h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

TV's Frink. Rugby is the sport played in heaven.

Rugby and American football can both be traced back to Rugby School in England.

Take away the safety gear, forward passes and half the players from the American version and you can see the common roots.

Scrum/huddle, tries/touchdowns, kicking between goal posts for points, tackles, halfback/quarterback directing play and probably numerous other similarities.

All good points! It still confuses me, but Rugby certainly deserves recognition.

Thought I'd better join in the discussion, since England are due to beat New Zealand in a few hours time. Strange how I'm not quite so optimistic in the results prediction contest thingy that I've actually got money riding on.

Also, I remember looking into why American Football was so called (since the feet seem to be somewhat ignored, other than as something to stand on) and reading that it was derived from football (or soccer as they insist on calling it over here). The first recorded game was, if memory serves, more or less a 25-a-side match between two universities and it evolved from there. I imagine there must have been some rugby influence at some point though, given, amongst many other things, the shape of the ball. John The Gardner came up with what I thought was a good description of the game when he called it "Gang Sumo".

I prefer "Bull-Rush". I have heard the whole Webb Ellis, Rugby School thing is a myth.

The origins of both games are closer to your description. Pommie village v Pommie village. At festival time (no Bank Holidays in those days) the males gathered mid point and the object was to get the 'ball' to the oppositions village. 100s of men on both sides and heaps of cider for the winning team.

I wonder how Austin Healey (great name) is feeling at the moment. Tossing and turning in bed I imagine , dreaming of steamrollers called Jonah.

Well, at least England managed to score one try. I've never believed that Austin Healey is his real name, I can't imagine that his parents would have been so cruel.

Lomu - awesome, he saves his best for the Poms. I thought Healey went quite well. As for Guscott, what a blouse.

A great game played by two excellent sides. I believe, on this form, England will beat South Africa when they meet in the semi-finals.

The game has set up the anticipation levels for the next 3 weeks and hopefully won over a few football neutrals.

Oops - England v SA is a quarter-final

Only if we can beat Fiji...

It looks to me as if England will have to beat SA, Oz and NZ to win the thing. Hmm. My ignorance based opinion, if anyone's interested, is that the semi finals will be Australia/South Africa and France/New Zealand.

Lomu was great, but Dowd played out of his skin - I'm not usually that up with what is happening in the forwards, but he has surely played his way back into the permanent test team. The ground he made before the Kelleher try was impressive. Randall had a good game too, especially on defence. Irimeia is still disappointing in the mid-field though.

The funniest bit was when the poor english kicker (wilkinson?) tried to kick from about halfway (where Merhts had been successful earlier) and it fell way short - i almost felt sorry for the poor guy - and on his home ground. oh dear.

(brief interlude in NZ NPC - i can't believe its an all north island semi! who would have thought at the start of the season that Canterbury and Otago would both be out, and Wellington (and Harbour, despite my bias) would be in - hope i can make it to the battle of the bridge next saturday (although we don't have a very good record of beating Auckland) sorry about that, all done now.)

Hey what's with that Delaglio (sorry i've probably spelt that all wrong) "falling" on Jonah? play fair or don't play.

A pity Jonah didn't give him one to the jaw

you might very well think that, but of course i couldn't possibly comment

i'm afraid i'm going to be a piker and not get up to watch the All Blacks play Italy. Long story involving a cat, an allergic reaction, a mircophone and bunch of drunks. Some Italian guy in the paper this morning was betting we would beat his team by forty points. hmmmm. maybe.

BUT I am going to the Battle of the Bridge on Saturday night - yay! although chances we will win are slim to say the least. Losing to Auckland at Eden Park is a Harbour tradition - as long as the Auckland fans don't get all gloaty. grrrrr.

New Zealand 101 Italy 3. it's hard to be humble.

North Harbour v Wellington final. We are allowed to dream.

Now where did I last hear you say that, LT&PP...

Nothing that impressive about it, it's hardly a 106-6 is it?

Group D's looking moderately interesting now that Samoa beat Wales. I did have Argentina down as going through in best 3rd place spot, I don't think that can happen now after Canada's 72-11 win.

If Argentina beat Japan by 69 points they will top the table. By 48 they will come second with Wales topping the group. Wales would be second if the 69 scenario happens.

NZ TV is saying the 3 teams will progress to the next round

Canada have 114 points

Wales have 118 points
Samoa have 97 points
Argentina have have 50 points

So if Argentina win and score more than 47 points, they go through in 2nd place and Samoa are out. Well, I think that's how it is.

still haven't seen the damn italy game and they replay them enough, so i really have no excuse. i hear wilson and osborne had good games - something about passes tripping off wilson's fingers like magic. ahhhhh. anyway fingers crossed for tomorrow night. why can't the world cup be on after exams?!?

I saw Zinzan play tonight for Harlequins against Gloucester, he's a still an excellent player.

....and an excellent role model for young New Zealand men

England 101 Tonga 10. Well Johnny it seems "anything we can do you can do almost as well"