That's rugby, a Neandrthal version of american football and the so-called world championship in Paris this Saturday between England, one of the world's handful of rugby playing countries and South African, another.
This all to see who's the 'world champions' of about five rugby playing nations. Most nations have evolved rugby into proper football (american)

In short WHO CARES?

Conkers to that. At least whoever wins will have won a World title by beating a team from a whole different country.

Since when is England a 'whole different country' - isn't it a part of the U.K. state?

why not a U.K. rugby team - ain't fair IMO

Poor old bob, all he has to watch is rounders and transvestite egg chasers.

I might even glimpse at the telly on Saturday.

And Lewis Hamilton can be world champion in F1 the day after (Bob: F1 is a form of motor racing that is popular around the world, not just North Carolina)

A little history lesson:

1) There are quite a few games that were first codified and organised in the UK, so the first "national" teams were those within the UK.

2) Later they were taken up elsewhere within the Empire and Commonwealth and all sorts of other places that there were trading links with; and it was possible to travel for international matches before there were teams from outside the UK that stood much of a chance in competition.

3) England is has about 85% of the population of the UK. Scottish and Welsh players, not to mention those from both parts of Ireland (because that's a whole other story), wouldn't get as much of a chance of international play if there were UK teams for everything.

4) So by the time point 2) above became obsolete, point 3) had come into play.

Periodically there has been a combined "British Lions" rugby team to play in the southern hemisphere, but for the World Cup, it maximises the TV revenues to maintain separate teams for the home countries.

"one of the world's handful of rugby playing countries and South African"

The Americans put together a very reasonable team who put up a good show.

It would have been nice if they had got a bit of support from their compatriotes.

We have a national rugby team? I know a few colleges have club teams that prefer to scrap in the mud but a USA! team? You don't say

Yup. They gave the defending champions a good game.

all the ruggers i've met and seen have prodigious beer bellies - these Falstaffian types can be atheletes?

I do like the word SCRUM however

America are reigning olympic champs at rugby. AUDERETRUFACT!

USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

PalenQ, you may be interested in Rugby league.

It is played by inarticulate coal covered northern monkeys, and as an over educated and over priveliged southern fop, I don't know much about it, but it has the same territory gaining stop and start aspect to it as American football.

The difference being it is played by athletes who don't have to sit down and take a breather every two minutes like your fat chumps.

I watched a trailer for Australian Rugby League last night. Bloody hell, that looks like a man's game (as opposed to Rugby Union which is a pooves game). Frightening stuff.

There are not 5 rugby playing nations, Pal, there are 95.

I'm trying to find the American football world rankings- really, I am...

I managed. There are 8 countries in it.

And as far as I can see 17 in the baseball list.

And don't strat me on the difference between countries and nations and states. It's been done to death in the past in this parish.

I won't strat you on that but

it seems unfair when England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Eire all have teams and no other nation splits up i believe

I mean the U.S. could have 50 rugby teams i guess under that scenario

tis ain't fair!

Northern Ireland don't have a rugby team (unless you count the province of Ulster, but that covers all Ulster counties and not just those in NI). The Irish rugby union team represents both the Republic and Northern Ireland, hence the reason for playing the dreadful "Ireland's Call" at the beginning of matches instead of our national anthem.

Audere, perhaps you might google "Ian Roberts" for more info about Australian Rugby League players. You wouldn't be interested in the calendar, though.

Britain isn't a nation. It's 4 (well, 3 1/2). That's why we compete in the 6 Nations Championship

Is the United Kingdom a nation?

UN says it is.
EU says it is.
Soccer and rugby should say it is.

No, the UN and the EU say the UK's a state, as it is. A nation is something else, which may or may not be co-terminous with a state.

The world is not tidy, or rational; and trying to make it so makes it worse.