>I like Rugby as it helps develop hand-eye coordination and teamwork that often is more useful in life than foot-eye coordination. ;-) Or more solitary sports for that matter even if the individuals assemble into a team.
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>FWIW, the most popular girls' sport in the US is artistic gymnastics where a common cause of elite retirement from the sport is permanent injury. Plus they may assemble into a team but in the end it's a solitary endeavor.
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>If you watch a good Rugby back line passing the ball around you can imagine the blast for a school team working properly together to excite the spectators with a running backline movement that typically lasts a heck of a lot longer than a football down. Check this out- yeah a few knocks, but the point is that once the backs get going, heavy hitting usually isn't a major factor since while you can't pass forwards, the other side can only tackle the man with the ball and a heavy hitter who ends up behind the opposing running line renders themselves irrelevant. Fitness, speed, hand skills and smarts matter more than big hits: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoX_eMrLs4w (against the US at about 8 mins and again at 10:30 fwiw)
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>As for soccer- sheesh, on TV I often see players writhing on the ground in agony- a lot more often than in a Rugby game. ;-) Looks ositively dangerous to me. ;-)
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>Ever heard of Touch Rugby aka "Touch" in the US? It used to be a game that old timers can play to relive their Rugby salad days ;-) but these days lots of youngsters play it too. A really good competitive womens' team is something to be feared.

John
You obviously love the sport and that's a wonderful thing.
I get the same enjoyment watching Jason Day (my favorite young golfer) duke it out with Jordan Spieth on a golf course.
Tiger is struggling with some back problems. If you look at the way he coiled his body as youngster, it's a miracle that his back lasted as long as it did.
However, Tiger has all his faculties (some in excess) and he won't die from his back problems. Jack Nicklaus (75 years old) coiled the same way Tiger did and his back eventually failed but he went on to live a fruitful- but less athletic - life after his back failed and is as sharp as a tack intellectually.
I was captain of my college golf team - 6 players. Some have passed on but I'm in touch with all the remaining players
I can't imagine more camaraderie than we had as a team.

People don't need to beat their brains and bodies out in the name of team sports. There are sports that offer all the benefits and are a lot less risky than the crazy contact sports that hearken back to the gladiators or jousting.

qoX_eMrLs4w