Thing is, to my knowledge, none of the guys from this period have suffered with dementia or from long-term effects of concussion. They weren't giant mutants who hit guys for a job; they were regular guys who had to be back at work on Monday morning. Food for thought.
The game changed for the worse when it went professional with the "avoid losing at all costs" attitude, which led to teams consisting of 15 props who can't tackle properly but somehow stop the opposition advancing. The speed and athleticism of all the players was a joy to behold in this video - but most violent of all time?? No way, and no need to dress it up as such.
Yes! Now there are a few clubs that aren't cutting it financially, because top players have to be paid to play since 1995. Beforehand, one played for the fun of it, not for financial reward, and if there was any reward, it was in the form of a job, car, maybe a place to live (France), maybe some Ls (sorry, I'm in America) in the boot (Wales). And in America, there were once semi-pro teams of various sports, like basketball, American football, softball, mostly company teams, and they'd have been considered professionals by the Rugby Union.
I love that most of the players back then (with the exception of a few 'shamateurs') were just ordinary blokes working day jobs, who you could often just have a drink with after a game, and I include even the internationals players. Everything felt so much more real back then, like you were part of a community.
I'm just going to come right out and say it. Rugby back then, as a sport, as a thing to play and watch and follow, was way better than the rugby today.
Was more about speed, skill, fitness and technique in those days, now its all about strength, power and forcing your way through the opposition rather than trying to get around them.
Not the most violent (I have seen much worse) but it has to be said there was some beautiful running rugby ..... so much better to watch than what we get today.
I played rugby from late 70’s, 80’s,90’s and played my last game when I was 49. Those rugby days were far better than todays rugby. My four sons currently play and even they say they wished they could have played that style.
The players are flying what a beauty is this not even France or NZ could play like this today , ( they are the two team with the most beautiful an living ball in game )
At sixty four years old it's only the last few years that i got interested in rugby particularly the Internationals,looking at this old footage I have to agree, what a game that was.
Infact it's not normal, it's just a trick. The video is played at higher speed. If you go to settings and set the speed at .75% that's what the real speed of the game is.
From an era when rugby WAS rugby. Hookers hooked, fly halves still danced, penalties were run, backs lined up deep and ball handling was so much better.
I started playing in 93. My college team had a clubhouse and a few imported rugby magazines. There was an advert with Brian Moore's face bearing his teeth with the caption "It's not the winning, it's the taking apart." I think it was a Nike ad. I tried to get the poster for years but never could. I find it interesting that all these years later with all those speed and strength programs test rugby isn't as flowing and fast as this game. You'd think the opposite would be true. However, I think some Pro 14 and Premiership rugby games have more style and flow.
I met Brian Moore in a bank two days after this match. His face was so bruised and swollen, it took me at least 5 secs to recognise him despite being only 2ft away. I can therefore attest to how brutal this match was, having personally witnessed the aftermath.
Yea, I'm an oldie who remembers this game (and all the others of same era) with massive fondness. What it didn't show were the scrums in this match which, believe me, were really fu..ing brutal!
it may look that way because these guys on average are about 20-30kg's lighter than the current professionals, but the skill levels of current professionals are light years ahead of the amateur era.
A wonderful game back then,the flowing passing game was a joy to watch unlike today's awful robotic bulldozer brutality. Today its weight,impact and far less exciting.
The rule changes have ruined this great game. Professional clubs now struggling to survive. Surely it's time to bring back an amateur code with all the old rules. Rucking, mauling, proper scrums, no lifting at lineouts, 5 minute turnaround etc etc.
This is absolutely brilliant rugby. The running, rucking, teamwork etc. Loads of very hard tackling, but that's fine. Anyone who watched games like this fell in love with rugby. One thing though. Look at 3.00. Completely unacceptable and it was people like him who were a disgrace to the game. I'm Glad we're away from that era. Thugs hiding under the mantra of "hardmen" or "enforcers". Its a shame as loads of class players had their moments of brilliance overshadowed by brawls or skullduggery which of course were "part of the game" according to the blazers scoffing the free buffet. Even back then, I had a read through the rule book and couldn't find anything about allowing that. Was the amateur era brilliant to play and watch - absolutely. Do I look back on the behaviour of certain people with rose tinted glasses - certainly not.
