From tight-head props to outside centres: A brief introduction to Rugby

so I guess hayne ain't playing then..

This is the tl;dr version! No you're right, there is a lot there. I'd say the best thing is forget about the videos/analysis for now.
Just watch a few games and refer back to this from time to time and it should begin to make sense.

I played club Rugby in High School in Sonoma County WAY back the mid-80's. Our team included guys from about five different local High Schools. We were pretty clueless at first, but we ended up being pretty decent and had an absolute blast.

I was a tight-head and ended up with lots of rug burns after matches.

Originally posted by munst49ERS:
I fully appreciate this is first and foremost an American Football forum, and for all I know there is zero interest in rugby, and that's fair enough.

For me, as a huge rugby* fan, following Hayne's journey piqued my interest in the NFL. I've enjoyed what I've seen and look forward to watching more. Similarly, there may be those of you who have glanced an eye towards the rugby world, and if so, hopefully this intro will be of use. And no better time to take a look with the best players on show at the world cup which only comes around every 4 years.

*yes that's union, but also enjoy league

problem is, it will never become popular in the US, even if its a better sport with better athletes and way better than the NFL...the NFL won't allow Rugby to get popular in the US. and the NFL has a huge dick when it comes to sports politics in the US>

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
And did you see this against your boys the other day? USA! USA! USA!

Very nice try! Not my boys though...from Ireland myself

Originally posted by TheHYDE49er:
problem is, it will never become popular in the US, even if its a better sport with better athletes and way better than the NFL...the NFL won't allow Rugby to get popular in the US. and the NFL has a huge dick when it comes to sports politics in the US>

Totally agree, the NFL will never have to worry about rugby. Although interestingly enough the NFL has looked to grow the game in the US
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbelzer/2013/05/17/nfl-plays-offensive-with-move-into-rugby/

Yah dude. We tried playing that one time one summer at the nearby park. All we did was lateral it and lateral it no forward passes. Shti was fun and exhausting. I think the end score was like 2-1 over the period of an hour lol.

Unofficial rugby.

Originally posted by munst49ERS:
Very nice try! Not my boys though...from Ireland myself

My mistake...I thought you were part of the recent tidal wave of Aussies. Welcome to the board. Long ago my Corbett relatives came here from Galway after they "took the soup."

Originally posted by munst49ERS:
That would be Richie McCaw, the filthy animal can't keep his hands away (from the ruck)

Hmmm, I think we have a Munster fan here
That's King Richie you're referring to the greatest Rugby player of the modern era... (The Jerry Rice of Rugby*) (Soon to be Sir Richie*)
A man of substance who plays for the love of the game & will most likely retire after the RWC instead of chasing a fat European pay check...

Originally posted by bayarealuv:
so I guess hayne ain't playing then..

Hayne was never going to play as he played a different version of the game.
Hayne played a game which, in rugby playing countries, is called League (while the rugby world cup is Union).
It is actually quite amusing to me watching as the league fans get so upset that Americans keep thinking Hayne is a rugby player.
Think of it as the difference between NFL and CFL (there is actually a bit more of a difference between League and Union but it really doesn't matter).

I grew up watching League (as I grew up in NSW) and I played the game for many years but after a few games of union I was converted. But, if you really want to annoy many of the new Aussies on here occasionally mentioning Hayne was a rugby player is a wonderful (and fun) way to do it. So many of the new Aussies on here are from NSW and Queensland where the rivalry between league and union is palpable, with lots of "league players are tougher because, your mom!" conversations happening. Funnily enough, those conversations are almost always amongst the fans, while the players of both codes feel no need for that type of dick waving stupidity.
(in the same way that it isn't usually the NFL players who boast about their game being the toughest, but some fans feel the need to do so)

Originally posted by JackChance:
Hayne was never going to play as he played a different version of the game.
Hayne played a game which, in rugby playing countries, is called League (while the rugby world cup is Union).
It is actually quite amusing to me watching as the league fans get so upset that Americans keep thinking Hayne is a rugby player.
Think of it as the difference between NFL and CFL (there is actually a bit more of a difference between League and Union but it really doesn't matter).

I grew up watching League (as I grew up in NSW) and I played the game for many years but after a few games of union I was converted. But, if you really want to annoy many of the new Aussies on here occasionally mentioning Hayne was a rugby player is a wonderful (and fun) way to do it. So many of the new Aussies on here are from NSW and Queensland where the rivalry between league and union is palpable, with lots of "league players are tougher because, your mom!" conversations happening. Funnily enough, those conversations are almost always amongst the fans, while the players of both codes feel no need for that type of dick waving stupidity.
(in the same way that it isn't usually the NFL players who boast about their game being the toughest, but some fans feel the need to do so)

Hey dude, rugby union fans are far from immune from this sort of thing – let's leave it at that

Originally posted by LA9erFan:
My mistake...I thought you were part of the recent tidal wave of Aussies. Welcome to the board. Long ago my Corbett relatives came here from Galway after they "took the soup."

Galway is a great spot

Originally posted by SportOvaFilmTV:
Hmmm, I think we have a Munster fan here
That's King Richie you're referring to the greatest Rugby player of the modern era... (The Jerry Rice of Rugby*) (Soon to be Sir Richie*)
A man of substance who plays for the love of the game & will most likely retire after the RWC instead of chasing a fat European pay check...

Haha...what gave it away. Huge respect for McCaw, he is an awesome player. A complete pain in the arse to play against, but the sort of player every team dreams of having.

Great thread, Munst.

Will keep an eye on it during the Cup.

I dont know why but I laughed pretty good after reading that every position has a name except for the poor sap who has to play No. #8