Although I would never claim myself as a sports fanatic or football maniac, i’ve seen my fair share of high school, college, and professional football games. And although it is great and all…. I think rugby is by far more entertaining to watch. Not only are the buff men in shorter shorts, the referees are often wearing pink…not to mention the game begins with an ancestral war cry (stomping/yelling type dance) known as the “Haka” to intimidate the other team.. I suppose that is only if we are watching the New Zealand teams play… but this is what I’ve witnessed. There are tackles right and left, people being thrown into the air to catch a ball much bigger than a football … all of this is done without a single piece of padding… The game is continuous, entertaining, and downright exciting. Way more exciting than I ever knew sports could be.
I went to my first live action Rugby game at Eden Park the other weekend and got to watch the whole game in person between Auckland and the North Shore teams. The game lasted 80 minutes, and although it began to shower rain and lightning about half way through, I thoroughly enjoyed the rugby men tackling each other to the wet slippery ground over a large football looking thing. The game is intense, and the players are tough… and although I could never play a sport so gruesome as this, I most definitely enjoyed watching it.
Joyful Thinking 