Rugby Union – The Most Frustrating Sport Ever? | Thebigtip

If you are an ex-player, if you follow it week in and week out, if you are a Kiwi, you get it. You understand all the nuances of Union and what is expected of the players. But if you are none of the above, Rugby Union is the most frustrating sport in the world to watch.

This does not stem from Australia’s loss in the World Cup semi final, New Zealand was too good (they only choke when the World Cup is not held in NZ!). This opinion comes from watching the game year in year out and even going to some live games. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan but I can see why people trying to understand rugby just give up and walk away.

Why do the powers that be maintain their stance that a penalty and a drop goal should be worth three points? They tried to fix the problem when they changed the rule to award 5 points for a try but the time has come to take it another step. Make a penalty/drop goal worth two points. It’s simple, it will make the game more attacking and will attract supporters. As it stands, your team is attacking looking for a try and the other team gives away a penalty.

Your reward is to look at someone take what seems like five minutes to set up and shoot at goal. The game is screaming out for teams to take a tap, go for the try, run at the defence and play the game the way it should be played.

Is there any other sport where the person chosen to referee has such an influence on the game? It was bad enough when we had Northern & Southern Hemisphere ways of umpiring but it seems to have gotten to the stage where the media and teams focus on who will be announced as the man in charge as this will decide the way the game is played. Against South Africa Pocock is awarded Man of the Match, against New Zealand he simply gave away penalties in his own half. The difference? The referee (with an assist to the Kiwi media who had complained about the way Pocock played, too much like McCaw for their liking?).

Players don’t seem to make it any easier. Rugby, more than other sports, have players who try and bend the rules as far as they can and then get applauded for it. Anything is ok until the ref blows his whistle and tells you it isn’t. Richie McCaw could be the next New Zealand Prime Minister if he wanted, based purely on his ability in breaking the rules without getting caught by the ref. The players also have this ability to look confused when the ref penalises them for something, either they don’t know the rules or have had acting training.

And finally the scrum. It’s a great show of strength and allows the backs to have some room to run but you feel as though the referee makes up half the penalties when something goes wrong.  The tactics teams seem to employ is, how can we make this scrum collapse whilst making it look the other team did it?

I will continue to watch, I will continue to enjoy, but whilst Rugby continues to run down the same frustrating path it will be very difficult to convert anyone into a Rugby Union fan.