If I'm right, this was the first time we had beaten the French 🇫🇷 in France for 22 years. It was at the Parc des Prince. If I'm right, I was there, don't remember too much. Apart from waking up in a shop doorway in the Pigalle area of Paris 40 feet from my hotel
There's a lot to admire about the modern professional player and there are some great games, however I have to admit that I preferred the game in this era it was Raw and was decided by players rather than officials interpretation of the laws , bring back rucking already.
Remember this amazing game both teams had passion just hope managed to have few beers together after game it rugby 🏉 thug on field gentlemen off 🏉 all those old names oh so many memories 🏉
Newish fan checking in from the States...I have no idea why my friends bother with the NFL after watching stuff like this. I like today's game well enough, but man, I can see why people talk about this being a Golden age. Speed, ball movement, hits, and yeah, some dirty play for spice. Hard to beat. Now I want to watch the whole match...
I’ve got to say that was like wait to the racking that used to go on, I reminder seating at work with 3 of my colleagues and all of us counter the stub marks on our body’s
A great match, but hardly the most violent. Duncan McRae repeatedly punching Ronan O'Gara in the eye whilst he was prone on the ground during a Lions match in Australia in 2001 was way worse than this.
How come back then the ball was recycled quicker than today's game. Even though these are just highlights just look what happens when players go into contact and the speed at which the ball is recycled!
Because the choke tackle wasn't a thing, forwards were a lot smaller, and you were allowed to clear players out by basically using your body as a missile. Teams also used chaos as a weapon whereas now it's much more about structure.
The rules for rucking were different. Once the tackler was on the ground no hands could be used (legally). The ball was rucked (scraped) back with the studs of your boots. Whatever was on the floor got rucked back... if it was the ball or another player! none of this jackelling to close off the ruck.
Because back in those days, the team going forwards got the ball if it didn't come out. That meant the defensive focus had to be on stopping momentum, not trying to steal or kill the ball. For my money, getting rid of the "team going forward" law was the single worst change in the history of the game.
I was at Headingley in the early eighties when he was progressing through First XV, Yorkshire, Northern Division, England, British Lions. I had the great honour to be barged out of the way by him many times at the back of the line out at training. In a different game against France he had an interesting tussle with Jean Pierre Rives. His brother Michael was a decent player too. I only saw them play together once, they played left and right as opposed to open and blind side. That may have been the same game against Liverpool when Kenny Higgins (Headingley, Yorkshire) caught Mike Slemen from behind for a try saving tap tackle.
Hey? One thing that puzzles me? I grew up in NZ in the 80s playing rugby as a kid. Every single damn kid in town played rugby, whether you were a regular sport Billy or an absolute unco geek. There was a soccer team. But those guys were just weird. Also half of them played rugby aswell. What I'm getting at is, Why is soccer so popular and the mainstream sport in the UK? I mean, rugby is clearly more fun, it's physical for starters, you get to physically smash your mates or some random kid from another town or school and it's all perfectly legal. Why in the world would you choose Not to play this awesome fun and glorious game and instead play a game that the good Lord clearly invented purely as a womens only participation game? Why is Rugby or Rugby League Not the dominant sport in the UK?
That’s the result of your forwards having alcohol in their systems after going on the p!ss the night before, then denying your backs nicotine for 80 minutes. 🍺 🚬
Holy fuck! .25 speed from 3:07. Number 3, Philippe Gimbert for France. Absolutely destroys the English player attempting to catch the ball. Impact at 3:09.
Ahhh the good old days before they started bringing in all these unnecessary and stupid rules that just slow the game down and make it a stop start affair not to mention they're turning rugby into tiddlywinks or soccer with all the stupid cards they're handing out Bill the Fossil Beaumont and his old boys club need to go before they ruin rugby even more
Nope South Africa vs Argentina in the late 70s if I remember correctly. The games tarted with a fight and ended in the entire stadium attacking the South African team
How did France finish that with so many players. Great spectacle and we accepted it as normal on every pitch from colts locally to internationals. Did our generation have anger issues?
