Your father's son (or daughter, or mothers son or daughter...)

Chip off the old block too. My dad played rugby (front row though) but he didn't really encourage me to start. I followed my mates at first, but once I was in my dad influenced me. He also used to drive me everywhere, even to the County trials which started early.

We both have always watched Risca together home and away and he used to finance my trips to either Crosskeys or Newbridge.

Played rugby and football at school as a kid Glas, but definitely from a football family and dad used to take to Highbury where we would stand on the north Bank and watch the mighty Arsenal. Always like rugby more though, but when I finished school and had to choose which to play on a saturday afternoon the choice was simple. I was more built for and better at football and could play to a level where I could earn a few bob from it, so that was what I did for about 10 years before totally falling out of love with football as a result of diving, dissent, violence at games etc, at which point I came back to rugby having been a part time follower of the game.

Kids are now totally brainwashed London Irish foot soldiers.

Oh yeah and as soon as I have children and they are of a certain age, they'll definitely be on the Hazell Terrace with me.

I had not played much rugby until I joined the Army but due to the fact I was a speed merchant I was politely asked by the RSM if I would like to attend one of his rugby training sessions.

My dad is a big rugby fan and he would extol the virtues of the game to me but never forced me to play. I got into it when a guy from a local club came into our school and did rugby with us once a week.

Another guy in my class then got me to come along to his club and from there on my father got right behind me and while I think I've become more addicted to the game, my enthusiasm has rubbed off on him and he watches more games again and has someone to talk to about it now.


As a side note, I absolutely love listening to my dad's stories about when he played rugby and how different it was back then. I have a few favourites and ask him those over and over again.

Nope. Nobody in my family was into sport really. Well, my sister was an equestrian teacher and apparently my father was a footballer but that's as sporty as my family got.

I just enjoy watching rugby and GAA and got into them myself. I could never follow...

Glas a du wrote:He could not see the benefit of attending a forward dominated, low scoring match. Are you like me a chip off the old block? Can you attribute those beliefs to your rugby mad Dad? Or are you like him a trail blazer in your family who will brainwash your kids?

Sounds lke someone I know eh Glas!!

In my family, it was all about GAA and Soccer. On my mothers side I had a grandfather represent the Republic of Ireland in soccer. On my fathers side there were too many cousins with connections to Kerry GAA. My parents moved from Waterford and Kerry and settled in Limerick. So me and later my brother were rugby fans first and foremost. Now we've won everyone over.

My family were into everything really. There are soccer,GAA and rugby people all around. When my bro took up rugby at 8 I wanted to do it too. I was too young at the time but in another year I took it up. I'm mad into GAA and Soccer too but rugby is the big deal for me. I suppose before I started rugby it was more GAA as my uncle played with Cork minors and was involved in coaching teams.

When I was a young lad I was like every other young lad in Belfast (Manchester Utd fan who loves football) but my old man worked on me and converted me. He always brought me to Ravenhill ever since I was young and around the age of 10 he cracked me. We went to every game in Ulster's run to the European Cup Final win together, we both hold season tickets for Ravenhill and we go to all manner of games together to this day. So he's met a few people from on here (most recently Rava and Asbo on our Ulster quarter-final jaunt).

Rugby has definitely brought us closer together, and I'm very grateful for that. The time we spend together at the games is invaluable. He won't always be here.

I started playing for Peterborough when I was 4 after watching the France NZ semi final at the 1999 RWC. My dad played for the RAF, but was always adamant he would never force it on me, so I guess I found it myself.

No one in my family was a fan, just found the game at school.
Later on a boring day I wandered into Pontypool park, Pooler were playing and after the second half kicked off entry was free, so I watched and was hooked.
Had to start paying though, couldn't wait for the second half.
Those were the days, soaked to the skin with 5,000 others on the bank...............POOLER,POOLER,POOLER.

Still a magical game to me even though some of it's soul got lost when the old amateur days vanished.

OH, and Glas a du we could really mangle your tip, tap, toe, fancy dans then.

Well, my family were watching the 2005 6N and I was stuck in the same room...

