the players are cocks (at my uni anyway) and the socials are ridiculous.
What experiences have you had? and do you agree or disagree with my opinion?
Cheers guys
In the past year however I have been so close to be being put off playing Rugby again after the experience that is University Rugby.
I am a second year student and after a spell in Rugby Union and Rugby League side I have pretty much given up playing rugby for the rest of this year and the next year.
My reasons are so:
1. Firstly the Union. The whole set up of Rugby selection is a farce. In both of the 'trials' I attended you were randomly put into teams of around 25 players and put into a match. Fair enough. That was until you found out you only had 15 minutes each to show what you can do. Needless to say you can't really do much in 15 minutes if the ball doesn't come your way. I had said I was a fly half, but in classic Rugby ways I was just shifted to the wing because we had several fly halves.
Everyone at the end then is sat down and they read out the numbers of 15 players they 'like' out of the 70 or so that had come. They then say to the rest of us "Yeah better luck next time". The ridiculous thing is though that the people they pick they either know, or are 'big', meaning no skill is actually taken into account. They simply see 15 minutes of Rugby and pick basically any Tom, Dick or Harry who has biceps. Seriously there were people who were picked who were garbage but big.
To add insult to this, people who were obviously mates with the 1st team Captain walked up to him after the selection and were like "Mate, you didn't read my name!" "Oh sorry man didn't see you, don't worry about it come along with the 1st team".
Its not as if I have a bad 15 minutes either. I put in two big hits but didn't get the ball. Players were even saying to me when I came off "Well done mate, you'll be in". Not being the biggest guy though and technique counting for nothing I wasn't picked, and I wasn't alone as several very good players were just brushed aside.
2.After this experience I thought I would try my hand at Rugby League. My mate played for them so I decided to go along and see what it was like. Everything went well and I was training with the 1st team and even got selected to play for them after two sessions. I soon found out though that I really didn't enjoy playing for the 1st team. Pretty much all the players were cocks. I don't understand what it is with some players who play at a quite good standard (i.e. 1st team uni) that makes them think they are the dogs boll**ks, to coin a phrase. They have their head shoved so far up their own recrum it makes it even painful to sit in the same room as them.
I have played in club teams with players who have represented England U18s, South West of England and Wales U18s and they are the most down to earth guys you can meet. It just seems like when some players discover protein shakes and flip-flops they think they turn into gods gift. Needless to say I didn't really get on with them and it literally became the barrier that made me leave.
3. Initiations/Socials. I know some of you may groan at this and say 'man up' but what happened to just going out with the team, getting drunk and having a good time? Thats what im used to. Not drinking vomit, come, ****, strawpedoing bottles of wine, getting completely naked, having things shoved up/in strange parts of the body, forced homosexual activity etc. I don't know about you but this really isn't my idea of fun. It really, really isn't. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love a drink like the next guy but drinking my body weight in urine - no thanks. Thankfully I didn't have it too bad but some of my friends tell me stories from their unis that frankly make my toes curl.
This week I have come to the conclusion that im just going to slack off rugby at uni. Ill just play whenever im home and practice when im at uni. I've played at a high level in my life (Club, County, trained with South West) and I really couldn't care if I never played rugby for uni again. Its their loss really if they want to pick big lumps instead of investing maybe a whole day and finding out who the actual good players are. I have a brilliant club at home with some really, really top lads. They know how to have a laugh and play at a good standard, plus don't take themselves too seriously. Its such a shame because I know a lot of players are being put off playing because of this. You may argue that its part of the uni 'ethos' that sports teams are like this but i just don't agree with it. Their selection policies are flawed and incredibly bias, 90% of the players are cocks (at my uni anyway) and the socials are ridiculous.
What experiences have you had? and do you agree or disagree with my opinion?
Cheers guys