In contrast to the grace, elegance and beauty of the swans in my last post, I came upon something a little more rugged and violent as I walked across Royston Heath on Saturday.
A Rugby Union game was taking place between Royston's 1st XV and Saracens Amateurs. Not teams of the highest calibre it's true, but nevertheless a fast, exciting, physical game for those few of us who were willing to stand out on "the blasted heath" on a cold December afternoon.
Royston, in the black and white hooped shirts, soon began to overwhelm their opponents by both speed and power.
There were some very large men involved and in Rugby the biggest and strongest often come out on top. Royston's powerful scrum dominated the play.
One smaller person was definitely in charge however.
I'm not about to explain the rules (yes, there are rules!) to those from lands deprived of the beauties of Rugby Union Football; we'd be here all day and you wouldn't be much the wiser. Lets just say there's a lot of pushing and shoving, grunting and groaning, and pulling and pushing.
But there's also a lot of exciting running moves....
....and skillful passing.
...till things are brought to a sudden, crunching conclusion.
Royston ended the game victorious by 39 points to 7, according to the results published online, though to tell the truth I'd lost count towards the end of the game.
I was also beginning to lose the feeling in my fingers towards the end of the afternoon as there was a bitterly cold wind blowing across the heath.
Take care.
Well, there's a fit bunch of fellows!
ReplyDeleteThat does look like quite a collision of bodies there.
ReplyDeleteLots of action in your photos!
ReplyDeleteFantastically clear photographs John - noticeable lack of spectators.
ReplyDeleteI know that kind of cold. Not the rugby though! It is a rough one I know!
ReplyDeleteMy cricketing friend plays Rugby in winter - some ruffian from Coalville made a fearsome mess of his face yesterday. Could barely recognise him
ReplyDeleteI don't know much about rugby other than it's a really rough sport, but I was surprised to see guys hoisted up in the air for a catch! Definitely the opposite of the lovely swans in the last post.
ReplyDeleteI know, I'm one of the deprived. But I still do appreciate knowing that there is a proportion of the male population who are strong enough to enjoy banging their heads together in a semi-organized way!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many serious injuries happen. We saw something on American football that said the better the equipment became, the worse the injuries became. I cannot remember where we saw it.
ReplyDeleteTough guys playing a tough game. The players with the black and white shirts remind me of convicts. :) Great action shots John, you had to be tough to stand out there in the cold to get those shots. Time for a warm one, eh.
ReplyDeleteSome of those guys look like the proverbial 'side of a house'. Tough sport, but it can be exciting to watch.
ReplyDeleteNot usually just 'a house', Jenny...
DeleteShots worthy of any sports photographer there, John - excellent! And a pretty emphatic scoreline. So are "Royston men in the far South...black and fierce and strange of mouth"?
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas while I'm here: it will be different for you this year; as you would say, 'Take care'.
Good pictures of awesome situations.
ReplyDeleteThe game looks very harsh (certainly there are several injuries) and I do not really understand it. We only play football.
Have a nice Christmas time, John.
What, you didn't jump into the fray to warm up? Wonderful photos! I've never seen another game where standing on the shoulders of a teammate was part of the play.
ReplyDeleteThe things men do for fun. Boggles my mind.
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