I just bought S. Africa vs England World Cup Tickets...Ask me about rugby

[Pert_UK]

Had to go and queue up for the last additional release of tickets to this match, being played in Perth, Western Australia. I got 9 tickets, one for me (English) and 8 for my girlfriend and her family - all South African.

God I hope we win........or it will be a long drive home!

Two of the very best teams in the world, each with a good chance of winning the World Cup this year!

COME ON ENGLAND!!!

P.

[kixot]

1. Why is it...

That that and soccer (proper football) never made a splash in the states?

[Pert_UK]

4. You only play games if you're allowed to make the rules and win......

I mean SERIOUSLY......was there any need to evolve baseball and American Football when there were the perfectly good alternatives of cricket and rugby?

Just because you weren't any good at them you had to invent games that nobody else plays and then call your competitions World Series even if you only get US teams playing....

Oh, and it's also because you're all a big bunch of wimps who can't tackle another person without wearing helmets, 50 pounds of padding and smearing oil all over your cheeks.

I joke of course!

:evilgrin:

P.

[44wax]

7. football without pads is awesome

I played high school football. It gave short stout and mean buggers like me a chance to play sports. I played the line. Don't have to be blazing fast to play. We played a version of cricket when I was a kid. Whiffle ball. two bases, run with the bat and played one on one with your brother or best friend.

[Breezy du Nord]

2. What is it?

J/k, I know what it is. Just another sport for me to suck at.

[short bus president]

3. Do they really

wear those spiffy shirts, with the broad horizontal stripes and the 3 buttons at the neck?

[Pert_UK]

6. Yes.....but the stripes depend on the teams.

P.

[short bus president]

8. What?!?

No periwinkle/sandstone? Those are SOOOOO last season!

[44wax]

5. We fucked up Rugby with the forward pass and huddles before each scrum

Rugby action is way easier to follow than soccer and certainly more violent. We use to play a version on the playground called kill the dumbass with the ball.

[Kenneth ken]

9. I am so lost

please explain everything!

I thought World Cup was soccer, not rugby.
If you're pert_UK and the match is played in W Aus., isn't it going to be a long -and wet - drive home, win or lose?


TIA

PS _ I'd ask about the scoring, but I;m sure I'd end as confused as I am now.

[Pert_UK]

11. There are World Cups for Rugby, Football, Cricket.....and others.

Generally, if you say World Cup to a European (or nearly anybody else, actually) then they'd assume that you were talking about the Football (Soccer) World Cup, but there are others.

I've been in Australia for a few months now, having travelled from the UK via China and Thailand.

Regarding scoring......

6 points for a "Try" - when you place the ball over the Try Line.
1 point for a "Conversion" - when you kick the ball between the posts (and over the bar, like in American football) after a try.
2 points for a penalty - when the other team commits a foul and you elect to kick for the posts (and over the bar, like in American football).

Errr...I think that's right anway.

P.

[rooboy]

10. I got WC tickets today too....

I'm going to see France vs Fiji and South Africa vs Samoa. That's about all that's left to us jokers up in Brisbane, but at least we get to check out the new stadium.

South Africa aren't as strong as in recent years, but Samoa rarely disappoint. Personally I think there's daylight between New Zealand and the rest. England would be my tip to make the final, though.

Either way it's not a good look - celebrating kiwis or celebrating poms - yuck!!!!

[Pert_UK]

12. Good stuff.......The Wallabies have been doing OK recently....

Bit of an upset against South Africa, but I still think you're in with a decent chance....You've got a decent captain, but some of the players seem to be a bit unreliable - genius one minute, toss the next.

Enjoy the matches!

P.

[rooboy]

13. No, we're a lost cause, I'm afraid...

and we've actually been on the skids for a few years now. If it wasn't for a string of last-minute victories the public would have woken up to the sad state of Australian rugby some time ago. It's why Rod Macqueen retired as coach after the 'lions' tour - he saw the writing on the wall.

Our backline has 3 ex-league players who are still figuring out how to play the game and 4 other blokes whose reputations far exceed their abilities. I personally would have preferred Gregan get sacked in favour of the NSW halfback (Whitaker).

The only thing in our favor is the fact that the favourite seems to drop their bundle on the way to the final (like NZ did against France in the last World Cup), thus leaving an easier run for the rest.

[MaineDem]

14. Hooray, a rugby thread!!!

I love rugby!!! I sometimes think I'm in the only one in the US who even knows about rucks and tries and scrums, etc. I can't stand American football. Rugby is a wonderful sport.

I'm an All Blacks fan, though. Now that they've won the TriNations and the Bledisloe Cup I think the WC is the next step for them!

Go the All Blacks! And, by the way, enjoy the match. :)

[T_i_B]

15. Lucky sod!

Next sporting event I will be attending is Sheffield Wednesday v Colchester!

Rugby is a FANTASTIC sport, waaay better than any of that American football crap.

PS Good luck to Rotherham next season in the Zurich premier league! Rotherham have a damm good rugby union side.