The North/South Divide: Rugby League vs Rugby Union
Power. Aggression. Physicality. Having only ever seen rugby league while doomscrolling, those would be the three words I, like many soft southerners, would associate with the northern sport.
Crossing the code divide, rugby union is generally thought of as a far more tactical and technical sport, particularly by southern media. Rather than crashing the ball straight up the field, union teams manipulate opposition back-lines with intricate patterns, plays and kicking battles.
However, millions of fans would likely disagree with my conjecture so there was only one way to confirm my biases.
Initial Opinions
Curious, I joined my colleague Ricky at the Cherry Red Records Stadium as London Broncos hosted last year’s Super League finalists, the Catalan Dragons, for their first Super League home game in five years. With an open mind, I turned up to the newly refurbished AFC Wimbledon stadium. I was ready for my first professional rugby league match.
During my TikTok scrolls, I found myself immersed into the world of wheelchair rugby league. I was fascinated by the physicality of a so-called non-contact sport. Players would crash themselves into the opposition to gain the slightest advantage from a dominant hit. Hoping for a similarly appealing sport, I was excited.
The Game
However, my hope was quashed within a matter of minutes. The Dragons stormed into a 10-0 lead and the Broncos showed little passion. The one-sided contest seemed to be fulfilling my prevailing beliefs.
After a lacklustre start, however, the Broncos were ignited by a monstrous tackle. The dominant hit sent the Dragon flying off his feet, forcing a turnover. Booming cheers echoed around the stadium and the previously leaden atmosphere began to lift.
But the Broncos were unable to capitalise on the uplifted fandom and the Dragons maintained their dominance with a 16-0 lead at halftime.
The next forty minutes was much of the same and the Dragons continued to rain tries on the Broncos Super League homecoming celebrations. Barring a few bursts of attack, the Dragons seemed unfazed throughout and ended 34-0 victors.
My Conclusion
Was the game almost exactly what I expected? Yes. Did it surpass my expectations and did I enjoy it? Also yes.
Size seemed to play a huge roll in the Dragon’s victory. In the post-match press conference, Mike Eccles, the Broncos’ Director of Rugby, said it was always going to be hard to compete with the Catalan physicality. Due to an injury ridden squad, the lack of stature seemed to hinder the Broncos; the Dragons made easy yards with repetitive crash balls up the middle of the pitch.
Interestingly, the Broncos looked most dangerous when they were executing tactical plays as opposed to hitting hard up front. In a way which mirrored union, their lack of size mattered much less when exploiting space out wide.
However, the biggest difference seemed to be the Dragon’s ability to convert in the red zone. Catalan’s kicking was unrivalled and allowed them to score some brilliant tries, as well as resetting the count and retaining the ball.
From a fan perspective, the event was a huge success. It was the Broncos’ largest attendance since 2010, with 5,102 spectators in full voice throughout. There also seemed to be a good set of travelling fans and the By The Horns bar, in the corner of the ground, was rammed hours after the match too.
Power, aggression and physicality would still be the three words I would use to describe rugby league. There was definitely more to the game than I had previously assumed but also, part of me longed for an Antoine Dupont-style magician to enter the fold and slice the game wide open with flashes of ingenuity and gumption. That was not the case. The sheer size of Catalan dominated the game and crash balls prevailed.
When I began writing this article, before the game, I hoped there would be a full-circle story where my eyes were opened to the beauty and tactics of the sport. This did not quite come into fruition. But, if I squint and tilt my head slightly, there is definitely promise and excitement.
