Rugby Union : a game best played in mud.

None of this fancy-dan hard-ground prissy stuff.

1. If your best player doesn't resemble http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/10/15/article-1220638-06D4E3F5000005DC-404_306x296.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.anorak.co.uk/301198/sports/lifting-the-lid-on-rubgy-players-us-boffins-want-to-pick-their-brains.html/&h=296&w=306&sz=22&tbnid=Dpi5QYrrQk5-fM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=93&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dfran%2Bcotton%2Bmud%2Bimage%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=fran+cotton+mud+image&usg=___7SsfwmSaSfs50kOC5o0P6OKtHw=&docid=3__ZVlLz3XSILM&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_q68T9afOIH80QXbl-U4&ved=0CGMQ9QEwAw&dur=93

and

2. If your wingers aren't suffering from hypothermia

Then it's just a cartoon cut-out of the game.

I don't think the high veld could be described as prissy Portnoy. Nor indeed the opponents you face on it. But I take your point that a hard man´s game is enhanced by playing in harsh conditions rather than benign conditions (if your country has those in summer!).

I like when the elements are a factor. One of my fondest memories of going to see a game live was in Athletic Park against the Wallabies. The stand I was in was swaying alarmingly and the ABs played into the wind. Australia scored two penalties but NZ played a masterful game into the wind and were well up at half time and ended up winning 43 6 in the end. They were atrocious conditions but the spectacle was very satisfying, at least for the home fans.

Another stand out game from memory was Scotland vs the ABs when Eden Park was temporarily renamed Eden Lake. France vs SA in the 95 World Cup was played in similar torrential conditions. I wonder if in the old days they would've played the match in Paris between France and Ireland that was cancelled?

I can tell you in the highveld it is highly unlikely you will ever play in those conditions during the winter months, there is nothing but sunshine here.

Unless of course you start thinking about rugby in the summer time, but even then, chances are slim, as showers are hard but short lived.

As a defensive back row forward I loved playing in mud, and hail and even pitches that seemed to be covered in irradiated sand (Workington coast).

Playing in Texas was tough though - thankfully the US marine side we played were not at all fit and struggled even more with hard, dry conditions.

Scotland vs the ABs when Eden Park was temporarily renamed Eden Lake.

I was looking for a clip of that game kia. Eden Park was it?

Ah yes ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtCn5nESB3M .

Not enough mud to my taste.

Grass carpet tiles wouldn't have been drifting.

I'm sure there have been club games in snow but can anyone remember a test match in snow? I remember a ridiculous Super final in Christchurch that was played in fog and it was an exercise in futility trying to watch the game. The camera crew had no idea half the time where the kicks went especially the high balls and would sweep the field like in those war movies with a German sentry in a guard tower with a spotlight.

I take it mud is the key Portnoy. To see the players coming off the field and not recognise who they are or what team they're playing for. That's a real sport!

Absolutely kia.

A prop clouting the ref senseless and once he comes round explaining apologetically that he thought that he was the oppo scrummy.

Appeal accepted and carry on. Proper rugby!

And then to realise it was the oppo scrummy all along and he was just pretending to be the ref!

kiakahaaotearoa wrote: I'm sure there have been club games in snow but can anyone remember a test match in snow?

England-Italy in this years 6Ns - not all the snow was removed from the pitch

http://www.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article681821.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/england-italy-tom-palmer.jpg

Good work sir!

Not enough mud though there for Portnoy. They just look like prissy skiers in the Alps.

Absolutely kia.

http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://punditkitchen.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/political-pictures-mud-wrestling.jpg%3Fw%3D492%26h%3D398&imgrefurl=http://news.icanhascheezburger.com/2009/09/08/political-pictures-mud-wrestling/&h=398&w=492&sz=30&tbnid=P7VYDpTDc0WBPM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=117&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmud%2Bwrestling%2Bimages%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=mud+wrestling+images&usg=__XKk8SamgdgjnBUKHWFGdag0uNoM=&docid=4RD8wzdD2gzxnM&sa=X&ei=1-C8T7mtE8il0QWThdgn&ved=0CF8Q9QEwAA&dur=4002

is just the pre-game warm up.

LondonTiger wrote:As a defensive back row forward I loved playing in mud, and hail and even pitches that seemed to be covered in irradiated sand (Workington coast).

Playing in Texas was tough though - thankfully the US marine side we played were not at all fit and struggled even more with hard, dry conditions.

My club went to Houston, Texas last October. The ground was hard and dry, and the temperature was quite hot. But the worst thing was the grass itself. It was natural grass, but a Texas variety which cut the skin like a knife. Everyone lost acres of skin, simply sheared off by the grass. Took weeks to heal.

doctor_grey wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:As a defensive back row forward I loved playing in mud, and hail and even pitches that seemed to be covered in irradiated sand (Workington coast).

Playing in Texas was tough though - thankfully the US marine side we played were not at all fit and struggled even more with hard, dry conditions.

My club went to Houston, Texas last October. The ground was hard and dry, and the temperature was quite hot. But the worst thing was the grass itself. It was natural grass, but a Texas variety which cut the skin like a knife. Everyone lost acres of skin, simply sheared off by the grass. Took weeks to heal.

Took weeks to heal.

Doctor heal thyself. Or use a different sort of grass.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote: I'm sure there have been club games in snow but can anyone remember a test match in snow? I remember a ridiculous Super final in Christchurch that was played in fog and it was an exercise in futility trying to watch the game. The camera crew had no idea half the time where the kicks went especially the high balls and would sweep the field like in those war movies with a German sentry in a guard tower with a spotlight.

I take it mud is the key Portnoy. To see the players coming off the field and not recognise who they are or what team they're playing for. That's a real sport!