I soon picked it up after the England game

Since I was about 4 my father took me and my three brothers to rugby training on a Sunday. Played since then, though took bit of a sabbatical from School Years 9-10. Got back into the game since then. So yes, brought to the game by my father and mother, as they're both Welsh, and I grew up in Twickenham, so there's a lot of rugby around that area. So my father introduced me to the game, but really, I would never have avoided it due to where I lived.

Stag, how would explain the fact that I can't abide the super 15? I enjoy a tactical battle as much as the next man, but when running rugby breaks out it is such a joy. I don't like anything contrived. Rough and smooth and all that.

Ospreylian, not all the time then. Perkins retired because he didn't want to make trips down to Stradey and get hammered.

I was totally football until 11and I went to Boys Grammar school where the only posts were rugby ones. As a speedy skinny kid I soon started enjoying the game. Army next and a little muscle made me a little better and had the honor of playing a few games for the Army in the late 70's and thought I was the dog's boll**ks until I played against the RAF and some guy called Underwood!!

When I was in primary school it was athletics that I loved - I would run around the garden for hours on end and used to train at Newport Harriers, though not as a member. I loved watching athletics on TV (is it my imagination or did they show more athletics then than they do now?) and I could have told you who finished where in any race you cared to mention.

I remember the Five Nations matches were always watched in our house, but due to Wales not being particularly good in the '80s I didn't pay too much attention to it. That changed when, one day, my dad gave me a video of the Barbarians versus All Blacks match from 1973. I would watch it almost every weekend, getting up before everyone else and re-enacting passages of play with balled-up socks for a rugby ball. My love of the game grew when the father of a family from our church, before heading off to Zaire to work as missionaries, entrusted me with his copy of 'The Crowning Years.' From then on I loved the game and I can remember my dad waking me up early so we could watch the Lions play Australia in 1989.

I played a bit in school - I was quick and I had a handy sidestep on me - but got disheartened when everyone else had growth spurts and I didn't!

I saw those games too. You don't see much of that clip where Ieuan Evans steals the ball from Campese to flop over. I was happy as a pig in Poopie then. And the old school treatment of Farr-Jones by Robert Jones and Guscott's sublime skills. Mike Teague was also excellent. Aye great days.

I had the video of that tour too - it was a hell of a feat to win the series because they had a trouncing in the first Test.

I remember someone in the crowd at one of the Tests had a banner that read 'Robert Jones is Farr superior'

Rarely played rugby in school. In fact, I don't think it was even on the curriculum! My earliest memories are of a mulletted JDavies on grandstand back in the early 80's. Although I really got into rugby watching the 91 WC. As I started coming to Swansea regulary back in the mid 90's , my future Pa in law started taking me to St Helens to watch the whites. Thats were I really started to understand the game. Became a Swansea whites fan and a O's ST holder soon as they moved to the Liberty. Watched rugby all over the world thanks to the RN. Not forgeting the socials too....

My dad played rugby at school and as an adult, however he was a winger and not a front row forward like myself.

He enjoys Rugby, but he'll be the first to admit it he is a football fan more. He is a season ticket holder for Hibernian FC.

My love of rugby comes from myself. I played rugby from the age of 8 to 21, a massive injury to my knee forced me out of the game. However I am currently 47% through my IRB rules test online on the way to getting myself into rugby coaching.

I guess my love of the game came from watching the 6N as a kid (when Scotland were a force to be reckoned with). This might sound strange but what drew me to rugby more than football was the level of hatred and foolishness constantly generated by football in Scotland.

At school practicaly noone supported the local football teams, they either supported Rangers or Celtic. This angered me since most of the people at school had absolutly no ties to Glasgow or either side and only followed them because they won a lot. This forever made me decide to follow a differant sport, so I'm almost a rugby fan by default.

However my love of rugby does not come by default. I knew I was following the right sport when I was old enough to get out drinking in Edinburgh without my fake ID. Post 6N/Autumn Test matches mingling freely with the visiting fans, exchanging drinks, songs and stories I knew this was the greatest sport followed by the greatest fans in the world.

