Union or League? Larkham or Johns? (1 Viewer)

[Poon-Tang]

Personally i believe union is a far greater sport cos its an actual contest for the ball every time you go into a takle, its not just try and punch a hole in the defence everytime you get the ball and on the fith takle kick it down to the other try-line.

But what do you people think about it? whats your personal opinion on each sport and basically which one do you like better?

On a second note who do you think is the greater player for each sport Stephen Larkham or Andrew Johns?
Personally I prefer Larkham but only because he's so freakish on the field and splits the defence like no other. That and i have met the guy a few times and lets not forget that drop-goal he slotted from 45metres out to win the world-cup semi-final.

Anyway, i just wanna here people's opinions about this topic and hopefully if we're lucky we'll get some people argueing and making personal threats, and if were really really really lucky, they will be towards me. Anyway, what do you think about Union and League and Larkham and Johns?

 

[Poon-Tang]

fine, i'll start with the controvacy.

League is a stupid game where people run out of dummy half into the defence 4 times then on the fifth takle try and run around stupidly and not get tackled, then if they feel they are going to get tackled, kick a simple kick to the other teams fullback.
To be good at league all you need to know how to do is pass the ball and run the angles and be able to hold your own in defence, thats why Andrew Johns is so good, because he realises that if you want to score you have to do things the other team wont expect like kicking it so your team has a chance of regaining it and passing it before the fifth tackle.

 

[copious]

I enjoy both codes, as I'm an avid fan of the hurricanes, all blacks and the warriors. I enjoy watching a sublimely executed setplay by Daniel Carter or Carlos Spencer but I also love the fast and open nature of Rugby League. Some reasons why League is "better":

- Ball is always in motion, none of this break down business.
- Union has way too many rule infringements which disrupt the flow of the game
- Who watches union club rugby?
- how many people actually play union out at the park?

At times I'd rather watch union, especially if i get to see a sweeping 90m try going through the hands of carter, umanga, rokokoko and howlett, but i'd probaly rather play league.

As with Johns Vs Larkham, they are different players who do different things for their teams. A more closer comparison would probaly be Lockyer vs Larkham.

 

[RiCe_GrOwEr]

Your gonna see some interesting posts about this topic.

 

[ledzeppelin]

to show how much of a joke union is, you only really need to look at Wycliff Palu.
This was a player who was on the bench of the Dragons RESERVE grade side, and after switching to yawnion, is instantly a star and in the starting line up, replacing a Wannabies player.
union is sh*t boring, and only liked by the private school brigade (who unfortunately i happen to be one of)

 

[Benny_]

And yet Wendell Sailor, one of league's superstars has really amounted to not a lot in union.

League players going to union all the time doesn't necessarily mean league requires more skill, it just means union has a bigger stage with bigger pay packets.

As for Johns vs Larkham.. I was a big knights fan when I was younger and followed league a lot, so I still like Johns more, and I think he'd still be a huge hit in union if he decides to pack up and switch. He'd probably get injured a whole lot less too.

 

[0Jade0]

I like both codes. But for the reasons Copious gave, League is a better game to watch. Union is very slow at times (HEY! I watch club rugby. Only when I'm at the ground though)

Joey, I feel should have retired. His body isn't up to playing league, making the switch to Union would be a good choice. Although I don't know what his contact is with the Knights, by the time he gets out he could be too old.

 

[cappen]

Union and larkham any day of the week.......

 

[spirit21]

union, larkham.
league is a stupid sport
how cna u make that comment about wycliff palu, look how well nathan blacklock did it in rugby union and look how well ryan mcgoldrick did.

 

[cappen]

to show how much of a joke union is, you only really need to look at Wycliff Palu.
This was a player who was on the bench of the Dragons RESERVE grade side, and after switching to yawnion, is instantly a star and in the starting line up, replacing a Wannabies player.
union is sh*t boring, and only liked by the private school brigade (who unfortunately i happen to be one of)

shows how much the dragons knew....at least more than 3 countries play union as well to warrant a gud world cup....

 

[cappen]

wait... do you mean Andrew Johns or Matthew Johns? Cos I like Matty (he is SOMETIMES funny), I hate Andrew (so overrated).

anyways, I love watching rugby league. I also love watching rugby union. It's pretty hard to decide but I follow league more. Each sport has it's pros and cons. For example, with league their scrums are a joke! The scrums that they have in union are actual scrums.

So I chose League, Larkham.

i dnt even call those fuckin scrumms in league

 

[ChrisE]

im a rugby union hooker who has also played league and yes, league scrums are pointless and in comparison to union are extremely soft cock like.

union is much better for many reasons. firstly the set pieces, line outs and scrums in union are highly competitive and test the fowards much more than a league forward. piggies in union actually have to think unlike league forwards where the halves are their brains. the game is much more technical making it a much more challenging and involving game, and for me that makes it more enjoyable. again this is only from a players perspective.

as a spectator, union is very engaging and the atmosphere at a top level match cannot be matched by any league game. union is strong internationally unlike league which has the support of a whole 2 states and the north of england. wow.

