Look, I have nothing against rugby league. Put it this way – I’d rather watch a mediocre game of rugby league than a mediocre game of rugby union, simply because of the way the respective games flow.
But the reason why I “prefer” union is because, no matter what league officials do, union has it beaten hands down when it comes to a battle for possession. Sure, the one-on-one strip rule has been introduced in the last ten years or so, but even that becomes a lottery when a second defender may have laid a hand on the ballcarrier and the referee takes a stab at it.
When a player takes the ball into a rugby union breakdown, he must be aware of several things – rolling the right way, good body position to protect the ball upon presentation, ensuring he’s not isolated from his support players who will drive in and clean out defenders and last, but not least, holding onto the ball.
Even now, while the ELVs are getting a workout and the ruck continues to be a work in progress in the rule book, I enjoy the fact – believe it or not - that my side’s inaccuracy when it comes to protecting the ball can be punished and the direction of the game can change in the matter of a second.
Because of the battle for possession, the ballcarrier hitting it up cannot just hoof it up while his team mates sit back waiting for the next play-the-ball, as often happens in the early tackles in league. If a union forward makes one pick-and-go too many, he could undo all the good work his side has made over the last 17 phases.
Also, because of this battle for possession, union defensive lines are often looser. And that’s understandable, as the likelihood of a switch in possession in union is much higher when you add the ruck or maul turnover, the contested scrums and contested lineouts to the generic knock-on seen in rugby league. Players have less time to adjust to their team’s chosen defensive pattern and because of the organic nature of the union code, players who were ideally suited to their particular spot of the moment when their side was on offence, are now out of position on defence.
As I said at the start of this post, I have nothing against league – I’ll most likely watch the NRL playoffs and will usually catch half a game a week if I happen to be sitting down watching television. What I do get tired of is the cheerleaders on the likes of the Footy Show taking a potshot at union at every opportunity – they are two different sports and will never be one again. Sadly, this inferiority complex appears to extend to many supporters as well.