Why The Hospital Pass Encourages Me To Watch Not Play Rugby
Whenever I watch international rugby, I often hear the commentators refer to a ‘hospital pass,’ and never has an expression been so apt!
The hospital pass happens when a pass is made to a colleague, but either the position of the catching player, or the flight of the ball, leads to only one outcome if the ball is caught, and it’s this…
The player will get hit by an opponent simultaneously as he catches the ball.
Most likely than not, everyone involved knows it too!
The opponent will have had time to line up the catcher, and will probably be moving towards him at full flight, with just one intention - to hit him as hard as possible, preferably so hard that he lets go of the ball.
The catcher will probably see the opposing tackler rushing towards him.
Yes, he could decide not to catch the ball, but if he does that, he won’t be playing at international level for long.
Anyway, rugby players are a tough bunch, so they always catch the pass even though they know what’s coming!
Usually with a hospital pass, the whole crowd and tv audience can see it coming too, and there is a collective intake of breath waiting for the inevitable collision.
Then the sadistic, or maybe masochistic instinct hits in, and we revel in seeing a 210+lb man run into a defenseless player.
As I said, rugby players are a hard bunch, they aren’t like say footballers, who fall down if you blow on them too hard.
If a rugby player stays down hurt, he usually *is* hurt!
It’s a full blooded contact sport, and this kind of incident is just part and parcel of the game, it’s one of the gladiatorial aspects which make sport great.
Usually, after a bit of treatment from the physios, the unlucky player that caught the hospital pass gets up, wobbles on his legs for a minute, and then just gets on with the game!
If another such pass comes his way in the next minute, will he catch it again?
You bet!
The hospital pass is a great part of enjoying rugby, but it’s why I choose to watch rather than play!
Unlike the players who just get up, if I took one of those, I would expect to be off work for a fortnight, probably calling for my mummy!
Gordon Bryan is the author of ‘Make Money From Sport,’ a guide where he takes you through the single technique he uses again and again to profit from any sport! Find out more at:
http://www.gordonbryan.com/sport
Tags: hospital pass, rugby, sport
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