Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

Couldn't think of a catchy 'tooth' pun for the title (TH or LLT will come up with something, I bet).

RL players are made of steel.

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

Hey LLT, I found your tooth! How much did you say that reward was for?

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

I will tell you this much...

Rugby players are tough.... I doubt very much most of the NFL players could compete through a Rugby season... Part of that is that professional rugby players actually work real jobs as well (Except for the All-Blacks, I believe).

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

Over the past ten years most of the rugby league and rugby union players have become full time professionals earning over $100,000 (australian). The top elite players now earn between $500,000 and $1000000 including sponsorship and endorsements. This means that most players no longer work. Many players are being poached by English and French teams because they can offer higher contracts. (The guy in question with the tooth is a part time professional playing state league football )

With this trend we have seen a dramatic increase in antisocial behaviour and drug related problems. To counteract this trend the clubs are now sending young players back to university to study as well as making all their players participate in coaching clinics around the country. Players are also becoming more active in charity work and hospital visits.

Our society is becoming less tolerant of the drunken actions of these players.

These guys are tough, extremely tough in a different kind of way to NFL players.

A rugby game lasts for 80 minutes and you are only allowed a limited number of substitutions (around 10 in rugby league, dont quote me on that ,and unlimited substitution if you are bleeding) meaning over half your players have to play the full game. They dont have TV or coaching timeouts. The time only stops if the referee calls time off for injury. These guys weigh between 95 and 120 kilograms (220 and 260 pounds) and have unbelievable strength and aerobic fitness. If they are any heavier they are just to big slow and cumbersome to be useful. Everyone has to be extremely fit.

On PTI today I noticed Mike Wilbon refered to rugby players as 5' 8" 170pound midgets who are dwarfed by americans like himself ( he claimed his 6'3" 240lb stature made him more imposing) and are just Crocodile Dundee wannabees. If he ever faced an elite player head on he would wind up soiling himself before he was impaled.

I have played first grade rugby union and Aussie rules in country NSW and believe me, their is not a single SOFT guy out there. If you are wearing head gear or a protective guard it is like a red flag to a bull. Even the girls have teams in these football codes and they are equally as tough. A lot of Australians go to work on Mondays and Tuesdays very sore from the weekend footy.

The title of toughest of all Australian footballers belongs to the Aussie Rules players of Queenstown Tasmania who play on a gravel oval. Not grass or turf, but gravel.

"After the match, trainers move from player to player with a wire brush and a bottle of Friars Balsam. Stones are scraped from elbows and knees before disinfectant is applied. Some Queenstown players spend the entire season with weeping sores. No sooner does a scab look like healing than it sticks to the player's trouser leg. If the scab does survive until the next match, it's usually knocked off in the first quarter. No wonder the west coast of Tasmania is known for breeding tough footballers."

http://www.australianrules.com.au/20...esgrounds.html

Having said all that I would have dearly loved to have put the pads and helmet on and lined up as a linebacker or strong safety and T-boned any running back / receiver who came my way. All football codes are tough and that is why we are drawn to them with the passion we all exhibit.

What would life be without football of some sort? Why we might as well be living in cleveland or cincinatti.

If any one wants some help with finding some quality information on league or union just drop me a message. Also NCsteeler is a proud rugby union fan and he helps a mate run a union forum site.

Here are some links that may interest a few

Rugby League http://www.nrl.com.au/

Rugby Union http://aru.rugby.com.au/

Aussie Rules http://www.afl.com.au/

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

Thanks for a great post, Aussie!

There are alot of differences between the games - as you say rugby players have to have a wider range of physical and mental attributes.

That Wilbon sounds like a jerk, rugby players are getting bigger an stronger every year (with professionalism) - alot of those guys would grind him into the ground in a second.

You don't get many fat guys on the rugby field (stocky maybe) but NT's and 'space fillers' would have no chance of lasting 80 minutes in a rugby game - in fact 10 minutes would probably be too much.

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

I had no clue that Rugby players were starting to get paid that kind of money. I really don't like that, in my opinion, it takes away from the purity of the sport (in my opinion).

Man, I remember playing in college. We sent a person a game to the hospital. there were A LOT of knee surgeries, broken ribs, etc. However, it sure was fun.

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

Sorry to ruin it for you Preacher but union turned fully professional in the 90's. Too many players were leaving to play for money in rugby league. Rupert Murdoch threw heaps of money at union when he failed to buy out the australian rugby league.

Preachers post bring back fond memories of college union in Australia. We had three teams at our union club and the third grade team were known as the kites.

Before the game, at half time and after the game they would go back to their VW Kombi van to get high as Kites. They floated around the field and felt no pain. The best thing about rugby back then was everybody went back to the clubhouse and had a great time after with lots of singing and drinking.

In the late 80's and early 90's we could be playing first grade country rugby against guys that would get plucked out of obscurity and represent their state and then country. Those days are long gone. Talent is identified early and there are no longer any diamonds found in the rough.

Most small country towns still have either a rugby league, union or aussie rules team. The girls all play netball and the sport becomes the central focus of town life. Everybody lives for game day and during the week it is all we talk about. Almost identical to the lives of the diehard NFL fan. Towns still have fundraising committees to raise funds to bring better players to town so that they can win a premiership. They also offer packages that include employment, housing and transport.

The almighty dollar is infiltrating its way into all sports unfortunately.

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

Will the US Eagles win a game in the Rugby World Cup this year?

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

The simple answer is no - their best shot lies with the match up against Tonga who are only rated one place above them in the world rankings.

Though Tonga is only a small island, rugby is what they play whereas that particular sport falls a long way down the list for sporting athletes in the States.

I expect them to get whupped by both South Africa and England.

Re: Aussie RL Plays on With Tooth Embedded In Head
 

lol..Hopefully they can pull out a win and you're right SA & England will beat them by more than 50.

Go the Wallabies!