Rugby League

While I have already experienced indigenous rugby and Rugby Union, I have yet to see a Rugby League game live. I have watched the game on television a couple of times, but I don’t quite find the game as interesting as Rugby League or AFL. The sport seems much more localized compared to Union since every team but one is concentrated on the Australian mainland. I found it interesting that League has two teams in Sydney while Union only has one team to represent the entire state of New South Wales.

I also think that Rugby League is not quite as fast paced as Union. Before coming to Sydney, I had watched some US Rugby Seven’s matches. I know that it will be a sport in the next Olympics and it was fun to see the United States compete to qualify. I find that Seven’s is far more similar to Rugby Union and AFL and is an incredibly fast paced game.

I did find tracking the history of the NRL to be fascinating. I had no idea that the sport is over 100 years old, or that its history has been marked with such controversy. I find the league’s formation mirrors that of NFL football which was formed by combining two major football conferences. While I have not yet been to a game, I do hope to attend a South Sydney Rabbitohs game before I leave for the semester. If for no other reason than Russell Crowe is a part owner.