Rugby for the old, unfit, or simply can't afford the injury risk

[Which Tyler]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union ... wellbeing/


https://archive.ph/oOs95

How walking rugby became the sport’s new sensation
Older generation of men and women is becoming hooked on game that tackles loneliness and offers opportunity to new form life-long bonds

“I definitely can’t run, so it is important that players stick to the rules,” writes Brian Watkins, 74, before opting for the caps lock to emphasise his next point: “It’s WALKING rugby.”

ARTICLE CONTINUES

Anyone interested can find a club here: https://www.walkingsports.com/walking-rugby/

[Banquo]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/rugby-union ... wellbeing/


https://archive.ph/oOs95

How walking rugby became the sport’s new sensation
Older generation of men and women is becoming hooked on game that tackles loneliness and offers opportunity to new form life-long bonds

“I definitely can’t run, so it is important that players stick to the rules,” writes Brian Watkins, 74, before opting for the caps lock to emphasise his next point: “It’s WALKING rugby.”

ARTICLE CONTINUES

Anyone interested can find a club here: https://www.walkingsports.com/walking-rugby/

We have been doing it for two years, alongside social touch rugby...the old uns love it!

[Puja]

Our club does it too - it's getting very popular. I have to say I'm not sure I'll be able to switch to it when I retire, as my brain can't wrap around the idea of a speed limit to playing sport. I might not run very fast anymore, but my first reaction to seeing a gap is going to be to try and go top speed.

Puja

[Which Tyler]

A] It does indeed take a lot of adjusting
B] You'd be surprised how quickly you can "walk"

[Puja]

A] It does indeed take a lot of adjusting
B] You'd be surprised how quickly you can "walk"

I wouldn't be surprised if some of the walks were faster than my runs, at least up-hill anyway.

Puja

[oldbackrow]

Wath Warriors started in 2021 (but I started playing walking rugby along with my wife with Rotherham Titans Community Foundation in 2019). As it stands we have 62 people on the WhatApp group and 38 who have joined Wath Rugby Club as specific walking rugby members. Today we only had 12 playing partly due to holidays, Oasis concert and hot weather. We have a range of players from 22 year olds through to a 79 year old (we do have some 15 year olds who come to play alongside their parents) but the vast majority are in the 50 to 70 age range.
At Wath weve had a little go at T1 but despite the RFU guidance, just dont feel its for us with the make up of the group and what we are wanting from the sport.

[Which Tyler]

Tewkesbury Trundlers started in 2018, and when I saw about it, I thought I'd give it a go - great fun, but the wife refuses to join up.
We've got 1 guy in his mid-20s, and I'm the next youngest at 49, most are 60-80. Only 2 of us regulars are ex-backs, outnumbered by never-played, who in turn are outnumbered by tight-fives. We've got 1 backrower, but he only ever turns up when competing - which isn't often.

At Tewkesbury. I seem to be the keeper of the laws, which are a mild adjustment of the Kingswood guidelines.

We generally get 12-15 turning up on a Wednesday evening

[oldbackrow]

Yes we play to the Kingswood guidlines, went to a ref course at Birmingham Civil Service,run by Baz from Kingswood. We generally get 15 to 20 of a Saturday and 8 to 10 of a Wednesday night. The biggest growth is in female players, weve gone from 4 when we started to 12 now!
Like you, weve got quite a few players who have never played over and above PE lessons as well as some who have played at quite a high level.
Weve played in a few tournaments (including at Cardiff Arms Park!) and run our own but we much prefer festival types as some teams take it way too seriously! Not many teams round here but we have had home and away fixtures with Pocklington and Macclesfield and hoping to do some more.

[jngf]

I can genuinely say it’s a lot of fun and helps with general fitness!

[Scrumhead]

I might look into this although not sure it’s a thing here in NI.

[Lizard]

Pretty sure this isn’t a thing in NZ. Touch is pretty big so it might be of interest to some older players maybe. A grubber kick chase must be a sight!

[oldbackrow]

Pretty sure this isn’t a thing in NZ. Touch is pretty big so it might be of interest to some older players maybe. A grubber kick chase must be a sight!

As you say, touch and T1 seemed to be more of a thing when I was over there last year.

[Which Tyler]

Pretty sure this isn’t a thing in NZ. Touch is pretty big so it might be of interest to some older players maybe. A grubber kick chase must be a sight!

Yeah, it's essentially for the next level of decrepitude up from T1/touch.
For example, there's no kicking, and play stops if the ball or any player hits the ground - as some players can't reach the ground to pick up a ball in the first place.

For myself, I can cope with the odd game of T1/touch, but my knee really wouldn't cope with doing it regularly, whilst my profession means I can't afford to play contact (and again, my knee wouldn't let me either).


For me, the key is to not take it seriously - even when competing (I'll never play against (Gloucester Relics again!). It's not about dominating... anything.
In club play, when you all know each other, there's no point exploiting the immobile 80 year old, that's no fun for anyone - if he's lined up against me in defence, I'll walk to him and take the tackle, if he leaves me a huge gap, then I'll take it - but I'm not going to try to send him one way, step back and side and go the other way - I'll save that for if I'm against someone more mobile.
Of course, it's also still rugby, and there's still shithousery going on

[Lizard]

Sounds like fun if it’s played in the right spirit. However, I’m not sure that an ethos of playing within yourself would really sit well with the culture of NZ amateur rugby. I’ve played “social” grade, Over-35s and touch, and seen precious little of that!