Thanks for the reply, Looks like the players and the fans of rugbyand ARF do not take things personal. If I ever get the chance I plan to visit Australia and one of the things I would do is check out the game.

Thanks triumphrider,
Wonderful question, Sorry for the delay, I have been travelling.

They certainly are entertaining games, but, Oh I fear for the fact that they think they are bulletproof.

Here in Australia we actually play four codes of football.

Rugby, traditional English football first played in a boys college at Rugby UK. Played with a large elongated football (a lot bigger than an American Football that is made for throwing). Originally played in UK (England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland)and then in countries which were UK colonies, South Africa, New Zealand, Australia. Recently taken up by Argentina, Japan and USA. Rugby is a thugs game played by Gentlemen. Spectators are well dressed, in jackets and perhaps wearing ties, long trousers and boots - spectators are very classy - shades of British gentry of yesteryear - they drink during but heavily after a game. In Rugby, a team is 15 payers who try and carry the ball over a line at the other end of the field. And then they try and kick the ball over a post to get extra points. Players wear little protection and end up with broken everything and enormous swollen ears (from scrummaging and fighting on the ground). This is a fantastic game if you like watching big men get thrown to the ground and then walked upon, but also appreciate the art of scoring a try (goal) against all odds when there are a lot of rules that no one really understands.


But it is a slow game. A bit like a game of chess where there are a lot of strategic moves.....so impatient, and some say less sophisticated thinkers developed an off shoot game called Rugby League. A gentlemanly game played by thugs. Played with a slightly smaller elongated ball. This is a lot faster, involves little strategy and attracts a clientele of people wearing shorts, singlets and thongs who drink a lot before they arrive at the game (as well as during and after). Played mainly in Australia and New Zealand but it is a spectator sport and money spinner so it is catching on around the world. Players wear very little protection, they do not generally develop serious ear damage but they do end up with broken everything and if they survive are going to have serious arthritic problems when they get to sixty years old. This is a fantastic game to watch if you like to see people constantly suffer collisions that you know would really cripple you, yourself.

Then we have Australian Rules Football. Really only played in Australia. Played with an even smaller elongated ball. It is a kicking game whose origin was when cricket players started kicking a football from one end of a cricket oval to the other to keep fit during the cricket off season. It is now played with 18 players on each team, on a big field where you kick and run over large distances, kick, catch, kick catch etc and try and kick the ball between the posts at the other end of the field. It is a non-contact game, theoretically, but still a lot of players are injured. It is a fast game played at speed so a lot of broken arms, damaged ankles, knees and occasional necks.

Then we have the traditional world game of Soccer. Played with a round ball and kicked all over the place but seldom ending in the goal net at the other end of the field. Soccer is generally played by overly enthusiastic and dramatic people and watched by excitable and volatile spectators. Violence off the field is regular.

Interesting that Soccer, like Rugby, Rugby League and Australian Rules is now also a women's game.