Rugby convert

I watched my first rugby game on TV over the weekend, and I'm sold on this sport!

First of all, I learned it's called a test or a test match, not a game. The All Blacks were playing the hated Australian national team, the Wallabies, for a GIANT trophy called the Bledisloe Cup which truly is a silver cup but it's about 3 feet high. Fortunately, the winning team captain is buff enough to lift it over his head effortlessly.

We're starting to pick up more of the rules, but are still a little fuzzy on some of them. Sometimes when there's a penalty, the other team gets to kick for 3 points. Sometimes there's a penalty and the other team gets a scrum. I'm not sure why. Anyway, I knew it would be good to watch a game and try to figure it out. But I also found myself watching the game just to marvel at it and appreciate it.

Here's some of the reasons why I love this game:

1. Just before the game, the All Blacks perform a Maori war dance called a haka. They really get themselves riled up, and it intimidates the opposing team. It's quite impressive.

2. When they run across the line at the end of the field (to score), the guy carrying the ball always slides on his belly in the grass, even if nobody is trying to tackle him. It looks like fun; like boys who can't stay out of the mud.

3. When the ball goes across the touch line (out of bounds), the play from the sidelines to throw the ball back in is called a Line Out. Here's what is so cool about it, though - the teams each LIFT a player up high to try to catch the inbounds throw. So there's about 4 guys at ground level who grab the legs (calves, thighs) of the catcher-guy so he becomes 10 feet tall. It's a little like lifts in pairs ice skating except the guy they're lifting is probably 250 pounds instead of 98. (that's why it takes 4 guys to lift him) And admittedly it's not quite as graceful as ice skating. But it's pretty phenomenal to watch nonetheless.

4. The game doesn't stop! When someone gets tackled, he has to give it to one of his teammates behind him, and everyone has to get off him and go chase the new guy with the ball. There's no huddle. No standing around for 3 minutes to catch your breath. No strategizing or calling plays or talking to the coach on the sidelines. They think on their feet.

5. These guys are tough. They are huge and strong, and they don't fall down and pretend they're hurt like soccer players do. They don't wear pads or helmets although recently some have begun taping their ears because they keep getting torn off. (in the next picture, you can see the player on the left has black tape around his head which protects his ears)

6. In spite of all that adrenaline and yes, testosterone, the game is still pretty structured and under control. There's just one ref on the field in charge of the game. He blows his whistle every few seconds to tell everyone to get off the tackled guy ... and they're already in the process of getting up anyway so it goes pretty smoothly. He calls offsides or some penalty, and nobody complains. They just line up for the kick or whatever. He's also exceedingly polite: "Line up, Gentlemen." "Step back, Sir" "Up you go." I half expect him to offer tea to the bleeding players any moment. The ref can also ask for confirmation from another official who is in charge of the videotaped replays, so if there's any question, he can get a second opinion. The overall rugby organisation even assesses penalties after the game is over: One Aussie spear-tackled a Kiwi and could have easily broken his neck. The next day, the offender was suspended for 5 games, even though there was no penalty called at the time. The fans weren't too concerned about the ref missing that illegal tackle because everyone knew it would still be dealt with after the game.

7. There's no 30 minute pre-game show from a studio that looks like it belongs in Vegas. There are no cameras during the game zooming in on the cheerleaders. There's not even much time for commercials - just halftime and injuries. There are no feature vignettes about the players visiting a children's hospital earlier in the day. There are no post-game interviews with big dumb athletes who can only give monosyllabic answers. Perhaps the New Zealand media realises that these athletes are good at playing a sport, but not necessarily good at talking.

8. And finally, WE WON! The All Blacks were down 11-20 at the half but came back to win 34-27. Not only did they win the Bledisloe Cup (which is the championship between NZ and Australia), they also clinched the Tri-Nations Cup (which is between NZ/Australia/South Africa).

PS - There's another reason why I like this game. The players don't wear saggy pants; they wear short shorts that show off their powerful thighs. They wear tight shirts that show off their physique. They're really buff and quite cute!