Putting the boot into rugby

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 282, 11 April 1989, Page 4

Putting the boot into rugby

Now that the 1989 rugby season has started let me say what a dull, boring, violent and weird game it is. No doubt many, if not most, of your readers will disagree but how can they justify a game in which: 1/ The ball is out of play and the action is stopped more often the ball is on the paddock and in play (I think they call these interruptions "kicking for touch", "forming scrums and lineouts" and "kicking for goal"). 2/ The object of the game appears to be to halt the natural ebb and flow of play by deliberately putting the ball over the sidelines (I think they call it "kicking for touch" and is directly contrary to every other ball game that I know of in which the objective is to keep the ball in play for as long as possible). 3/ The goal kicking procedure is absurdly ritualistic and timeconsuming taking at least a minute or two (one of the total of 80 minutes) for every attempt at a penalty or conversion and involving several players from the opposing team rushing towards the goal kicker from behind their own goal line without a hope in hell of ever reaching him

before the ball is kicked. 4/ The players assail one another with shoulders, elbows, knees, feet, fists and even teeth (I think they call it 'tackling' but if

it happened off the field of so-called 'play' would result in charges of assault with intent to injure). 5/ The front row forwards play 'feelytouchy' with each other

(I think they call it 'scrumming'). 6/ The game is played with a funnylooking ball instead of a round ball which is used in every other ball game I know of (the

shape of which is somehow significant but the fact that the game was first played at an English boy's public school could account for that!).

Bored

spectator