Rugby Union has suddenly become the buzzword for sport, if I am reading the vibes on BBC radio correctly. Every time I tune in to Five Live, I seem to hear a lifelong soccer fan spouting about how he has suddenly been converted to the oval-ball game.

The reason, if we are to believe the converts, is not so much that they find the Rugby World Cup action more exciting/full of action/compelling than the Beautiful Game, but that they regard the uncontrolled passion of the players and above all, the respect shown by just about everyone involved, so much more refreshing than the yobbish behaviour of just about everyone associated with football.

As someone who has been associated with Rugby Union all my life, both as a fan and a reporter, I find the attitude of oval-ball aficionados, whether they be players, officials, press or fans, one of the most refreshing aspects of mass-interest sport.

'The overriding word is respect - there will be gentle goading of the opposition supporters, usually inspired by alcohol, but the general consensus is that we are all rugby fans and may the best team win'


I have attended dozens major internationals of the years, including virtually every major game in the 1991 Rugby World Cup, and have NEVER seen an unsavoury incident involving rival fans. And while the players hate each other with a vengeance while they are doing battle on the field, once the action is over, I can assure you they are all bosom pals.

The nearest thing I ever saw to trouble at a rugby match was some over-the-top haranguing of former Wales scrum-half Terry Holmes by some clearly inebriated England fans on a train from Twickenham to Waterloo after an England v Wales game. Needless to say, Terry - who at this time had retired from playing - ignored them. Going back even further, I once saw an over-exuberant Welsh fan goading a French counterpart by knocking his beret off in the build-up to a Wales-France game at the old Cardiff Arms Park - and being told promptly by a group of rather large Dragons' fans: "Do that again, butty - and you’re dead."

The respect shown by rugby fans in general is mirrored by the amazing camaraderie between rival supporters in the build-up to big games. Six Nations contests, in particular, are unique for the ‘craic’ which invariably begins 48 hours or more before the big game. Thousands of rival fans will gather in the host city, be it Cardiff, Dublin, Edinburgh or wherever, and enjoy countless hours of mutual stimulation. The overriding word is respect - there will be gentle goading of the opposition supporters, usually inspired by alcohol, but the general consensus is that we are all rugby fans and may the best team win.

I’ve never heard of rival fans being segregated at a rugby international any more than I can remember opposing football fans being allowed to stand or sit together in the ground (a recipe for disaster if there ever was one!)

So why are the respective fans so different? Why do rugby supporters all get along so well together - and why do the footy guys spit so much hatred at their opponents?

My own view is that while the average intelligence of a rugby fan is probably higher than his or her round-ball equivalent, soccer supporters have for some reason lost their mutual respect for each other. It all started perhaps 35 years ago with the arrival of the football-hooligan element - and the players have since been as guilty as the terrace perpetrators by virtue of their incessant disputing of referees’ officials, aggression towards their opponents and theatrical over-acting.

While football stagnates both on and off the field, with the powers that be remaining in the 19th century with regards to new technology and total lack of discipline, rugby has moved into a new world.

The action is quicker and more exciting than football, referees have the complete respect of players who know that if they step of line the consequences could be career-threatening, and officials have the benefit of infallible video technology that has virtually phased out wayward decisions.

Football, meanwhile, wallows in petulance, with referees behaving like schoolmasters scolding wayward children - and players spitting, swearing, cheating and creating the worst possible example to the fans.

The respective attitudes are perhaps best summed up by the respective comments left under football and rugby articles on Sportingo. Scarcely ever do we publish a soccer article that receives a responsible and constructive response from football fans. Abuse and obscenities are almost the norm, while rugby articles invariably produce intelligent and sensible replies.

So where will it all end? You tell me - but I fear for football while I will not be the slightest bit surprised if rugby does not become the national game of the thinking sports fan in the not-to-distant future. Come to think of it, many of us would say that it’s already there…

What do YOU think football can learn from rugby - or vice-versa? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.