Went to my first Super League game last night. And I have to say the experience was highly varied. First of all when we got to the sell out ground at Wrexham (10,300 -ish)it was clear the stewards hadn't really thought things through. We had assigned seats but a lot of fans had unrestricted tickets and the stewards had told them they could sit anywhere. Without pointing out that they might be asked to move by people with assigned seating. Chaos inevitably ensued but it wasn't at the viciousness that one might expected.
Second the seats we took, were somehow in what I believe is termed 'The away end'. Rugby has no separation of rival fans and the selling of alcohol is encouraged. Now there are many reasons why I don't follow football but in amongst the main ones is the rivalry and intimidation that goes on. At every Rugby Union match I've been to theres been singing and chanting but I have never ever felt in the least intimidated and never, ever heard the opposition fans singing "Get into them - Fuck them up!"
The individual Leeds fans I spoke to were very friendly but there were clusters of them , clots one might say, that were at the very least thug-ish that I would cross entire counties to avoid. It was only at the end of the game as I was filling out, I craned to look at the area the Baboons had inhabited and I realised that sat three rows in front of them were three little girls in Welsh hats with their Ma and Pa. They must have heard all the swearing and abuse and blatant Xenophobia that those Idiots were saying and I think they've got a very different perspective on sport and probably men as well. As Hunter always used to say 'He who makes a beast of himself spares himself the pain of being a man.' or, translated from ponce 'If you go with the mob you don't have to think for yourself'.
They had their songs and chants one of which was "Who are ya? Who are ya? You've got no History, You've got no history!" I felt like shouting back "Of course we haven't you numptys, we've only been going a year!" However the fact I'm typing this from my front room and not a hospital bed shows that I was able to restrain myself.
Although by far my favourite chant was "That's why we're champions, That's why we're champions!" after every try. They were indeed champions last year but they were emphasising odd syllables so it came out
That's why we're Cham - p - O - nes which sounded for all the world like the french for Mushrooms! I imagine this was unintentional unless leeds have some kind of nickname I'm unaware of.
The game itself when it started was like a paired down game of Union and that's not an insult. Its a game that can be understood fairly quickly and enjoyed straight away. Union is a game that grows on you slowly and until you get the subtleties and complexities of the whole game then it is baffling and confusing.
I can understand why die-hard League fans can't understand why you'd want to play rugby like a foxtrot. "Slow slow quick quick slow" rather than an all out mad rush but for me (Ponce mode) its the difference between a glass of coke and a single malt. One is meant to be guzzled consumed straight away before the fizz goes. The other is meant to be savoured, allowed to mature.(/Ponce mode)
I think its this difference that means I will always be a union man, Although I may well go back for the occasional crusaders game. The game itself was enjoyable and there was always something happening, but I will very much be in the home end next time I go.
(The result? Well we lost by four tries in the end but for two thirds of the match we held the Mushrooms to a draw which is an achievement by anyone's standards!)
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