Australia is a country in which sport development is highly prioritized. For Australians, all kinds of sports are not only a hobby, but also a way of life. Many residents not only attend sports matches, but also play sports on a regular basis. Starting to follow one of the sports, many become not only fans of a certain team or athlete, but also passionate about every little thing in the chosen sport.
Rugby has always been considered one of the most popular sports in Australia. The AFL is one of the major sporting events followed by most Australians. The passion for the AFL doesn’t end with just watching matches. Many fans like to bet on rugby, choosing the best online casinos and bookmakers for this. But fans really have something to bet on, because the rules of the game are so thought out that they not only provide a large amount of statistics, but also allow you to keep the intrigue right up to the final whistle.
Why rugby is Australia’s #1 sport
Rugby has many benefits that apply to fans and athletes alike. It is an energetic and powerful sport where the team that scores the most points in a match wins. It is not surprising that often a real struggle takes place for every point on the playing field, which often ends in injuries. It is the fierce game component and strict adherence to all the rules that makes this sport so popular among players and fans. Next, we will look at the main reasons why rugby is so popular.
The game of real men
Rugby is a sport for real men. Severe collisions are an integral part of the game. Even if you are literally knocked to the ground with great force, your task is to get up, and not lie down showing the pain, as is often the case in football. A guy with a broken head, with a face covered in blood – in any other sport this is an occasion for enthusiastic exclamations but it’s common in rugby. When Cristiano ran with a split eyebrow, the whole world applauded. When a rugby player has blood all over his face, this is a usual thing. So the typical football player who begins to writhe in pain at the first successful opportunity will not last long on the rugby field. If you’re not injured, don’t fall. If you are pushed, push back.
Discipline
In rugby there is a high discipline and enforcement of the rules. 15 players unquestioningly obey a single judge. The high discipline of the athletes does not allow them to jump around the judge, proving to him the presence of a dangerous collision. In rugby, the decision of the referee is not contested and the players, knowing this, understand that it is better to concentrate on the future attack or defense than to waste energy.
Show
In many sports, the show ends with chants, fans singing, or tunes at hockey games. In rugby, fighting calls that frighten both their own and others are normal. Think of the traditional New Zealand rugby dance, where players stomp their feet, beat their chests, shout incomprehensible words and make faces in grimaces, has become the most famous sports performance in the world. Even the massive pre-Superbowl choreography isn’t as impressive as 15 rugby players threatening to destroy the enemy. Recently, fans have also picked up this trend, so some teams make a psychological attack on opponents even before the starting whistle.
A game in which calculation and composure are important
Considering rugby as a game where only blood and violence would be wrong. This is not American football, where players in armor can only beat each other with it. The essence of these two games is similar – to bring the ball into a special zone, but this is done in different ways. Rugby is a more tactical game. It is hard to believe that after a hard collision, the players think and plan where to shoot the ball. Rugby, despite its power aspect, is a tactical game. All roles in the team are distributed.
Points are earned in the following way. The most effective way to score points is the so-called try, when the player in possession of the ball crosses the goal line and grounds the ball in the in-goal. After a successful attempt, a kick is taken at the opponent’s goal from a line passing through the place where the attempt was counted (in this case, the ball is placed on a stand, and no one interferes with the striker). A successful hit also earns points.
You can also hit the goal directly during the game (if such an opportunity presents itself) and also get points for hitting. This is called a drop goal. And here strength is needed here in order to survive after a fight and a direct hit of the enemy knee in the head. Speed, strike accuracy and tactical thinking are valued higher here. To break through the flank of a 100-meter field, one force is not enough.
Fans
Due to recent events on football grounds, I would like to note that everything is much calmer at rugby stadiums. So, all over the world: in Britain, in France, in Romania, in New Zealand,in Australia, the fans sing songs, drink beer and don’t get into fights.
Fans are trusted to watch matches side by side without armed police watching their every move. Drinking in the club bar with fans of the opposing team after the game is encouraged. Although there was one case for which the French fans should be ashamed. Actually, because of them, rugby lost its Olympic status. Just after the defeat of their team at the 1924 Olympics, the French staged mass pogroms, after which the organizing committee decided that it would be somehow calmer without rugby.
Rugby in Australia
Rugby is one of the most popular sports in Australia. The Australian Rugby Union has been operating since 1949, and the national team has become world champions twice. But the first rugby club in Australia appeared already in 1864 and very quickly rugby became one of the students’ favorite pastimes. The first official rugby matches date back to 1874. Therefore, it is not surprising that many sports fans in Australia choose rugby, because, in addition to the bright spectacle of matches, this sport intersects a great history and traditions that have been honored for decades.
Many clubs take part in the Super Rugby tournament, which is held between clubs in the South Pacific region. Most of the athletes from these clubs are players of the national team.
Recently, rugby has received a new wave of popularity. It is increasingly spoken about in the world and it is popularized in many European and other countries. New regional leagues are being created, thanks to which rugby gets only additional advantages. One of them is increased competition among players, which has a positive effect on the quality of the game. Increasingly, in countries where rugby is the main sport, there are players from all over the world.
