Rugby and Netball

Kia ora!

I attended my first rugby game.  The Babe's son, Laurence, plays for the Sumner club team.   The biggest differences between rugby and American football are that other than a mouthguard, the 13 players wear no padded protection and they play both offense and defense.  You can hear them crunching into each other - OUCH!  Also, play is continuous with no huddles or chain moving.

The oval ball, slightly fatter than an American football, cannot be passed forward, only behind or laterally.  The team gains ground by running or kicking the ball.   Any player may kick the ball at any time.  Either team may recover the ball.  Offensive players must be behind the ball carrier.

If the ball carrier is tackled to the ground, he must release the ball immediately or there is a penalty.  A ruck forms as his team mates protect the ball.  If the ball goes "into touch" (out of bounds), there is a line-out awarded against the team that last touched the ball.  The players line up perpendicular to the touch (sideline), one team on each side and a meter apart, and the ball is thrown into the gap by a member of the awarded team.  Team members can jump or lift each other into the air to try to get the ball.

There are many rules about tackling, including only the ball carrier can be tackled.  Fouls often incur scrums where the players hold on to each other to form a block and line up against the other team  to tackle each other for possession of the ball.  The ref tells them when to "Crouch... Touch...  Pause... Engage."  The ball must be kicked backward until a player can get it safely and strategically into play.

Scoring: a try is a 5 point score where the player must ground the ball past the goal line.  After a try is scored, the team can attempt a conversion bonus, 2 points if the ball is kicked over the goal crossbar from the field in line with where the ball touched the ground for the try, from any distance.  A goal of 3 points occurs if the ball is kicked over the goal crossbar during play.  Penalty kicks often result in these goals.

There are two 40 minute halves during which play rarely stops.  They don't even stop when players are injured.  I think the team plays short until a determination is made about substitution.  There are few time-outs, few substitutions  and play is much faster than football.  It was so  interesting to watch and learn that I forgot I had a camera and didn't take any pix.  Darn!

I also saw my first netball game.  Laurence's girlfriend, Monica, is on the team that plays at Lincoln University.  Netball is a popular primarily women's game played worldwide but especially in England and Commonwealth countries.  It's similar to basketball except that there's no backboard and no dribbling.

What a shock it would have been

Netball is a passing game; no ball bouncing, running with the ball, or double possession allowed.   It's a fast game; a player can have possession of the ball for only 3 seconds at a time.  The 7 players must keep within their zones and it is player to player defense.  Within the shooting circle, a 900 cm (must be almost a meter away from ball carrier/shooter) defense rule is enforced.

Each ball into the 10' high net is 1 point.  After any goal, the center from alternating teams starts the volleyball-sized ball into play from the center circle.  Substitutions occur during the brief quarter breaks and time outs are rare.  Easier than rugby to understand and watch.  The girls work hard!

Damaged church in Christchurch

Sumner is 45 minutes through Christchurch from Broadfield so I saw a lot of earthquake damage along the way. Damage is widespread; many suburbs were also heavily affected.   The February 22 earthquake registered 6.3 magnitude and killed 163 people.  The September 4, 2010 earthquake was a 7.1 with no fatalities.

Gnarly old Eucalyptus tree

There are cliffs, similar to those in Malibu along the Pacific Coast Highway, where homes have been red tagged because they have fallen or in danger of doing so.   Many streets have been/are being repaved from road damage.  All the manholes in a broad area are raised a few inches.  Weird.  Some neighborhoods are using Porta-potties because the sewerage systems are still being repaired.

The Babes also dropped me off to see the Christchurch Botanical Gardens, one of the few tourist attractions near the CBD recently reopened to the public.  I especially admired the big native trees with their gnarly or shredded trunks and the heather, rock and demo gardens.  Although the Canterbury Museum and the Art Gallery were closed due to quake damage, there were a few nice sculpture on the grounds.

I had a wonderful 6 day stay with the Babes, meeting their family and friends, and learning about so many new things.  They wanted me to stay longer and I would have loved to, but I had already made a commitment to my next wwoofing hosts.

Cheers!
Cyn