He can pass a ball 40 yards, but can he sign a photo?

[Revo]

as long as a solid foundation is built, they all come home fella

[Pacman]

as long as a solid foundation is built, they all come home fella

Your a wise chap Revo la.

[Red Chilli]

its the kids life let him do what the **** he wants

Tony just wants a free signed photo, the truth is, he hasn't got any kids

[FatTony]

The only autograph I ever had was Sam Torrence's when my mother used to work in a local golf club. It was scribbled on the back of a beer mat back when a porsche 944 was a new car (I say that as thats what he was driving at the time)

[Revo]

Tony just wants a free signed photo, the truth is, he hasn't got any kids

call dunk

[hockin_monster]

Rubbish.

This lad went off with his parents to Biarritz last week with the older son (15 odd) on their youth rugby tour. The first 2 nights the youth team caused havoc and came close to being thrown out for vandalism and roudyness, the final couple of nights the adults were the problem, stealing drinks, p*ssing all over the place etc. These adults (all the ones causing trouble and setting the example for future rugby players) are all players or ex players themselves.

I've been out before with this lot myself and a couple of them were causing trouble then. The one guy used to come into the bar where I worked whilst in Uni and took an instand dislike too me (think he threatened to rip my ears off or something as I served him a beer), anyway the rest of the team were no better. The only trouble we ever had in that pub was from the local rugby team after the game when they'd walk in with their team blazers on thinking they were this and that (the most arrogant bunch of people I have ever had the misfortune to meet). We ended up banning them but this went on for the best part of 2 years. What made things worse was that when they were out on their own or in pairs, they were always very quiet.

My local town team in the forest of dean were exactly the same as the welsh lot. I walked into the rugby club with a couple of mates for a beer, had a few stares off a few lads and a few of them jumped straight at us. The same happened a few weeks later. These were grown blokes too, late 20's, 30's etc. We were late teens.

5 or 6 of the rugby club also came to the village local pub the once. Challenged us to arm wrestles (how macho) however one or two of my mates were farming lads and not exactly weak. Anyway, my mate broke the one blokes arm, complete accident and there was genuine concern for the guy at the time. The following weekend the whole rugby team came over and smashed the place up when there were only 3 or 4 people in there.

I worked in as a barman for 4 years whilst a student and can categorically say the rugby players are a bunch of ar5eholes. I'd have footballers in the pub any day of the week. Rugby fans love to shout about football hooligans and no, you never see trouble by the fans at the games, but the players are a different kettle of fish, and the loutish behaviour continues to be promoted, even at schoolboy level.

I think everyone has had their own experiences of both sports fans and players, and everyone's entitled to their opinions. I've played rugby all my life and I've never seen an organised fight after the match between sets of fans and I've never seen crowd trouble. Yeap, on the pitch, you get the thugs. There are a few dust ups, but it's a high contact sport. Less skill, more aggression. The only thing I notice is that things are left on the pitch and never carry on into the bar afterwards. FatTony has a different experience of rugby players, which I don't doubt happened, but I've been on many tours and had many rowdy nights out but there's never been any trouble as it were.

I've just been on a stag do with a load of footie players and a few rugby players, and we all got on famously. I'm a big lad got drunk, had a few arm wrestles, beat almost everyone and then got destroyed by the hardest lad in the pub. My arm has hurt for the 10 days after (still hurts) and I've learnt my lesson. I don't feel angry, it's funny as ****, serves me right.

In my mind, it's not the players that are so different, it's the minority cultures that surround the fan base. Football fans seems bit more extreme in their aggression and over all behaviour. Also, as pointed out by FatTony, rugby players are generally kittens who act up in group, but catch them on their own and they are as quiet as a mouse. Football players with poor attitudes, in my experience, whether in a group or alone, remain with poor attitudes.

[murder_inc]

Your best bet is to buy a forgery on ebay.

Or ask Dunken Donuts if you can buy a genuine article for £200.

[murder_inc]

Rugby is for girls. Gentlemans sport my arsehole. Have you seen what them dirty grubby little ****ers get up to? they like to shove their fingers up an opponents Gary Glitter just to get the egg. WTF is that all about?

[Monkeywool]

Haha, yeah, the players have such respect for each other. Stamping on each other's heads, flurries of punches right into each other's face, neck high tackles.

That's respect is it? Well then they can keep their "respect".

There's a difference between being "a tough, real man" and a "a thug". If I went out to town tonight and carried on like most rugby players do I'd get locked up.

Name one time in a rugby match that the fans have rioted against each other.

It is a sport at the end of the day, a game - it is a physical game and sure on the pitch if you are smacking some guy around for 80 minutes it might boil over, but that is few and far between. There is much much more respect in one game of rugby than in a season of football.

As far as the ascertation that rugby players feign injury to stop play? Do me a favour, rugby is the only sport I know that the player gets treated by a physio while the game is being played around them. So feigning injury to stop the game makes no sense as the game wont stop.

If football fans and authorities learned a lesson in respect from rugby then everything in football land would be much better.

[murder_inc]

Nah monkey. Footy would be ****in boring if they went by Rugbys example.
Dont see too many silver spoon in the mouth university boys playing footy do you?(Besides Lumplard's silver spoon)

[Monkeywool]

Nah monkey. Footy would be ****in boring if they went by Rugbys example.
Dont see too many silver spoon in the mouth university boys playing footy do you?(Besides Lumplard's silver spoon)

Nah you see a bunch of Johnny come lately chav types who think they are the bollocks because they have some cash to spread about instead.......

[Sir Bob]

In my experience rugby players tend to be a right bunch of ******s.

Tony, get a photo of Sg from the LFC shop, get a mate to write on the back, to --------, keep on supporting the reds, all the best Stevie G.
you can make up a cock & bull story about SG being in the shop when you were there.

Your lad will be so made up he give up the rugby and you can tell him the truth in the pub when he buys you a pint for the 1st time.

[FatTony]

Name one time in a rugby match that the fans have rioted against each other.

It is a sport at the end of the day, a game - it is a physical game and sure on the pitch if you are smacking some guy around for 80 minutes it might boil over, but that is few and far between. There is much much more respect in one game of rugby than in a season of football.
.

I'm not talking about on the pitch, I'm talking about the behaviour of the players after the match out in the pubs. I've experienced it as a barman for several years and many other experiences as I've outlined above.

On the pitch the refs have got the game swen up, they're hard and football authorities could learn a thing or two from them.

Rugby players on the other hand are some of the most appallingly behaved human beings I've ever had the misfortune of knowing. As also pointed out, this roudy, aggressive behaviour seems to be encouraged at youth level.

Talking of a mans game, try sunday league football in the forest of dean for a laugh "forget the ball, get on with the game" I think the saying is.

[FatTony]

In my experience rugby players tend to be a right bunch of ******s.

Tony, get a photo of Sg from the LFC shop, get a mate to write on the back, to --------, keep on supporting the reds, all the best Stevie G.
you can make up a cock & bull story about SG being in the shop when you were there.

Your lad will be so made up he give up the rugby and you can tell him the truth in the pub when he buys you a pint for the 1st time.

Brilliant!

[Red Chilli]

You get ******s who play rugby and you get ******s who play football.

The same is true for the fans. There are more reports of problems with football fans because there are more football fans. Simple as IMO.