League vs Union...

[ronnarin]

I watch cricket more than both but i prefer union. league is great but not many countries play, wgich means not many international games are played. The only thing i dont like much about union is that the rules are a bit more complecated and when there is a scrum it takes forever.

 

[RoyalBlueStuey]

I think a few years ago the mutual respect wouldn't have been there.

Re-unification anyone?

Or should that be re-unionification?

 

[sanzar]

This is always a tough question for me in all honesty... I love the tactical side of union and the broken play, but I also love the relentless intensity of league and the fast paced action. So while I'll watch a great game of union like the ones played in SA recently and think that Union is better, not long after I'll watch a great game of league like Origin 3 and lean more towards it (seriously that was a great match).

 

[Brodizzle]

I think a few years ago the mutual respect wouldn't have been there.

Re-unification anyone?

Or should that be re-unionification?
[/b]

As long as union stays the way it is I am open to the leaguies joining our game if they don't be a-holes such as Rogers and if the NRL Footy Show continues but is focused towards the new combined Union...

 

[SPIDER18]

The Way I see it, for 90 years Union Has Beens or Never Beens such as Matthew Ridge and Franco Botica went over and became stars, for the last 10 years Union has bought some of the best players in Recent History over the game over from League, but they virtually have all failed to make any kind of impact.

Jason Robinson has got to be the most overated Union Player I have seen in my life, Wendell Sailor was a bust. Lote Tiquri has been good, but he's been a bit iffy. I mean whenever a League Player comes over you see League fans harp on about how they are going to dominate the game and that any League Player would become a megastar, but how are Henry Paul and Andy Farrell doing these days?

Brad Throne could barely make the Canterbury NPC Team's bench, but he crosses back over and is suddenly State of Origin standard again. [/b]

i think jason robinson is a good example of a league player making it. hes a great offensive weapon and stands out whenever he plays for england. matt rogers is another player whose talent clearly transfered over to union but i agree most fail to impress.

 

[American Springbok]

Ok, when it comes to league vs. union, I will only say this once, and with all due respect with all due respect and no offense meant to any league players in this forum:

League is not "diet rugby", it's a glorified game of tackling touch.

I like the unpredictability and diversity that union brings to the table. In a sport where you have to protect the ball in the tackle and a game where you need specialized positions that are all important... It's boring at times, but it's more tactical. I like that.

 

[sanzar]

Yeah, you're heading into dangerous territory saying League is like a glorified game of tackling touch American Bokke... League is a vastly different game from Union, and though it isn't quite as multifaceted, it certainly does still have its fair share of tactics. O'Roth recently said how much he liked the 40-20 rule in league because of the extra tactical dimension it creates, but generally not a lot of new-comers are aware of it. Also the fact that you have to keep the ball in play is very important for tactical kicking. A good team can continually pin their opposition in their own half by putting well placed grubbers in their in goal so they can get repeat sets, and if you've ever seen the attacking kicks of Andrew Johns you'd know that there a lot more tactics than you realise.
The game is also massively intense, often more-so than union because of the different nature of possesion. As you said, in Union you're always trying to attack the ball, but in league you're really just trying to knock down your opponent, so the crash and bash action focussed nature makes it very entertaining.

 

[St Helens RLFC]

League is not "diet rugby", it's a glorified game of tackling touch. [/b]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYWz5vEyVF8



I disagree with you.

 

[Prestwick]

Yes, but Dan, if I may...is it not an undeniable truth that Union is better than League...and that League is better than...Kwick Kricket?

 

[Bullitt]

I wonder how will it will go down on Saturday when I wear a St. Helens shirt and a Northampton Saints hat...

It'll certainly upset a few Wigan fans! :lol:

 

[St Helens RLFC]

Bleh, balls to them!

 

[jeffb]

I wonder how will it will go down on Saturday when I wear a St. Helens shirt and a Northampton Saints hat...

It'll certainly upset a few Wigan fans! :lol: [/b]

Don't you mean friday

 

[Bullitt]

 

[esoj]

for me having watched both for many years union imo anyway is better to watch. the excitement in union just seems to be a lot higher with almost anything possible. league can be very boring to watch when it just both teams going back and forth up the field with neither really doing anything special.

seeing origin 3 live was a great experince and one that I won't forget for a long time. I did notice something though that I hadn't picked up before from watching on tv. when the play is in say the middle of the field the guys defending on the edges take noticeably longer to turn around and line up in defence. I believe this is because they know the play won't come there way for awhile and can then afford a few extra seconds getting back. in union you don't get that chance and everyone has to defend in the defensive line and you often see guys out of their normal position making tackles which you don't really see in league.

also to end this post I would like to bring up commentary. the bias in league commentary especially in the nrl of the commentators of the team they support is just shocking. wayne pearce can not say a good thing about the warriors to save himself. even when they play well he will always has a negative comment against them for some reason. phil gould is pretty bad too he will praise any nsw player that scores a try even if it wasn't that special. I think the league commentators often get caught up in the stats too much too during the commetry too when they should be telling me about the game. sure some of the stuff happens in union too but I think they generally don't bring out the bias in which team they support that often (in super 14 etc) and tend to just commentate the game a bit better. so yeah for me it's union over league but I am not opposed to watching league and do enjoy a good game of it.

 

[jeffb]

Got to disagree with you, I would have to say Union is boring with both teams going back and forth up the field doing nothing special, lacking excitement



Jeff

 

[Brodizzle]

Got to disagree with you, I would have to say Union is boring with both teams going back and forth up the field doing nothing special, lacking excitement



Jeff
[/b]

....are you serious.... League in a nutshell= Pass, pass, tackle. Repeat until the fifth tackle when a chip is made. Repeat until 80 minutes is up....the excitement is where exactly?

 

[Hazey]

Soooo true my friend.

P.S. Are you allowed to turn your back in a tackle in League? Cos that's what appears to be happening in half of the tackles in that video...either that, or they are high.

 

[jeffb]

Well Rugby is Pass, Pass, tackle is it not :bleh!:



but hey each to their own.

 

[esoj]

Got to disagree with you, I would have to say Union is boring with both teams going back and forth up the field doing nothing special, lacking excitement



Jeff

[/b]

to each their own I guess. I just think that watching union there is more chance of a break or something happening but in league I don't get that same excitement and it can feel very boring seeing them just go up and down set after set after set with nothing remotely happening at all.

 

[kbourke88]

also to end this post I would like to bring up commentary. the bias in league commentary especially in the nrl of the commentators of the team they support is just shocking. wayne pearce can not say a good thing about the warriors to save himself. even when they play well he will always has a negative comment against them for some reason. phil gould is pretty bad too he will praise any nsw player that scores a try even if it wasn't that special. I think the league commentators often get caught up in the stats too much too during the commetry too when they should be telling me about the game. sure some of the stuff happens in union too but I think they generally don't bring out the bias in which team they support that often (in super 14 etc) and tend to just commentate the game a bit better. so yeah for me it's union over league but I am not opposed to watching league and do enjoy a good game of it. [/b]

Well while i agree with the first part of ur post about the expansiveness of Union, i'd have to disagree with you on the commentary part.. i think they are on about par.. and i think that in terms of bias, Phil Gould is a one-eyed frog-headed knobjockey, but other than that league is generally pretty good for bias.. Sterlo, Rabs and Vossy are some of the most down the line commentators you will ever hear. The international Union commentary is littered with bias, and from a 3N point of view, listening to Saffa or NZ commentators as opposed to Aussie ones causes you to see the game form a whole different persepctive, and not always in a good way.