After my last article on Soccer vs Football vs Rugby I had a number of conversations on Rugby. So this is a small follow-up. Most noteworthy are the upcoming Rugby games. I have listed Fiji times according to Fiji Rugby Union. the table includes Fiji times and venues.
Understanding Rugby
Trying to explain Rugby to people who follow AFL is precarious. I was lucky enough to have a coffee with John McKee who said the trick is to understand that the ball can only be thrown backwards – a simple off-side rule. Thank you John McKee.
The rules between Sevens and 15s are very similar, the biggest difference is the length of the game. A rugby game (both League and Union) are two 40 minute halves with a break plus injury time. Compared to AFL where quarters average 30 minutes a game can last about two and half hours! At the other end of the spectrum is Sevens. A normal Sevens match is two halves of seven minutes with a two minute break.
When & Where you can watch Rugby
Here is the table that I downloaded from Fiji Rugby Union. There are games in Suva, Lautoka and Paris.
The Paris games are the finale of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. While the Men’s Standings are often the most watched, the Women’s Standings are very interesting as well. The top two teams in both standings are very close with a gap before the third top team.
With Fiji on 167 compared to South Africa on 160 in the Mens. As well as Australia on 74 and New Zealand on 70 in the Womens. This looks like it is worth setting the alarm clock to catch the games. Otherwise you can catch replays on TV stations in Fiji.