Euro Touch Rugby is Fucking Terrible

[Mikey Brown]

Just flicked this on as it was on the BBC page and I'm curious. It's total fucking garbage. It's just a matter of flicking the ball up quickly whilst everyone is offside.

It's just baffling to me. The offside line is literally the only weapon that anybody has. There's never more than one pass. The defensive teams ability to run backwards after each touch is literally the only factor that matters.

I loved playing touch at school but there was always one dickhead who'd try to play it in this way, so we always made it that it was 5/10 metres back from the "tackle" for both teams, dummy half can't run. That is surely the only way this game is remotely entertaining?

I'm just amazed that this is what this game looks like at this level. I've never seen it on TV before. Am I completely wrong here?

[Stom]

Wow. It's like they've never seen a rugby ball before in their lives!

[Digby]

Dummy half can't run! ? That's madness, even with my wholly unbiased preference for running almost every phase as a half-back

[Mr Mwenda]

Yeah, got to allow the dummy half to run to keep the defenders in tight. Sometimes there's merit in preventing them from scoring but they need to be allowed to run.

[Mikey Brown]

Aye. Got that one wrong now I think about it. They could run, but tackle the dummy-half and it's a turnover. Maybe that's a dumb rule too but it certainly avoided that nonsense I was watching earlier.

[rowan]

One of my very few claims to fame was playing touch rugby alongside Wellington representative winger Damien O'Brien, who would late represent Ireland - actually touring NZ with them tho I don't think he ever played a test. He was a gangly sort of fellow, Irish dad, Tongan mother. I did an interview with him once and got to meet the whole family. One of the nicest guys I ever met (probably too nice for the full contact game), but one season of touch was enough for me. The following year I headed for the gridiron (it's a summer sport in NZ) and had a lot more fun tackling people all afternoon from the lineback position, even if the only way I ever got to touch the ball was on an intercept...