Rugby was a better sport IMO before lifting in line-outs was allowed, when rucks were fully contested, and scrumhalfs could not feed the hooker. I do like the yellow card and the rules designed to protect against reckless contact and head injuries.
Shame that the proportions are all wrong. Everyone is as wide as they are tall and everything is at 100mph. I suppose there must be a technical reason why it's not possible to have the correct proportions but it's still a shame.
It's becoming clear that us Anglo's are losing our identity! Physically and fights have just become hand bags matches now days. All our sports are just becoming boring. All you hear is 'the beautiful game'. I want to see Anglo's destroying every one, putting the fear into every one like our forefather's did.
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Is it me or is the rugby from this period just better.Lower tackles better rucks , more handling skills , and all this from amateurs.
Thing is, to my knowledge, none of the guys from this period have suffered with dementia or from long-term effects of concussion. They weren't giant mutants who hit guys for a job; they were regular guys who had to be back at work on Monday morning. Food for thought.
It was!
Yeah and they didn’t have the protective rules, that today’s players enjoy.
Lower tackles means the hands are free to offload. I think a tackler would seek to prevent that.
No it wasn't, back then was a stop and go sport
The game changed for the worse when it went professional with the "avoid losing at all costs" attitude, which led to teams consisting of 15 props who can't tackle properly but somehow stop the opposition advancing. The speed and athleticism of all the players was a joy to behold in this video - but most violent of all time?? No way, and no need to dress it up as such.
The French team of this era was the most exciting I’ve seen.
Golden age of rugby right there.Free flowing, full of action and drama. Rugby went downhill from 1995 😢
Yup I agree, personally I liked the rules best in 96! I tell my son about rucking and he thinks that is insane!! 😂
Truth just hearing those names heart starts fastening 🏉🏉
Yes! Now there are a few clubs that aren't cutting it financially, because top players have to be paid to play since 1995. Beforehand, one played for the fun of it, not for financial reward, and if there was any reward, it was in the form of a job, car, maybe a place to live (France), maybe some Ls (sorry, I'm in America) in the boot (Wales). And in America, there were once semi-pro teams of various sports, like basketball, American football, softball, mostly company teams, and they'd have been considered professionals by the Rugby Union.
I love that most of the players back then (with the exception of a few 'shamateurs') were just ordinary blokes working day jobs, who you could often just have a drink with after a game, and I include even the internationals players. Everything felt so much more real back then, like you were part of a community.
I'm just going to come right out and say it. Rugby back then, as a sport, as a thing to play and watch and follow, was way better than the rugby today.
100 percent more exciting
Was more about speed, skill, fitness and technique in those days, now its all about strength, power and forcing your way through the opposition rather than trying to get around them.
The way the French used to run the ball... beautiful
@@matthewbrown313 australian coaches, from eddie jones onwards, were big rugby league fans and hence why they run straight at the lines now.
@@matthewbrown313 that's complete bullshit
Not the most violent (I have seen much worse) but it has to be said there was some beautiful running rugby ..... so much better to watch than what we get today.
now this is the rugby i grew up watching! micky skinner...........always a legend for 'that tackle'!
The one where the Munch picked up a player and walked him back? 1991 world cup? Memory says semi in Paris, could be wrong on that point.
@@treblebbb3388 You're not wrong. It was Skinner on Cecillon, while that brute Eric Champ stood there and watched.
@@treblebbb3388 Quarters, not semi and it was Marc Cecillon.
Jeez, you don’t rugby like this anymore; fast, fluid and full of action. Today’s rugby is not even worth watching
Players were noticeably more mobile in this era…natural athletic physiques, clearly spending more time skills training than lifting weights.
The French Centres and Backs were incredible 🎉
Penaud, Skrela has sons. 😊
I played rugby from late 70’s, 80’s,90’s and played my last game when I was 49. Those rugby days were far better than todays rugby. My four sons currently play and even they say they wished they could have played that style.
yes !! that was when men were men and we all knew what a woman was !!
@@speeddemon9555 Yes! They wore numbers 9-15 😁
@@speeddemon9555 Most of us still do !
