RL Family Tradition and Folklore

[Maximus Decimus]

I went the Widnes game last Sunday for the first time in 2 years, and before that I'd only been going sporadically for a few years.

I went with my family, took my lad and one of the things I enjoyed most was the reminiscing about old games and doing things that we've always done. I thought I'd share a few because I'm sure people have their own.

There was a Fev away Cup game that I went to in about 1996, and the crowd was mixed. There was a guy stood behind us, who was wearing a beret (it might have been a flat cap) and he spent the game shouting 'Yay Featherstone Yay!' in a somewhat gravelly voice. As a result, at some point at least once during a Widnes game I shout out 'Yay Widnes Yay!' in the same way and my family laugh. I did it on Sunday and my lad just turned round and said, 'OMG you're so embarrassing.' 

There's also a time when we'd got corporate tickets and were sat in the prawn butty stand. It was a bit of a low-ebb for Widnes and the crowd were very quiet especially with the hoorah Henrys. A Widnes player put up a high bomb that was easy to take for the opposing player directly in front of us. As he was doing so, I shouted at the top of my voice and I swear I made him jump out of his skin. Usually, I will try unsuccessfully to recreate this moment. We also reminisce about the time my dad caught the ball from a kick to touch, and every penalty speculate about the possibility of catching it ourselves.

Then there are the memories we bring up: the time we were late at Leeds and came in finding Widnes were winning 6-0 only for us to eventually lose the game 66-6; my nan skipping work and losing her job to watch Widnes play Australia; the time one of the Widnes Arabs (it was a different time lol) tackled the St Helens mascot.

It sort if made me realise that there is so much more to going the rugby than simply going the game, it's about that shared experience built up over years and years.

[corvusxiii]

I once just happened to look and i was right under a kick. How I didn't spoil my pantaloons I'll never know. Thing is an old bloke caught it without any drama at all whatsoever, about 10 yards away!

I'd hate to be a Full Back. Or a Prop. Or a....

[Maximus Decimus]

40 minutes ago, corvusxiii said:

I once just happened to look and i was right under a kick. How I didn't spoil my pantaloons I'll never know. Thing is an old bloke caught it without any drama at all whatsoever, about 10 yards away!

I'd hate to be a Full Back. Or a Prop. Or a....

Was probably my dad's proudest moment and he had 6 kids .

Funny, my lad didn't show much interest in the rugby (it was too cold and he was annoyed by the inability to get refreshments) but he did get excited at the prospect of the ball coming towards us. 

 

[Red Willow]

Rangi Chase broke my husband's finger at a game

[Leyther_Matt]

3 hours ago, Red Willow said:

Rangi Chase broke my husband's finger at a game

And the worst thing was that he wasn’t even playing!

3 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

Was probably my dad's proudest moment and he had 6 kids .

Funny, my lad didn't show much interest in the rugby (it was too cold and he was annoyed by the inability to get refreshments) but he did get excited at the prospect of the ball coming towards us. 

 

I actually caught a conversion on the full at the Leigh v Whitehaven game the other week. Calmly passed the ball to one of the ball ops and dusted myself down and carried on as if nothing had happened. Won’t lie, I was buzzing inside though and have asked for the footage for my YouTube highlights reel. Still got it. 

[voteronniegibbs]

.

[GUBRATS]

1 hour ago, Leyther_Matt said:

And the worst thing was that he wasn’t even playing!

I actually caught a conversion on the full at the Leigh v Whitehaven game the other week. Calmly passed the ball to one of the ball ops and dusted myself down and carried on as if nothing had happened. Won’t lie, I was buzzing inside though and have asked for the footage for my YouTube highlights reel. Still got it. 

Twice at HP I told the people I was stood with , the ball would come to me , and it did , not managed it at the LSV yet

[Copa]

Towards the end of a close match I’ll always say to my kids a variation of “it’s roughly one minute for a set of six” and tell them how we have to hold on or step it up. I’ve done it hundreds of times.

Now they laugh and tell me the same thing as a match comes to a close.

[Leyther_Matt]

With the recent rule changes, I feel sorry for the next generation who will never hear the words “this game needs a scrap”. 

[Maximus Decimus]

16 hours ago, GUBRATS said:

Twice at HP I told the people I was stood with , the ball would come to me , and it did , not managed it at the LSV yet

We also have another example where one of my brothers went for refreshments and the ball landed in his seat.

