Originally Posted by
Stavros
the sports media don't usually mention European rugby teams until they get here
Typical Bloody Australians!!! They think they rule the world when it comes to sports -even in Rugby and Cricket. One wonders why...
As for France -unfortunately, RobertLouis, I agree with you, but I can't bring myself to enthuse about the rest. Rugby for some reason has had a political connotation with the Tories -I think it has something to do with Posh Schools thinking football is for the Plebs, as well as snide belief that footballers are fairies whereas Rugby is 'a man's game'. The BBC has an obnoxious commentator who has some kind of Lancashire/Yorkshire accent and seems to think if the players are not mashing each other into the mud there be summat wrong wi'em -definitely not posh. But it did make me prejudiced against Rugby for a long time; then I found myself working with a Rugby player who introduced me to some of the finer aspects of the sport, as well as some of its gruesome (I believe now outlawed) tricks. A great game can be fast, unpredictable, and even skilful. As long as there are some memorable games, I think that is the key.