I was at that final Kia. The fog came in as we drove to the ground, and rolled out 30 minutes after full time.

Our seats were on the Southern end 22, up in the 2nd tier of the (then) new Paul Kelly stand. For most of the game I could see just over 1/4 of the pitch - I could see from half-way to dead ball line, and out to the far goal post. The Hurricanes didn't really turn up, so in the first half you saw a lot of play, when the Crusaders were attacking, and the 2nd half was dead boring. I'd recorded the game, but it was even worse on TV - the cameras on top of the stand couldn't see anything, but Sky had to cut to them every now and then so the cameramen running the sideline could catch their breath.

Leon MacDonald talked afterwards about positioning for high kicks based on the sound of the ball through the air.

I was at a bar watching it Kiwi but I was wrapped in my own fog called Monteiths and vodka chasers. Utterly pointless game and why I loathe night matches with a passion.

The best thing about playing in 'real' rugby conditions, ie a borderline bog is that it is really obvious which of the backs have been avoiding doing any work!

If you´re smart like all good backs are, you make sure you 'trip' when the play is away from you and then you blend in with the rest of your team.

kiakahaaotearoa wrote: If you´re smart like all good backs are, you make sure you 'trip' when the play is away from you and then you blend in with the rest of your team.

I played with winger who never washed his kit for the same reason. Not the best company mind...

Of course, any day that the old fashioned heavy cotton jersey didn't weigh more than you at the end of the game and could be removed without the assistance of two forwards just wasn't proper rugby.

Playing in a gale and hailstorm near the Humber estuary was though taking things just a little too far. Bleeding ears are not a good sign...

Portnoy wrote:

doctor_grey wrote:

LondonTiger wrote:As a defensive back row forward I loved playing in mud, and hail and even pitches that seemed to be covered in irradiated sand (Workington coast).

Playing in Texas was tough though - thankfully the US marine side we played were not at all fit and struggled even more with hard, dry conditions.

My club went to Houston, Texas last October. The ground was hard and dry, and the temperature was quite hot. But the worst thing was the grass itself. It was natural grass, but a Texas variety which cut the skin like a knife. Everyone lost acres of skin, simply sheared off by the grass. Took weeks to heal.

Took weeks to heal.

Doctor heal thyself. Or use a different sort of grass.

Port, as the medical officer for the club, I practised a lot of medicine that day, and the day after. On the pitch right after administering the MAGIC SPONGE, I performed what seemed an imitation of army field triage. After application of the MAGIC SPONGE, I cleaned and dressed the wounds, then medicated my charges with copious amounts of gin. This was the same day as the Wales-France RWC match. Though the match happened during the previous night (Houston time)the match was re-broadcast after we finished playing and were back in our hotel. Needless to say, some teammates became quite agitated by the match and required even more medication. Even the MAGIC SPONGE could do nothing to temper the agitation. But we did end up having a MAGIC SPONGE war in the hotel bar. I wonder why they don't want us back.

You must come to the highveld and play on one of the club grounds during the middle of winter here, the grass is dry, it is like playing on sandpaper.

When I was at bandcamp...................oh sorry, when I was playing for edenvale club in the early nineties there was a fire on the pitch, so the grass was not only dry, but it was like burnt soot.

Was the most painfull match of my life, you got up with third degree burns after every tackle made.

Sounds like the same kind of pitch - except for the burnt grass. The mental image you are conjuring is that of a field after a forest fire. Incredible. Which I suppose goes back to the original post that Rugby is best played in the mud.

I played at Thetford in September of about 1976 on a new pitch cut into the forest. It was hot, humid and sweltering. The Thetford club had taken every effort to clear the pitch of the widespread flints but it was an impossible task.

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

etc.

Flint is effin' sharp (well the Neanderthals wouldn't have been that interested would they?).

After the game everyone was covered with scratches and weals, many of which turned septic. Many tetanus jabs were administered at Felixstowe General Hospital that week.

.

Had a lot of fun practicing a line out in a blizzard before a match once.
Yes, as a forward I love the mud and the slog. Those fleet footed centres haven't got firm ground to step off, easy to line up and flatten.

Whatever happened to my recent article?

Mud, rain, sleet and in general inclement weather creates good rugby and fine results.

(IMO)

Depends what you mean by "good rugby". Good rugby means different thigns to different people. I enjoy watching/playing rugby in all conditions, you have to adapt more so than you do in say football.(soccer)

Moderators please merge with existing thread:

https://www.606v2.com/t29573-rugby-union-a-game-best-played-in-mud

If only it had been a sticky.

red_stag wrote:Moderators please merge with existing thread:

https://www.606v2.com/t29573-rugby-union-a-game-best-played-in-mud

Also mods when I type 'mud' into the search facility, I get the response

No topics or posts met your search criteria

Thanks.





Mud and driving rain have served Wales and England U20s and Scotland thus far.

The search facility is virtually useless, but there's nothing we can do about that. I normally go to Google and include "606v2.com" in the search if I want to find something. Googling 606v2 rugby mud works pretty well.

I remember watching my dad play in a game at the Rectory Field, Blackheath when I was a girl (he used to take me to games. When we arrived at the ground, the lads would all say "I see you've brought your fan club with you again") in the howling wind and pouring rain. It had rained for a week solid and the pitch was soon churned into a morass, but it was wonderful to watch. Watching Blackheath play in the mud. Marvellous..!! And to be honest, by half time it was not possible to tell who was playing for who because everybodies colours were completely obliterated by mud. I did recognise my dad's bum sticking up in the air at the back of the scrum, though.

The picture of Fran Cotton posted by the OP was nothing compared to how everybody came off the pitch at the end of that game.