Rugby vs Cricket: What Do You Prefer?

I have long wanted to write an article about my two favourite sports – Rugby vs Cricket. Now that the 2013 rugby season is all but over and the local 2013/2014cricket season is well under way, it is the ideal time to test which sport the sport loving public prefers!

 The Sports-Man used to participate in both sports from the age of six, which was back in the not-too-distant 80’s. In the South African culture back then, and I am sure today things are not all that much different, boys wanted to (and at times were pushed by parents and teachers) to take part in one or both of these sports. If you had the obvious talent, you would usually participate in both sports until your last year of school. If you did not show much talent in any of the two sports, you would have lost interest (for various reasons) by age 10 to 13, or even earlier.

I used to play tennis, take part in athletics, and went with my dad for a round of golf during the school holidays, but these sports were seen as the “in-between” sports – the ones that took up your time when the school’s rugby or cricket season ended. Back then, the two seasons never overlapped as they do today. Furthermore, it was seen as “un-cool” to only participate in tennis, athletics, or golf, for example - not to mention ‘ball-less’ sports like karate, chess, cycling, or wrestling!

This article covers both the participation and the support part of Rugby vs Cricket, and I can say for sure that during my days at school, until their last year, boys preferred to play rugby. I am not sure if things have changed in the meantime, but apart from a few individuals who really took cricket seriously, the rest participated merely for the fun of it, to kill time, get away from home or the hostel, or stay away from the books, for instance. Rugby was nearly every South African school’s main sport!

After school, I experienced something different. Young men rarely took up both sports after they left school and they usually concentrated on the one that they enjoyed the most, and the one that they were better at playing. I tried to compete in both rugby and cricket, which is something that was easier to do back in the late 80’s and early 90’s – the times before professional sport took off in South Africa. However, something that happens often to sportsmen - a sports injury - nearly ended all my involvement in sports. Fortunately, for me, giving up rugby and ignoring the pain in the knee did allow me to compete in cricket for another 10 years.

As a supporter, I must say that both Rugby and Cricket give me a lot of pleasure, they both add more than enough excitement to my day and there are times when I truly cannot leave my seat in front of the TV, or next to the field. I cannot even listen to what the person next to me is saying! Nonetheless, which sport – Rugby vs Cricket – do I/you prefer or love the most? That is the main question that this article is addressing right now!   

In my own case, I have to say that Cricket wins by a short distance – not by much at all, but I have to admit that I am a cricket “purist”. I can talk about it for hours, I know a lot about the game and its past and present stars, and I love to listen and learn from other purists as well.  

Therefore, it is Rugby 0 – and Cricket 1 thus far – which of the two sports do you love the most and prefer to watch, as well as participate in? Leave your comment and choice below please ...!