FOOTBALL TURNS UGLY: THE ALTERNATIVE VIEW: Rugby's view: Time to try the sin bin
RUGBY PLAYERS HAVE a far greater respect than Premiership footballers for referees. This, I believe, is almost entirely to do with the changed nature of the 11-a-side game, which is no longer as physically combative as it once was. Because rugby remains a more obviously belligerent sport, with the p...
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| Published in | The Observer (London) |
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| Main Author | |
| Format | Newspaper Article |
| Language | English |
| Published |
London (UK)
Guardian News & Media Limited
20.02.2000
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| Online Access | Get full text |
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| Summary: | RUGBY PLAYERS HAVE a far greater respect than Premiership footballers for referees. This, I believe, is almost entirely to do with the changed nature of the 11-a-side game, which is no longer as physically combative as it once was. Because rugby remains a more obviously belligerent sport, with the players having to be kept apart more than they are in football, there is a general understanding and acceptance that the referee has to be an authoritative and some times authoritarian figure. I DON'T WANT to sound antagonistic towards foreign players, because I'm not. British players have been just as guilty of flouting the laws and rules of rugby and football, but have done it in a less ingenious way than overseas players. An openly brutish tackle is no less reprehensible than a dive here or sly move there. |
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| ISSN: | 0029-7712 |