Tuesday, April 10, 2012

quicko: rugby league

So I'm going to tell you everything I know about rugby league:

--It is not rugby union.
--It is not AFL.
--It is not rugby.
--It is played with a ball.
--Two teams oppose each other and try to get the ball past their endline.  I'm sure it has a technical name, but I'm missing it.  Once they do, they must "ground" the ball, which means they must hold the ball and have it touch the ground.
--This is excellent, and is called a "try."
--This is exceptionally misleading, because it's really more of a "success," but it is not called that.
--A try is 4 points.
--If you score a try, you get a shot at a goal.
--A goal is a like a freebie kick, and it has to come from a particular angle/place related to where the try happened.
--A successful goal is 2 points.
--The opportunity to score a goal also can follow on from a foul.
--A field goal happens when, in regular play, the ball gets kicked over the goal posts.  It is not particularly common.
--A field goal is 1 point.
--Biting is frowned upon, but otherwise pretty much anything goes in terms of tackling.
--Sometimes the crowd suspects the players of faking injuries to get a foul shot.  When this is a member of the opposing team, the crowd does not take kindly to this.
--When their own player is down, they are more concerned that the foul point is properly awarded than in being joyful when he stands up again to reveal he has not lost the use of his limbs.
--The referees wear pink shirts, and often refer to the video refs in case of ... anything.
--The players were entirely too short of shorts, often coupled with knee socks.  I presume it is only because they are so big and athletic that they don't get beat up over this.
--One of the star players of the Manly Sea Eagles is Cherry-Evans ... or definitely Cherry-Something ...  Not Bing.
--The Manly Sea Eagles' colors are maroon and white.  They are the best team.
--Their home "ground" is the Brookvale Oval.
--After home games, they play their theme song of the Eagle Rock.  Also, fans are permitted on the field to run around and take pictures.
--They have cheerleaders called Angels who, this season, are sporting white feathery wings and long, curled tresses.
--They won last night, 30-0.

1 comment:

Laetitia :-) said...

Attempting to tackle someone by grabbing them higher on the body than their shoulders or picking them up and tipping them so their head hits the ground will get penalties awarded against your team and possible suspension for a few games because these actions are so dangerous (potential for broken necks etc).