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An interesting article in today’s Independent which really portrays the League fans as being a particularly bitter and twisted lot – not just against us.
It also portrays the journo as someone who really should have done his homework before looking for someone to blame for English RU’s epic failure. Not knowing Bradford, Sheffield, Salford & London are cities in England is pretty basic stuff!
It also portrays the journo as someone who really should have done his homework before looking for someone to blame for English RU’s epic failure. Not knowing Bradford, Sheffield, Salford & London are cities in England is pretty basic stuff!Inaccuracies regarding the number of cities with RL clubs aside, it’s an interesting article and I find a lot of truth in it.
I played League at school but chose to play Union at weekends and did so into adulthood. My eldest son now plays Union.
Most of the other dads who watch their boys playing on Sunday mornings are a mixed bunch of ex-Union and ex-League players, but they all watch both codes and also watch football.
And when you visit other clubs, even if they haven’t played League, they’ll still watch it, and likewise football.
With my League supporting mates however, it’s completely different. Many of them can’t stand football (calling it wendyball, puffball etc) and would point-blank refuse to watch any game of Union (calling that yawnion, kick n clap, rah-rah etc).
It’s pure bitterness.
So what this writer is alluding to, I think, is spot on.
And he’s hardly trying to blame England RU’s failure on anything to do with Rugby League – confirmed in his paragraph:
‘When one of the greatest individuals to have played the league code…was characterised as a cause of English failings, it confirmed every preconceived notion about the southern toffs’ game….As perceived acts of betrayal go, the Burgess business has not been far behind the French rugby union collaborating with the Nazi puppet Vichy regime to stamp out league during the Second World War.’
You reading it as an another Union writer trying to blame League, confirms to me that you, like a lot of other League supporters, need to grow thicker skin if you want your sport to grow in popularity.
need to grow thicker skin if you want your sport to grow in popularity.
But the sport of RL has had 100 plus years to grow if they can’t do it after that amount of time it will never happen harsh but true
From my experience, I’d echo what Standish said – Whilst it’s by no means all of them, I’ve never met a sports supporters so vitriolic in their feelings towards other sports.
I know people that watch play ice hockey, basketball, rugby union, netball & think they’re the best sports around, who don’t like or enjoy other sports but that’s it. They choose not to watch them & don’t froth at the mouth & the mention of other sports.
I can’t stand rugby union, so I don’t watch it & haven’t taken the slightest notice of the world cup but I don’t wind myself up about the coverage of itI think that there’s some truth, hinted at in the article, that league has been sneered at by the media & the more popular (internationally) rugby union in the past & it’s also true that (in the past) the media coverage of it has been poor comparative to attendances, both of which may have bred this attitude amongst many RL followers.
I also think though that they’re a very passionate lot about their sport as much as their personal teams & can’t understand why others aren’t which when combined with the above further fuels their fury against football & unionTimes have changed though with a lot of attitudes towards rugby league (outside of many Latics supporters at least) & I think the attitude of RL followers hasn’t on the whole
I did a gig in the Belle Vue on Saturday so was among the Rugby lot and to be honest I was amazed as to how vitriolic Warriors fans are towards R L opponents as well as other sports fans. Every time Leeds had possession the often vile comments had me scratching my head. I am not a fan of either code but it certainly comes across if what I witnessed at the weekend is the norm is that Union is far more civilised. I have watched football for 40 odd years and can honestly say that I have never said or heard some of the stuff I did. Yes it was alcohol fuelled and yes it was a highly charged game but for fans to wish serious injury to opposing players is a bit naughty. Please don’t think this is just a rant at Warriors fans just because I’m blue thru and thru, it isn’t. I have always avoided being in the RL environment but couldn’t get out of it Saturday so I always thought that Warriors fans were ok and most I would imagine are indeed. The ones I was amongst let the club down badly.
On a lighter note, when Wigan took the lead I had a playlist ready including “We are the champions” needless to say I was happy to make a new one at the final whistle :lol: :lol:
I did a gig in the Belle Vue on Saturday so was among the Rugby lot and to be honest I was amazed as to how vitriolic Warriors fans are towards R L opponents as well as other sports fans. Every time Leeds had possession the often vile comments had me scratching my head. I am not a fan of either code but it certainly comes across if what I witnessed at the weekend is the norm is that Union is far more civilised. I have watched football for 40 odd years and can honestly say that I have never said or heard some of the stuff I did. Yes it was alcohol fuelled and yes it was a highly charged game but for fans to wish serious injury to opposing players is a bit naughty. Please don’t think this is just a rant at Warriors fans just because I’m blue thru and thru, it isn’t. I have always avoided being in the RL environment but couldn’t get out of it Saturday so I always thought that Warriors fans were ok and most I would imagine are indeed. The ones I was amongst let the club down badly.On a lighter note, when Wigan took the lead I had a playlist ready including “We are the champions” needless to say I was happy to make a new one at the final whistle :lol: :lol:
Union IS far more civilised!
I always thought that Warriors fans were ok and most I would imagine are indeed. The ones I was amongst let the club down badly.I suspect the ones you came across haven’t set foot in the DW for a long time and used the event as an excuse to get tanked up – if they needed an excuse.
The proper fans were at Old Trafford.
The alleged fight didn’t take place inside Old Trafford, it was at some marquee in Manchester 3 hours before kick off.
As I said.. The proper fans were at Old Trafford.
Funny then how any football-related violence – wherever or whenever – is condemned as “football violence”
As a fan of both I’ve never understood why people try and compare the two. Like apples and oranges.
I do understand why League fans hate Union, because historically if you played League you were banned from ever playing Union or in some cases even stepping foot on a Union club ground. Plus the closing down of all French league clubs. Similar to the feelings Latics have towards Rugby from the Lindsay days.
Personally, RL will always be my number one sport and as I’ve said many times….a good game of league will beat a great game of any other sport. Some agree, plenty don’t.
…a good game of league will beat a great game of any other sport. Some agree, plenty don’t.Some agree…………….yeh you are right there eggy, some will agree but probably for each person that does agree there will be about 10,000,000 across the world that don’t.
In this country, that prides itself as the home of RL an average RL weekend will attract a paltry 30,000 people out of 64 million people, and not all them who watch it watch just RL.
Each to their own though, it would be no fun if we were all the same would it?
As a fan of both I’ve never understood why people try and compare the two. Like apples and oranges.I do understand why League fans hate Union, because historically if you played League you were banned from ever playing Union or in some cases even stepping foot on a Union club ground. Plus the closing down of all French league clubs. Similar to the feelings Latics have towards Rugby from the Lindsay days.
Personally, RL will always be my number one sport and as I’ve said many times….a good game of league will beat a great game of any other sport. Some agree, plenty don’t.
Speaking as a football fan Egg I find some of the rules in rugby totally baffling and that is in both codes. I simply cannot see the logic in the laws of the game and that is why I do not like the sport. You are spot on tho with Lindsay and you obviously understand why Latics fans have these anti Warriors traits. I understand also where mutty is coming from regarding true Wigan fans. As Wigan folk we should be shouting from the rooftops what we as a sporting town has achieved but with Lindsay and the pub dwelling rugby efficiado’s it will nevewr happen.
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