Rugby

[Mark_Wafc]

Cheers, the only Rugby Union ground in London i've been on aside from Twickenham was in/near Barnes in South West London - who plays there?

I went to watch our local side Orrell down there several years ago and i cant think who they played.

Um, not sure. London Welsh play in south London at Old Deer Park (renamed by a colleague of mine when their fortunes started to fade in the 1980s as Oh Dear Park). I think that's Richmond/Kew area.

London Scottish ground-share with Richmond.

It was Rosslyn Park! I knew it would come to me!

I think they are in National League 2 or 3 or something. Nice little ground anyway

Haven't been to that one, I don't think. At one point I seemed to be spending all my Saturdays on the M4 going to London grounds

My embarrassing one was going to Wakefield some years back when they were playing Gloucester in the then Pilkington Cup and asking for directions to the rugby ground. Not surprisingly I got sent to the rugby league ground.

I've been on that ground, as an ex work mate used to play for Wakefield and Emly football team and they played there for a few season so we went to the odd game.

Wakefield and Emly FC V Hucknall Town on a Friday night in January - rock and roll!!


A rugby Union team in Wakefield? Right in the centre of League teritory there and no danger!

[firehazard]

A rugby Union team in Wakefield? Right in the centre of League teritory there and no danger!

There was, and they weren't bad in their day. I think they've gone now, in the aftermath of Union going professional.

Did you manage to find your way to the right ground, Shaz? Could have been an interesting report if not.

[Shaz]

A rugby Union team in Wakefield? Right in the centre of League teritory there and no danger!

There was, and they weren't bad in their day. I think they've gone now, in the aftermath of Union going professional.

Did you manage to find your way to the right ground, Shaz? Could have been an interesting report if not.

LOL, I managed without an armed guard

This was a year or so before RU went pro. The Wakefield team weren't bad, but were no match for Glawster at their best All I remember now about the (correct) ground was that it was next to a hospital.

One of my colleagues had a good one when he was covering one of the Bristol teams against Port Vale on a cold Friday night. He turned up in good time and thought it was all a bit quiet, so he sat in a corner and went through his notes. Fifteen minutes before kick-off, it was still almost deserted, but some bloke came up and asked him what he was doing there. Turned out he'd gone to Stoke's ground by mistake

[Mark_Wafc]

A rugby Union team in Wakefield? Right in the centre of League teritory there and no danger!

There was, and they weren't bad in their day. I think they've gone now, in the aftermath of Union going professional.

Thats what killed off our local side Orrell.

Bottom of one of the Northern Leagues as we speak some 20 odd points from the nearest team and about to be made Homeless from Edge Hall Road.

[firehazard]

One of my colleagues had a good one when he was covering one of the Bristol teams against Port Vale on a cold Friday night. He turned up in good time and thought it was all a bit quiet, so he sat in a corner and went through his notes. Fifteen minutes before kick-off, it was still almost deserted, but some bloke came up and asked him what he was doing there. Turned out he'd gone to Stoke's ground by mistake

Perhaps this sort of thing happens more often than we realise. It could explain some of the match reports.

Hmm, perhaps it happens at gigs, too. And that could explain some of the reviews. Unless it's just the drink.

[Shaz]

A rugby Union team in Wakefield? Right in the centre of League teritory there and no danger!

There was, and they weren't bad in their day. I think they've gone now, in the aftermath of Union going professional.

Thats what killed off our local side Orrell.

Bottom of one of the Northern Leagues as we speak some 20 odd points from the nearest team and about to be made Homeless from Edge Hall Road.

This is what's really depressing == the money from the pro game hasn't filtered down at all. Several of the once big northern clubs have gone, or are going, the way of Orrell. There's only Sale now up with the big boys. I suppose the problem is that the clubs have been squeezed out as well by rugby league and soccer. Down here in the south west, which has always been a rugby hotbed, things continue pretty much as they were.

[Shaz]

One of my colleagues had a good one when he was covering one of the Bristol teams against Port Vale on a cold Friday night. He turned up in good time and thought it was all a bit quiet, so he sat in a corner and went through his notes. Fifteen minutes before kick-off, it was still almost deserted, but some bloke came up and asked him what he was doing there. Turned out he'd gone to Stoke's ground by mistake

Perhaps this sort of thing happens more often than we realise. It could explain some of the match reports.

Hmm, perhaps it happens at gigs, too. And that could explain some of the reviews. Unless it's just the drink.

Considering some of the dozy sports hacks I met, I wouldn't be a bit surprised
The hip flasks were always alive and well in rugby press boxes. I always wondered if this accounted for one particular colleague being a bugger for missing sendings-off


Then it happened to me, and I don't drink very often My defence was that it was a dark Saturday afternoon (at London Welsh, now I come to think of it!) and that it happened in the far corner of the ground in the midst of a punch-up. I never found out until I was interviewing the Lydney captain after, and he mentioned it

Fortunately most of the other hacks there missed it as well! After that I did what a colleague (who once missed a goal in an international) did and turned to the person next to me after the match and made some comment like: "Oh, they were lucky to finish the game with 15 men, weren't they!"

[firehazard]

This is what's really depressing == the money from the pro game hasn't filtered down at all. Several of the once big northern clubs have gone, or are going, the way of Orrell.

