• Help Support The Rugby Forum :

"Magic" weekend

If you're going to have strong opinions on something, at least do some research.

Bradford Bulls went bust because of fiscal irresponsibility, nothing to do with a lack of fans. Not sure about Salford. Can't think of any others that had financial difficulties? It's not restricted to league though - there's Welsh in union. Football gets in more fans and teams still go bust there.

As far as fans go, Super League matches average ~9000-10000 fans. Premiership matches average 12000-13000. Take away the Twickenham double header, and the Premiership averages 11000-12000. I believe Wigan, St Helens and Rhinos get bigger home attendances than every Premiership team other than Tigers.

Don't think so. Just happened across tonights Superleague "extravanza" on Sky Sports. Huddersfield vs St Helens. Must be all of 600 fans there all told. Maybe you can explain why such an attrocious turn out on Monday night for a sport, described on its own website as

- Super League is the top-level professional rugby league club competition in Europe. :D
 
Last edited:
Maybe because I see all the whinging and whining from RL fans about why the game is failing, why the media coverage comes after curling and tiddly winks etc etc, and it can' even raise more crowd than the local Rugby Union club.

Tell me, does RL law call for the "Play of the Ball" to be played by the foot ? Why isn't it then ?

Imagine if every "sport" allowed persistant breaking of the games laws, such as football throw ins taken with a foot completely over the line or (ha ha) a ball at a scrum being put into the 2nd row, instead of "the middle of the tunnel" as documented in both RL and RU game law.......
 
Listen, you are being just as bad as those people whining about union.

You've signed up to a forum just to throw petty jibes at people who don't even post here.
 
ebt, either start contributing constructively or I am going to delete your posts on this thread and leave it to the adults. Your call.

And don't try and say you're being constructive, because you're not.
 
OK, let's have some constructive discussion on the RL code laws persistantly being broken. As I said upthread, imagine if football persistantly allowed throw-ins to be taken with a players foot totally over the sideline. Corners to be taken with the ball outside the quadrant. Cricket players bowling with their leading foot completely over the bowling crease ? It would be farcical.

In RL, the law calls for the play of the ball to be taken by rolling the ball backwards with the foot, NOT the hand, and the scrum law still requires that the ball to be placed in the middle of the tunnel, NOT into the second row.

The law should be changed/updated or, if not, applied correctly. It's a farce when compared to other professional sports to have laws persistantly broken.
 
The law should be changed/updated or, if not, applied correctly. It's a farce when compared to other professional sports to have laws persistantly broken.

Can't tell if srs?
 
OK, let's have some constructive discussion on the RL code laws persistantly being broken. As I said upthread, imagine if football persistantly allowed throw-ins to be taken with a players foot totally over the sideline. Corners to be taken with the ball outside the quadrant. Cricket players bowling with their leading foot completely over the bowling crease ? It would be farcical.

In RL, the law calls for the play of the ball to be taken by rolling the ball backwards with the foot, NOT the hand, and the scrum law still requires that the ball to be placed in the middle of the tunnel, NOT into the second row.

The law should be changed/updated or, if not, applied correctly. It's a farce when compared to other professional sports to have laws persistantly broken.

If you were watching the Huddersfield vs St Helens match on Monday for any length of time, you may have seen Huddersfield penalised for incorrect play of the ball. This was because the player did not attempt to use his foot to play the ball.

There are many issues with rugby league, I don't think the play of the ball is one of them. I'm pretty sure the laws of the game state you "must attempt to play the ball with your foot" as opposed to you must use your foot. I don't know if it's written in the laws but I do know for certain the officials are told to adhere to the former and not the latter.

But I don't get what the big deal is? So what if he touches it with his foot or not? I'm all for "attempt" but as I am with every referee, I am concerned at what the individual official might deem to be "attempting." That's the big problem with league, too many rules open to interpretation of rules as an individual and not a collective.

But of all the things you could pick out the play of the ball is an odd one. It does not make a blind bit of difference whether he touches it or not, the dummy half will still pick it up nonetheless. Not a big issue in the slightest, unless of course it's lashed on the floor and quite clearly not played at.

Regards scrums, you've complained in this thread about league scrums even existing, so why are you bothered about where the ball is fed? Scrums are mostly to help forwards get a rest, and help the team receiving the ball to put a move together. If I want to see a scrum battle, I'll watch a game of union. I would sooner see the ball in, out and then back on the attack. Union scrums are a thing of beauty (when the referee isn't giving penalties every twenty seconds) but I wouldn't want to see them in league.
 
Thank you for your response. But the point I'm trying to make it that if laws exist, they should be adhered to, or changed to meet the "newer" style of play.

As said, footballers with their feet totally over the line, or the ball not in the quadrant at a corner, or a cricketers foot totally past the bowling crease ?

It makes a farce of sport to have laws and then have them ignored.

Here the extract from the 2013 version -

"Stealing" from
9. Once a tackle has been completed, no player shall
tackled player take or attempt to take the ball from the tackled player.
10.The play-the-ball shall operate as follows.
Release tackled
(a)The tackled player shall be immediately released and shall
player immediately not be touched until the ball is in play.
Regain feet
(b)The tackled player shall without delay regain his feet
where he was tackled, lift the ball clear of the ground, face
his opponent's goal line and drop or place the ball on the
ground in front of his foremost foot.
Player marking
(c)One opponent may take up the position immediately
opposite the tackled player.
(d)The tackled player may not play the ball before the players
effecting the tackle have had time to clear the ruck.
Play with foot
(e)When the ball touches the ground it must be heeled (i.e.
backwards) by the tackled player
. The ball must not be
kicked or heeled by the player marking him
 
This sort of thing belittles the League code time and time again. Clear brutality and not even sent off. Maybe someone can defend it ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGv61fayADA

We are disscussing that in the State of Origin thread, and no one is defending Gallen, please join us over in that thread if you want since this has nothing to do with the Magic Weekend or Super League.
 
Top