The players are flying what a beauty is this not even France or NZ could play like this today , ( they are the two team with the most beautiful an living ball in game )
At sixty four years old it's only the last few years that i got interested in rugby particularly the Internationals,looking at this old footage I have to agree, what a game that was.
Look at the speed of the game.
Yea, the stop/starts, evaluating decisions have dulled the flow and excitement.
I thought the video was sped up!! So fast.
That’s what caught my eye
Infact it's not normal, it's just a trick. The video is played at higher speed. If you go to settings and set the speed at .75% that's what the real speed of the game is.
From an era when rugby WAS rugby. Hookers hooked, fly halves still danced, penalties were run, backs lined up deep and ball handling was so much better.
Rugby as I remember it. I had forgotten what an exciting game it used to be.
I started playing in 93. My college team had a clubhouse and a few imported rugby magazines. There was an advert with Brian Moore's face bearing his teeth with the caption "It's not the winning, it's the taking apart." I think it was a Nike ad. I tried to get the poster for years but never could. I find it interesting that all these years later with all those speed and strength programs test rugby isn't as flowing and fast as this game. You'd think the opposite would be true. However, I think some Pro 14 and Premiership rugby games have more style and flow.
And not a TMO in sight .... so fast-flowing and exciting.
So you think the referee didn't miss anything?
Yes, not stoppages to check a referee's decision. A ref had to make a decision quickly and stand by it.
I met Brian Moore in a bank two days after this match.
His face was so bruised and swollen, it took me at least 5 secs to recognise him despite being only 2ft away. I can therefore attest to how brutal this match was, having personally witnessed the aftermath.
France in full flow were a thing of beauty.
I'm now 51 and still have ruck scars on my back and I wear them with pride
good times
you are now a member of the rucking good real mans club !!
Yea, I'm an oldie who remembers this game (and all the others of same era) with massive fondness.
What it didn't show were the scrums in this match which, believe me, were really fu..ing brutal!
gotta say some of the skills on show here are better than what a lot of the so-called professionals you see today have
Non sense
Agree. The linking between forwards and backs especially slick.
it may look that way because these guys on average are about 20-30kg's lighter than the current professionals, but the skill levels of current professionals are light years ahead of the amateur era.
A wonderful game back then,the flowing passing game was a joy to watch unlike today's awful robotic bulldozer brutality. Today its weight,impact and far less exciting.
Oh rugby where have you gone violent and skilfull friend.
WOW, the speed of the game !!! Very fast, very quick : very different than the actual rugby now.
Waw the way they are playing is more beautiful than today , there is huge talented player there
I remember watching this when I was about 14 😂 great rugby.
Wow such great players! I love France except when we play them at RuuuGGGGBBByyy!
63 years old & loved my time playing in them ,Struggling now with Neck & Spine Problems ,But would do it All Again .
I was there What a brilliant game of rugby We had a great time The French took it in good heart Happy Days
The rule changes have ruined this great game. Professional clubs now struggling to survive. Surely it's time to bring back an amateur code with all the old rules. Rucking, mauling, proper scrums, no lifting at lineouts, 5 minute turnaround etc etc.
It was brutal but interesting to see the natural tackle height was so much lower than today.
Bring this back….pure entertainment!!!
This is absolutely brilliant rugby. The running, rucking, teamwork etc. Loads of very hard tackling, but that's fine. Anyone who watched games like this fell in love with rugby. One thing though. Look at 3.00. Completely unacceptable and it was people like him who were a disgrace to the game. I'm Glad we're away from that era. Thugs hiding under the mantra of "hardmen" or "enforcers". Its a shame as loads of class players had their moments of brilliance overshadowed by brawls or skullduggery which of course were "part of the game" according to the blazers scoffing the free buffet. Even back then, I had a read through the rule book and couldn't find anything about allowing that. Was the amateur era brilliant to play and watch - absolutely. Do I look back on the behaviour of certain people with rose tinted glasses - certainly not.
If I'm right, this was the first time we had beaten the French 🇫🇷 in France for 22 years. It was at the Parc des Prince. If I'm right, I was there, don't remember too much. Apart from waking up in a shop doorway in the Pigalle area of Paris 40 feet from my hotel
When rugby was rugby.
