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I’m curious, what’s your awareness level of Rugby (Union or League), compared to sports in the US, or soccer worldwide? I only have cursory knowledge, but seei

I’m curious, what’s your awareness level of Rugby (Union or League), compared to sports in the US, or soccer worldwide? I only have cursory knowledge, but seeing a number of videos of player/ref interactions make me think that the authorities are interested in having a game that is both physical and cognizant of the possibility of long-term injury. The players are not wearing helmets, and the refs are OK with using video review (with the videos playing out on the stadium screens) for all to see. It’s very different from US football or worldwide soccer/football.

anitil 1y ago
> what’s your awareness level of Rugby (Union or League) I played a little bit of union in my school team (I'm Australian). I'm out of touch with the modern game though. My impression is that league is a bit more tolerant of damage? That could be my 'old boy' bias creeping in.
- CaliforniaKarl 1y ago
  It could be that I’m focusing more on Union than League. I’m on the bus and searchability is limited, the example I was going to give (https://youtu.be/JjLIetqAP6U https://youtu.be/JjLIetqAP6U) is Union :)
- jarjoura 1y ago
  League has the same zero tolerance policy as union. Though union players seem way beefier and move way slower on the field, so an impact that knocks someone down looks far more dangerous than in league. League players seem fast enough to dodge most impacts. But yea, I think in almost every game I've watched, there's almost always someone getting a headknock that they pull out for an assessment.
squiffsquiff 1y ago
Wearing American football style helmets does not reduce the risk of concussion which is primarily the result of sudden acceleration or deceleration causing the brain to move around inside the skull https://ideas.ted.com/football-helmets-dont-protect-against-concussion-and-were-not-sure-what-does/ https://ideas.ted.com/football-helmets-dont-protect-against-... This is why they have 'soft' helmets in Rugby. American football likes the macho look of its helmets and body armour but for concussion it's essentially safety theatre.

anitil 1y ago

> what’s your awareness level of Rugby (Union or League) I played a little bit of union in my school team (I'm Australian). I'm out of touch with the modern game though. My impression is that league is a bit more tolerant of damage? That could be my 'old boy' bias creeping in.

CaliforniaKarl 1y ago
It could be that I’m focusing more on Union than League. I’m on the bus and searchability is limited, the example I was going to give (https://youtu.be/JjLIetqAP6U https://youtu.be/JjLIetqAP6U) is Union :)
jarjoura 1y ago
League has the same zero tolerance policy as union. Though union players seem way beefier and move way slower on the field, so an impact that knocks someone down looks far more dangerous than in league. League players seem fast enough to dodge most impacts. But yea, I think in almost every game I've watched, there's almost always someone getting a headknock that they pull out for an assessment.

squiffsquiff 1y ago

Wearing American football style helmets does not reduce the risk of concussion which is primarily the result of sudden acceleration or deceleration causing the brain to move around inside the skull https://ideas.ted.com/football-helmets-dont-protect-against-concussion-and-were-not-sure-what-does/ https://ideas.ted.com/football-helmets-dont-protect-against-... This is why they have 'soft' helmets in Rugby. American football likes the macho look of its helmets and body armour but for concussion it's essentially safety theatre.