Do you like Tag Rugby?

Tim Robbins

Simple poll, do you like Tag Rugby?

I like some aspects of it, but absolutely detest other aspects of it.
For example, I like the way in real Rugby, if you don't pass the ball, you have to brave as sooner or later you are going to have to take a hit, if not a big one. Tag you can keep the ball, never pass and you never have pay the price.

When played with a good bunch of people, it's good fun and you can try moves, switches and loops that you wouldn't be able to try playing real Rugby as they are too risky and you'll be more than likely take the hit and try to set up a ruck.

So tell us what you think?
Has there ever been a boards team put together?

Amz

Atari

I like some aspects of tag, but mostly I like the socail side. As you said there are some quite frustrating things about it. I don't like that there can be glory hunters and ball hoggers on a team. I don't like that the games aren't always refereed particularly well, as in off the ball stuff sometimes goes unpunished/ignored. In our final game of the league last year I had a girl on the opposite team who kept blocking me, she kept standing right in front of me (She was in an offside position) and not allowing me to run, I hadn't got the ball she kept shoving her hands in my eyes etc. I brought it to the refs attention and was ignored.

I like that it tends to be a fast game, I like the mixed leagues, apart from the fact that some guys need to cop on and realise it's not a contact sport and that if they do smack into me on purpose one more time I will take them down next time.

I don't like the women get more points for a try aspect, as you the girls on lots of teams just camp out near the line and don't touch the ball until the last second. I know it's a tactic, but it annoys me when people don't get involved, or they're not allowed become involved 'til there's a scoring oppertunity.

It can be frustrating when there are people who've never played rugby before on your team or opposition team as it really slows things up and can cost you chances to win games etc. Particularly in the first couple of weeks when they don't understand that it's not American football and you have to have downward pressure on the ball to score and so on.

I am looking forward to this season starting though.

A boards team could be interesting, but I think that it could involve a lot of work and trying to suit everyone would be difficult.

Tim Robbins

Atari

Amz wrote: »

I like some aspects of tag, but mostly I like the socail side. As you said there are some quite frustrating things about it. I don't like that there can be glory hunters and ball hoggers on a team. I don't like that the games aren't always refereed particularly well, as in off the ball stuff sometimes goes unpunished/ignored. In our final game of the league last year I had a girl on the opposite team who kept blocking me, she kept standing right in front of me (She was in an offside position) and not allowing me to run, I hadn't got the ball she kept shoving her hands in my eyes etc. I brought it to the refs attention and was ignored.

I like that it tends to be a fast game, I like the mixed leagues, apart from the fact that some guys need to cop on and realise it's not a contact sport and that if they do smack into me on purpose one more time I will take them down next time.

I don't like the women get more points for a try aspect, as you the girls on lots of teams just camp out near the line and don't touch the ball until the last second. I know it's a tactic, but it annoys me when people don't get involved, or they're not allowed become involved 'til there's a scoring oppertunity.

It can be frustrating when there are people who've never played rugby before on your team or opposition team as it really slows things up and can cost you chances to win games etc. Particularly in the first couple of weeks when they don't understand that it's not American football and you have to have downward pressure on the ball to score and so on.

I am looking forward to this season starting though.

A boards team could be interesting, but I think that it could involve a lot of work and trying to suit everyone would be difficult.

Some pet hates from tag rugby

1. I can't stand when someone takes the ball stackically with absolutely nothing on and just pumps the legs as fast they can. No concept of running a line or drawing another player.

2. Man marking of defenders. People who think you mark a player and stay on him as if it was soccer of gaa. This means defenders end up crossing each other and getting in each other's way.

3. People wearing those gloves as they were pro's.

4. Refs who never heard of the advantage law.

5. Players who stand ahead of you when you are attacking on the basis that they don't have to run. You run pass them and then pass backwards to them.

6. People picking the ball up at dummy half and then thinking what will I do.
Pass, left, right, run. You've gotta make your decision before you put your hands on the ball.

7. Blokes who never, ever pass but think they had a good game because they score two tries. If you never pass you're going to obviously end up occasionally scoring. A broken clock is right twice a day.

8. Players passing without even looking at the person they pass to. Throwing it over the head. Ouch. It's all tough.

9. Not straighting a line when it's so bleedin' obvious that's all that's needed to put the winger in space.

ahhh.... I'll stop ranting ..... I feel a right bah humbug.

Amz

Atari

Agree with all of that too.