It is sad, yes. In the English Premiership, there are only Sale and Newcastle north of Leicester, I think, since Leeds have been relegated. And whatever one thinks of the rugby Premiership, it's hard for professional RU clubs to survive outside it, and it can't be good for the future of the game if there are vast areas of the country that have no local interest in it at the top level.

Remembering the days when touring sides would play against regional sides, too. Northern Division vs the All Blacks (I think), in about 1980 (I think), now that was a great day. It's understandable why these things don't happen now, but it's a shame that different parts of the country don't get the chance to see the game played there.

[Shaz]

This is what's really depressing == the money from the pro game hasn't filtered down at all. Several of the once big northern clubs have gone, or are going, the way of Orrell.

It is sad, yes. In the English Premiership, there are only Sale and Newcastle north of Leicester, I think, since Leeds have been relegated. And whatever one thinks of the rugby Premiership, it's hard for professional RU clubs to survive outside it, and it can't be good for the future of the game if there are vast areas of the country that have no local interest in it at the top level.

Remembering the days when touring sides would play against regional sides, too. Northern Division vs the All Blacks (I think), in about 1980 (I think), now that was a great day. It's understandable why these things don't happen now, but it's a shame that different parts of the country don't get the chance to see the game played there.

It's not been helped, either, by the Premiership clubs trying to operate as a closed shop and ban promotion/relegation. Worcester had to jump through so many hoops before they were promoted.

Made me very happy, mind, when Quins were relegated that time

I wonder whether more clubs will end up going down the sponsorship route that some of the first division clubs have -- I mean, Pertemps Bees and Earth Titan (WTF!!!) Makes 'em sound like blasted show jumping horses!

The Irish have done very well out of regional rugby, but it's lost favour here. I remember when the county championship was something worth winning. Now the county sides are pretty much filled with division two and three and below players.

[firehazard]

I wonder whether more clubs will end up going down the sponsorship route that some of the first division clubs have -- I mean, Pertemps Bees and Earth Titan (WTF!!!)

Remember with great delight a reporter (on the BBC I think) describing the Pertemps Bees as a French club.

It's a shame about the regional rugby in England. And about the county championship. I guess it's all part of the downside of professionalism. As you say, in Ireland they seem to have done it well.

[Shaz]

I wonder whether more clubs will end up going down the sponsorship route that some of the first division clubs have -- I mean, Pertemps Bees and Earth Titan (WTF!!!)

Remember with great delight a reporter (on the BBC I think) describing the Pertemps Bees as a French club.

'bout what you'd expect from the Beeb! PB I can remember, as I've covered them when they were B'ham Solihull, but I have to google ET every time. Think it's Rotherham as was . . .

[Bud Byrne]

The Irish have done very well out of regional rugby, but it's lost favour here. I remember when the county championship was something worth winning. Now the county sides are pretty much filled with division two and three and below players.[/quote]

Regional Rugby has done well in Ireland because they are the 'Professional Clubs'. There are only 4 provinces hence only 4 fully professional clubs. The original clubs are still there but the club competitions have been really watered down. Up to the pro era all the internationals played with their clubs week in week out. Now they play for the provinces and rarely if ever turn out for their clubs.

Now, this has brought about a massive change in the standard of both provincial and International rugby so I am not really complaining but it has done the clubs a huge amount of damage. Still, when/if we win the grand slam next year it will be all worth it!!!!

[Shaz]

The Irish have done very well out of regional rugby, but it's lost favour here. I remember when the county championship was something worth winning. Now the county sides are pretty much filled with division two and three and below players.

Regional Rugby has done well in Ireland because they are the 'Professional Clubs'. There are only 4 provinces hence only 4 fully professional clubs. The original clubs are still there but the club competitions have been really watered down. Up to the pro era all the internationals played with their clubs week in week out. Now they play for the provinces and rarely if ever turn out for their clubs.

Now, this has brought about a massive change in the standard of both provincial and International rugby so I am not really complaining but it has done the clubs a huge amount of damage. Still, when/if we win the grand slam next year it will be all worth it!!!![/quote]

I'm hoping Ireland do win, seeing as England have two chances (fat chance and no chance!)

I suppose that's the down-side, the weakening of the clubs. In England the Premiership clubs have always been powerful. But it was interesting how they suddenly agreed to release players for all the internationals, if required, having negotiated originally that no one would play more than three matches. Maybe someone realised that if England are weak and interest wanes, then the clubs suffer.

[firehazard]

... this has brought about a massive change in the standard of both provincial and International rugby so I am not really complaining but it has done the clubs a huge amount of damage. Still, when/if we win the grand slam next year it will be all worth it!!!!

Yeah, the standard of Irish rugby, at provincial and international level, seems to be currently way above that in England. It's certainly way better to watch. So they seem to have done it well. Just hope that the damage to the clubs at the grass-roots level doesn't have an effect of the long-term future of the game.

[Bud Byrne]

I think that is exactly right. When the interest drops, which it must be a little at the moment, the clubs will be the ones that really suffer. And likewise, if Ireland played Spain tomorrow it would still sell out, partly due to the good run, high standard of play, etc. But even when things were not so good we still sold out every match. Bascially, we will turn up to any sporting occasion in droves, whether we have a chance of winning or not.

Mr. Robinson must be taking his time writing his goodbye letter. I thought he would be gone by now.