[DaveO]

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:00 pm  

Wigan Peer wrote:

Plus, i think many people who post on here will have played at sometime...

Or even coached it.

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:14 pm  

Ok lets give RU the benefit of the doubt that the forward play is technical. But so what? It is as boring as hell. I don't see the excitement of tactics that deliberately try to get penalties. Joel has decided to try RU and that is where he will probably stay. I doubt he would now admit that it is not as good to play or watch as RL.

I thought Graeme West's book was interesting to hear his view of playing RU as a forward. He said he got vexed off playing RU because he never got the ball. He found it a revelation when he took up RL and was allowed to run with the ball and score tries!

I don't care how technical RU is. I just don't find it entertaining to watch. I have tried over many years to see the point but I just don't get it.

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:18 pm  

DaveO wrote:

It's different but its not rocket science. Hugely more complex? Nonsense. I am sure its a very convenient excuse if things don't quite go as smoothly as anticipated though for whatever reason.

Even people involved in RU get sick of the forwards prattling on about the complexities of the forward game and I am speaking from experience.

The complexities are in the rules, especially around the ruck and maul. Different referees use entirely different interpretations, that's where the problem arises. For example at Stockton we generally have Durham County referees. Yesterday we played 40 miles North and had a ref from Northumbria. His interpretation of the rules at the ruck and maul were completely different to what we are used to. He might as well have been from another planet.
Joel is bound to say he loves playing RU, you don't bite the hand that feeds you, same as those who come back, @I enjoyed RU, but I was missing RL.' You say what your current employer wants you to say.

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:32 pm  

Teessidewire wrote:

The complexities are in the rules, .

Says it all..... Forget basic running and handling... Odd that, as someone has said, that if its so complex as a game, they employ so many ex RL people at the highest level... Take a look at the backroom when Wilkinson won the world cup..

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 6:58 pm  

Teessidewire wrote:

You have to have played RU to appreciate it.

I played it for 5 years, I had not really watched a RL game until I was 19, nor played until a year later. 30+ years later I cannot watch more than a few seconds of yawnion (that's when there is actaully anything happening) without shaking my head in disbelief at the lack of basic abilities you take for granted in amateur RL.

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 8:50 pm  

Teessidewire wrote:

You have to have played RU to appreciate it. I can understand frustrations re the scrummaging and breakdown laws, and the number of penalties, but the rules are such that players are coached tactics that will win the all important penalty. If side A is a far better scrummaging team than side B, then side A will constantly win penalties for the opposition weak scrum collapsing, breaking up and wheeling. I'm an official at a NE RU club and in our game yesterday we won a number of penalties and scored a try from our superior scrum. Last week we scored 7 tries, 5 were by forwards and were from close in. Not great to watch at times, but it did the business.

I watch and appreciate Union but I came to the conclusion a long time ago Rugby League was the natural and obvious progression from Union. The fact a team can knock on, "win" the resulting scrum and gain 3 points from it is absolutely ludicrous.

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 9:14 pm  

TrentBarrett wrote:

I watch and appreciate Union but I came to the conclusion a long time ago Rugby League was the natural and obvious progression from Union. The fact a team can knock on, "win" the resulting scrum and gain 3 points from it is absolutely ludicrous.

You're absolutely right. There comes a point when a try is of secondary importance, because in some circumstances it's easier to win penalties.

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:42 pm  

need to reed this

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Mon Jan 14, 2013 1:11 am  

tigertot wrote:

I played it for 5 years, I had not really watched a RL game until I was 19, nor played until a year later. 30+ years later I cannot watch more than a few seconds of yawnion (that's when there is actaully anything happening) without shaking my head in disbelief at the lack of basic abilities you take for granted in amateur RL.

Your spot on.
Ive been to 2 premier league RU games lately and shake my head at the lack of basic skill.
some comments i make to my daughter include " they cant pass, no wonder they keep kicking it" and " why dont they run it more , because nobody knows how to tackle"
and the stop start nature of the game prevents you getting excited for any length of time.
All RU fans should be made to go and watch a top superleague game, then see which code they watch in future

Re: Good Joel Tomkins article : Mon Jan 14, 2013 8:45 am  

Wigan Peer wrote:

Says it all..... Forget basic running and handling... Odd that, as someone has said, that if its so complex as a game, they employ so many ex RL people at the highest level... Take a look at the backroom when Wilkinson won the world cup..

Blame Wigan for that when we played and won the Twickenham sevens after being behind in the final and the yawnion men were in fine voice of Sweet Chariot .We sent a very strong side there and it made the Union bosses sit up and compare how fit we were to Union shortly after they appointed Phil Larder a lot more followed after that Sean Edwards ,Ellery Hanley ,Joe Lydon ,Billy Maginty ,Dennis Betts to name a few Faz is in the England RU coaching as now .