I think the fact that many of the people who play are neither rugby players, not sports people means that for those of us who play/played rugby it's frustrating when simple things aren't done to improve a game, or improve a team's chances of scoring.

Unfortunately the team I played on last year had a lot of players on it where English wasn't the first language, so explaining some of the rules/tactics was difficult.

I still enjoyed it, once I stopped taking it seriously, because I'd have given myself a coronary otherwise

Sherifu

No

Voted yes, played tag a few years ago; company I was with had a team. Enjoyed it a lot. Having also played contact rugby both have their good and bad points. Tag is faster with less breaks in play. The problem with players not knowing the rules wasn't evident in the league we played in but I can imagine it being frustrating. I'd play again if I get the chance.

crackedactor

No

Having played rugby myself for many years (and tag for the last 3 or 4 also) I understand the frustrations being expressed here - but surely the point of the social tag leagues is to make rugby accessable for non rugby players? Many of the venues have competitive leagues that cater mainly for experienced players and those for not so experienced - personally I have enjoyed trying to explain the rules and suggest tactics to people new to the game and each year you can see the teams get better as the weeks go by. I think it's great fun

couerdelion

I like some aspects and not others

Tim Robbins wrote: »

When played with a good bunch of people, it's good fun and you can try moves, switches and loops that you wouldn't be able to try playing real Rugby as they are too risky and you'll be more than likely take the hit and try to set up a ruck.

Real rugby or Rugby Union?

I like the fact that tag can get more players involved in Rugby, but the fact is that a lot of lads use it as a dating agency (or maybe it's just the lads I know!) and use it to showboat. Watching 1 good player in a team score all the points gets a little boring especially when he chooses to run at the girls all the time.

Stev_o

No

Great for the Summer Break as theres not other rugby. Its getting huge though these days the amount of people they are attracting is brilliant

jdivision

No

I like it but like others find part of it frustrating. I used to take it too seriously, once I chilled out I enjoyed it a lot more. The social aspect is really what it's about.
I do dislike the fact that some of the refs are terrible though. we had a ref in one of the blitzes in Galway who was so fat she was way behind the play and literally didn't see me crossing the line and putting the ball down. Everybody from both teams started heading back to halfway and then she shouted out that I hadn't grounded the ball and one of their players just pulled the tag off! She reffed our next game and sinbinned one of our players for taking a quick tap penalty. Ridiculous. She was boasting to her mates in the pub afterwards how she had done it.
I don't like the fact that girls have to kickoff either. In fact most of the rules introduced last year I don't like.
I think in terms of lack of contact, think you have to accept it in mixed. At 6'4 and nearly 19 stone I've had girls bounce off me when they were trying to pirouette and then I get a penalty against me even though it's them who can't initiate contact when pirouetting. i usually accept it because it looks bad that she's on the ground but get a bit annoyed when some of the guys start screaming abuse at me over it. Eh, she ran into me.

couerdelion

I like some aspects and not others

Stev_o wrote: »

Great for the Summer Break as theres not other rugby.

ahem... Rugby League is played in the summer too

suppafly

Atari

its decent enough. As said before, it something to do in the summer when theres no proper rugby, for a bit of laugh and to keep fit. I Played in the IRFU tag rugby league at musgrave park. Was fun enough, nothing special though.

RuggieBear

I like some aspects and not others

tbh i can't stand it. always disliked tip rugby. I'm built to go through people not around them.

Danger_Dave

No

RuggieBear wrote: »

tbh i can't stand it. always disliked tip rugby. I'm built to go through people not around them.

Ahh work on that outside burst of pace !

I voted yes, sure there is things i dislike about tag, but i can say the same about, rugby, its just that the pro's outweigh the cons. I myself start playing tip before i started playing rugby, and it helped me learn basic skills, passing, lines, defensive line.


P.S A boards Tag team could be fun.

Amz

Atari

Mixed team!

GreenHell

I think its hilarious, refs who don't know the rules, people who can't pass, people who run sideways and backwards instead of straight. Hilarious.

JWAD

No

GreenHell wrote: »

I think its hilarious, refs who don't know the rules, people who can't pass, people who run sideways and backwards instead of straight. Hilarious.

You watch Schools Rugby Union on Setanta then?
Yep....woeful isn't it? How it warrants a TV slot is beyond me.

Ginger

Atari

Main thing that bugs me, when I play tag, is that I am usually coming from the end of my normal season so its a great way to keep my hands on the ball tho I usually have to readjust from crash to avoid .

