| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? 00:32 - Feb 16 with 599 views | wessex_exile |
Aviva Premiership is both to me. I actually quite enjoy the highlights show, and do marvel at their athleticism, resilience and skill, and I'm particularly impressed with how well games are controlled by the referee without usually so much of a squeak of dissent from monsters usually at least twice his size, but...
...I really can't stand the wannabe middle class hooray-henrys that follow it, particularly the Bath shirt wearing drones that clog up the trains around here seemingly every time I want to travel anywhere to watch the U's.
Guess that probably makes me a miserable old scrote?
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| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? on 09:57 - Feb 16 with 577 views | gerry_us |
...Oh not "old" surely?
Did a short stint of rugby refereeing after my footy days and found it difficult being called "sir" and being treated with a bit of respect and my decisions being accepted without question. Strange really...and boring actually. |  | | |
| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? on 10:47 - Feb 16 with 572 views | noah4x4 |
I reckon rugby is still fueled by "education snobbery" Wessex. Until serious injury curtailed my 'career' I played decent club and representative Rugby Union in the amateur era, quite often in quality fixtures that featured internationally capped players. However, the ‘gates’ for such games were trivial compared to their modern equivalents of today. In those days, all TV and like 'media' focus was only upon the handful of international fixtures (other than for the Varsity Match). Rugby has since changed dramatically and I reckon that major developments in the UK academic system is the proximate cause of its growth in popularity but these were also almost its demise....
Like most (English) rugby participants of that era (n.b. Wales was very different), I was a product of the grammar school system, and every such school had its 'Old Boys' rugby club; a local system more usually playing meaningless ‘friendly’ matches that fed into the region's top club and/or county representative system where ‘merit tables’ were still in their infancy. This system hence embraced a minority privileged group of adults that as former schoolchildren had passed the 11 plus exam. Indeed to most others of that era, I suspect that "rugby" (i.e. that with any ‘league’ associations) was that northern game with Eddie Waring that featured on Saturday TV after the wrestling but before 'Final Score' that nobody played (or watched) outside of Yorkshire.
Most ‘real men’ from down the pits; or off the railway, or perhaps the local oyster fleet enjoyed proper (e.g. no hands) "football" and paid 1/6- for the privilege of attending a live game at their version of Layer Road. By contrast, rugby was perhaps the sole way for those with any form of diploma in the smart arts to get some dirt under our nails and to smack somebody in the mush in a scrum without the fear of jail or retribution. Hence the old stereotype saying that; “rugby is a thug’s game played by gentlemen; but football is a gentlemen’s game played by thugs”.
The advent of the Comprehensive Education System introduced by the Labour party in 1965 obviously hastened the demise of grammar schools and those few that survived became 'independent' (hence fee paying); hence even more elitist; and many instead also took up soccer as the modern (health & safety) 'Nanny State' era was in ascendancy too. But the most dangerous thing I experienced was being sent to grammar school at age eleven in short pants when nearly six foot tall (one can see how I became a rugby player to later get my revenge on the bullies). Many adult rugby clubs hence became detached from their former education system roots and had to reinvent themselves in the same period that coincided with the advent of Rugby Union entering the modern professional era. Today, one will often see (say) "<Townsname> Rugby Football Club" with a tiny postscript "formerly known as Old Boggofians RFC". However, it's now comparatively rare to see "Old <anything>" as the primary rugby club name as a town (or regions) former school old boys clubs have almost universally merged to create bigger far more sustainable units.
But university rugby (and cricket) has continued to flourish; whereas university soccer never gained much momentum; given that the Football League has been down a professional route since the 1880’s. Rugby Union in the modern era has hence wisely developed (and aggressively marketed into) an entirely new education based affinity whereby a minority student population has become (almost) a majority in modern times. Given that the University of Bath enrols 15,000 students each year is it any surprise that Bath RFC soon became the favoured sporting domain of the "wannabe middle class hooray henrys" (n.b. your words Wessex not mine!)?
The alternative for Bath students during this period of refocus embracing both sports was to follow Bristol Rovers that had temporarily relocated to Bath Football Ground (let's say no more about those ‘ruffians') or to travel to Swindon Town or Bristol City. But anybody that knows Georgian/Roman Bath will know that it has more affinity with London than either of those industrial cities; and that academia rules. Even my step-son (routinely a Norwich City fan….grrr!) took up rugby when he went to university because it “enabled him to rub shoulders with the right Alumini” that he considered "might benefit his future employment" (and it did help). In my amateur days, if you were seriously good at rugby you could usually get a job in insurance/banking/city and be offered unlimited (paid!) days off to play. Perhaps little seems to have changed as regards perceptions of the sports potential influence even if those at the top are genuinely paid a salary for what they can do with a ball! Rugby perhaps remains merely one step from Polo.