So many Sports Worldwide have lost their MOJO since the 1990s.
Looked like an awesome game.
There's a lot to admire about the modern professional player and there are some great games, however I have to admit that I preferred the game in this era it was Raw and was decided by players rather than officials interpretation of the laws , bring back rucking already.
I do like watching the French when they're on
Brutal tackling fluent passing on the run ,from both sides what teams they were
It's just not the same game anymore. This was like modern 7s but with 15 players
Remember this amazing game both teams had passion just hope managed to have few beers together after game it rugby 🏉 thug on field gentlemen off 🏉 all those old names oh so many memories 🏉
Newish fan checking in from the States...I have no idea why my friends bother with the NFL after watching stuff like this. I like today's game well enough, but man, I can see why people talk about this being a Golden age. Speed, ball movement, hits, and yeah, some dirty play for spice. Hard to beat. Now I want to watch the whole match...
Peter Winterbottom is by far England's best 7 ever!
Modern international Rugby is full of stoppages, and pendantic rules, that nobody can understand.
Try to referee? I still do. It's gotten harder to do every year because there's so many law changes every stinking year.
I’ve got to say that was like wait to the racking that used to go on, I reminder seating at work with 3 of my colleagues and all of us counter the stub marks on our body’s
Battle of Tucuman and SA vs Canada in the 1995 world cup those were brutal.
A great match, but hardly the most violent. Duncan McRae repeatedly punching Ronan O'Gara in the eye whilst he was prone on the ground during a Lions match in Australia in 2001 was way worse than this.
How come back then the ball was recycled quicker than today's game.
Even though these are just highlights just look what happens when players
go into contact and the speed at which the ball is recycled!
Because the choke tackle wasn't a thing, forwards were a lot smaller, and you were allowed to clear players out by basically using your body as a missile. Teams also used chaos as a weapon whereas now it's much more about structure.
The rules for rucking were different. Once the tackler was on the ground no hands could be used (legally). The ball was rucked (scraped) back with the studs of your boots. Whatever was on the floor got rucked back... if it was the ball or another player! none of this jackelling to close off the ruck.
Because back in those days, the team going forwards got the ball if it didn't come out. That meant the defensive focus had to be on stopping momentum, not trying to steal or kill the ball. For my money, getting rid of the "team going forward" law was the single worst change in the history of the game.
Because of rucking!
Yeah..you had to drop the ball as soon as you hit the ground. Nowadays you hold onto it until someone takes it off you
Winterbottom was an unbelievable player.
I was at Headingley in the early eighties when he was progressing through First XV, Yorkshire, Northern Division, England, British Lions. I had the great honour to be barged out of the way by him many times at the back of the line out at training. In a different game against France he had an interesting tussle with Jean Pierre Rives. His brother Michael was a decent player too. I only saw them play together once, they played left and right as opposed to open and blind side. That may have been the same game against Liverpool when Kenny Higgins (Headingley, Yorkshire) caught Mike Slemen from behind for a try saving tap tackle.
Agreed
A hard man, indeed. The quiet destroyer.
Guscott wasn’t slow but Underwood was just flying there
Two legends
Flying was also his job as a fighter pilot
Guscott blew a try not passing left to Underwood.
Guscott was carrying the ball, preparing to pass (but didn't), so couldn't run as fast as Underwood who was flat out.
When rugby was rugby!
From back in the day when England wasn't ashamed of its "toxic masculinity"...
Flowing rugby pure skill
Absolutely beautiful game......wow! And Mick the Munch, what a fkn player he was! 😳😉
Mission de Brian Moore dans ce match ? Faire dégoupiller ( provoquer) les français...mission accomplie 😄.
Being English happy to say " I was there" but in the French supporters end. A mixture of joy and terror.
With the 'Halifax Hooligan' on our side, we always came out on top.
Nice one, Brian.
That last pass to Guscott was forward.
