This week Keego explores a mish-mash of topics. We can certainly appreciate the odd mish-mash here at HoR Manor.
And welcome to the blog equivalent of the iphone 5. It will be nearly exactly the same as the last one but I will try to make you think it is different ;)
But in reality it will be the same aul thing….
So I tried watching this ‘American football’ thing that people have been rabbiting on about for the last while. I watched the Green Bay Packers (of what?) against the San Francisco 49ers (about 20 off). I sat down thinking sure the game will go on for an hour then the rest of my evening can unfold merrily. But NO they don’t do it like that. 4 feckin hours! It was nonsense!
Anyway the thing I noticed in between bouts of sleep was that, probably because of the pads, a lot of the players go into contact head first. It was frightening to watch. And made the recent lawsuit against the NFL regarding concussions very easy to understand. Do the pads make the players feel they can hit harder, or do they actually protect from some potentially lethal damage.
It got me thinking about our game and how the padding is minimal but the serious injuries are far lower than American football. Aside from Joe Ansbro, Matt Hampson (whose book ‘Engage’ is fantastic) and there is another Scottish lad whose name escapes me right now, there haven’t been anywhere near the amount of rest of life affecting injuries in rugby.
Why is this? The hits come faster and more regularly than NFL football, the season is longer. Is it just that the players are tougher? I do think that is a legitimate reason….
But wait…cue the theme tune from Jaws…..
Guess who’s back! Back again! Drico’s back! Somethingthatrhymeswithagain…
The great man is rumoured to play a part in our next match against Benetton Treviso .
Now you know the season is getting ready to kick into high gear. The squad appear to have a target on October 6th, Lansdowne Road and our favourite, best smelling, quick thinking and banterful friends from Cork will be showing up to take their annual pre crimbo hiding. I rarely pay attention to the first few league games (mainly due to the fact that we lose a few of them), so once we get to the end of September that’s what we start making money on the season ticket.
Our first two matches (against Scarlets and Dragons) where against teams with nearly their first team on the pitch. We had very few of our first teamers and I feel w equipped ourselves ok in the second match, not so in the first. Now while that may have been a near third string team again the Scarlets, we needed to go at them at pace, do simple things right. The Scarlets did play really well in fairness to then but it just looked like our lads didn’t want to fight, which is a worrying thing to see. That was their chance to sneak into the team; certainly there are spots free for the long league campaign. There is zero to worry about if the lads fought hard and lost, they just didn’t appear to want to fight.
Is the squad getting complacent with all the success we have been having? Are we getting a wee bit spoilt with the cars / million euro training facilities? Remember when it was 2 portakabins as offices and changing in your car that the club didn’t pay for? I don’t for one second begrudge the lads the success and the things that come with it, but I just hope it isn’t affecting them mentally. I guess October the 6th will be the big test. Munster won’t be coming here to play, on the pitch or in the stands. They always come here thinking they can beat us. This is where the fight starts (in the sporting sense of course).
Without putting too much pressure on, this is where it starts. This is where we begin our trek to the double. We cannot be lacking in any facet. I am gagging for it!
I will come back to the rugby versus American football comparison next week. I just had a fairly exited tiffany or epiphany…whatever it is called halfway through sentence thinking about how deadly it will be to have the Drico in a blue jersey, scaring the jaysus out of the opposition.
I didn’t get much feedback on trying to organize a 7s tournament next summer. So I will assume that we do not want them and the government along with the IRFU are right to not put money into the game? ;)
That can’t be can it? They are never right!
Anyway, tangent over for another week. Next time you’ll get another does that is more coherent.
Until next week…
Keego (@nkeegan): Newbie blogger, former professional wrestler, sometime attempted rugby player (@TheThirsty3rds), professional procrastinator and attempted musician with a fondness for long walks on the bar, tea and the couch. Opinionated Leinster fan and constant gardener.
