I sympathise - my other half is a Kiwi and also has eyes for the rugby players.

While I can't do anything about my height ( 5'11'' ), I've been steadily working my way towards 20st. over the last few years.

Old, Ungifted and White

Must have been the size of your "*$*@" Wallet!

So it's become just like football then.

Despite having followed Rugby Union since the 1960s, I turned my back on it during the last World Cup and haven't watched a game since. Partly for the reasons you've highlighted, but also because every match (apart from the mismatched walkovers) seems to be decided on the whim of the officials. It's all about "winning penalties" with brute force. And when those penalties are awarded, to most observers it's impossible to know what the offence was without an explanation and impossible to understand - particularly at the scrum - why countless other apparent offences were ignored.

England's last 3 matches at the last World Cup were perfect examples of what RU had become. They were all about baffling penalty awards at the scrum. Can anyone remember a thrilling passage of play from any of the 3 matches? Unless of course you are thrilled by the sight of the referee's arm aloft over yet another collapsed scrum.

Oh and another thing that annoys me is the incredible amount of time that's taken in an attempt - it seems - to find a technical reason to disallow a try.

Palace since 19 August 1972. Palace 1 (Tony Taylor) Liverpool 1 (Emlyn Hughes)

England won.

True, not pretty, but a wins a win, especially at world cups. Dawson in one of his columns said England's discipline is a cause for concern, 3 players sent off in their last 4 matches, not good

I'm a blind man, i'm a blind man, now my room is cold,
When a blind man cries, Lord, he feels it from his soul.
[Link]

The drop goals were hilarious. Wasn't expecting them.

Red and Blue Army!