The Rugby Roundtable

Yeah right!!! (signed: the whole backs line)

No! Seriously now, as a wing I can only express my outmost respect and gratitude to the forwards.

They are sacrificed warriors (heroes!)who weekend after weekend play at the edge (of the Law and injury) in order to obtain the prize without with we backs would just be defensive rovers in the field: possesion.

We might jank their chain with comments about them being slow, unfit, unable to sidestep, incapable of swerving, heavy or having a knack for pain. We might call them names such as “donkeys” or “three step players” (cos’ by the time they make the fourth they have already crashed against the opposition). We might say such nonsense and more, but at the end of the day we buy them beers at the pub and vote for them for man/woman-of-the-match.

Why? Because they are the soul of the game. And there is not such thing as a dumb forward (maybe just a concussioned one). Without brains a forward is just an American Football player (with the honourable exception of NZ former rugby playes who have switched codes).

So truth be told and records set straight. We will mock our forwards, but when the crunch comes we will pray for them to be near.

A final toast to the cunning of those most smart and trixiest of players: the Hookers.

Testify, Brother Jedi!

As a proud front rower, I’m glad to see the recognition of the sacrifices my fellow brothers in arms and i make! Sure the chances of us charging down the field 80m, firing an up and under and catching the ball, and leaving some poor fullback in the dust are slim to none (CJ van der Linde take note, this may be you!). We have character (and hefty medical bills). We’re what people think of when you say rugby.

In conclusion, like my coach always says, Forwards win games, and backs tell you the score

Respect, brother! Respect!

It brings a tear. Poetic and heartfelt makes me proud to proclaim to the world

“I AM A TIGHTHEAD PROP!”

…”front row of a rugby scrum is populated by the biggest, heaviest and smartest athletes of them all”.
Jed, With ya bro, but certainly haven’t seen any hint of this in the West Mongrel Island of late. Not a thing, nothing, not a sausage, zero…at any level… el zippo. Wouldn’t know a front row if it jumped up and gave them a hair cut.

….sorry, to be fair, there is Matt Dunning…. hahahahahahahahahaha… hahahahaha..hahahaha…. sorry couldn’t help myself.

and Al Baxter is really getting a hard time of late from the Refs! hhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Mate the front row be the most intelligent place on the field, that is until u give us the ball, then we become fuckin phycos, depending, or you could do an Olo Brown and say nothing….

Grettings from Canada. Here, rugby is a summer sport (can’t play in winter with 2 metres of snow on the ground) so you can add one thing to your comments about front row play: HEAT. Here, the Front Row is a blast furnace. We often play in temperatures of 30+ celsius with high humidity. From the blast furnace of each scrum emerges a victor and a vanquished. And, man, both front rows know who is getting their heads handed to them. No place to hide and the heat adds to the contest. You want to give yourself a real test? Run on a concrete hard pitch, through a steam bath of heat, hit a ruck or two and THEN, scrummage and whisper in your opponent’s ear, “Welcome to Heaven, sunshine.”
Normous. Ottawa, Canada.

@ Normous

You make it sound hot, sweaty & romantic … which team do you bat for ?

Princess there really isn’t anything more fun than watching the packs go at it in 40 degree heat and humidity.

It gets the blood boiling!

@ Cheyenne

Sure there is, observing the packs go at it in temps of -1 or -2 & watching the steam rise

Ooh good one. I forgot about the fall league…too caught up in summer at the moment!

Sure there is. Watching the packs go at it in the Christchurch misty fog.

Oh wait… We didn’t get to see much

On a crisp fall day in 1823 William Webb Ellis picked up a football in his hands and ran with it. To this day, backs throughout the world hail this moment as the birth of rugby. Forwards, however, know that the game was not really invented until 1.5 seconds later, when Roland Dimrumple drove a squealing Mr. Ellis’ face into the turf, kicked him in the solar plexus and told him to “keep his sodding hands off the ball.”

hell yes

very interesting, but I don’t agree with you
Idetrorce

You know you’re a prop when everyone else’s ambhition for a game is to score a try - yours are to a. win turnover ball and b. hurt someone.

Bonus points for both at the same time

What is wrong with hurting the opposition? As long as one does it within the limits of the Laws (or just on the border if you are Captain Tackles McCaw or Jerry Terminator Collins) it is fair. That is why we call this perfect sport of ours RUGBY and not jacks or football.
Remember, girls and boys, when in doubt: TACKLE HARDER!