Like both sports and have played both. Today it's the bigger lads in rugby and the smaller in football. When I played rugby there were a few of us shorties and a lot of fat beer bellied bigger lads. now anyone under 5' 8" in rugby is a midget, see where I'm going with this?
Football is by far the more popular sport. Rugby is the game of the establishment and will always get the larger media coverage. Week in week out its football the Welsh public support. Does anyone north of Abergavenny even have any interest in the Welsh National team.?
Get back under your rock you carrot munching, turnip juggling, **** face scarecrow. 3-1 to the sheepshaggers
Like I said, blind faith!!! The majority who attend Wales internationals only go because its an international. If the Welsh rugby team was as poor as the football team then their attendances would drop as well. And they only got 51,000 yesterday. Remember when the football side had a chance of qualifying for something 5/6 years ago we had 70k+ to watch the game v. Azerbaijan so the country will support football when there is a chance of success and the tickets are sensibly priced. What was the pricing structure yesterday as a matter of interest?
I'd crawl nine miles over broken glass to watch my beloved Cardiff City, and maybe 100 yds to watch the Welsh international team, if a club side was playing rugby in my front garden, well I wouldn't open the curtains, had a great day Saturday egg chasing, lots of beer and a good day out, but it's all about the occasion rather than the match, Cardiff was partying on Saturday, and for 80 minutes the piss up was interrupted by a rugby match, did I enjoy it Yep, was I glad Wales won Yep, would it have ruined my week if they had lost? nope, does it really piss me off if Cardiff lose Yep it ruins my week and the depression lasts until we win. I like rugby and enjoy the day out but it doesn't get my blood coursing the way CCFC does, to take Sparkey's point I went through the same school system, but I was lucky enough to have soccer orientated games masters as well, my problem was I was a reasonable (if you stretch the imagination ) footballer, but a good rugby player, so I was pushed in that direction.........I like rugby, but I LOVE football, and I can't see why they should be mutually exclusive.........................my head hurts, can you die from a hangover?
This. But I do prefer football, and don't like the attitude of some of the rugby crowd. Get where you're coming from with this though. We were force-fed rugby but during the break-times we'd play football. Incidentally rugby isn't a pure power-game, if it was we'd be shafted as generally folk from other countries seem to have more hulking brutes than we do. The fact that Wales sometimes do very well in the rugby shows you it's about the quality of your passing game not just brute strength. Also Rugby Sevens is generally worth a watch when it's on.
To be honest I have more interest in how the Swans do than any rugby team, including Wales. I have no criticism and respect the views of those people directly involved with rugby either now or in the past and understand their desire to follow their country and their clubs and game in general but (as described by a previous rugby/football follower) when Wales play in Cardiff "the plastics" and "corporate boozers" seem to take over. Mainly people with plenty to say but little actual knowledge. They turn up for these events but rarely see a rugby pitch or ball anywhere else yet class themselves as fervent supporters of Wales' "national game", when, in reality, more people play and watch football in Wales on a daily/weekly/monthly/annual basis. Perhaps its a head versus heart thing? Clearly football is more widely played and watched and the head says it should be our national game but the heart (having had it ingrained over many, many years) says rugby. Hence my remark about "blind faith".
I like both, I watch the Magners League rugby on TV and enjoy it, Friday night in front of the tele with a few botles of SA Gold. I don't support any region but I like the Welsh teams to win. I watch Wales rugby on the TV too or tape it if Cardiff City are playing. As far as football goes I'm a season ticket holder at Cardiff City try to get to all home games from friendlies to cup games. I'll watch the Jacks if they are on TV only if there is nothing else on (I'd prefer to watch rugby than the Jacks). So for me Cardiff City comes 1st.
Have to say I'm kind of with BfB on this one. Had very little opportunity to play football at school and we were traditionally a "rugby" school... I think a little pre-match clip before a wales rugby international summed it all up for me when one interviewer asked a girl which rugby club she supported to which the reply was "Wales of course"... whilst stood there in the stupid sparkly cowboy hat and rugby shirt, completely void of one iota of knowledge about the game. Football IS far more popular across the entire country but alas it will take us and the Swans and to a lesser extent Wrexham and Newport) to make a serious impact in the leagues to change the press view and even then, unless the National side get their act together and at least come close to qualifying for a tournament again the chances are we'll still have "egg" rammed down out throats. I actually don't mind watching egg chasing but would very rarely pay to watch it as I'd prefer to sink my cash into the good ship CCFC
My judgement may well be swayed by my school years. I went to Newport High School - the last year as a grammar school - and our sportsmaster - Balls to Mr. Bollington, Bollington, Bollington, Balls to Mr. Bollington, Bollington, balls!!! - was a complete egg chaser so autumn and winter, sports consisted of either rugby or cross country. Having secreted a football in the bottom of my duffel bag, I always opted for cross country, found a quicker, i.e. shorter, route and got back to the school with a dozen or so like minded individuals to have a game of football on the tennis courts for half an hour, much to the annoyance of the afore mentioned Mr. B. He would have liked to get us on the rugby pitch but was loath to break up the teams playing to introduce us. Once the first year's intake of Comprehensive pupils arrived the emphasis changed and football became more prevalent. Mr. B was then frequently seen crying into a used jockstrap (hope it was his ) at the fact that he couldn't get 30 boys together for rugby.
i love rugby and played it in my younger days, it is definitely the national sport of wales and always will be. I have a duel season ticket that covers me for the swans and the ospreys. i also like rugby league and have a long distance interest in the cardiff devils who i have seen quite a few times over the years. i love anything except golf, but as i have supported the swans for over 50 years i admit that rugby will always be known as the sport of wales and i have no problem whatsoever with that...
