Posted on 11/08/2013 2:19:52 AM PST by the scotsman
'Theres a World Cup on, America! And youre a part of it!
The 2013 Rugby League World Cup is currently being played in England & Wales, and the United States Tomahawks are in Group D, along with Wales and the Cook Islands. But before we get into that, I need to clear up a few things.
Chiefly, Rugby League is not the sport that comes to mind when Americans think of rugby. The sport youre thinking of is Rugby Union; Rugby League is its faster, looser cousin. There are only 13 players on a side, as opposed to Unions 15, and instead of the famous ruck and maul that occurs in Union when a player is tackled, in League the tackled player tries his best to stand and play the ball* as the defense gets back and forms a line ten meters from the play-the-ball.
*It involves standing, placing the ball on the ground, and then using one foot to roll the ball to the guy standing directly behind you, called the dummy-half, and hoo boy I had no idea how ridiculous any of that was until I wrote it.
If the offense manages to get up and play the ball before all the defenders are back ten meters, its an off-side and the offense is awarded a penalty, and thats just one of the constant running battles happening throughout the game.
But its how the offense can utilize those ten meters that makes League different to Union, where players have to make their own space by running incredibly large men into groups of other incredibly large men until someone collapses and makes room.'
(Excerpt) Read more at mancave.cbslocal.com ...
Tomahawks? Isn’t that a racist nme? sarc/off
No doubt someone is offended.
If no one is offended, I’ll be offended for them.
Oh, dear - “Tomahawks” - better change that name real quick before someone starts p*ssing blood.
Rugby League World Cup: Australia 62-0 USA
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-league/24972740
Still, America has done fantastically well in this tournament and every American should be proud of their players.
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