You see people training which is great but getting so competitive about it... Tho whole mitts etc which I think is hillarious.. I like the game in the B/C leagues purely because the people there are a bit more fun to play with.

Suppose its from my aspect of the game, I am using it to keep up fitness during the summer months. And drinking!

Tim Robbins

Atari

GreenHell wrote: »

I think its hilarious, refs who don't know the rules, people who can't pass, people who run sideways and backwards instead of straight. Hilarious.

+ 1, some of the Tag Refs have been watching too much TV and think they are Paul Honis. I remember playing once and before the game the Ref came over and had a huge talk about discipline. He added this extra rule where the marker couldn't come around until he said so, and he would roar it out, the entire game. " ball's out" kind of thing, it sounded really daft. There's no need for Tag Refs to advises such matters.

Ginger wrote:

You see people training which is great but getting so competitive about it... Tho whole mitts etc which I think is hillarious.. I like the game in the B/C leagues purely because the people there are a bit more fun to play with.

+1
What really bugs my head is again these heads turning up in mitts wouldn't have a clue about drawing a man, straighting a line, doing a switch anything an under 14 or under 12 rugby player would know.

Then they start getting all agro with everyone.

I have no problem with people coming into rugby, asking questions and learning the bascis, I think it's great.

But coming into Rugby, even Tag with mitts thinking it's only about running as fast as you can is headrecking.

damnyanks

I like some aspects and not others

It's huge in London. I can't stand it. It just seems full of agro south african girls who take it deadly serious and do stupid things such as standing on other girls feet, pushing etc. etc. and it turns into a big bitch fest.

People need to realies tip rugby is the warm up bit of real rugby and while its ok when you're just warming up its crap if done in a competitive manner. YOu just need to keep running up straight to eventually score assumeing you've timed it right. It's sorta like a video game. You have 1 consistent way of scoring which always works. Gets boring once you've discovered that

toomevara

No

Tim Robbins wrote: »

But coming into Rugby, even Tag with mitts thinking it's only about running as fast as you can is headrecking.

Seems its all gone a bit Pete Tong with the old tag rugby.Haven't played it in years, but used to love it for the social side. Played it a bit in London about 5 year ago and it was absolutely brilliant crack, like the united nations of rugby, Irish, English, Scots, Welsh, saffies, kiwis, wallabies the whole gamut, mixed too, which I think keeps the lid on some of the more idiotic testosterone fuelled rubbish that tends to emerge .

Great fun and no one took it too seriously, which I think is the key...best part about it was the pub sessions after...

Sabre0001

Like Tag Rugby for what it is supposed to be - a social game...Great for meeting new people, having a laugh and not taking things overly serious.

Yes it has it's flaws - the gloryhunters who know that they can't get levelled but it is great fun.

A mixed team was attempted last year - I was involved...It was over in the UCD forum (I was heading up to Dublin on Co-op and invaded ). Ended up being mixed between UCD and external people anyway but we enjoyed it.

Nice way to keep active - certainty that you are going to be doing some running (even if you are the girl who doesn't touch the ball til the last minute). We were not a serious team - did practice a little but it was more to explain rules and build fitness a little. Also involved the girls all the time.


Would love to do it again!

Ginger

Atari

damnyanks wrote: »

It's huge in London. I can't stand it. It just seems full of agro south african girls who take it deadly serious and do stupid things such as standing on other girls feet, pushing etc. etc. and it turns into a big bitch fest.

People need to realies tip rugby is the warm up bit of real rugby and while its ok when you're just warming up its crap if done in a competitive manner. YOu just need to keep running up straight to eventually score assumeing you've timed it right. It's sorta like a video game. You have 1 consistent way of scoring which always works. Gets boring once you've discovered that

Thats my problem with it, i keep seeing it as a warm up game. You get guys and girls who have never played rugby before playing tag and getting hyper agressive.. Makes me laugh most of the time.

Once saw a guy suiting up with the shoulder armour for tag.. nearly fell over laughing..

Oh well, Norways rugby season starts in a month, wahoo!

JWAD

No

Tim Robbins wrote: »

What really bugs my head is again these heads turning up in mitts wouldn't have a clue about drawing a man, straighting a line, doing a switch anything an under 14 or under 12 rugby player would know.

Then they start getting all agro with everyone.

I have no problem with people coming into rugby, asking questions and learning the bascis, I think it's great.

