Has Rugby Union Had its Day

I stopped playing rugby about 8 or 9 years ago after playing on and off for nigh on 30 years.  It wasn’t really through choice that I stopped, more really to do with the fact I had a kneck injury which meant I was stiff for at least 3 or 4 days after each game. Towards the end, it was so bad that I was still stiff on the Morning of a game from the week before.

After stopping I never really carried on going to the club, as I wasn’t really a good spectator, and new that if I did start watching I would only be tempted to have another go.

I did used to go down the club house for the odd big match or to watch the internationals when they were on, but over recent years this has become less and less.

For the past 4 or 5 years I’ve tended to just watch at home on the telly, but in that time the entertainment factor and enjoyment of watching a rugby union game has as good as evaporated. I can’t remember a time in the 40 years I have been watching rugby that it has been as dull and boring as it is now and I wonder has rugby union had its day?

I would say the main causes of this is the professionalism, the size of players, the lack of prolonged contact and basically the fact defences seem to stifle attacking play so well, no matter which team.

With even more rules aout contact coming in and the fact the game needs to be made safer I can only see it getting less and less entertaining, unless they reduce it to a 12 man game and have more open play.

In honestly though, I don’t think this will work, the impacts are so great now I can’t see how the game can ever be as good as it was, unless they do one thing, which I doubt will ever happen, i.e. go down the American Football route and provide adequate protective equipment.