Torquay Athletic

I was fascinated by this story. I feel this would have been a far far bigger news story if a woman had been punched by brawling soccer players at Plainmoor. The myth of rugby players being so well behaved is one that continues to mystify me!

POLICE were called to Torquay Athletic Rugby Club on Saturday afternoon after a brawl between players spill over into the crowd and saw a woman left with difficulty breathing after being punched.

Torquay Athletic First XV were playing Penryn on Saturday at Torre Valley North in a melee between players occurred.

The match was nearing half-time when the brawl happened in a match that Torquay eventually suffered a 32-13 defeat.

A police spokesman said: “There was some kind of brawl either on the side of the pitch or just off the pitch. It spilt over onto the sidelines. A 51-year-old woman from Exeter was struck by a stray punch in the sternum.”

Paramedics were called at 3.11pm to the incident. A South West Ambulance spokesman added: “The woman had difficulty breathing after having been hit in the chest but she was treated at the scene.”

Police have confirmed that the incident is under investigations but as of yet no arrests have been made.

www.torquayheraldexpress.co.uk/Woman-injured-stray-punch-brawl-Torquay-Athletic/story-24518195-detail/story.html

£11.4m is an incredibly large sum for rugby union. It buys you far more than in football and, by football's standards, it's probably "worth" £30m, £40m, £50m or whatever. But Chiefs, as far as the world can tell, have spent it well and wisely. They appear to have come close to maximising the money at their disposal.



An intriguing group of clubs. I assume Harlequins were "just visiting".

I guess it's debatable whether Albion and the Pirates ran out of steam, lacked the ultimate wherewithal or were simply stymied by the rise of the Chiefs. At one stage it was possible to imagine two of the three making it to the top flight. That always seemed more likely to be the Chiefs and the Pirates. Plymouth got Brickfields in order (it's pretty presentable these days) but appeared to quickly hit the ceiling. Once Exeter progressed, Plymouth looked stuffed.

The Cornish Pirates appeared to be another matter. They certainly had momentum, the crowds and - in the absence of much else locally - massive publicity and, as they say, "brand awareness". Maybe it proved to be too much of a "Cornish thing" rather than truly to do with rugby. The "new" supporters soon lost interest; the diehards stuck to watching their own clubs. Perhaps there was simply too much disappointment with all those thwarted promotion attempts.

Complete lack of advancement with the "Stadium for Cornwall" of course. I popped in at the ground in Penzance recently; it's as if no progress has been made at all. I've a definite soft spot for Penzance but it's hardly the centre of Cornwall. The Pirates might as well be known as Penzance & Newlyn again.

Of the other clubs, Bedford are slap bang in the middle of the Championship. That's probably about right for a club from a medium-sized town at the southern extremity of strong East Midlands rugby territory.

I know little of Rotherham's rugby club but they are still "thereabouts". I'm guessing they're similar to Doncaster: reasonable sums of money being spent to compete at a decent level with no real dreams of the top flight. Rotherham reached the play-offs last year and were forced to play Bristol at Abbeydale Park in Sheffield. Had they been promoted, Rotherham were planning to play their games at Oakwell in Barnsley. That, to me, sounded like looming disaster watched by very few. I imagine that, had Rotherham serious aspirations, they'd probably be playing at Millmoor by now (site owner behaviour notwithstanding).

Which makes me think of all that has happened at Rotherham United in recent seasons. In terms of scale, and achievement, there's probably definite parallels between Rotherham United and Exeter Chiefs. But, after hearing a few tales of player wages at the New York, I bet the Millers have spent rather more cash.



I saw that story as well. And, yes, it did make me think of all the things that occasionally nark us when comparisons are made between the two sports. Had such an incident occurred at Plainmoor, when we were still in the Football League, it would have drawn considerable attention and debate. Even now, with us outside the League, it would have stirred some national comment. You can, indeed, argue the different standards by which the games are judged and viewed.

You can also say that people don't actually believe that rugby players are well-behaved. It's just that, you know, they misbehave in a "boys will be boys" fashion. We don't actually know the response of the injured spectator; she may be outraged and seeking litigation. But there's a subliminal sort of message about rugby union which says a typical reaction would be "it's just bad luck. It's a game of rugby after all!" That may, or may not, prove to be the case in this instance. In football you sense the fans, let alone the game's critics, would having a field day with their claims, counter-claims and outraged moral judgements.

Another angle to consider is what constitutes "news". Rugby union can be huge "news" when dubious morality emerges at the top level. But generally, for good or bad, it is far less newsworthy than football. And, in South Devon, I guess (again for good or bad) Tics are ten times less newsworthy than Torquay United. Which almost brings us back to the start of this thread.

Maybe not the right thread to put this on .....but it to do with rugby......what a good signing for BATH.....and hopefully ENGLAND.....in the future.....SAM BURGESS.....don't if any of you watch rugby league.....if you have you will know what a player this lad is......I met him a few years back when he did some charity work in hull......anyway he will be a star in in union.....maybe a bit early for next years World Cup.....but you never know guys.....si

They are a bit more bullish on spotlight tonight - first win for ten months and the prospect of some short term funding at least.

Btw - recent league tables show that the Tics are struggling to even stay in a division that is two below Brixham and Newton Abbot. They are even below Cullompton.

Pretty crappy all round, sportwise, in Torquay these days.

Brixham v Newton Abbot in the final of the Devon Senior Cup.

Torquay Athletic are no longer senior enough to compete, so had to enter the Devon Intermediate Cup instead. They then had to withdraw from this because they could not raise a team to travel to Ivybridge!

Good to see it was the first round of the Rugby League Challenge Cup at the weekend. There's usually several quirky-sounding scorelines. This week's included:

British Army 8 Wath Brow 20
Hull Dockers 10 Leigh Miners 6
Royal Navy 32 Saddleworth 14
Widnes West Bank 14 South West London 10

Marvellous stuff! Mind you, I guess the draw could have worked out differently. Leigh Miners v British Army could have been a tasty affair at certain times in the twentieth century. Hull Dockers v Royal Navy has a certain nautical curiosity to it. The Scarborough Pirates would surely have also given the Royal Navy a fair old run around.

There again Nottingham Outlaws v Scarborough Pirates - with the winners facing Great Britain Police in the next round - sounds an altogether appealing prospect too.