Why is rugby union so boring compared to rugby league?

Answer 1

The reasons for people finding union boring are quite evident. The game itself has so many stoppages that it can make you lose concentration on the action taking place. The mere lack of ball in play due to stoppages ends up in less action on the field which can seem to people to be "boring". Also, the rules are so technical that many people watching the game from afar (the sidelines) cannot keep up with nor see what the players are trying to achieve, nor why a penalty is given. There are too many technical rules in union which tends to take away from the free flow and running that you can see league.

Over recent years players have decided to play aerial ping-pong where they kick the ball instead of running with it. This leads to turnovers being conceded and a lot more players being taken out in the air. Whereas a League you have a limited number of phases to run with the ball and then you have to kick it meaning more players run with the ball and try to cover as much ground over the gainline as possible.

Rugby Union is boring for many reasons, rugby union atmosphere isn't the same as league because you get these physico fans that will do anything for their team to win, Rugby Union fans just sit in their seats and keeping their mouths shout. I've been to many rugby league and union games. Rugby Union play is very slow and lot's of kicking is involved. this just slows down the pace of the game. Rugby League it's fast and never stopping. Play by play till it's finish.

I am of the opinion that Rugby League is much more boring than Union. But it's all opinion. But although I personally despise League, I will say i agree with the general consensus that all the kicking in Union is extremely boring!

Rugby Union is so much better than league it's actually funny. League has zero competitiveness. There are no rucks, no line-outs, you can't steal the ball from the opposition and the scrums are so insignificant that they might as well do away with them entirely. People claim that league is more spectator-friendly, but this in my eyes simply means 'dumbed down for a TV audience'. There is no strategy at all - I was watching some league last night and I almost fell asleep even though it was only 8:00pm because it was like counting sheep. This morning, I got up at 6:30am to watch England vs Georgia but I couldn't tear my eyes away from it because it was so fascinating. Rugby League is an utterly uninteresting sport, which is probably why it is only played properly in three or four countries. I'd sooner watch American Football, which is saying something (I hate American Football). As far as I can see, league bears more similarities with AF that Union anyway, but is inferior to both union and AF. League is an amalgamation of union and AF which should really have never come into being. Union is growing anyway. It's world cup is twice as big as league's, and the players in it are actually from their respective countries. In the league tournament, they're all just localised Aussies in the northern hemisphere (with the exception of England). It simply isn't true rugby and to refer to it as rugby is sacrilege. Personally, I don't know why anyone would play league, and it is most certainly not more interesting than Union!