I would say my Dad was my biggest influence on me in following rugby. It was on all the time on the tv in the house when I was very little, and my brother started playing it at a young age, so I was always in a very rugby orientated house.
My Mam was a big rugby fan when I was little as well so I got it from all corners in the home really.

I also used to get taken to Stradey on very special occassions to watch Llanelli play. I've been exposed to rugby since I was so small I don't think I could imagine my life without it!

Forget about your fathers son what about your son. Are your kids, little siblings or the youth of today getting interested in rugby? If so why? If not why not?

My sons both completed their first full season of mini rugby last season with Rosslyn Park. It was all great fun although after the 8th all day festival I did feel my parenting powers were being abused. No matter what club you join this mini rugby is all about Dads and Lads playing and learning the old game on Sunday mornings. Some clubs do take too seriously though including the one we joined. Their U10 A team finished the season unbeaten, which is what they did at U9 and U8 level winning the Middlesex and Surrey chanpionships. Apparently they are unbeaten for 3.5 years and the run stretches to 107 matches. It will all end in tears at some point!

Being a kiwi, rugby just happened. I can remember being sat down to watch on TV from age 4, and my brother and I were given our 1st rugby ball around that time. Because my bro only has one kidney he was never allowed to play so I wasn't encouraged to (the farm was 40 mins drive to the nearest playing field too), though I started playing a bit from age 11 - initially wearing my Dad's 30 year old boots. Spent the next few years failing to tackle Anton Oliver (we were in the same form-class right through high school) before quietly retiring to a spectating position

Had little choice when growing up really.

Born in the late 60's I was brought up on the Welsh team of the 70's. Ebbw Vale were one of the top teams in the then Merit table with one of our PE Teachers a first team player for them.

One Uncle played for Ebbw at the time then ABertillery whilst Dad nad another Uncle played for RTBs.

Playing any other sport never rose as an option.

Glas a du wrote:
Lots of you hold strong opinions. Are you like me a chip off the old block? Can you attribute those beliefs to your rugby mad Dad? Or are you like him a trail blazer in your family who will brainwash your kids?

Glas, my father grew up on the island of Lewis in a remote village, so no chance for him to play. However, he certainly loved the game, played some when he was in the army, started taking me to Murrayfield early doors, and supported me from the sideline from as soon as I was allowed to go to mini-rugby. I was fortunate enough to play (still do occasionally for vets) to a decent enough standard, and now drag all 3 of my children along to Sandy Park to see the Chiefs - both Munsty and hughie have experienced the 'Scottish footwork' in the rucks that I have passed on to my wee lad

No family tradition unfortunately - but rugby mad schools, sports teachers and friends made up for that. I've fixed it though - from the age of three my daughter was yelling "knock on!" at the telly and one of her first words was "offload". She was the only girl that turned up at the rugby after school club.

My first rugby memory is catching my dad watching the 1977 Lions tour in NZ. I was 7 and didn't know anything about rugby.
I said to my dad that I liked the name Andy Irvine and wished the red team would beat the black team because it was a nicer colour.
He explained the black team was NZ. I've followed it ever since though my mum wouldn't let me play cause I was a skinny chinese kid. I became the captain for the soccer team but my two younger brothers played prop for the 1st 15.
I've taken my kids to a few Wellington Lions matches and I'm hoping my boy one day hold aloft the RWC as the first Chinese AB captain. Since he's a skinny wimp it probably wont happen.

Actually I'm neither of those. Grew up in Stoke 100% into football with supporting any particular team (watched a lot of Football Italia on Saturday mornings. Got fed up with shirt pulling and diving fell out of it. Went to uni in 2000 and then in early summer 2001 I turned on tele. HEC was on between Leicester and Stade Francais and decided to leave it on. Really enjoyed it even though I didn't understand the rules. Watched some games and tried to pick up the rules. Started seeing a Welsh girl and used her dad to ask rules questions while watching (I have found out he was wrong with some but that belongs on the 'mythbuster' thread).