Sports Ball

[Dicknose]

Yes quite different games, not just minor rule changes.
Enough so that you can look at a picture of the team and say which code from the body types.
Rugby union will have several tall players and 3 roughly cubic shaped guys!
Rugby league is far more uniform, rare to have very tall, rare to have very heavy.

But league evolved from union, originally to become a professional sport and then needed different rules so it was a new sport. League has kept changing and most move it further away from 7nion.

Main differences are
Number of players
- league 13
- union 15
After a tackle
- league stops, tackled player “plays ball” backwards (almost like American football, but without a break to reset)
- union play continues and each team can scramble for the ball, weird rules but roughly player must be standing to use their hands
Ball out sideline
- league, a team gets possession and can restart play. Usually the team that kicks or takes the ball out loses possession ie that’s bad
- union, you get a line out, where players from each team line up and the ball is tossed between the lineups and it’s a fancy “tip off”. Lots of technical skill on the throw, calling a play and having the throwing team win the ball
Scrums, ie players from each team form a wedge 3 people wide at the front and the two wedges come together. Ball goes in the middle and is contest by feet.
- league this has been reduced to the team with “the feed” (ie putting the ball in) allowed to keep the ball. It’s like an appendix, did something way back when, but pretty useless now. They keep simplifying and coming up with rules to have less scrums!
- union it’s still a technical contest with highly specialised players. A major part of the game. Games can be won or lost on the scrums.

League generally is faster moving, probably a lot more “yardage” (metres gained). More tries (touchdowns!)
Union is often decided by penalty kicks at goal. Many plays and strategy is based on earning a penalty, kick at goal, 3 points done.

[Yw-slayer]

And then there's Sevens, which is like if rugby were a short basketball game and heavily focused on off-pitch partying and drinking.

[Dicknose]

Rugby was an Olympic sport - quirky trivia the USA won gold 2 of the 4 times.

Now Rugby 7s is at the Olympics in both mens and women's.
The US hasn't won a medal - but Canada has a bronze.

[sandydandy]

Man basketball has hit new lows around here, as our Craptors are redefining suckage. I think they’re aiming to tie the Pistons and other bottom dwellers for the worst record in the league this year. Last week they set a franchise record for worst loss ever…something like 40 points. Then yesterday they broke that dubious record with a near 50 point loss.

Oh, and they’ve now lost 15 in a row. Yet the building remains packed night after night with suckers forking over good money to these imbeciles for nothing. With that kind of sheep fanbase there’s no incentive for management to get better and spend money on real talent.

Oh well, fuck it.

[neanderthal]

Man basketball has hit new lows around here, as our Craptors are redefining suckage. I think they’re aiming to tie the Pistons and other bottom dwellers for the worst record in the league this year. Last week they set a franchise record for worst loss ever…something like 40 points. Then yesterday they broke that dubious record with a near 50 point loss.

Oh, and they’ve now lost 15 in a row. Yet the building remains packed night after night with suckers forking over good money to these imbeciles for nothing. With that kind of sheep fanbase there’s no incentive for management to get better and spend money on real talent.

Oh well, fuck it.

It's packed because they're there to see the other team.

[sandydandy]

Probably true.