 

[golfstick]

- Ball is always in motion, none of this break down business.

League is more stop-start. Everytime there is a tackle there is a delay. Everyone gets set each tackle so it's more formulaic and two dimensional (no kicks in general play but for the final tackle, for example). Union flows more, it can move fast at the breakdown if it needs to and it is for this reason that there's a greater emphasis on attack and there are more points scored. In league the ref will always let you hold the ball-carrier down for at least a little while.

 

[Poon-Tang]

I like union about 1 billion times better, but what I can’t hack is the inconsistent reffs, the shitty professional fouls and sometimes the lineouts are really hopeless.

In all sports the reffs are horrible, but particularly in union they suck so much they make the worse team win. Hence, brumbies v highlanders last week, brumbies lost by a point.

I reckon if you professional foul, its deliberate and you should concede a penalty try for the same principals of when you slap the ball down instead of going for the intercept its a penalty and not just a knock-on. It would make the game a lot more free flowing inside each 22 and a try in the corner is better than a penalty try because you get a kick from right under the sticks.

Lastly, I hate it how people cant seem to throw in straight all the time, I know its hard to hear calls and its windy and there’s a lot of pressure, but if worst comes to worst you throw it down the middle and your team has a 50% chance of getting it, like I play basketball and I reckon I could hit the backboard square 10/10 times from the 3 pointline. That and it should be a necessity for the people jumping in the lineouts to be able to catch, I hate it when they get a good ball that they put down, and it’s just really frustrating.

 

[cappen]

yea AFL blows, back to union

 

[blackfriday]

larkham is the most under-rated player in the world. he tears people to pieces but everyone thinks hes going to snap because hes so skinny.

on league scrums, they are pointless but it has made the position of hooker far more interesting. the hooker is now fitter and quicker, has a kicking game (cameron smith), can tear marker defences to pieces (mick sullivan or craig wing) and is far more versatile. now you have two free playmakers who can distribute out wide to the backs or lay it off for the forwards, making it harder for defences to predict what will happen. i know inside centre is a babysitter five-eighth role but having a defined left and right centre makes wing/centre combinations far more dangerous and effective, which makes for a faster game which requires a greater level of fitness. league is about razzle dazzle and union is about grit and strength.

 

[Poon-Tang]

maybe in higher levels of league with good teams, but in like normal shitty games its just run into the defence 4 times and kick. no passing = no razzle dazzle. I reckon you could make a really mad leaugue team if it was just full of backs, like what are the forewards for? they make some hit ups and some takles, i reckon if you got a team of backs that were half descent you'd have a heaps competetive team. It would just turn into a game of touch and you would be playing the ball really quick juist to open up over laps on the sideline for you team to punch through. There aren't any heaps big blokes playing competetive touch.

 

[Poon-Tang]

Larkham is under-rated but only by the media, he stays away from them and rightly so if he doesn't want to. The selectors have picked Larkham at fly half for ages, even when they had some big stories on those shitty news shows about how one of the Ella brothers wants Larkham out of the team.
All aspects of his game is under rated though, he can kick onto a dime with both feet and can pass left to right as good as he can right to left. I've never seen anyone split the defence like him, he can just sense gaps and sliding defence, I reckon as a young boy his parents put him out on the freeway and went, "if you can dodge cars, you can dodge tackles" (Allah dodge ball). Another aspect of him that’s under rated is his tackling, he's pretty consistently good, and I’ve seen him drill people and drop the shoulder and throw them. he's pretty mad when it comes to fights as well I’ve seen him throw Carlos Spencer over the advertising boards then Justin Harrison came over to finish the job (man Justin Harrison likes fights so much.)
Yeah anyway, I reckon in larkhams retirement he will come only wearing his sticky tape and all over his body, then when the game is finished they will pull his organs out of his nose with a hook put special perfumes on him and place him in the Egyptian wing of the museum.

 

[duckofdoom]

Union is just a buch of guys jumping all over each other and jumping all over the place.
Sure, the game is tough but it's just not as exciting as watching league.

At least legue sees more tries in the game. The thing about union is that it gets old fast and it's so predictable, big man goes forward and hardly ever gets a try. I just find union frustrating because hardly any heartstopping action happens.

So all those "Razzle Dazzle them" ads are all wrong, but that's my opinion.

 

[ChrisE]

Union is just a buch of guys jumping all over each other and jumping all over the place.

you obviously know nothing about rugby. no razzle dazzle? watching joe rockokoko and rupeni caucau run with the ball the way they do isnt razzle dazzle enough for you? the way nathan sharpe and dan vickerman grapple for the ball in mid air isnt exciting enough for you? the after the bell grinding of play up the field that occurs when a team only needs less that 7 points to win the game and one slip up and its all gone doesnt put you on the edge of your seat?