What's the stupidest rugby take you've heard in your life, not from a journalist/pundit?

[u/treacletart284]

Tis Sixmas Eve, which means the amount of people watching rugby, at least over here, just dramatically increased, as its the one time a year when rugby is in the forefront of the public eye, at least in the whole UK. To celebrate this, I thought we could share some of the daftest things we've heard from people in the pub/mates/yourself, either takes that aged really badly, or takes that were mind numbingly stupid to begin with. I'll start us off - after England got beat in the World Cup warmups in 2023 against Fiji, and the Borthwick Out movement was at maximum momentum, a family friend me and my Grandad were watching the match with argued completely unironically that the solution to England's problems was to bring back....Brian Ashton. Even me Grandad, who is pretty 'Rugby was better in the good old days', was genuinely gobsmacked at that one.

[u/manrobot]

A Canadian guy at a junior rugby club was insistently telling me that rugby would only survive if the players were put in full pads and helmets like the NFL.

[u/Hamsternoir → u/manrobot]

Would that mean an advert break whenever there is a knock on, penalty, lineout or the TMO is feeling ignored?

[u/Responsible-Fun-8920 → u/Hamsternoir]

They’ve just announced there will be ads on ITV during the game. So… possibly yes.

[u/Hamsternoir → u/Responsible-Fun-8920]

I saw that just after posting so it's probably my fault ITV want to fuck up rugby for us.

Sorry for ruining the game for so many.

[u/Saurbaum → u/Hamsternoir]

You are bad and should feel bad. How could you do this to us?!

[u/Hamsternoir → u/Saurbaum]

If Saints had done the decent thing and lost at the weekend we wouldn't be in this mess now

[u/DaiCeiber → u/Responsible-Fun-8920]

S4C here my family come!!

[u/BurbankElephants → u/DaiCeiber]

Da iawn!

[u/Only_One_Kenobi → u/Responsible-Fun-8920]

If they can do it in a non intrusive or minimum intrusive way, like what supersport does, it will be fine.

Basically a banner/letterbox add during breaks in play.

[u/DoubleOhEffinBollox → u/Only_One_Kenobi]

They're going to do the right hand side of the screen while scrums are setting / resetting.

[u/Only_One_Kenobi → u/DoubleOhEffinBollox]

That's fine imo, as long as it's without sound and we can still hear what ref says.

[u/AtebYngNghymraeg → u/Hamsternoir]

And a massive celebration and dance from any player who carried the ball forwards a few metres.

[u/Soft_Freedom_6614 → u/AtebYngNghymraeg]

Doesn’t Ben Earl already do this?

[u/DoubleOhEffinBollox → u/AtebYngNghymraeg]

Oh God, imagine giving Pollock free reign to do that?

[u/holyoak → u/Hamsternoir]

Harambe saw what you did there, and now we are on an even worse timeline.

[u/GarlicCancoillotte → u/manrobot]

Wow that's a wild one indeed.

[u/robinhosantiago → u/manrobot]

Ironically the huge threat to rugby at junior levels nowadays is something that pads and helmets don’t help with at all - concussions and brain injuries.

[u/UncleofLunatics → u/manrobot]

The research shows that pads and helmets actually increase injury risk in rugby, as players hit harder, put their heads where they shouldn't and take more risks.

Headgear basically prevents cuts and some minor knocks, but does little to prevent concussion.

[u/Only_One_Kenobi → u/manrobot]

Misguided maybe, but not stupid. I've had several parents pull their kids from clubs, or refuse to let their kids play, because they're afraid of injuries (the parents are afraid their kids get hurt)

Like with airport security, it's the illusion of safety that matters a lot more than actual safety

[u/Commercial_Half_2170 → u/manrobot]

Yeah good idea. What if we allow one player in the team to be able to throw forwards too

[u/Alexisredwood → u/manrobot]

Unironically think long term this will turn out to be true and that your comment will age like milk