The strips are tighter and collarless to mean it is more difficult to grab a player,they even have sticky bits on the chest to help a ball stay put.

I cant understand why footie players don’t have tight shirts – better physiques and avoid all the holding, shirt pulling

cant understand why footie players don’t have tight shirts, avoid all the holding, shirt pulling

shirt pulling in the penalty box gains a tactical advantage, more likely to score from a set piece than open play hence why footballers go to ground so easily

I suspect it has, but no worse than other sports. It amazes me that no footballers have failed a doping test.

Well she didn’t do her research very well ! I have emailed her a few shots of Sonny Bill Williams with his shirt off. That should keep her quiet for a while.

Well she didn’t do her research very well ! I have emailed her a few shots of Sonny Bill Williams with his shirt off. That should keep her quiet for a while.

Well it’s an opinion piece so more about her reasons for watching rugby, although she does mention this is the case with her friends, and it’s also what Ive heard from women down the pub.

I think you are naive as to how commercial marketing works, if you don’t understand that athleticism and beauty are very powerful forces in a predominantly visual culture.

I cant understand why footie players don’t have tight shirts

But they do, they are far tighter now then 10-15 years ago.

Football tops comparison:

with

I cant understand why footie players don’t have tight shirts – better physiques

Depends on your taste I suppose. Most women I know prefer a well built gent to one who looks like a 12 year old (as above).

Depends what you mean by issue?

If you mean “Do people take performance enhancing banned substances?” then they answer is the same as pretty much every other sport.

“Yes”

The more money is in that sport, the more people will take drugs.
The more speed, strength and power is a priority, the more people will take drugs.

http://www.biggerstrongerfastermovie.com is available on Netflix and well worth a watch.

No drugs problem.

You just have to. tren hard, eat clen, anavar give up.

You just have to. tren hard, eat clen, anavar give up.

Yes, Anavar is key… 😉

1994 – the year of professsionalism

Rugby union officially went pro in 1995, it took a few years for most countries to catch up. Here in Wales, other than above the board player payments, little changed until about 1999-00.

Of course players’ weights have increased since then. You’d have to be stupid or obtuse not to understand why. The majority of the Welsh backs of the 90 and before were noticably shorter than me. (I’m 5’11”). These days they tower over me. Select players for height and of course weight increases.

Finally, drug use is nothing new. One Swansea/Wales second row who went to school with me was like a bean-pole in his first season at Swansea, in the 80s. Over the summer break he bulked out like you wouldn’t believe starting his second season about 3 stone heavier. All by eating broccoli, one would assume. It was endemic then and I guess still is.

29lbs has magically through protein shakes and training been added to the average weight of a rugby player since the game went pro.

Whilst there is no doubt it’ present, I’m not so sure drug use is as endemic as suggested on this thread.
I play at a reasonable club level, it’s not unusual for me to be our lightest forward at 100kg. I’ve never taken anything, and I’m pretty certain no one else at my club has. I guess the desire for bigger/more physical players being preferred to skilled players has pushed the game this way, and regular weights training guided by better informed coaches and improved nutrition has facilitated it.

We had a lad who was on the books of a pro club whilst in school. He was put on 6 meals a day to ensure he was big enough before joining the academy full time. There is a more professional approach at all levels of the game.

In a bid to appeal more to the masses, the university I attended decided it would run a sports science degree.

One chap in my year in college was doing this degree. He was a pretty sizeable lad from Yorkshire and was part of the Bradford Bulls Academy.

Well, he was until he and a handful of other academy players got done for drugs.

This is 20 years ago. Rugby League had only been fully professional for under 10 years at that point, and already teenagers were doping.

Rugby Union professionalised in 1995 and surprise, surprise both codes are now full of huge, fast players. What a coincidence.

That 14st average just doesn’t feel right at rwc level. I played club in that era and I was 13st and at 5’6″ quite broad but by no means biggest guy there.

Most women I know prefer a well built gent to one who looks like a 12 year old (as above).

True but what do they think of footballers 🙄

Even you must have seen becks topless he doe snot look like a 12 year old though granted he is no meat head beef cake either

Seen? I have the poster 😉
I’ve seen the beast too, but the majority of footballers are small chaps as that’s the shape that the repetition of the sport and training make them into. Meat head? Most rugby players are a sight more eloquent than wendyballers “game ov too aaaves innit?”
😀

😆

Given the risks of injury, it makes sense to have far stricter doping controls in place for contact sports. At least in cycling they aren’t hitting each other with ridiculous force….

I imagine the difference between being hit by a 16 stone man rather than a 14 stone man is rather significant.

So better to be the 16 stoner!

How many people in this thread have been/are involved in Rugby at a high level? – only mark 88 seems to have genuine experience, not an opinion based on something they’ve read.

I played to a high level prior to getting injured and no-one was taking anything illegal – supplements, creatine, etc yes – nothing that was banned or would give any benefit without the working harder/longer/faster, coupled with a specially designed diet.
Most supplements i came across simply helped recovery, you could do the aforementioned (personally i didn’t take anything at all, ever – i don’t even like taking paracetamol).

I’m not saying no-one takes drugs – I’m sure there are a few, but, i don’t believe its rife, as some are suggesting – players are bigger, faster, stronger because of natural selection and lifestyle, enhanced through professionalism.

ever played a valley team?!?!

How many people in this thread have been/are involved in Rugby at a high level?

Yip – Premiership. There is a drugs problem. Testing is lets just say avoidable.

stew1982 – Member How many people in this thread have been/are involved in Rugby at a high level? –

Yup,prem 1 in Scotland and pretty close in England as the game went pro. Got as far up the reffing food chain as TJ for pro games until 2 years ago. I am not saying they don’t exist,but you don’t have whole squads on the HGH. Because the game is becoming size orientated bigger players are coming to the fore. Guys who would have been second rows are now wingers,North,Bananaman for example.Even props are taller,what is Dan Cole? 6″2″? That was number 8 height in the amateur era. In the pro 12 the ref is watched as he draws random numbers out from the match squad,they are tested.I have watched it getting done.