International rugby is far more exciting than football

[Nick Bateman]

Watching the rugby world cup has shown the peak of the sport in a well organised schedule. These athletes give everything on the pitch unlike today's pampered footballers.

There is no diving except when scoring a try. The referees are trying to be fair, unlike the corrupt officials we suffer in football. They use a system called TMO, all officials are mic-ed up, the fans are fully aware of their decisions. When there is a video review all viewers can see what they are looking at, unlike the secretive VAR system we utilise in football.

The commentators are unbiased unlike Sky's interpreters who basically lie to the viewing public. Football has become a completely alien sport from what we grew up with, it is almost akin to WWE with all the play-acting and dishonesty from the refs and linos.

I will enjoy the clash today between England and South Africa far more than all the derbies over this weekend. The rugby world shows how a sport should be run, honest and exciting.

[Al-Fayed]

Fell out of love with Rugby Union 20 years ago and only switch on nowadays for a few minutes before total boredom takes over at endless professional fouls, retaking of scrums and over importance of penalties. Game also ruined by its labyrinthine rules. There's also a real thuggery about the macho men who play it that's largely absent in football.

[Grassy Noel]

Fell out of love with Rugby Union 20 years ago and only switch on nowadays for a few minutes before total boredom takes over at endless professional fouls, retaking of scrums and over importance of penalties. Game also ruined by its labyrinthine rules. There's also a real thuggery about the macho men who play it that's largely absent in football.

There is a lot to like but still a lot to dislike. On the dislike side the clock is allowed tick away during scrums to the advantage of the team winning. The clock should not restart until the ball is put into the scrum. Then there is the foot in touch pedantic nonsense. Why? Football thankfully does not have it. On top of that you have commentators who are reluctant to explain the laws/decisions. It seems as though they are too embarrassed by them.

[alfie]

Fell out of love with Rugby Union 20 years ago and only switch on nowadays for a few minutes before total boredom takes over at endless professional fouls, retaking of scrums and over importance of penalties. Game also ruined by its labyrinthine rules. There's also a real thuggery about the macho men who play it that's largely absent in football.

There is a lot to like but still a lot to dislike. On the dislike side the clock is allowed tick away during scrums to the advantage of the team winning. The clock should not restart until the ball is put into the scrum. Then there is the foot in touch pedantic nonsense. Why? Football thankfully does not have it. On top of that you have commentators who are reluctant to explain the laws/decisions. It seems as though they are too embarrassed by them.

The reason "why" is because that is the rule, all sports have rules.

[Grassy Noel]

Fell out of love with Rugby Union 20 years ago and only switch on nowadays for a few minutes before total boredom takes over at endless professional fouls, retaking of scrums and over importance of penalties. Game also ruined by its labyrinthine rules. There's also a real thuggery about the macho men who play it that's largely absent in football.

There is a lot to like but still a lot to dislike. On the dislike side the clock is allowed tick away during scrums to the advantage of the team winning. The clock should not restart until the ball is put into the scrum. Then there is the foot in touch pedantic nonsense. Why? Football thankfully does not have it. On top of that you have commentators who are reluctant to explain the laws/decisions. It seems as though they are too embarrassed by them.

The reason "why" is because that is the rule, all sports have rules.

I agree and it is an insane rule that no-one has ever justified.

[jarv]

I liked rugby in the era of Barry John and other flamboyant players.  A running and passing game.  Today;s players are monsters and the game moves at a snails place from scrum to scrum. Tedious.

[Grassy Noel]

I liked rugby in the era of Barry John and other flamboyant players.  A running and passing game.  Today;s players are monsters and the game moves at a snails place from scrum to scrum. Tedious.

I am not nostalgic about rugby. Way back in the day the game was dictated by the state of the pitch and the weather. Craftsmen like Barry John rarely shone. Nil Nil draws were not uncommon.

[peachcobbler]

You've seen an incredibly small sample size, the game has many flaws... every game does... if it suits your personal preference head on over to a rugby forum, otherwise your just blasting your opinion about how football is poo... on a football forum.

Also diving does happen. If a defending player is offside and down an offensive player can just go "trip" over them and its a penalty. I've watched little of the world cup and saw it happen twice (happened in Argentina/NZ as well). More "professional fouls" in rugby than football I reckon.

[Lighthouse]

I think International football is deadly dull. I have mentioned that I don't watch it when I can help it. But when it has crossed my vision. Even in games that mean something it is just dull for me personally.

Rugby is not what it was. The game again lacks the excitement it used to ave. But again I don't watch it as much as I used to and this latest wall to wall coverage  hasn't captured my imagination.

Probably more to do with me than it. But sport on the whole has seemed very much an invitation to yawn outside of the cricket limited overs (which I never thought I would like) and league football.

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

I love running rugby but tonight I think you will see England rolled over by a team of super heavyweight thugs in South African jerseys.

[bobbo]

So agree OP I switched from sheff u v Man U to watch and thought exactly the same .
I never wanted it to happen but becoming disillusioned with what was once our beautiful game .

[toshes mate]

Poor choice of match, Mr Bateman, and also a sport on a downward curve that has always been a good few years behind football on the professional player code and professional pay issue.  Unfortunately Union is also being dominated by committee and tick boxes with results impacting how the game is 'cleaned up' [sic].  My analysis is, as far as I can go before the locked committee doors are reached, that much team sport is suffering from the inability to produce leaders and leadership. Even cricket is trembling at the boundary ropes in the male game.

Sport is, as our society is, swallowing itself whole and suffering mass indigestion simply because it's looking for obedient compliance and not (sometimes) outrageous personal performance which still resides in none-team sport.

Tick boxes kill all originality and original thinking stone dead. No wonder AI and bots appear to the numb headed as so brilliant even to our leaders who haven't got a clue.     

[Stoneleigh Loyalist]

It will be interesting to see if the England v Argentina game on Friday evening brings more of the traditional running rugby which is so much more watchable.
The South African scrum machine brings them points but only after committee discussions with the referee each time they go down.
There was an article in the Sunday Times yesterday about the All Blacks being experts at practising 'the Dark Arts' with their clever professional fouling when necessary without being penalised.
Could this be a case of the big teams getting away with it as we accuse in football?