Last night saw Australia take on New Zealand in the Cricket one day world cup - As expected the Aussies wiped the field with the Kiwis winning by 7 wickets in a game that ended in the first over...It was New Zealand's first time in the World Cuip final...it was Australia's 7th time and we won it for the 5th time. Australia had to beat India to get to the final...with over a billion people watching Australia gave them a wollop...and sent them home just short of the finish. New Zealand played like Lions throughout the month long tournament and richly deserved their berth in the finals...But again the Aussies showed the world who the cricketing KINGS truly are! Oh and the poms were bundled out by...Bangladesh! Well done the Aussies and the Kiwis...
The poms were in the ICC? i never noticed Kiwis did good but they did have all their victories in NZ where all the grounds are tiny, In hindsight wouldn't be a bad idea making all the fields for cricket and afl a universal size.
Australia is champion of many sports hardly followed here... Hockey, swimming, diving, cycling, motor sport etc etc...just the way it is, we excel whether people are watching us or not...for the record, Australia's national sport is Australian rules football, also known as just Aussie rules...Ironically not played anywhere else in the world...but we are exporting the game to all corners of the globe as I type. We would love to play other countries in such a sport and think it would make a brilliant spectacle for all concerned : ) New Zealand's national sport is sheep b...ing. With Velcro gloves and everything. When they are taking a break from Jill and her mates, they are obsessed with Rugby Union....and Rugby Union. Like India with Cricket, like England with soccer...they are all about Rugby Union. The only team Australia fears in the Southern Hemisphere is the All Blacks, NZ's Union team, giant angry men...We, of course are Union world champions...but so are they. They want it more than us...it's their world. Doesn't stop us beating them though : )
hockey? I wouldn't have guessed that...the ARules Football seems a lot rougher and manly than US football where they wear pads,etc...I've watched a little on TV....
It's not tougher...I've watched NFL, they are serious...but it's def rougher, if only the complete lack of pads...even shin guards are frowned on. Aussie rules players have to be amongst the fittest though, and still have speed, and still have strength...push these three conflicting demands and you get the 'footballer' body. With the exception of interchange, the players stay out there for the whole game. NFL plays the man...AFL plays the ball, always...if the bloke doesn't have it, and is tackled, its called tackled without the ball and a free kick is given. If the tackled player has it and hangs on to it, well then you wrap him up and bring him to ground...if he drops it, it's called dropping the ball and a free kick is given, if he doesn't try to get the ball away, it's called holding the ball, and a free is given...the ball has to keep moving... You can tackle anyway you want...except you can't trip them, can't push them in the back and you can't make contact with the neck or head...tackling rules having obviously been tightened over the years...
seems like there would be more contact to the body in ARFootball? ''bring him to the ground''?? harshly?? without pads
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=qlG3qqtWNy8 no protection....are these kind of hits common?
In all honesty...every Saturday and Sunday on ovals all over Australia...big hits are part of the game, if you can do it legally then it's a crowd favourite. We tell our rugby folk that AFL is tougher because you can be hit from any direction (it's up to your team mates to be your eyes and give you a heads up 'man on!') Rugby League and Rugby Union are merciless in bringing the man down compared to AFL...we do it with style, grace and finess...Rugby players just wrap your legs up and a second wraps up the ball and the player...and a third brings all three to the ground. Then they pile on...fists, teeth and boot studs flying to clear the ball...thugs.
