Rugby warriors

[Sxenthusiast00095]

How a European invention become very popular in Oceania.Showcasing random videos of my countrymen’s terrifying war dances.Enjoy!.

https://youtu.be/yiKFYTFJ_kw

[Sxenthusiast00095]

Fellow Arkansas rugby fans here?.

[Sxenthusiast00095]

https://youtu.be/sgq71T80vk0

[sas72032]

As a long time retired Rugby player myself I have watched the Haka many times. The all Blacks have always been one of my favorite teams. I still watch Rugby every chance I get. I especially love 7’s rugby, not only playing but watching as it is a faster match. My DVR is set up to record 7’s rugby so I was able to watch it the last couple of weeks during the 7’s World Cup. It has to be a great sport when you have 2 hookers on the pitch in every match. LOL

[Precious_b]

I never understood why Rugby hasn't been more popular in the USA than NFL.
There are so many rules and such in american football that there is hardly a game in the tedium of watching it.
Not meaning to start fighting words, i'd rather watch an Alabama game than any NFL.
But Rugby.....that's the way a game with an oblong ball should be played.

[Sxenthusiast00095]

Originally Posted by sas72032

As a long time retired Rugby player myself I have watched the Haka many times. The all Blacks have always been one of my favorite teams. I still watch Rugby every chance I get. I especially love 7’s rugby, not only playing but watching as it is a faster match. My DVR is set up to record 7’s rugby so I was able to watch it the last couple of weeks during the 7’s World Cup. It has to be a great sport when you have 2 hookers on the pitch in every match. LOL

That’s awesome! You have my utmost Utiej/faka’apa’apa(Respect) Sas..I played rugby at a very young age but sadly it was short lived.Mother had other plans for me.Still I keep in touch with the sport by tuning in to the latest madness or play with buddies.

[Sxenthusiast00095]

Originally Posted by Precious_b

I never understood why Rugby hasn't been more popular in the USA than NFL.
There are so many rules and such in american football that there is hardly a game in the tedium of watching it.
Not meaning to start fighting words, i'd rather watch an Alabama game than any NFL.
But Rugby.....that's the way a game with an oblong ball should be played.

Agreed! Football is alright.Rugby is something else.

[Sxenthusiast00095]

To differentiate this pre-game tradition and educate others all war dances aren’t the same as NZ Haka.Each have their own meaning and display.

New Zealand-Haka
Tonga-Sipi Tau
Samoa-Siva Tau
Fiji-Cibi
Australia-Araatika

Learn more here: https://amp.abc.net.au/article/11456828

[trubrit]

Years back there was quite a following in Arkansas for Rugby. Once a year the teams would get together in NLR for a tournament. Male and female teams would play, and I’m talking at least 25yrs ago. A team from the Royal Air Force would also come over and play. At that time I was one of the first responders that attended to those with injuries, and there were many, lol.
I think maybe Cricket has become the new interest. The only difference between Baseball and Cricket is the damned organ playing during the Baseball game. Other than that, watching paint dry is more fun. I played Cricket as a kid, then I found pussy.

[Guest03072025]

Originally Posted by trubrit

Years back there was quite a following in Arkansas for Rugby. Once a year the teams would get together in NLR for a tournament. Male and female teams would play, and I’m talking at least 25yrs ago. A team from the Royal Air Force would also come over and play. At that time I was one of the first responders that attended to those with injuries, and there were many, lol.

They still do as a matter of fact no way near as intense. A lot of them took up bicycle riding as a group. About 4 or 5 yrs ago they left to San Jose to watch Ireland Seven or whatever its called play.

Dude I know shocks me everyday with the stories.

[sas72032]

Most people don’t realize American football originated from Rugby. That is where the term “touchdown” comes from. In Rugby you have to physically touch the ball down in the try zone in order to score. That is the way it started in football. Over time the rules changed to where you only had to cross the end zone and with the addition of the forward pass it evolved into what we know as football today. The football itself use to be more similar to a rugby ball but over time became smaller, harder and more pointed to make it better for a forward pass which is still not allowed in rugby where it still has to be a backwards lateral or kicked ball. There is no blocking in Rugby and a high tackle or diving and taking someone out at the knees is penalized as dangerous play. Since you have no forward passes you don’t have the vicious hits you see in football to separate the ball from the receiver. Football is, as they say, a game of inches in that you have to stop the other team from making 10 yards in 4 downs. In rugby it doesn’t matter if you run 80 meters, when you are tackled you have to release the ball so tackling is different in rugby where you wrap the legs up and take them down, not lower your head and hitting head on to stop them from making any yards. Because of these difference, although you wear no helmet or pads your chances are greater in football for a serious career ending injury then in Rugby. It is a physical sport so after weekend matches you are sore until Wednesday, but by Thursday you start looking forward to the next match. My worse injury was a bad concussion that took months to get completely over, although it didn’t keep me out of the match the next weekend . I think if more people understood the rules and these things it would be more popular here. I love watching football, especially college football but my favorite sport to play was always Rugby so I still watch it every chance I have.

[sas72032]

Originally Posted by Fr8nk&Bnz

They still do as a matter of fact no way near as intense. A lot of them took up bicycle riding as a group. About 4 or 5 yrs ago they left to San Jose to watch Ireland Seven or whatever its called play.

Dude I know shocks me everyday with the stories.

It is called 7’s so that was correct. The difference between 7’s Rugby and regular rugby is that in regular rugby you have 15 players on each side and play 40 minute halves. In 7’s you have 7 on each side and play 7 minute halves but on the same size pitch (field). So it’s a lot faster game as you only have 7 players covering the width of the field so you use your faster players in 7’s and not your biggest. So being a fast back and good open field tackler I loved the speed and intensity of 7’s. Just like I also played soccer and preferred indoor soccer more then outdoors as it too was a faster game and you could use the walls like hockey. Indoor soccer is a lot more physical and I was a Rugby player playing soccer, not a soccer player playing rugby so I loved the physicality of it.

[Guest03072025]

Makes sense SAS, when my friend told me about Rugby here. Totally peaked my interest being a sports fan. Being competitive in any sport is much more enjoyable to watch and appreciated.

[Sxenthusiast00095]

Tonga performs fierce Sipi Tau at Rugby World Cup 2019.
https://youtu.be/ME8NtctI_Ro