[Wollo Wollo Wayoo]

Once stood behind the sticks and my mate jumped up and headed a completed conversion back onto the pitch.  Never seen it done before or since.  

[Just Browny]

On 13/02/2022 at 08:41, Copa said:

Towards the end of a close match I’ll always say to my kids a variation of “it’s roughly one minute for a set of six” and tell them how we have to hold on or step it up. I’ve done it hundreds of times.

Now they laugh and tell me the same thing as a match comes to a close.

Ah yes, tedious maxims  or catchphrases uttered to children / partners / newbies are a thread of their own:

'NEVER LET A RUGBY BALL BOUNCE.'

'MAKE SURE THE KICK AT GOAL GOES DEAD'

'IF IN DOUBT KICK IT OUT'

On 12/02/2022 at 12:52, Maximus Decimus said:

There's also a time when we'd got corporate tickets and were sat in the prawn butty stand. It was a bit of a low-ebb for Widnes and the crowd were very quiet especially with the hoorah Henrys.

Great thread, but sorry I can't believe you've got away with trying to claim there is a 'prawn butty stand' full of Hoorah Henrys at Widnes.

 

[gingerjon]

We're not much of an RL family so we don't have much in the way of traditions but we do have this rather quirky bit of nonsense.

Sometime in the early 1920s, the couple who would become my Great Grandad and Great Grandma went on a first date. He, being very romantic, took her to Watersheddings.

The match kicked off. Ball went up, came down, was caught, player immediately tackled hard.

"But they're hurting each other," my Great Grandma said and never went to a rugby match again.

The story, and that line, became something of a family legend.

Ninety years on, I took Little and Tiny Ginger to Hemel Stags, partly to make sure the first rugby game they saw was a league one. Coincidentally, Oldham were the visitors.

The match kicked off. Ball went up, came down, was caught, player immediately tackled hard.

"But they're hurting each other," Tiny Ginger, who never met Great Great Grandma, let alone ever heard the date story, said. And he's never been to a rugby match since.

[Desert Skipper]

On 12/02/2022 at 12:52, Maximus Decimus said:

one of the Widnes Arabs

Junior club West Bank? (See what I did there? )…

[LittleboroRoughyed]

One of the first games I took my son to, we were stood behind the sticks and the opposition (WWR I think) put a grubber in, which went dead and bounced up to me. I quickly passed it to the Oldham full back (30 yard bullet pass when my son tells it) and he takes a quick 20m tap and Oldham go full length & score. Every match we go to he asks me “Dad will you set up a try today?”

[Bob8]

2 hours ago, gingerjon said:

We're not much of an RL family so we don't have much in the way of traditions but we do have this rather quirky bit of nonsense.

Sometime in the early 1920s, the couple who would become my Great Grandad and Great Grandma went on a first date. He, being very romantic, took her to Watersheddings.

The match kicked off. Ball went up, came down, was caught, player immediately tackled hard.

"But they're hurting each other," my Great Grandma said and never went to a rugby match again.

The story, and that line, became something of a family legend.

Ninety years on, I took Little and Tiny Ginger to Hemel Stags, partly to make sure the first rugby game they saw was a league one. Coincidentally, Oldham were the visitors.

The match kicked off. Ball went up, came down, was caught, player immediately tackled hard.

"But they're hurting each other," Tiny Ginger, who never met Great Great Grandma, let alone ever heard the date story, said. And he's never been to a rugby match since.

I took my missus to the York Fev game on our honeymoon. I just wish more men had the same sense of romance that I do.

[Maximus Decimus]

3 hours ago, Just Browny said:

Ah yes, tedious maxims  or catchphrases uttered to children / partners / newbies are a thread of their own:

'NEVER LET A RUGBY BALL BOUNCE.'

'MAKE SURE THE KICK AT GOAL GOES DEAD'

'IF IN DOUBT KICK IT OUT'

Great thread, but sorry I can't believe you've got away with trying to claim there is a 'prawn butty stand' full of Hoorah Henrys at Widnes.

 

Haha, it's a term (nicked from Roy Keane) we use in our family based on the old NFP days when the South Stand was £1 more expensive than the North Stand. It is a much quieter stand and doesn't have any chanting etc.

[Maximus Decimus]

50 minutes ago, Bob8 said:

I took my missus to the York Fev game on our honeymoon. I just wish more men had the same sense of romance that I do.

Sadly the Maldives Super League hadn't kicked off when I was on mine.