Rugby: I’m only a fan because of the calendar.

You’ve probably read a lot about rugby these past few weeks.  The Rugby World Cup is over and we know who won, so there will be no more literature on possible results and no more comments about the individual games.  So now let’s take this opportunity and look at the game of rugby from a feminine perspective. 

Most girls, myself included, do not like rugby.  This much I know.  So you can imagine that, for them, six entire weeks of rugby are torture.  Ah, but there are some people who thought about those lonely girls and they were nice enough to produce the Dieux du Stade, the calendar full of handsome French rugby players. So while our companions were glued to the TV every weekend, we were familiarizing ourselves with the players in our calendars . . . For us, the only way to love rugby is when the rugby men are in the Dieux du Stade. 

Before the World Cup started, I was terrified about what my weeks would be like.  I did not know much about the game, but I did know that I live with a French rugby fanatic.  I was afraid that he would transform into the kind of obsessive fan who sits in front of the TV with a beer in one hand and a plate of sausages in the other for the duration of the tournament. 

So, I thought, I have to stop being terrified!  I decided to learn about rugby.  Secretly, I love sausages and so during rugby matches, I had to earn the right to eat them by acting like a real fan!  I’m joking, but it’s not too far from the truth.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the game is limited to the haka, the All Blacks’ grotesque dance to intimidate the opposing team.

Unfortunately, my knowledge of the game is limited to the haka, the All Blacks’ grotesque dance to intimidate the opposing team.

So, I assure you that this was not easy. Surprising my husband and his friends with intelligent commentary and input when they are absolutely absorbed by a game took me some time and motivation.  Fortunately, a friend emailed me about the Dieux du Stade calendar and I found my motivation.

Furthermore, my native country’s rugby team qualified for the World Cup and I said to myself that this could be a beautiful occasion to support my country by learning about the game.

So I searched the Internet for information on the rules of the game.  I assure you, you can find thousands of Internet links with the rules, even for the newcomers to the sport.  But, as chance would have it, I met an actual rugby player.  With pencil in hand, I listened carefully to what he had to say.  At the end of my lesson I was definitely prepared, in my view, for the big game.

I was not disappointed.  Starting with the first match, I was hypnotised.

I learned that rugby looks complicated, but is a very simple game.  Each player attempts to ground the ball (a try) beyond their opponent’s goal line while their opponent attempts to stop them by tackling the person who has the ball. 

I will not go into more detail as I am far from being an expert, but will leave you with this:  “Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen; soccer is a gentleman's game played by beasts; football is a beastly game played by beasts."

I do not yet have a favorite team, but I have four years’ time to find one until the next world cup.  And did I mention that the 2008 Dieux du Stade calendar is already on sale?