Sports Then and Now

Rugby is growing in youth popularity.

If you have a son who has shown an interest in playing the English game of rugby instead of American football, you should try to encourage them in any way you can. It’s hard enough to get kids interested in playing sports these days, and so it’s vital that you support them. However, there are a number of things you want to do before they play their first game. We’ve created a checklist you can use to ensure you have all the bases covered. So long as you can tick everything off our list, your son should be more than ready to head out on the field.

Make sure they know the rules
Growing up in the US means that your children probably haven’t had maximum exposure to the game of rugby. However, there is a professional league in this country, and so you should spend some time watching games with them. Doing so will help to guarantee they understand the rules properly. The night before they are due to play their first game, you should spend an hour or so going through everything with them to ensure there is no confusion.

Buy the best equipment
Rugby is considered one of the best sports to keep you fit and healthy. However, your son is going to need the right equipment if you want him to stay safe. Rugby players should always wear a cup, and it’s wise to put some headgear on too. You will find some really high-quality sweatbands available online that could help them to feel a little more comfortable on the field. The last thing you want is for them to miss an important catch because they are blinded by the sweat dripping from their forehead. They need the right tools for the job if you want them to enjoy the sport and build a passion for playing. Read the rest of this entry →

Rugby is a tough sport, but definitely one that keeps you fit.

Sport is such a popular pastime across the world. Many people take up a sport recreationally while others play at a professional level. The beauty of sport is that it combines a healthy competitiveness with a wonderful fitness regime. It’s important to look after your body and keep fit, and sport is a fun and exciting way to do this.

It’s also great for social interactions and teamwork. If you play any kind of sport, you’re probably aware just how much impact it has on your fitness levels. But if you haven’t yet taken up a sport here are some ideas for sports to keep you fit and healthy.

Golf
Believe it or not golf is, in fact, a great way to stay fit and healthy. It gets a stigma because it’s often associated with older overweight men. But, in fact, there’s a lot of walking involved in golf, and this is good for your heart. Also, by the natural swinging action involved you develop great upper body strength. You can work on improving your game while also keeping yourself fit. And the great thing about golf is that you don’t need to be in fantastic shape to take it up, which is untrue of most sports.

Read the rest of this entry →

There has been a lot of recent confusion and turmoil for the English rugby team.

After the abysmal Rugby World Cup campaign, English rugby has hit ‘rock bottom’ according to the Rugby Football Union’s elite rugby director Rob Andrew.

Not only did England get knocked out at the quarter-final stage, but there were issues with player behaviour too, something which has been highlighted once again by leaked documents.

Those over at rugbyboots.net note how a confidential report – reviewing the team’s performances and general World Cup campaign – fell into the hands of a newspaper this week and has now been published for the world to see.

It has been a very embarrassing couple of days for English rugby, with the coaching staff and players receiving criticism for their role in a poor campaign in South Africa.

Describing the fall-out, Andrew said: “I am absolutely shattered by what is going on both on and off the field.”

“The RFU has to sort itself out. This is rock bottom, the lowest of the low, and it can’t be allowed to continue.” Read the rest of this entry →

Andy Robinson is comfortable in how he is preparing his Scottish team for the Rugby World Cup.

Scotland head coach Andy Robinson has defended Scotland’s preparations ahead of the upcoming World Cup, insisting two warm up games are more than enough for his side to get in shape for the tournament next month.

Robinson’s side pulled off a surprise win at Murrayfield last week over Ireland, running in a late try to record a 10-6 victory.

Next they face Italy in two weeks’ time while their Northern Hemisphere rivals play this weekend  and the Tri Nations continues with South Africa taking on Australia, prompting suggestions the Scots could be undercooked when they take to the field for their first game at the World Cup against Romania on 10th September.

Those vying for a Scottish World Cup shirt will have limited time to stake a claim for a spot on the plane to New Zealand compared to the rest of their rivals in Europe and beyond. Read the rest of this entry →

In Some places, the Rugby Six Nations Championship is bigger than the Super Bowl.

You’d be forgiven—if you are American—for thinking that the entire sporting world fell into awed silence as the brouhaha that is Super Bowl swept along everyone with even the faintest of pulses.

And of course this year’s spectacle had the extra wow factor of an emotional New Orleans back-story: underdog, triumph over adversity, not a dry eye in the house.

For many on the other side of “the pond,” though, that New Orleans back-story was the front story, too, because American football remains an impenetrable anachronism for most of us…well for this particular correspondent, anyway!

So last weekend, our focus was rather more Euro-centred. While the padded up and helmeted Superbowl heroes began their campaign to the predetermined rhythm of the broadcasters’ advertising breaks, its stripped down, bare-knuckled equivalent—the Six Nations Championship—was just getting under way.

This is a competition where deep-rooted loyalties have been determined by the history books, with the English the common foe. It may be hundreds of years since a king Edward or a king Henry strode into Scotland or Wales, Ireland or France, but an unspoken resentment still simmers in the veins.

That complex tapestry of history, married with the visceral sport that is rugby union, makes the Six Nations championship one of the most intense and compelling competitions in sport.

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