RL Attitudes to other football codes

[17 stone giant]

Just now, EggFace said:

You used that quote before ?

I just think it's a comment that belongs in the past. It should have said a burning Allianz Stadium.

[sweaty craiq]

7 minutes ago, EggFace said:

You used that quote before ?

Have been consistent all adult life

[sweaty craiq]

5 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I just think it's a comment that belongs in the past. It should have said a burning Allianz Stadium.

Wtf is Allianz?

[17 stone giant]

2 minutes ago, sweaty craiq said:

Wtf is Allianz?

Allianz Stadium is the new name for Twickenham, the home of England RU. Just helping you keep your quote fresh and modern.

[sweaty craiq]

Just now, 17 stone giant said:

Allianz Stadium is the new name for Twickenham, the home of England RU. Just helping you keep your quote fresh and modern.

Sorry it will always be Twickenham, they can change their pants but smell will remain

[Tommygilf]

Never actually put my other "favourite sports" aside from RL.

Football is second, but on reflection that is only for Leeds United and the very biggest games (England in tournaments, Champions league finals). I used to watch loads - I remember watching the Champions league on ITV loads through the week growing up. I played lots of FIFA on PS2, XBOX 360, PS3, XBOX One, it's always been a fixture in my life. I like Arsenal too and have been to some games That said I've become far less engaged with it recently. Perhaps it's because I don't play 5 a side as much, and my mates and colleagues aren't as into it. That said I don't think anything beats going to a big full football ground.

F1 - love it. Going from strength to strength. Such a broad popularity now. 

RU - enjoyed playing it which gave me opportunities I never would have had without it, never had any major club attachments and my engagement is very casual. That said I wear a Canterbury Leinster RU jacket to work every day, and am sat here in my Gloucester RU shorts. I've got a good collection of RU shirts alongside my RL and football collection.

NFL - like the glitz and the show to an extent (super bowl is too far with that for me), I just think it is classically American in that it overcomplicates something that needn't be

Ice Hockey - interesting point I noted from Leeds Knights Ice Hockey adverts on social media, "missing the rugby" was the gist of it. Definitely enjoyed my experience there. Yes it's not the NHL or КГЛ but I don't care when there!

[Leyland Warrior]

Picking up on the RL vs RU thing, I suppose I've been exposed to the attitudes of both codes because of the places I've lived over the years .

I was in Cogenhoe (Northants) for a couple of years & well remember the first visit to the village pub with my gf at the time. The bartender asked me which club my Cherry & White hooped shirt represented? I genuinely thought the guy was just taking the Mick ... But he genuinely wasn't & my response of "The most famous team in World Rugby League etc etc" drew pretty much a blank response. And that sort of set the general tone for local attitudes there. Pretty much zero interest in our code & the only 'Saints' they recognise, play t'other code.

South Wales was completely different. Apart from the Wye Valley feeling more like 'home' to me than anywhere else in the UK (other than the glorious Republic of Lancashire, obviously), there was a very genuine active interest in RL down there. Even with folk from the Valleys, where RU is damn near a religion. A lot of people I met had a 'favourite' RL team that they kept an eye on - Sadly, I have to report, mainly Saints & Leeds. Wearing my Wigan shirt when out & about would almost always draw someone's attention & a chat about our sport would usually follow. Apart from calling us the 'Chicken Scratchers' code, the banter was always good fun. If there was any attitude, it was mine towards RU. Like most RL fans I have literally zero interest in that code & probably inherited the 'chip on shoulder' thing as much as anyone else from up North.

In Mid-Wales nowadays & it's hard to gauge what's what around these parts. Humans are outnumbered by the sheep population by around 1000-1. I'm guessing they're RU fans as well, but can't confirm that with absolute certainty. You don't tend to see many sports shirts, of any kind, around here.

Oh, and other sports? I used to follow Gaelic footy a bit & the darts - Although not as much since The Power retired. Nothing much else gets my attention really. Bit of NFL now & again. Usually just the play-offs & Superbowl though 

 

[Keith989]

5 hours ago, Griff said:

Off the crowd?

Yeah, I can understand that.

Off the ground I meant

[gingerjon]

52 minutes ago, Leyland Warrior said:

In Mid-Wales nowadays & it's hard to gauge what's what around these parts. Humans are outnumbered by the sheep population by around 1000-1. I'm guessing they're RU fans as well, but can't confirm that with absolute certainty. You don't tend to see many sports shirts, of any kind, around here

When I was there, and speaking to friends who are still there (students who never left), it's football ahead of anything. There is some RU but it is small scale and, usually, only there for the previously well-subsidised social clubs - so they often have better facilities. Go on any road north, south, or east of Aberystwyth and you'll pass football clubs but not so many rugby ones.

