I watched Ireland defeat Scotland this afternoon. No forward passing, no players extra padding, pile on everybody is OK, no special teams and nearly an hour and a half of real football. Players on both sides not afraid to get bloody.

I can't wait to see Ireland play England. There will be blood in the stands.

I would argue that the amount of padding and helmets in American football has increased the number of injuries sustained during play by giving the players the false thought that they can hit as hard as they want.

Take away the padding and we'd see much less vicious hits. I think by trying to solve a problem they've created a bigger one.

quote:

There will be blood in the stands.

On the pitch maybe, in the stands...nah...

A Brit buddy told me years ago that it takes real leather balls to play rugby.

My boys youth team starts in a few weeks!

I watched the match today between Ireland and Scotland

I saw a penalty called and hell I didn't even know they had penalties
In fact I saw two penalties called.

I played at Ohio State on the club team and was assigned to the B and C squad.

(A squad was still club level but more on the Varsity side.)

There is a lot to take in and learn...
It is fun but it can be brutal...

I broke, tore, and strained quite a few body parts...

One my best friends from my USAF days was a member of one the winningest HS football teams in the country:
Massillon Tigers. Nearly a semi pro program.
The guy was the poster child of "play through the pain" football. Tough individual. When in Italy, he declined to play for the base football team and joined the local Rugby club. He ended every match I watched bloody and so did his teammates!
He loved it!

Do Rugby team have Cheerleaders? If not, well then hummmm.....

When I played in college, we had bumper stickers that read “Only Women Wear Pads”.

Pleyed with hands = still not football.

I started playing when I was 15 in the UK at St Brendan’s Sixth Form College. Learned from a crazy Welshman

13 yrs later my playing abruptly ended at the US East Coast Select trials… non compounded tib/fib

The game is pussified from rule changes in comparison to what it was….. in my opinion

quote:

Originally posted by Gustofer:
I would argue that the amount of padding and helmets in American football has increased the number of injuries sustained during play by giving the players the false thought that they can hit as hard as they want.

Take away the padding and we'd see much less vicious hits. I think by trying to solve a problem they've created a bigger one.

agree. sometimes the solution is counter-intuitive. but the sport has grown to 'want' the big hit. and the other side effect is -- in NFL football tackling skill is actually WORSE than it was 'back in the day'.

with all the crazy rule changes / interpretations -- NFL has become a mess (of course add in the social justice non-sense...)

i watch rugby from time-to-time and agree its a rough sport.

my gut tells me the 'toughest' two sports -- pretty much even -- is between hockey and rugby.

i give the edge to hockey due to the required skating / stick skills...

-----------------------------------

quote:

Originally posted by Sig209:
[
i watch rugby from time-to-time and agree its a rough sport.

my gut tells me the 'toughest' two sports -- pretty much even -- is between hockey and rugby.

i give the edge to hockey due to the required skating / stick skills...

-----------------------------------

look at Hurling (from Ireland) and Australian rules football... both of those are brutal

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:

I can't wait to see Ireland play England. There will be blood in the stands.

Ireland beat England 32-15 a few weeks ago.