Latest news with #RugbySkool
Daily Maverick
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Why watch rugby? Beer, bruises and brotherhood
Mud, mayhem and metaphorical Vikings – Daron Mann is back with another tongue-in-cheek instalment of Rugby Skool, unpacking why rugby isn't just a sport, it's a way of life (complete with bruises, beers and bad decisions). With the Springboks set to face Italy in Gqeberha on 12 July, consider this your unofficial prep course in the beautiful chaos of the game. Why watch rugby? It's not just a sport; it's a lifestyle – albeit with mud, mates and a few questionable life choices. Today in Rugby Skool, we're wrapping up our series with why this glorious madness hooks you for life. First, there's the spectacle. Rugby is raw – players smash, sprint and bleed without pads, like superheroes who forgot their capes. A perfectly timed try or a bone-rattling tackle feels like art (if art gave you a black eye!). Then there's the vibe: fans in jerseys, chanting through rain, sharing beers with strangers. It's a cult, but of the generally friendly kind. The players? They're lunatics with hearts. After 80 minutes of carnage, they'll hug opponents, swap shirts and drink together. It's like watching Vikings throw a potluck. Even the ref usually gets a cheer, unless they've had an absolute shocker. And don't sleep on the anthems either – was there ever a more heartwarming call to arms than 45,000 fans at NMB Stadium belting out Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika? Rugby's also a story. Every match has underdogs, comebacks and that one winger who sprints like they stole something. You'll laugh, gasp and maybe cry (especially if your team chokes) at what unfolds before you. So grab a mate, hit a pub and watch. By halftime you'll be yelling about scrums like you were born in a ruck. That's rugby: messy, mad and magical. Keep watching. You're one of us now. Now pass the beer. DM
Daily Maverick
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Maverick
The referee rules — how to navigate rugby's labyrinthine laws without losing your mind
It's nearly time for the South Africa versus Italy match, and Nelson Mandela Bay is buzzing with Bok fever. Daron Mann is back with Rugby Skool — a tongue-in-cheek rugby crash course for those who've ever wondered what on earth is going down during a match. Rugby's rules are like quantum physics; nobody fully gets them, but everyone claps when they work. In Rugby Skool today, we're tackling the game's dictator – the referee – as well as his whistle and a rulebook that's thicker than a prop's neck. The ref's job? Quite simply, to keep 30 rampaging players from turning the pitch into a scene from Gladiator. He/she will whistle for knock-ons (dropping the ball) or passing it forward, for offside (standing where you shouldn't), or when someone gets a bit too, er, … 'enthusiastic' in their endeavours. These penalties give the opposition either a kick or a scrum. Sounds straightforward? Ha. Anything but – rugby's laws have more layers than an onion and can lead to just as many tears. Take the ruck, for example: if you don't join correctly (from behind the last line of feet), or let go of the ball quickly enough, the whistle blows. Lineouts? Bump a bloke while he's in the air jumping for the ball and you're toast. Even fans scream 'What the %$@!?!' half the time. Pro tip: when the ref penalises anyone, just nod sagely. In rugby, nobody argues with the whistle, except maybe grizzled flankers and mouthy scrumhalfs, who then get marched back 10 metres for their troubles. The beauty's in the flow – rugby's chaos somehow works, like a bar fight with a conductor. Watch the ref's signals (they're a bit like interpretive dance) and you'll catch on. Next, we'll explore why rugby's worth watching. For now, respect the whistle. It's the only thing keeping the game from being actual anarchy. DM
Daily Maverick
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Player positions: Who's who in the rugby team zoo?
The countdown to the Springboks' return to Gqeberha is on — and the city's pulse is starting to race. As anticipation builds for the Bok showdown against Italy on 12 July, radio veteran Daron Mann is back with Rugby Skool — a tongue-in-cheek rugby crash course for those who've ever wondered 'Who does what, anyway?' Rugby's players are a motley crew, each with a job that's slightly weirder than the last. In Rugby Skool today, we're touring the pitch's zoo, where 15 players per team range from nimble gazelles to human bulldozers. Let's meet the cast. Up front, the props and hooker (front row) are the scrum's meat shields, built like vending machines, with tempers to match. The props push; the hooker hooks (snares the ball with his foot) and also feeds the ball into lineouts. Behind them are the locks — tall, lanky giraffes whose main job is to steal balls at lineouts, and to snarl while doing so. Flankers and the number eight are the back-row hustlers — fast, tough, with unresolved anger issues, always in the ref's face. Those are the forwards. Now to the backs The scrumhalf is the team's hyperactive Jack Russell, yapping incessantly while zipping the ball from scrums and rucks. The flyhalf is the pretty boy maestro, kicking and calling plays while ensuring his hair is date night-ready. Flanks love flattening flyhalves. Then you have the two centers, they crash through defences like rhinos on rollerblades, and wingers sprint like they're late for a bus, chasing glory. The fullback? He's the last-ditch hero, catching kicks and praying he doesn't fumble. Each position is a puzzle piece in rugby's chaotic masterpiece. Watch in wonder as a wing deftly dodges a defender (as well as a visit to Casualty!) or as a prop flattens his prey — it's poetry, but with concussions.
Daily Maverick
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Maverick
Rugby collisions — making sense of what looks like a brawl
The countdown to the Springboks' return to Gqeberha is on—and the city's already humming. As anticipation builds for the July clash against Italy, radio personality Daron Mann is back with Rugby Skool – a tongue-in-cheek crash course for anyone who's ever asked, 'Wait, what's a ruck?' Welcome back to Rugby Skool, where, today, we're diving into tackles, rucks, and mauls – those dark and murky places where players collide and yet, somehow, still manage to keep on playing. So grab a helmet, and let's get to it. Or, rather, don't. Rugby laughs at helmets. Those are for gridiron players — rugby prefers bruises and bravado. The tackle is simple: if someone's got the ball, you slam them to the ground. Forcefully but legally – that means no neck-grabbing or WWE suplexes. Expect maximum bruising and minimum sympathy. Once down, the tackled player must release the ball, giving rise to a ruck. At this point, players from both sides pile in at top speed, pushing and shoving to secure the ball while the ref yells, 'Use it!' It's chaos, but organised, much like a toddler's birthday party. Then there's the maul, rugby's mobile mosh pit. If a player's tackled but stays upright, teammates and opponents swarm in, creating a standing wrestle-fest. The ball's passed back (always backward, because rugby's quirky like that), and the maul lumbers forward like a drunken conga line. It's teamwork, but with lots of elbows. The uninitiated needn't stress if it all resembles a brawl. This is just rugby's language of love. And just wait for the moment that a ruck gets cleared or a maul trundles over the tryline and scores – it's like the crowd's won the lottery.