But coming into Rugby, even Tag with mitts thinking it's only about running as fast as you can is headrecking.

Oh relax. They're just enjoying playing some sort of form of rugby. Same as you. Some people take it in a competitive manner. Some just for a laugh.
Getting high and mighty on men and women just because they're not playing what you want out of the game is fairly lame.

Tim Robbins

Atari

JWAD wrote: »

Oh relax. They're just enjoying playing some sort of form of rugby. Same as you. Some people take it in a competitive manner. Some just for a laugh.
Getting high and mighty on men and women just because they're not playing what you want out of the game is fairly lame.

Fair enough, my problem is the ones who take it very competively but haven't even got a clue about rugby. Sorry.

Eoin

When people are saying it's a warm up for rugby, do they mean the upcoming union season? If so, then as couerdelion says, there's rugby league during the summer which will do so much more for your rugby season than tag could ever do. Maybe that's what some of the experts here should do, instead of taking what's intended to be a social game so seriously.

Ginger

Atari

Amm no.. training ground stuff to have a run around before doing drills etc .. just to get your blood moving or practice defensive lines mainly..

Ginger

Atari

Also i think its non rugby players taking it too seriously as compared to off season players..

Eoin

Ginger wrote: »

Amm no.. training ground stuff to have a run around before doing drills etc .. just to get your blood moving or practice defensive lines mainly..

Oh right, I see what you mean. I thought people meant it as a good off-season regime.

Ginger

Atari

Myself and probably others included find it handy to keep up a bit of fitness and have a bit of a laugh at the same time. The skills required for RL are a lot different and the 8 panel ball dont get me started on that

No offense to anyone who plays it, just dont like that variation of the game and have never got into it

toomevara

No

Ginger wrote: »

and the 8 panel ball dont get me started on that

Ancient history chum, practically identical now

http://www.dragons.com.au/shop/images/big/steeden%20replica%20ball.jpg

Tim Robbins

Atari

Ginger wrote: »

Also i think its non rugby players taking it too seriously as compared to off season players..

+1

couerdelion

I like some aspects and not others

Ginger wrote: »

The skills required for RL are a lot different

yup, Passing, Tackling, fitness....

Rugby League takes all the simplest skills from Rugby Union.
If you can do the simple things in Union, League should be an easy sport

Eoin

Ginger wrote: »

Myself and probably others included find it handy to keep up a bit of fitness and have a bit of a laugh at the same time. The skills required for RL are a lot different and the 8 panel ball dont get me started on that

No offense to anyone who plays it, just dont like that variation of the game and have never got into it

There are concepts certainly - i.e. there are no problems with getting isolated with the ball, but as an off-season game it's great for fitness, tackling, ball carrying etc.

I hate watching it on the TV - it can be very dull, but playing it is completely different. You are guaranteed to get the ball a good few times in a game of league, where a prop in union can go an entire game without a carry.

I really don't want to go any more off-topic, but I find it a shame that in a country where union and league don't compete with each other, that more union players don't give it a go.

Ginger

Atari

As a prop I think thats my issue, i just run through people! .. Its not a big sport here at the moment, union is only taking off at the moment

Sangre

surely these are mostly problems with people who play tag not tag itself.

JWAD

No

couerdelion wrote: »

yup, Passing, Tackling, fitness....

Rugby League takes all the simplest skills from Rugby Union.
If you can do the simple things in Union, League should be an easy sport

Try playing it then :rolleyes:

couerdelion

I like some aspects and not others

JWAD wrote: »

Try playing it then :rolleyes:

I've been playing for 25 years :eek:

I've got a couple of favourite quotes regarding League.

Jonathan Davis on his change of code back to Rugby Union - "It's the first time I've been cold for seven years. I was never cold playing Rugby League."

Graeme Lowe (former kiwi coach) - "I'm 49, I've had a brain haemorrhage and a triple bypass and I could still go out and play a reasonable game of Rugby Union. But I wouldn't last 30 seconds in Rugby League."

Anyway enough off topic banter All rugby is good.

Amz

Atari

No women's rugby league, so I'm stuck with tag in the off season. That or gaelic football, but that clashes with my tag night.

Oh decisions, decisions.

JWAD

No

couerdelion wrote: »

I've been playing for 25 years :eek:

I've got a couple of favourite quotes regarding League.

Jonathan Davis on his change of code back to Rugby Union - "It's the first time I've been cold for seven years. I was never cold playing Rugby League."

