Notable Rugby Blogs

Recently I've been looking at other rugby blogs for inspiration and have found a few notable writers and web-sites. The set of links titled "Other Rugby Blogs" in the right-hand column showcases a few of these sites. I encourage you to look at them if you are interested in learning more about the game. About: Rugby, The Rugby Blog, and both the World Cup blogs are particularly good for World Cup commentary while USA Rugby Blog offers some an analysis on the future of rugby in the United States. One of the most interesting blog I have come across so far has been the Rugby Tips blog, written by Scott Donaldson.

Rugby Tips blends several aspects of rugby and blogging that highlight some powerful elements of both activities. Although some things about the site are not user-friendly, overall the blog is informative and provocative for the reader.

Donaldson does a very good job of making his posts meaningful in that they ask questions to the reader and the greater rugby world while simultaneously offering forth suggestions about the game and its implementation. For instance, the recent post titled Lets Raise the Stakes Between Tournaments asks why teams like England and France don't "play the way they did last night, all the time?" Donaldson then suggests that international matches during the regular year should be deciding factors in determining which pools teams are divided into for the World Cup. This, he reasons, would increase competitiveness and interest in the game through rivalry because the matches would actually have an effect on World Cup pool placement.

Rugby Tips is also humorous in a non-biting way, which truly reflects the rugby ethos. When describing New Zealand's recent loss to the French national team, Donaldson imagines the Kiwis (Residents of New Zealand) "searching for both answers and new hobbies with cross stitch, poetry and playing bridge as the safest options" since they no longer have a team in the World Cup for which they may cheer. At first this may seem scathing, but for Donaldson, who currently resides in Wellington NZ, it can be seen as nothing more than a chide to his neighbors (I too am guilty of chiding a few of my Kiwi friends).

The blog also exhibits some largely unexplored uses of blogs in its use of audio commentary on rugby. Readers can learn about the New Zealand national team, the All Blacks, while perusing the articles.

Some flaws in the blog do exist in the poor formatting of the page. The initial view of the blog is somewhat uninviting to readers, probably turning at least a few prospectives away.

Once again, I encourage you all to explore the vast world of rugby by using the links to the right. If you would like to share your favorite rugby web-site or blog, post a comment.