Rugby League thread

[Donald the Great]

Is there anyone here from the UK north who actually play and follow the great game of rugby league? I dont expect there are any Australians. So I am alone to talk rugby league the winter game I grew up with. I attended a boarding school for the from age six for 10 long years so I needed something to ward off the demons of family isolation, strict discipline and abject lonliness. I chose to fill this gap by supporting the great St George Rugby League team which was in the middle of a world record run of premierships. Being locked away i rarely got to see my team live so come school holidays and nothing was going to keep me from seeing my beloved Dragons. I nagged and nagged Dad until he relented. My first game was at a sopping Sydney Cricket Ground with my Dragons taking on the Western Suburbs Magpies in the 1963 grand final. What a game with both teams wallowing in ankle deep mud caused by two days of torrential rain.. The Australian Rugby League symbol is a statue of the two captains of the day Norm Provan (Saints) and Arthur Summons (Wests) hugging each other after the ending of that brutal game won closely by the Dragons. See pic below.

[80sChav]

Is there anyone here from the UK north who actually play and follow the great game of rugby league? I dont expect there are any Australians. So I am alone to talk rugby league the winter game I grew up with. I attended a boarding school for the from age six for 10 long years so I needed something to ward off the demons of family isolation, strict discipline and abject lonliness. I chose to fill this gap by supporting the great St George Rugby League team which was in the middle of a world record run of premierships. Being locked away i rarely got to see my team live so come school holidays and nothing was going to keep me from seeing my beloved Dragons. I nagged and nagged Dad until he relented. My first game was at a sopping Sydney Cricket Ground with my Dragons taking on the Western Suburbs Magpies in the 1963 grand final. What a game with both teams wallowing in ankle deep mud caused by two days of torrential rain.. The Australian Rugby League symbol is a statue of the two captains of the day Norm Provan (Saints) and Arthur Summons (Wests) hugging each other after the ending of that brutal game won closely by the Dragons. See pic below.

Hi Donald

I follow Rugby Leauge and am still trying to engage in playing it as a Northern guy - but have never got that far tbh loll! Tag Rugby is more my style - which I have played had-ock since my teens

I know there is a minute difference in the Rules between Leauge and union - but I only said to my Uncle the other day "Leauge" is old 1950s to 1970s/80s Division 3/4 Football (or to narrate it now) it'd be National Leauge and National Leauge North/South Football - though not by the standards of players but of the equals qogmire pitches and slide tackles you'd have in afore-mentioned Footy - as it used to be. Though to /for me the Clive Woodward code has gone oo far posh - though it is ot money dominated luike Football is .... but a mix of codes wa always destined to be given Rugby orginated IN Rugby itself = the Midlands, though many may class it North or South

I have many fond memoiries of watching the endless results/scores on ITV (I think)!!, mid 1980s and the list being longer than Football Scores in a way - even probably seeing Northern Twns "just heard of to a 10 year old was amazing - more so than Football Teams and in-particular like when Fulham started up and gained a stronghold on the Northern "Rulers" and of course with all due respect given tiny Towns like Hunslet and Swinton on the metamorpheses of big City's like Leeds and Manchester getting a foot in - this was equal to your own Town as I grew up in (of about 15,000 then) getting to any Sporting Cup 6th Round like Wimbledon dared to dream of and did - to get into the Football Leauge - though agreed Wimbledon is not a small town) but like too in recent years Histon, alfreton etc have gone close in the National Leauge

I think that the Northern code survives alone on good-will and working class as it's testamount!

80sChav

[Donald the Great]

Hi 80sChav. Sorry not back sooner. How Rugby League survives at all with the big soccer football sides like, Manchester and Liverpool dominating crowds is testiment to the passion by the people for something different in the north of England. I often watch the Super League as apart from England's finest rugby league players there are usually a smattering of former Aussie NRL players. We also have the odd former Kangaroo.. that is our official national side. I have to be brutally honest with you. I view rugby and league as chalk and cheese. I struggle to enjoy rugby as there are far too many rules and regulations. This makes is far too stop/start for someone weened on the greatest game of all.. Rugby League.

[branny]

I follow Rugby League. Never played apart from attending a few colts sessions when at primary school. It wasn't played at our secondary school when i started however they did eventually set team up two years below me.

My Dad used to take me to watch our local team Salford when i was too young to understand. His work pattern changed which restricted the number of games we could get to until it stopped altogether and I developed other interests in my teenage years.

In 1988 Salford reached the challenge cup semi final so me and my Dad decided to go and I've been going again, home and away (work permitting) ever since.

[Donald the Great]

I think it was 1963/64 the Oz Kangaroos smashed the Brit Lions by 50-12 on an icy ground in Swinton. Remains the largest victory by us over you to this day (stand corrected). Johnny "Chook" Raper was unstoppable that day. The current Aussie coach should play this prior to all Oz internationals for inspiration. Below is footage of the game.
https://youtu.be/ob8GGGy3G_A

[Cartimand]

I think they should make scrums contested once more.
At present, they are farcical.
In the England v All Blacks match at the weekend, England won a scrum against the head, but the referee wouldn't allow it and reset it. How stupid!

[Donald the Great]

I think they should make scrums contested once more.
At present, they are farcical.
In the England v All Blacks match at the weekend, England won a scrum against the head, but the referee wouldn't allow it and reset it. How stupid!

Whenever I see a modern scrum.. I can hear hooker greats like Ken Kearney, Ian Walsh, Noel Kelly and the English equivalent moaning with resentment. These hookers were warriors of our game.

[80sChav]

I have time for all the Northern English Clubs playing Rugby Leauge and as an in-partial fan I am happy to see all do well - though it'd make a change if it was not the "Warrington's, Widnes's and St Helens's" of this World who won every throphy going as it has got like Football in the Premier now, like that I think

As a youbng lad like Cricket I never truly understood it (and still don't with Cricket and never will) but i recall being mesmorized by the endless result Service after News At Ten or at around Sunday Team-times (which could easily be as many games as all 4 Top Football leauges I'd say). I played Tag Rugby and other versions in the 90s/200s but it was always a dream for me (as well as with Footie) to be in an Academy at Rugby (Leauge or Union) like lads at 18 are Today (though a lot are devoid of skill) it is part of the College Culture and 1 we have (I think) embraced well from the America Uni's way of life
80sChav

[80sChav]

On the sunject of Rugby Leauge - did any members ever play for an academy , either at school or College in your youth??!

I was never that good - by a mega stretch but in my youth I played Tag Rugby at college which then was like then like Brazilian Fotbal of 6 a-side watered down to take away the more complicated elements

80sChav

[Donald the Great]

I have time for all the Northern English Clubs playing Rugby Leauge and as an in-partial fan I am happy to see all do well - though it'd make a change if it was not the "Warrington's, Widnes's and St Helens's" of this World who won every throphy going as it has got like Football in the Premier now, like that I think

As a youbng lad like Cricket I never truly understood it (and still don't with Cricket and never will) but i recall being mesmorized by the endless result Service after News At Ten or at around Sunday Team-times (which could easily be as many games as all 4 Top Football leauges I'd say). I played Tag Rugby and other versions in the 90s/200s but it was always a dream for me (as well as with Footie) to be in an Academy at Rugby (Leauge or Union) like lads at 18 are Today (though a lot are devoid of skill) it is part of the College Culture and 1 we have (I think) embraced well from the America Uni's way of life
80sChav

You have never liked cricket. Wash out your mouth. I have never taken to Rugby Union.. why are there so many rules that spoil the game as a spectacle with its many stoppages.