So last Saturday I flipped on the telly and saw this rugby game going on. Looked familiar but also… not? Thought I knew rugby from watching the Six Nations with mates. But the flow felt totally different – way faster and harder-hitting.
Had to figure out this mess
Grabbed my laptop right there on the couch. Typed “why does rugby look different today” like a total numpty. Google slapped me with two words: League and Union. Had no clue there were two types!
Started scribbling notes like crazy. First big shock? Player count:
- Union: That’s the one I kinda knew. 15 massive blokes sweating it out.
- League: Only 13 on the pitch! No wonder it looked more open.
Then the tackle stuff tripped me up:
- Union tackle = chaos! Guys pile on, fight for the ball. Called a “ruck”. Takes forever sometimes, feels like watching paint dry.
- League tackle = BOOM, done! Player tackled? Just pops up, rolls the ball between their legs with the foot. Game restarts instantly. So much cleaner!
Scrums? Yeah, nah
Remember scrum resets in Union? They take ages, refs are shouting nonsense. League just shrugs and moves on most times. Tried explaining that bit to my missus later – her eyes glazed over faster than mine did during the game!
Biggest headache was the scoring:
- Kick over the posts? 3 points? Easy peasy, both do that.
- League tries? Only worth 4 points. Union? A full 5! Why?! No idea.
- Drop Goals? Union gives you 3 points for those weird kicks during live play. League laughs and hands out just 1 point. Makes sense why you barely see ’em!
Watched back-to-back clips
Found some highlight reels. League feels like a shot of espresso – quick plays, constant running, less standing around. Players looked knackered after like 5 minutes flat! Union felt more like a slow roast dinner – heavy, tactical, lots of pauses for breath and resetting formations. Both brutal, just different kinds of brutal.
My final takeaway? If you see a game with constant wrestling piles after tackles (ruck and maul crap) and loads of players, that’s Union. If it’s non-stop running with super fast restarts and fewer blokes, bingo, League! Still reckon it’s daft having two codes though. Would you invent two different footballs?
