Just Another Rugby Blog

‘It's just a game’ is a phrase I have heard many times over the past nine years as a follower of Rugby Union. I heard it from my family as Wasps crashed out of Europe in the Semi Final of the Champions Cup in 2016 and I heard it from my friends when we exited at the Quarter Final stage of the same competition against Leinster in 2017. I heard it most loudly from a certain individual after our heart-breaking loss to Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership Final of the same year. Those are only three of many examples where I have been told that Rugby is ‘just a game’. To me though, Rugby is, and always will be, far more than 30 players on a field running after an egg-shaped ball. When I began following Rugby Union in 2012, at 16 years old, I was starting on a journey that nobody wants. Mental Health Problems were becoming increasingly prevalent for me although, as yet, I had no idea what they were nor of the scale of what I was facing. At that stage, I was still a young man desperately fi

When I began following Rugby Union back in 2012 one of the most endearing factors about the sport, alongside the crunching tackles and sensational last-minute tries, was the atmosphere of utmost respect towards officials. I remember vividly the scenes of muscly props and six-foot-something second rowers standing subserviently beside officials half their size, listening intently and complying without question. In the beginning, the scene was very alien to a person from a footballing background, chiefly as this was something you simply would not have seen. You still don't. Quickly though, I learnt that this was completely ingrained into the DNA of every rugby player and in fact was demanded of them by their coaches  and  supporters. The latter, I think, was most surprising to me. Whereas in Football officials were commonly the target of hateful abuse or racist remarks by supporters, there was little or none of this prevalent in Rugby Union. Rugby wore this core value of respect as a

 Yesterday saw the conclusion of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Rugby 7s tournament which featured both a men's and women's competition. When I sat down to watch the first session of the men's rugby 7s in the early hours of Tuesday morning I was looking forward to what I believed would be an entertaining six days of carnival style rugby. Whilst I believed that I would enjoy it, I never imagined for one moment that the tournament would have the level of impact on me that it did, nor did I envisage the connection that I would feel with the players of all participating nations. From the minute that coverage began there was so much to captivate audiences new and old, from the breath-taking aerial scenes of early morning Tokyo to the wonderful structure that is the Tokyo Stadium - adorned with the flags of nations participating in the tournament. That morning we got the first introduction to the soon-to-be famous robotic car upon which was constructed rugby posts. The car was used to ca

Dear Reader, Welcome to 'Just Another Rugby Blog'. I will be using this blog to share anything rugby related that takes my fancy from rugby stories to rugby tactics. I hope you enjoy your time here. Best Wishes, Admin