I didn't go to university and secured my two (degree equivalent) professional qualifications the hard way (e.g. almost ten years of ‘day release’; ‘distance learning’; attending ‘night school’ etc.). I hence became a working man at the age of 18 and maybe it is because I didn’t ever sit in a dormitory smoking pot and listening to Frank Zappa that I now prefer to watch soccer and not rugby. Whilst a grammar school product that got kicked out too early for university (but subsequently became a very successful business man) maybe I too am a “miserable old scrote” that struggles to tolerate modern university graduates that think a piece of paper and a one day hire of a morter board for graduation day should offer more priviledge than hard graft and experience. But I don’t ever regret the demise of the grammar school system and the hence provision of higher educational opportunity for all; even if some modern universities do churn out nothing but rugby loving MI6 spies and other wannabees. Am proud of my kids that did it their own hard way to enter respected 'professions' (but still won't come to WHCS!). So don't feel alone Wessex..... [Post edited 16 Feb 2015 10:57]
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| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? on 11:42 - Feb 16 with 559 views | pwrightsknees |
For me, I loved playing rugby at school, but as a spectator sport, I find it mind-numbingly boring.
When I left school, the office I joined had a football (soccer) team (we were founder-members of the Ipswich Sunday League), so rugby was a thing of the past for me. |  | | |
| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? on 15:40 - Feb 16 with 548 views | BluenWightExile |
Having lived in Somerset for 22 years as Wessex knows it's also simpler than that. The whole of the county is rugby biased and with many public and independent schools only playing err rugger rugby was all I ever heard talked about in the pavilion after playing cricket.
The advent and rise of Yeovil Town impacted little and most of their support is from the town and Dorset.
Being the thus biggest sporting team BathRFC continue to have dominance.
I can only empathise Wessex - used to be sick of it long before I could claim to be a mildly 'angry oldish man '.
There do seem to be more of these loud arrogant types though.
Nice report again Noah thankyou and I'm still keeping the faith from afar Durham hence, Whalers NO I think we might stay up. Being a Barnsley, Rochdale or Notts fan is equally uncomfortable at the mo and Fleetwood don't convince me. 6 wins and we've a chance!
Up the U's and avoid those rugby bores! |  |
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| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? on 16:51 - Feb 16 with 540 views | durham_exile |
| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? on 15:40 - Feb 16 by BluenWightExile |
Having lived in Somerset for 22 years as Wessex knows it's also simpler than that. The whole of the county is rugby biased and with many public and independent schools only playing err rugger rugby was all I ever heard talked about in the pavilion after playing cricket.
The advent and rise of Yeovil Town impacted little and most of their support is from the town and Dorset.
Being the thus biggest sporting team BathRFC continue to have dominance.
I can only empathise Wessex - used to be sick of it long before I could claim to be a mildly 'angry oldish man '.
There do seem to be more of these loud arrogant types though.
Nice report again Noah thankyou and I'm still keeping the faith from afar Durham hence, Whalers NO I think we might stay up. Being a Barnsley, Rochdale or Notts fan is equally uncomfortable at the mo and Fleetwood don't convince me. 6 wins and we've a chance!
Up the U's and avoid those rugby bores! |
BluenWight - great stuff, the optimism is flowing very nicely.
20 points will absolutely do the trick.
It is also interesting to note that even Scunthorpe in 18th position with 37 points are only 6 points from a play off berth.
The table has a very long tale this year.
Up the resurgent U's |  |
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| Irrational hatred or guilty pleasure? on 17:29 - Feb 16 with 533 views | Leadbelly |
I attended the same school as Wessex and rugby seemed to figure much more prominently in PE than football, much to my disgust. I derived zero enjoyment from being flattened into the ooze that masqueraded as a playing field at Sheepen Rd (now Matalan et al). As soon as not playing became an option I stopped.
I've never attended a rugby union game and never intend doing so, despite being offered a ticket for the opening game of the Rugby World Cup, England v Fiji (?) later this year by a friend who won some in a competition "Why do I only ever win things I don't want?" he said. "You enter the wrong competitions" I replied. I declined his kind offer.
As for watching it on the TV I just don't bother. Perhaps there are some tactics involved but they elude me. The game seems to consist mainly of kicking the ball off the pitch, throwing it back on so it disappears under a heap of bodies until somebody finds it then they start the whole process again. Yawn! | |
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