Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Eamon McAllister — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:57:15 GMT

[quote user="Martin Atkinson"]

I cycled 220 miles this weekend - now that's REAL wekend sport,

[/quote]

That's not sport - just a lot of exercise.

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Martin Atkinson — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 09:55:50 GMT

I cycled 220 miles this weekend - now that's REAL wekend sport,

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

James Laidlaw — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:22:36 GMT

Ian, I did mean the NZ warriors. Unfortunately have bad university memories of watching us get to grand finals and lose. Which is what I was alluding to! Bring on the Frenchies though! Might mean England will lend their support to us, they've never been overly fond of the French have they! James

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Mark Holmes — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 09:28:55 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

I don't know why it is, but in the North,Union is seen as a posh sport, whilst here it's considered the only proper form of Rugby Anyone able to explain that ?

Wynne

[/quote] It's simply because you're all posh Wynne!

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Ian Mostyn — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:38:01 GMT

[quote user="James Laidlaw"]Yeah, but the warriors lost that so I didn't feel it was worth bringing up...!!!

[/quote]

Unless of course you meant the NZ Warriors who did very well this year - I would have loved them to win the Grand Final but it was not to be. Maybe 2012?

Ian

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Ian Mostyn — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:36:15 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]

I don't know why it is, but in the North,Union is seen as a posh sport, whilst here it's considered the only proper form of Rugby Anyone able to explain that ?

Wynne

[/quote]

Simple, back in 1895, the northern clubs wanted to pay their players for the lost wages when they couldn't work on a match day. These "broken time payments" were against the rules and the southern clubs didn't like it and wanted to maintain their amateur status. Northern players were more working class and money was tighter. Eventually the northern clubs got fed up and split off to form the Northern Union at the George Hotel, Huddersfield on 29th August 1895. There is a museum at the hotel dedicated to the sport. In the early days the sport was the same but over time the rules evolved to the sport we see today.

Therefore, league is the "working class" sport and union is for the "posh" elite who have more money than sense. Only recently has union become professional which might slowly change the northern attitude. Rugby League is as popular, if not more popular in Hull, West Yorkshire, Cumbria & eastern Lancashire - all big mining and industrial areas in the past which again reinforces the stereotype. In Leeds, their are 4 professional rugby league teams watched by 6 times more fans than watch the Leeds Carnegie union side. Outside of the league heartlands, the RFU had a much tighter grip on things, suppressing League, banning players who even trained with a league side. The Vichy government banned League in 1940 and has always struggled to gain acceptance in these areas. It is the most popular sport in Australia & is the official national sport in Papua New Guinea.

As to the Warriors, they seem to have forgotten how to play after luckily winning the Challenge Cup - whereas Leeds were unfortunate not to do the double Bring on Manly ............

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Virginia Campbell — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 19:30:26 GMT

[quote user="Hannah Wynne Richards"]I don't know why it is, but in the North,Union is seen as a posh sport, whilst here it's considered the only proper form of Rugby [/quote]

Didn't know there was any other kind before I ventured out of Ireland for the first time.

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Hannah Wynne Richards — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 13:10:42 GMT

I don't know why it is, but in the North,Union is seen as a posh sport, whilst here it's considered the only proper form of Rugby Anyone able to explain that ?

Wynne

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

James Laidlaw — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:35:37 GMT

Yeah, but the warriors lost that so I didn't feel it was worth bringing up...!!!

Re: Real weekend sport (i.e.: not soccer)

Ian Mostyn — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 08:31:41 GMT

Surely the biggest Oz v NZ is Sat 28th October in Warrington for the Rugby League 4 Nations. RL is the biggest sport in Australia and an NZ team just reached the Aussie Grand Final. Proper sport but also affordable to most people. I have just got a family ticket for England v Wales for just £35. Not sure I would get much at Old Trafford for that. Proper weekend sport.

Ian