RUGBY

[krunchykrome]

Im transfering to a different school and they have a rugby club, and I want to get more athletic. I work out and Im 5'11 180lbs. (Med Build). I dont know how to play though? Would that be a big problem or are there players who join who have no experience? Any website that could explain the rules?

 

[AFB]

Prepare for pain

 

[blodhi74]

wear a cup and prepare for pain

 

[GasX]

Most US rugby players learn in college. There is a lot of cameraderie among players and they are always happy to recruit new players. Give it a try and see what you think.

Oh yeah, and prepare for pain...

<= veteran of ~16 years of Rugby at the high school, college and men's club levels...

 

[focusyn]

depending on your size and speed there are different positions, i was a winger for the rugby club at my university. the overall positions can be divided into two categories, fowards and backs. the fowards are the bigger guys on the team. usually the slower guys but have a lot of meat on them. the backs (including wingers) are usually the guys that do the most running, usually the fastest, but typically the smallest ones.

in order to figure out what position you are, you're gonna have to work out with the team, i'm sure the coach will determine a good position for you. it's a tough sport but well worth it. for me it was like taking the best parts of soccer and football.

 

[getbush]

You also need a very strong liver, judging from the rugby players I've met at parties at my school.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Right out of college, one of my new co-workers invited me to join his rugby team. I agreed to come watch his team play the next weekend. It didn't take me long to figure out why many rugby shirts are red in color -- the blood doesn't show. It also turned out that my co-worker had his nose broken in the first half, but kept on playing until the game was over. That pretty much decided the matter. I added rugby to my "you'd have to be crazy to play it" list of sports (with ice hockey, boxing, and bull riding).

 

[Iron Woode]

Originally posted by: PowerEngineer
Right out of college, one of my new co-workers invited me to join his rugby team. I agreed to come watch his team play the next weekend. It didn't take me long to figure out why many rugby shirts are red in color -- the blood doesn't show. It also turned out that my co-worker had his nose broken in the first half, but kept on playing until the game was over. That pretty much decided the matter. I added rugby to my "you'd have to be crazy to play it" list of sports (with ice hockey, boxing, and bull riding).

Wuss!

LOL

Rugby is the sport American football is based on.

 

[Kaervak]

what can you tell me about this sport?

Football for real men. Takes one crazy ass bastard to play that sport. Eventually gonna give it a try.

 

[Yossarian]

SCRUM!!!

 

[fw3308]

I have been a hockey player for 20+ years and have not felt any pain or exhaustion as I did playing Rugby in college. It is a truly barbaric blood sport. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed playing it but man it is a tough sport.

 

[Bulk Beef]

I played rugby very briefly in high school. Me = pack-a-day smoker, punk rocker, 5'-8", 140 lbs. Everyone else = football players killing time. They almost killed me too.

 

[MaxDepth]

I believe that you were looking for information, not just affirmation that it is a "manly sport."

Fun link to learn about the basics #1

This is the best link and it is from Univ. Maine @ Farmington Women's rugby club site.

I played rugby in college. I made select side (Nationals) my junior year.

My school even has a women's rugby team. A really good team and not your "dykes on spikes" kind of women either.
:heart:

Funny thing is that the women's team falls in with Title IX sports so the women's team gets direct funding from the University while the guys still wash cars for the extra cash.


It is a physical sport and you might experience some discomforts such as broken fingers, broken noses, dislocated shoulders, hyper-extended knees, broken or sprained ankles, and other small cuts and bruises. But get this: chicks dig scars. Remember that.

Good luck!

 

[Beattie]

My girlfriend used to play rugby. From what I understand it's sort of like football, but you cant pass forward and people dont really wear any protective gear.

 

[GasX]

my "significant" injury list:

1 broken collarbone
1 severly sprained ankle (loud noise when it happened kind of sprain)
1 dislocated thumb
1 broken nose
1 rebroken nose
1 rerebroken nose
1 rererebroken nose
1 rerererebroken nose

My knees are now barometers.

