Rucks

[chris26]

Can anybody help me here. Rucks were banned by the Northern Union in 1906. They were replaced with the play the ball for the purpose of speeding the game up. They continued to be used to restart play after a tackle, up to the present day. So why do coaches and journalists refer to Rucks in Rugby  league. does  anyone know when they were reintroduced?

[The Phantom Horseman]

45 minutes ago, chris26 said:

Can anybody help me here. Rucks were banned by the Northern Union in 1906. They were replaced with the play the ball for the purpose of speeding the game up. They continued to be used to restart play after a tackle, up to the present day. So why do coaches and journalists refer to Rucks in Rugby  league. does  anyone know when they were reintroduced?

I don't know exactly when the term became fashionable again but the reason will have been the desire for an all-encompassing term to describe the period of play/area between the tackle being completed and the early stages of the next play. The phrase "play-the-ball" refers to a very specific action, whereas "ruck" has been adopted to describe all activities immediately preceding and following it.

The extra phrase was probably rendered necessary because of the gradual increase in emphasis over the last 20-30 years of speeding up the PTB for attacking teams, and slowing it down for defending teams.

Edited December 27, 2023 by The Phantom Horseman

[JohnM]

37 minutes ago, chris26 said:

Can anybody help me here. Rucks were banned by the Northern Union in 1906. They were replaced with the play the ball for the purpose of speeding the game up. They continued to be used to restart play after a tackle, up to the present day. So why do coaches and journalists refer to Rucks in Rugby  league. does  anyone know when they were reintroduced?

I deplore the use of the term in rugby league. I understand the description in the post previous to mine. We just need a term that is all our own.

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but 'rucks' were replaced well before 1906. There's a film of Oldham v Swinton at Watersheddings in 1901. Still 15 a side but after each tackle a scrum was set. No rucks. They were still experimenting with the breakdown.

[OriginalMrC]

Technically it's still a ruck. The tackler will attempt to put the attacker on their back or slow the play down. The ruck placement is also where the ref measures the 10m from

[Welshleaguelover]

It's because we take on a lot of Australian terminology in our game. They are the thought leaders in the game, for better or worse.

[Agbrigg]

when I started watching this game rucks was a term that was never used. However I first heard it when Sky started to get coverage of the game. Like has been mentioned I'm sure it's an Aussie term that has crept in. Stevo liked to aussify the game and another one he introduced was sheds

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

15 minutes ago, Agbrigg said:

when I started watching this game rucks was a term that was never used. However I first heard it when Sky started to get coverage of the game. Like has been mentioned I'm sure it's an Aussie term that has crept in. Stevo liked to aussify the game and another one he introduced was sheds

Also I'm sure he would call loose forwards lock forwards.

[Harry Stottle]

3 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

Also I'm sure he would call loose forwards lock forwards.

Also Oranges, 1st or 2nd Stanza's, and five-eigth.

[Joe Aitcheson]

Ruck….. a stupid rugger union word that should never be heard in rugby league.

[unapologetic pedant]

1 hour ago, Joe Aitcheson said:

Ruck….. a stupid rugger union word that should never be heard in rugby league.

Rugby..... a stupid rugger union word that should never be heard in

[unapologetic pedant]

We have our interpretation of the principles of the Rugby Football ruck, the other code have theirs. Our version makes more sense. The word doesn't belong to Union, any more than the word "Rugby" does.

AFL fans don't get their knickers in a twist over use of the term in their game.

[Eddie]

On 27/12/2023 at 16:10, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but 'rucks' were replaced well before 1906. There's a film of Oldham v Swinton at Watersheddings in 1901. Still 15 a side but after each tackle a scrum was set. No rucks. They were still experimenting with the breakdown.

A scrum after every tackle?? Why ever did they get rid of that rule? 

[The Art of Hand and Foot]

37 minutes ago, Eddie said:

A scrum after every tackle?? Why ever did they get rid of that rule? 

The question, surely, is why did they ever think it would work in the first place!!? Don't think the ref was too picky about how well it was formed.

 

[Eddie]

15 minutes ago, The Art of Hand and Foot said:

The question, surely, is why did they ever think it would work in the first place!!? Don't think the ref was too picky about how well it was formed.

 

Love that, thanks for sharing it.