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Yet again, there is no stand out team again this year.  Lots of sides licking their wounds from a lacklustre World Cup in the autumn.  The first weekend sets things up nicely...only Scotland and Italy lost.  The Ireland vs Wales draw could be pivotal.

England's year this year - after so many years of coming second?  Not sure.  But it's possible.

I must confess I don't really care.

Not aimed at your good self in the slightest but all the rugby 'fans' I know were the kids at school who didn't like any sport including rugby but now *cough* 25 years on they all seem to have become massive rugby fans?

Prob not the thread for you then.

Each to their own.  I couldn't care less about NFL or the Superbowl - but respect the fact that there are some on here who do.

Which sports you're in to is determined, to a large extent, by who you're friends with and who you know.  For me, I have a lot of old school friends who are in to rugby as well as a group of friends/family in the west of Scotland who are massive rugby fans.  (Wife's family helped set up a the local rugby club in a small town up there in the 1970s).

It's no different with football.  I think there's far too much 'don't like football/rugby' snobbery on both sides, to be honest.  And far too much interest on them vs us.  The two tribe are a lot closer than you'd think.

At the risk of answering a flippant point seriously Horlock, I think Rugby gains popularity against people who aren't hardcore sports fans as the best of the sport is available on terrestrial TV. Sure, international football is available on BBC/ITV, but the Premiership takes precedence, whereas the Rugby Premiership/Pro12 is very much subservient to the international game.

On the 6 Nations itself, I think that result might work out nicely for England, no real momentum gained by either of the favourites. Not that England were brilliant against Scotland, but the job got done. All three games were very close, which shows that we could end up with a very interesting tournament.

A compelling rather than classy opening to the 6 Nations

I'd rate England and Wales the best sides with Ireland third, not far ahead of the Scots.  France having a complete re-build.

England crucially  are away to the weaker sides and home to both the danger teams, Ireland and Wales

Take nothing for granted but I feel England can realistically aim for a Slam

I was probably unnecessarily flippant as rugby is one of those games I end up watching if it is on - much like snooker and darts!

Each to their own although it does baffle me up here somewhat when rugby league supporters go on about how much skilful league is compared with union?

This

That's probably a very good point.

Anyway I will leave this thread to all you rugby supporters to shove lit toilet roll up your arses - isn't that the stereotype of what Rugby fans do ;)

I like watching Rugby, I think it's an entertaining sport to watch. I haven't seen a game since England won the world cup though. I'd probably watch a game if another major trophy was up for grabs and if we win I'd likely celebrate like a lunatic that is an avid fan, even though I don't think I can name a single player right now.

Wouldn't stop me from enjoying it though.

COME ON ENGERLAND.

It's an interesting point.  A lot of my interest in rugby stems purely from this one tournament, the Six Nations.  Football has no equivalent.  There is nothing in football that, once a year, brings folk together from England, Wales, Ireland & Scotland (and France & Italy) in this way.  Your local pub, if it's showing the rugby, will always have a Wales shirt in it, or a Scotland short or an Ireland shirt.  The banter/chat is superb.  Wouldn't miss it for anything.

But I don't have a rugby club side.  I have plenty of friends (mostly in Swindon) who follow Bath, but I've never caught the bug myself.  It's a personal thing.

Does anyone remember the home championship? England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, annual football tournament, I think they stopped playing it in the mid 1980s.

Always looked forward to that as a kid.

I like watching the Rugby Championship (old tri nations now with Argentina) more than the six nations.

With the exception of when France are really good, the teams in the six nations just seem to play very dull rugby. Stuff it up the jumper & run into the defence to try & wear them out. They don't seem willing (or capable) of doing something a bit more entertaining.

That said, I still want England to win it all, it's just that we all know they won't.

Yep, aside from the FA cup final the England v Scotland game was the only live football on in the season.

The Home Championship is an interesting parallel.

It was quite competitive, players were fairly committed and like the 6 Nations there were plenty of bragging rights.

Drunken Scots hordes invading the pitch at Wembley and hanging from the crossbar after beating the World Champions in their own backyard must have been quite cathartic to our rivals north of the border.  I imagine we (the Media) had been too full of England winning the World Cup for their tastes.  

https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSEHxry473Lj57oKwzmQTAJ_JhLRSV4rKrkHQyHIvgZT9R5GzgKVg

Nevertheless this wouldn't have happened at HQ!

Its in Swindon as well....

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/sport-headlines/six-nations-to-fill-pubs-with-higher-class-of-git-20160205105932

Love that.
Particularly as on Saturday someone in the pub I was in came up to the bar, was sick all over it, stood and wobbled a bit, puked some more on his shoes, and then said "vodka and coke please"

Manners cost nothing.

TBF, after 25 years, interests can change.

Are you really pissy because a persons interests have changed over TWENTY FIVE years?! 

I didn't like Rugby 10 years ago. I do now.

I too "converted" around about 1999 I think, and probably even more so in recent years.  Didn't like it at school at all, mainly because it was played in howling gales and rain every week - far too precious for that :-)

Personally prefer it at International level than I do football now.