Why do rugby players kick the ball out of bounds(in touch?) seemingly on purpose? If there be any rugby fans on here

@TheSirfurryanimalWales Awesome. Thank you.

@Tython lots of rugby fans here.Investigate those groups I told you about.

@TheSirfurryanimalWales As an Australian rules player I always found rugby kicking quite the opposite. Australian rules you never -
- Kick the ball out of bounds on the full.
- Kick the ball really high. It just gives your opponents time to smash your team mate trying to mark (catch) it.
- Kick the ball to your opponent for any reason.
- Throw the ball. We have to punch it off our other hand (handpass) or kick it. Only two options.
- Carry the ball more than 10 metres without bouncing it. Bit of an art to bounce the oval ball when you're sprinting.

@Abstraction I like Aussie Rules.Enjoyed this years Grand Final.

@TheSirfurryanimalWales I came to love five different codes each in their own ways. US, soccer, two forms of rugby and Aussie rules. Haven't seen enough gaelic football to know.

@Abstraction Aussie Rules sound fun!

@Tython Brilliant fun to play. Unbelievably good spectator sport too. This is a good intro.
[media=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMZYZcoAcU0]

@Tython @Abstraction
[media=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdxhexZhSBM]

@Abstraction @TheSirfurryanimalWales How did the field(pitch?) get round?

@Tython Abstraction will know that-but i suspect it’s because they started playing on grounds used for cricket.
There is an Aussie Rules team in South Wales but they play on a rugby pitch!

@TheSirfurryanimalWales Yep. They always played on cricket grounds, that's why the grounds are so big and round oval shaped.
Some of the oldest football clubs of any code are Australian Rules. Older than any current soccer clubs, but the very oldest are rugby.
MCG - home of the Boxing Day cricket test and the AFL grand final.

@Abstraction I think Gaelic Football is quite similar to Aussie Rules at least when compared to Rugby Union or League.

@TheSirfurryanimalWales I remember watching League for the first time. A ball was kicked into the 22 of a team but its fullback (?) had it covered. Three opponents are rushing towards him with none of his teammates being close to him. Naturally, as Union fan I thought "he must kick the ball into touch or he will be turned over". But the League player simply let himself be tackled and the referee shouted "one" and there was no breakdown and I was confused. Strange game, League. 😅

@TheSirfurryanimalWales It really was an amazing grand final. Just skill, class, pace...

@Mugin16 There is annual-not tnis year-gamecalled International Rules(i think!) that is a hybrid game where Australias Aussie Rules players take on Irelands Gaelic footballers
in an international match.
The hurling guys and Scotlands Shinty players do likewise.
I have some Gaelic football to watch from last weekend.

@TheSirfurryanimalWales Yes, I know. I have visited the Gaelic Sports Museum in Dublin last year. It was quite interesting, even considering that I know next to nothing about Hurling and Gaelic Football.

@Mugin16 i am watching the third origin game at this moment.12-6 to Queensland atm.
We are playing league here with no scrums!

@TheSirfurryanimalWales League does not have scrums anyway. Whatever they do is not really a scrum. Although I have to admit, it is a far quicker way to re-start the game.

I might have to write that FAR QUICKER to underscore how much quicker is. 😒

@Mugin16 The NRL are apparently planning to make league scrums a contest again.By having actual forwards in them ....and feeding the ball in the middle of the scrum!

@TheSirfurryanimalWales Shock horror! Feeding the ball in the middle of the scrum instead of throwing it to your own side?!

@Mugin16 yeah-The commissioner was on ABC Grandstand before todays Origin game.

@Abstraction [media=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSOe-USZzok]

@Mugin16 It'd be interesting to see the history - whether it influenced Aussie rules or was a parallel evolution. There was an indigenous game very similar to Aussie rules, and they think Aussie rules was influenced by it as well as those coming over from Britain with the various emerging codes.