Graeme Lowe (former kiwi coach) - "I'm 49, I've had a brain haemorrhage and a triple bypass and I could still go out and play a reasonable game of Rugby Union. But I wouldn't last 30 seconds in Rugby League."

Anyway enough off topic banter All rugby is good.

Soz, mate. Read your post as bagging the sport.
So I'll agree with you big time in "all rugby is good" :cool:

Graeme Lowe was always full o'poo though.

toomevara

No

Amz wrote: »

No women's rugby league, so I'm stuck with tag in the .

Bet you could get a team up and running tho.....

Amz

Atari

Yeah would love to, but what good is one team with no opposition to play against? Defeats the purpose of it a bit

damnyanks

I like some aspects and not others

Play in the mens league that'd get a bit of coverage

Amz

Atari

Eh ... I don't want to die!

I'd train with a men's team though. (Seriously like)

I need to work on tackling for next season, so it might help!

escobar

Atari

Quote:
Originally Posted by couerdelion
yup, Passing, Tackling, fitness....

Rugby League takes all the simplest skills from Rugby Union.
If you can do the simple things in Union, League should be an easy sport

Try playing it then

I watched rugby league once. Couldn't understand it. They kept running into each other and falling over and then after a fashion gave the ball to the other team:eek:
Watched that for about ten minutes, I was losing the will to live....had to turn the station over ...

Sniipe

No

I voted yes. I think its a great way to get a bunch of people (mixed) out and have a bit of competitive spirit. Most of the people I play with like the aspect of total non contact ... accidents do happen. Its the only sport I play in Galway and I look forward to it every year. (I cycle, but its no where near as sociable as tag mixed. Gyms are just gay cause u don't get fresh air. Soccer is great but girls aren't really as involved in it.)

JWAD

No

escobar wrote: »

I watched rugby league once. Couldn't understand it. They kept running into each other and falling over and then after a fashion gave the ball to the other team:eek:
Watched that for about ten minutes, I was losing the will to live....had to turn the station over ...

If you cant even understand the concept of line breaking or structured attacking then that answer would be expected.

toomevara

No

escobar wrote: »

I watched rugby league once. Couldn't understand it. They kept running into each other and falling over and then after a fashion gave the ball to the other team:eek:

Don't wish to cast aspersions on your intellectual capacity, but really rugby league is a relatively simple game to grasp...the beauty of it is it's incredible subtlety and infinite variation once you appreciate the basics. I recently taught my 8 year old nephew the fundamentals of the game...took him about 10-15 minutes to grasp it...funny that.

Watched that for about ten minutes, I was losing the will to live.

Uncanny..this tends to happen to me when I read (yet another) incredibly ill-informed, unsophisticated and unsubtle post on RL. Again as I'm blue in the face saying..like the game or dislike it as is your wont...but at least take the time to inform yourself about it and how it works before rubbishing it. Watch a couple of games, read a little of the history, go to a match if you can (I guarantee that will change your perspective on RL) and then come to a conclusion....

escobar

Atari

JWAD wrote: »

If you cant even understand the concept of line breaking or structured attacking then that answer would be expected.

Great retort.. The reason it's so boring is they're almost scared of passing a ball at all or even doing anything with it until they have fallen over around four times. Seriously I think it scarred me mentally;)

Sherifu

No

escobar wrote: »

Great retort.. The reason it's so boring is they're almost scared of passing a ball at all or even doing anything with it until they have fallen over around four times. Seriously I think it scarred me mentally;)

Are you sure you weren't watching American Football or Aussie Rules?

Inquitus

No

Tag's more dangerous than Full Contact

20 years playing the 15 man game and never a serious injury (touch wood), first season of Tag and I hit the hard summer ground awkwardly out at Blackrock playing the mixed sex version, and my Collar Bone is in a jocker and need 2 operations to put it back together....true story.

Inqui

Luckycharm

No

Like another poster on this thread, run tag.

A good Tag player does not automatically make a good rugby player as often the v good tag players are fast and thin who might not be phyically big enough for top level rugby.
Tag when played well is great for fitness, passing, sidestepping, spotting a gap, good for defence as well etc. At higher levels you actually probally do more running then most real rugby games.
You can always spot a rugby player as they generally know when to pass and don't go 40m side to side before going 1m forward.

Run mixed Social leagues in Dublin all year around so if interested in entering a team PM me.