Hey? One thing that puzzles me? I grew up in NZ in the 80s playing rugby as a kid. Every single damn kid in town played rugby, whether you were a regular sport Billy or an absolute unco geek. There was a soccer team. But those guys were just weird. Also half of them played rugby aswell. What I'm getting at is, Why is soccer so popular and the mainstream sport in the UK? I mean, rugby is clearly more fun, it's physical for starters, you get to physically smash your mates or some random kid from another town or school and it's all perfectly legal. Why in the world would you choose Not to play this awesome fun and glorious game and instead play a game that the good Lord clearly invented purely as a womens only participation game? Why is Rugby or Rugby League Not the dominant sport in the UK?
Rugby at its prime age.
I know it's highlights but....the game looks so much more Helter Skelter back then
I think battle of Nantes just entered the chat room
I would put winterbottom up there with the best flankers of all time
This game was so violent, it featured an actual murderer.
0:33 Lascubé starting things off nicely
Great game to watch.. but take a look at the sa v Ireland game in 98.. every ruck turned into a mass brawl and it went on all game
That’s the result of your forwards having alcohol in their systems after going on the p!ss the night before, then denying your backs nicotine for 80 minutes.
🍺 🚬
Holy fuck! .25 speed from 3:07. Number 3, Philippe Gimbert for France. Absolutely destroys the English player attempting to catch the ball. Impact at 3:09.
Un Crunch vraiment engagé! Avec Tordo en #6, au four et au moulin!
Ahhh the good old days before they started bringing in all these unnecessary and stupid rules that just slow the game down and make it a stop start affair not to mention they're turning rugby into tiddlywinks or soccer with all the stupid cards they're handing out Bill the Fossil Beaumont and his old boys club need to go before they ruin rugby even more
Did they speed this up!
Nope South Africa vs Argentina in the late 70s if I remember correctly. The games tarted with a fight and ended in the entire stadium attacking the South African team
Looks like it’s in fast forward in parts.
Brian Moore. Might be short but I wouldn't want to annoy him!
Played my Last forty Minutes at 60 years old in a Charity game ,Loved it but could walk properly for 2 days .
Spot on
Beautiful chaos
How did France finish that with so many players. Great spectacle and we accepted it as normal on every pitch from colts locally to internationals. Did our generation have anger issues?
France prop kicks Carling in the head off the ball before being sent off but apart from that just bloody great fast free flowing rugby on show.
Bayfield with the boot to the face ?
By the end of the 90's the game had changed so much for the worse that I stopped watching and no longer can name a single Wallaby
Rugby was a better sport IMO before lifting in line-outs was allowed, when rucks were fully contested, and scrumhalfs could not feed the hooker. I do like the yellow card and the rules designed to protect against reckless contact and head injuries.
Why does it look so fast pace lol 😅
The game was epic back then epic!!! I say👊
#battleofbrieve anybody??
Ball seems to have Fairy Liquid on it.
Marc Cecillon was the player who murdered his wife if I'm not mistaken
No you re right ,and an asshole Guy, even before his murder
Correct.
Shot her in a room full of people. He only did 6 to 7 years. I thought british justice was lenient
Cecillion spent 15 yrs in jail for killing his wife....Magnum 357 in plain forhead
Shame that the proportions are all wrong. Everyone is as wide as they are tall and everything is at 100mph. I suppose there must be a technical reason why it's not possible to have the correct proportions but it's still a shame.
Just an everyday match of AFL really except those guys run half marathons and can be hit from anywhere not just infront in like this sport
Pfffft, have a look at Samoa V New Zealand same era. 80 minutes of GBH.
I didn't see anything wrong with this match apart from the stamp by the French player. Otherwise it was how rugby SHOULD be played !
Likewise. The Boks would surely be included in any list of brutal matches.
stupendo
It's becoming clear that us Anglo's are losing our identity! Physically and fights have just become hand bags matches now days. All our sports are just becoming boring. All you hear is 'the beautiful game'. I want to see Anglo's destroying every one, putting the fear into every one like our forefather's did.
Why are the French always in the most violent games. Not a criticism. They all did it, except perhaps the Wallabies. Discuss.
Oi!! 🇨🇵vs🏴💥💢🍻🍻🍻👍
hello
Remember the Rainbow Warrior.
✌️❤️🇳🇿