Fake teams ehh. As far as I know both codes started as one game of Rugby but Rugby League started because it wanted to pay players and Rugby Union stayed amateur a bit of a North and South thing more or less saying that Southerners could afford to play without loosing money and Northerners couldn't nothing has changed there then !!!, That can't be said now as Union players are paid very well... so which code is fake really ..... League has not changed apart from a few rules every year.
I don't see the problem with League as a code either. I'm not a fan of rugby either way but Union just seems way too upper class to me. Even when it gets physical they seem to do everything very 'properly' and gentlemenly. It's very much a class divide and a north/south thing and as the northerner I feel I should prefer League. Also isn't Union all about kicking and boredom whereas League is faster and more about tries?
i dont mind watching a game of rugby if theres nothing else on, i just cant stand hull fc....i know 12 hull fc fans, 1 doesnt like football, 1 supports city... the other ten are split between, leeds, man united and liverpool....thats why i dont like them, if i say i support city and wigan or st helens, it gets frowned upon
Wrong Im afraid OLM. It was semi artificial with artificial grass woven in to it to prevent divots when it was first laid and it was designed to NEVER be dug up. The close season after the Prem survival season it was dug up completely for the first time and I told everyone who would listen that it wasnt designed for that and the pitch would suffer terribly as a result. Despite the fact I worked closely with the project manager on the stadium construction I was mercilously mocked. Yes I'm gloating now.
It was suffering terribly before that as well. There's probably only the season we moved in when it hasn't been appalling at this time of year.
Just seen highlights on LNorth - didn't look that bad except for the in goal areas - I think thats what they call them - you know the full width of the pitch that they fall over with the ball for a try. Looked miles better than Rovers though - theirs resembled a cow patch and the season's just started.
I stand corrected, I just remember reading an article about this magic grass we were getting when we moved to the KC, I didn't realise we'd dug it all up.
Pretty much spot on assessment of the two codes. Basically Rugb started as what we now know as Union, however Northern teams struggled to get players for weekend fixtures due to most working weekends (pits/mills ect). The workers couldnt afford to take the day off work so clubs paid them for that days work to allow them to play. No doubt this was accepted generally at first, until some took advantage, at this point "Union" banned paying players, and as most Northern teams couldnt compete without paying players they split and formed there own code. League has diversified in over years, including changing team names, some rule changes, halting relegations ect. This is all to boost interest in the sport (similar to how darts, cricket and snooker have adapted to become more attractive). For me League is the superior code due to the emphisis been on scoring tries, rather then tacticlly gaining ground, seeking an infringement, then kicking goals.
Let's clear things up a little bit... Rugby League was created because the clubs wanted to pay players, Union wanted to keep them as amateurs, but have their service whenever, therefore become almost slaves. Hull has 2 proper Rugby clubs, FC, who are 8th in Super League with a game in hand, and Rovers (Hull KR) who are 9th. We also have 2 Union clubs, Hull RUFC, who play at Hull YPI (Ferens Ground on Chants Ave.) and Hull Ionians (play in Brantingham), both in the Union equivalent of League 2 (National League North). Both are a pretty similar size, RUFC probably a little bit bigger, back by the Beal family (from Beal Homes). It was Ionians the Allam family wanted to invest in, if they approached RUFC the reaction would be less than favourable...
And after watching the highlights the pitch still looks pretty rough, that first look is after roughly 15 minutes so the Rugby hasn't cut it up too much... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Oo48EELrVs
Rugby union is massive anywhere south of Nottingham, I suppose having a decent Union team couldn't hurt the status of the city. Whenever the rugby union world cup is on, the papers all go bananas but when the league world cup was on....well...nobody knew it was on because nobody really cares about it. I like both codes, living in Leicester (which has a huge rugby union team) has leaned me into the sport somewhat, but I'd still rather watch Crawley vs Macclesfield than Leicester Tigers (yeah, still ****ing annoys me too) vs Newcastle Falcons.
Calgary Flames the Hockey team Just like Hull City and Hull FC, start of the season shows promise but do nothing in the end! Lol
That rule change comment was more a tongue in cheek thing as the rules have been changed quite a bit BUT the promotion and relegation thing is more about developing and safe guarding the sport making sure teams had the facilities and buisiness plan such as the salary cap to survive in Super league, as was the playoffs which I hated at first but now it extends the season and seems to work.. I love both sports and spend a whole lot of coinage every year following both the Tigers and FC and wouldn't change it for the world. Although I might be going to work in Qatar for a year or so which will bugger it up a little !!!