The only day that focus ever changed was the single day each year when Wales played England.

[Keith989]

3 hours ago, Maximus Decimus said:

It's a good watch as a novelty, but I soon think it would wear off. It's like GAA but you can basically shoot from half the pitch away.

Oh no Hurling is a different beast altogether, the skill levels on show from the likes of the Limerick and Clare hurlers is aw inspiring. I say that as somebody who doesn't come from a hurling county. There's a reason Limerick hurling has the best attendances in the country by a country mile (they averaged approx 30k for home games last season) 

[N2022]

2 hours ago, Tommygilf said:

Never actually put my other "favourite sports" aside from RL.

Football is second, but on reflection that is only for Leeds United and the very biggest games (England in tournaments, Champions league finals). I used to watch loads - I remember watching the Champions league on ITV loads through the week growing up. I played lots of FIFA on PS2, XBOX 360, PS3, XBOX One, it's always been a fixture in my life. I like Arsenal too and have been to some games That said I've become far less engaged with it recently. Perhaps it's because I don't play 5 a side as much, and my mates and colleagues aren't as into it. That said I don't think anything beats going to a big full football ground.

F1 - love it. Going from strength to strength. Such a broad popularity now. 

RU - enjoyed playing it which gave me opportunities I never would have had without it, never had any major club attachments and my engagement is very casual. That said I wear a Canterbury Leinster RU jacket to work every day, and am sat here in my Gloucester RU shorts. I've got a good collection of RU shirts alongside my RL and football collection.

NFL - like the glitz and the show to an extent (super bowl is too far with that for me), I just think it is classically American in that it overcomplicates something that needn't be

Ice Hockey - interesting point I noted from Leeds Knights Ice Hockey adverts on social media, "missing the rugby" was the gist of it. Definitely enjoyed my experience there. Yes it's not the NHL or КГЛ but I don't care when there!

On the ice hockey, we lived in Leeds but used to go down to Sheffield for Steelers games, great atmosphere. Try it if you haven't. My wife and I used to live abroad and watch games then too. As with rugby, good to watch a physical battle yet without any real antisocial in the crowd, in contrast to lower league football with the muppets giving out verbal abuse and looking for a fight.

[Sports Prophet]

On 25/10/2024 at 16:46, SouthBedfordshireFan said:

…

In some posts on this forum I have noticed AFL has been mockingly referred to as 'fumbleball'. 

In that regard what is the attitude of RL fans/authorities towards association football and the gridiron codes across the Atlantic?

 

I’ve lived in various locations where any one of RL, RU, AFL and soccer have been the number 1 sport.

To answer your question, overwhelmingly it has been RL supporters which have such a passionate hatred of other football codes… in most circumstances I find it is a massive inferiority complex.

For the most part, when I have lived in or visited AFL states, soccer mad cities or RU nations/counties, there isn’t the open RL bashing, it’s just RL is not a talking point like where I live in Australia now, the 2025 NRL GF featured in a thin column article with a small photo about six pages from the back page.

I grew up playing and training for footie 7 days a week, playing league at school, both club union and club AFL on Saturday and then club league on Sunday. There was a lot of GayFL remarks in the school yard in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. 

[iffleyox]

3 hours ago, Leyland Warrior said:

Picking up on the RL vs RU thing, I suppose I've been exposed to the attitudes of both codes because of the places I've lived over the years .

I was in Cogenhoe (Northants) for a couple of years & well remember the first visit to the village pub with my gf at the time. The bartender asked me which club my Cherry & White hooped shirt represented? I genuinely thought the guy was just taking the Mick ... But he genuinely wasn't & my response of "The most famous team in World Rugby League etc etc" drew pretty much a blank response. And that sort of set the general tone for local attitudes there. Pretty much zero interest in our code & the only 'Saints' they recognise, play t'other code.

South Wales was completely different. Apart from the Wye Valley feeling more like 'home' to me than anywhere else in the UK (other than the glorious Republic of Lancashire, obviously), there was a very genuine active interest in RL down there. Even with folk from the Valleys, where RU is damn near a religion. A lot of people I met had a 'favourite' RL team that they kept an eye on - Sadly, I have to report, mainly Saints & Leeds. Wearing my Wigan shirt when out & about would almost always draw someone's attention & a chat about our sport would usually follow. Apart from calling us the 'Chicken Scratchers' code, the banter was always good fun. If there was any attitude, it was mine towards RU. Like most RL fans I have literally zero interest in that code & probably inherited the 'chip on shoulder' thing as much as anyone else from up North.

