Tuesday, 3 March 2009

Rugby......It's Just Not Football!

Shot the Worcester v Wasps rugby union match last Saturday. Over the years I must have done 50 or 60 rugby match's, I dont do many now but a few years ago I shot plenty. Guinness Premiership, Internationals at home and abroad and the Heineken Cup. After all those games I'v got absolutely no idea of whats going on. I cant fathom out why they do things, for instance, I obviously know that each team is trying to get the 'ball' over there opponents try line, so why, when they get the ball in their own half, do they kick it back to the other side? When they do start to run with the ball, the opposing team commit GBH to stop them (that could be why the guy kicks it back to them!). Then they just go into what looks like a free for all, people standing on each other, punch's swapped and general mayhem until the ball pops up with someone else who runs another couple of yards before someone grabs them round the neck and it all starts again! On days like this I really miss shooting football. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for people enjoying their sport, it would be a dull world if we all supported Charlton Athletic, not to mention the problems you'd have getting tickets, and I'm happy for everyone who enjoys playing it from grass roots to premiership, but the RFU have got to make it a bit more user friendly. If a casual observer cant work out what's going on, he's not likely come come back often. My son has just started playing it at secondary school and he loves it as he can "splat his mates all afternoon". Beats doing geography I suppose. Thing is, he's not interested in watching it, either on TV or live at a match. I offered to take him on Saturday but he wasn't having any of it. At all. That's how football wins every time, kids see it on the telly, they want to play it in the parks and they want to go watch it, because even if they dont know the off side rule, they can see whats going on! If you had 10 youth's playing rugby in a park, it would resemble gang warfare braking out! Shooting a rugby league match in a few weeks time, first time I will have photographed that code. Have all my fingers and toe's crossed that it will be better than the union version!

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