Just spent last 3 weeks in S Africa. My BIL house builder introduced me to Rugby. He played semi pro, think they call it provincial.
We watched the Springbok vs All Blacks game.
S Africa vs New Zealand.
New Zealand destroyed S Africa. Uwe, my BIL builder explained that S Africa is handicapped big time. They can only have 50% Afrikaans and rest of team, blacks.
What i saw was the most physical man to man ever. Had no clue.
80 minutes with 1 ten minute break. Zero commercials during play.
I asked him, "do you know who Derek Henry is?"
He chuckled, "yeah and I know more than 30 people that never played pro rugby that would annihilate him in a 10 yard face off."
I believed him.
Our world is not as it seems in so many ways.
Rugby is a town in England and there is a public school there. "Public School" meaning the exact opposite of what Americans mean, it is a very expensive school for training future aristocrats. The game was created there supposedly as a way of breeding tough elites who would grow up to manage the British Empire.
I don't like the game myself but a niche of working class men are big fans.