A Taste Of Union

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It may never take over as the number one game of football on the
world stage but all over the globe rugby union is growing in popularity
.
Some say the difference between Rugby Union and Rugby League is the
passion Behind academia and adherence to strict rules .

The rule book is as big as the Bible.
There are pages dedicated to the shape and weight of the rugby ball
.
In fact there are so many rules in the game of rugby union it's a
wonder the ball is ever kicked off .

If you just forget the rules the idea is get the ball from one end of
the field to the other and cross over the line .
The only obstacle is the other team who may want to take the ball from
you .

The game has a place for all shapes and size players . Big heavy people
are good up front and smaller framed people can become hookers .

Many aspects of the game called Rugby Union have been raised in recent
times with new nations showing an interest in the sport .

Recently in 2003 the Rugby World Cup World Cup was staged at Homebush
in Sydney Australia .
It was in 1997 when the first bid document was presented and now six
years down the track Australia was the host country to stage the Rugby
Union World Cup .

Like any major event there are expectations and worries but good
planning and preparation
make pimples out of molehills.
Some solutions come via big sponsors that come on board . They always
boost salaries and bonus payments .

In a country where Soccer is the number one sport England have spent
millions of pounds in promoting Rugby Union .
The performance of England in the recent years with the six nations
competition and the British and Irish Lions have sent out the welcome
mat to other nations for a visit .

Ireland have recently had a number of excellent performances that saw
them almost clinch the six nations trophy from Wales last time in
.
Wales provided the boost and rose to their home crowd to win the six
nations .
France loves the game of Rugby Union and countries like Australia , New
Zealand and South Africa lead the world in the sports progress .
For a long time rivalry between Australia and New Zealand has spiced
International rugby union fields and the taste of that is bringing more
to the table .

These days there is alweays another force to combat on and oof the
field of play .
Global terrorism is always a possible threat to major sporting fixtures
.
The security issue has been a number one priority since September 11 ,
followed by Bali, the bombing in Madrid and more recently the London
Bombings in July 2005 .
The safety of any sporting event is a genuine concern for everyone and
tofday a small army is in training for thie threat .
The Safety of the general public is a number one issue and there is no
room or place for complacency . The current situation is one of high
alert .
Rugby Union has comw about and if you haven't yet had a look there are
a few things to chew over .
Learn the rules .
Always play as if your life depended on it .
If you can't get it over then keep it in Touch

Rugby at its best puts the world to the test ,
and the memory of it all will never die .

Be it Japan versus Scotland or USA against France,
there's always a chance for a try .

We've all gone up and over with World Cup Rugby .
The game that has got us all in boots and all .

But as close as it may come with the line outs
or in the scrum the Wallabies end up with that ball .

You'll hear Kiwis that giggle ,
see the goosesteps wriggle and tackles that could break a man in two
.

The Irish will be thumping
their special something
that can turn a field of green to black and blue .

Yet its not the uniqueness of one player alone,
but the spirit of a teams unity .

That overwhelms the opposition to grab the prize ,
in this passionate game called Rugby .

By Paul McCann

The End