I would do it all again in a heartbeat...

 

[silverpig]

Originally posted by: blodhi74
wear a cup and prepare for pain

NEVER wear a cup in rugby. If you dive and slide on your front (which you do quite often), the cup rides down and tries to take your boys with it. No one I've ever known who's played rugby has ever worn one for that reason.

I played for a few years. It's great fun. I played fullback (sorta like goalie I guess... last guy back who gets the privilege of tackling all the big mofos who make it through the rest of the team, gets to field almost all of the kicks...)

The best piece of advice I can give is no matter how big the guy coming towards you is, always go at him and put your shoulder into him as hard as you can. No exceptions. I let up once on a big guy coming in on me (I'm 6'3" 190, dude was probably 235) and I damn near ripped my arm off. I've gone in against bigger guys as hard as I can and usually they're the ones who take the worst of it.

It's not really barbaric at all. There are very strict rules on what you can do to a guy. For example, in football you can turn yourself into a battering ram and dive straight at a guy, putting your shoulder right under his chin and just levelling him. That type of hit is illegal in rugby. You have to hit below the armpits and must make an attempt to wrap the guy up with your arms. Also in football if you're coming in at a guy from the side you will usually put your head in front of him and hit him with your back shoulder. This makes for harder hits and you're more sure to make contact. This is legal in rugby but is usually a bad idea. As you don't wear a helmet, your head is most likely going to get a few good shots from the guys knees on the way down. If you put your head behind the guy and hit him with your forward shoulder, your head will rest on his nice (relatively) soft ass.

Most injuries I've seen come from not knowing how to hit/take a hit properly. I messed up my knees a few times (thankfully not very badly) just from being in an awkward position when I was hit. People piled on and twisted them around and bent them sideways. I'm fine now, but it happened because I was caught not looking at what I should have been.

 

[GDT]

excellent I didnt know you guys played rugby in the states!
I didn't suppose you know if its league or union?

Union's rough but nothing compaired to league thats just non stop pain!

 

[petery83]

I'm about 5'11"-6' and 175-180lbs (about krunchykrome's build) and I've been playing for the past 3 years at my school, and I'll definitely play next year as well...it's LOTS of fun! I'm sure they'd be glad to help you learn (we're always excited when people want to come check us out)

GDT - It's Rugby Union here...

 

[Mnementh]

Originally posted by: Iron Woode

Originally posted by: PowerEngineer
Right out of college, one of my new co-workers invited me to join his rugby team. I agreed to come watch his team play the next weekend. It didn't take me long to figure out why many rugby shirts are red in color -- the blood doesn't show. It also turned out that my co-worker had his nose broken in the first half, but kept on playing until the game was over. That pretty much decided the matter. I added rugby to my "you'd have to be crazy to play it" list of sports (with ice hockey, boxing, and bull riding).

Wuss!

LOL

Rugby is the sport American football is based on.

American football is Rugby for wimps. Look at all the padding and protective gear they have to wear.

If you want to play a real sport definitely take up rugby you'll enjoy it, as has been mentioned before the position you play is mainly down to your size and speed but any coach or player worth his salt will take one look at you and tell you where you should play.

Rugby has always been a favourite game at schools here in the UK but it's really taken off big time in the public eye since England won the World Cup this year

Oh and yes there is pain involved especially if you're a forward but the camaraderie of a Rugby team makes up for anything like that.

There's a cliche about rugby that goes:

Football (soccer to you yanks) is a gentlemans sport played by hooligans while Rugby is a hooligans sport played by gentlemen.

Enjoy

Mnementh

 

[silverpig]

Oh, and it's also good cause you can be a hooker.

 

[Mnementh]

Originally posted by: silverpig
Oh, and it's also good cause you can be a hooker.

And not get arrested for it

Mnementh