In Mid-Wales nowadays & it's hard to gauge what's what around these parts. Humans are outnumbered by the sheep population by around 1000-1. I'm guessing they're RU fans as well, but can't confirm that with absolute certainty. You don't tend to see many sports shirts, of any kind, around here.

Oh, and other sports? I used to follow Gaelic footy a bit & the darts - Although not as much since The Power retired. Nothing much else gets my attention really. Bit of NFL now & again. Usually just the play-offs & Superbowl though 

 

As someone who lives in Northants now, it’s totally one eyed. It’s not an RU thing it’s literally as though no RU exists beyond (Northampton) Saints except to ask whether Leicester lost.

I wander around in a selection of vintage Moseley shirts attracting bafflement that the club still exists as much as anything. 

[M j M]

4 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

Allianz Stadium is the new name for Twickenham, the home of England RU. Just helping you keep your quote fresh and modern.

Allianz Stadium is the Sydney Football Stadium. Anything else deciding to call itself that now is just a rip off and definitely shouldn't be referred to that way on this forum!

[Damien]

3 minutes ago, M j M said:

Allianz Stadium is the Sydney Football Stadium. Anything else deciding to call itself that now is just a rip off and definitely shouldn't be referred to that way on this forum!

There are loads of them now, Allianz must spend a fortune on sponsorship.

[unapologetic pedant]

7 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

There was a lot of GayFL remarks in the school yard in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. 

Sorry to hear that mate.

[Sports Prophet]

6 hours ago, M j M said:

Allianz Stadium is the Sydney Football Stadium. Anything else deciding to call itself that now is just a rip off and definitely shouldn't be referred to that way on this forum!

I believe there is only one “Allianz Stadium” and that is in Sydney. All the other Allianz branded stadiums use a different term like “Arena” in Munich, or “Park” in Twickers.

[Sports Prophet]

18 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

Sorry to hear that mate.

why? Aerial ping pong was another disparaging term for the sport. It was obviously children repeating what they would hear at home, not anything they coined themselves.

Which is why I find the habits of adults when outside of friendly banter discussions unnecessarily bashing another sport to be very childish. I might have been guilty of it myself sometimes with regards to RU, but I am a RL supporter after all, so there must be an inherent chip on my shoulder as much the next RL supporter, no matter how hard I try and overcome it.

[eal]

I like almost every sport, but spend a lot of time watching cricket, rugby union, basketball, and handball.

[iffleyox]

7 hours ago, Sports Prophet said:

I believe there is only one “Allianz Stadium” and that is in Sydney. All the other Allianz branded stadiums use a different term like “Arena” in Munich, or “Park” in Twickers.

You believe wrong.. Twickenham is (for £100m) Allianz Stadium.

https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/rugby/twickenham-change-name-allianz-stadium-b1174854.html

Allianz Park was the 10000 capacity home ground of Saracens up in North London before they changed sponsor.

Edited October 27, 2024 by iffleyox

[gittinsfan]

One of my biggest bugbears with RU is the amount of time refs allow to play advantage.Sometimes it can be literally minutes.

[Dunbar]

My biggest gripe with Union is this ridiculously pompous attitude they have that playing the sport makes you a better person.

[Damien]

1 hour ago, gittinsfan said:

One of my biggest bugbears with RU is the amount of time refs allow to play advantage.Sometimes it can be literally minutes.

Yeah don't like the way they have it either, it goes on way too long and is like the old free play in RL,which I wasn't a fan of either, on steroids.

[unapologetic pedant]

On 26/10/2024 at 23:53, Sports Prophet said:

Aerial ping pong was another disparaging term for the sport. It was obviously children repeating what they would hear at home, not anything they coined themselves.

Are you sure? Children can be highly insightful.

On 26/10/2024 at 23:53, Sports Prophet said:

Which is why I find the habits of adults when outside of friendly banter discussions unnecessarily bashing another sport to be very childish. 

Get back to me when you've sampled the anti-NRL vitriol on BigFooty. Friendly banter, it is not.

[unapologetic pedant]

11 hours ago, Dunbar said:

My biggest gripe with Union is this ridiculously pompous attitude they have that playing the sport makes you a better person.

"All that Rugby puts hairs on your chest"