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And the same goes for the amateur game. We’ve already talked of derbies and of the history that these highly charged matches write. Yet with ‘rivalries’ – there is something different. There is a litany of clubs throughout the British Isles who are not close in geographical terms but still have a rivalry and a shared history because of events that unfolded at some point in the past on a rugby field.
There doesn’t always have to be a ‘Battle of Brive’ moment between two clubs, but there usually is. Then, put bluntly, you’ll get teams who just do not get on and fixtures will often descend into spite-infested brawls. As mentioned earlier, one should never look to glorify violence, but it does occur on rugby pitches and the fact of the matter is, is that some rugby teams are very good at it. Indeed, sometimes, the aftershocks and shadows of a mass brawl will last for years between the warring parties, long after oscillating fortunes have caused relegations and promotions - or league restructuring has separated the teams. There may be off-field antics at play here too: some skulduggery occurring on arrival or a post-match incident unfolding in the clubhouse that sparks something bigger.
50 ALL SHAPES & ZEBRAS FROM TREORCHY