Posts Tagged: rugby

  • Quady McCawface and Word of the Week man having a glass of wine. Quady is my tribute to boatfacing.

    Boatfacing—introducing Quady McCawface

    Let me introduce you to Quady McCawface. He is a giant teddy bear and a fanatical All Black’s supporter. He is the alter ego of my friend Ra Tawhiti, Maori and one-eyed AB supporter (if that is not a tautology). Quady and I watch Bledisloe games together—me supporting the Wallabies and he the ABs. The […]

  • AI generated illustation of a rugby jersey, AFL guernsey, and rugby league jersey

    Guernsey versus jersey

    With the British and Irish Lions about to play their first match against the Wallabies tomorrow night in Brisbane (19 July 2025), I thought I would finally investigate a question that I have had in my head for years—why do we call rugby shirts guernseys and jerseys. I was surprised to find that the tops […]

  • AI generated images of rugby players

    Being on the right side

    You may know that we love rugby and words at Madrigal Communications. I heard an amusing word story yesterday, which has a particular relevance to the Rugby World Cup (RWC23). Rugby fields can be places where impolite language is sometimes heard. Sledging is very common with things said to unsettle your opponent. However, rugby has […]

  • An infographic showing some rugby words to know for the Rugby World Cup.

    Rugby words to know for RWC

    The men’s Rugby World Cup 2027 is rugby union’s pinnacle event. It is contested every four years by the world’s best nations. It will be held from 1 October-13 November, 2027. So of you may want to know the meanings of rugby words used in our game. Australia will welcome 24 teams to a “nationwide […]

  • Illustration of a referee holding up a yellow card to an All Blacks player with word caption SCHADENFREUDE in the background

    Understanding schadenfreude

    When you respond to other people’s emotions there are four very distinct ways of doing so:

    Sympathy is when you are unhappy at the unhappiness of others;

    Joy is when you are happy at the happiness of others;

    Envy is when you are unhappy at the happiness of others;

    And schadenfreude is when you are happy at the unhappiness of others.

  • A rook dressed as a rugby player running with the ball like William Webb Ellis.

    How did rugby get its name?

    The town of Rugby got its name from the Anglo-Saxon Hrōca burh (or later Norman French, Rocheberie) which meant Rook Fort. A rook is a bird closely related to the crow. Later the burh part, for fort, was changed to -by, meaning village, to become Rugby. And that is how the game got its name.

  • If you could buy kiwi from the supermarket

    How to roast a kiwi on a barbeque

    Are you having a rugby barbecue this weekend? I suggest you roast a kiwi or two. Here is an easy recipe. Choose young kiwis so that they won’t be tough and too slow to cook. If you are using old kiwis that have been running around too long you might have to beat them a few […]

  • Picture of a perry from Independent Perry Co. in the US.

    Save perry

    What is perry? Between 2004 and 2006  my family and I lived in Tewkesbury in England. As a history buff, I had a great time in Tewkesbury as it is the site of one of the great battles of the War of the Roses. It has a magnificent medieval abbey church. As a rugby tragic, […]

  • Yokohama rugby football game

    The misappropriation of “football”

    Now, while the Rugby World Cup is dominating the world’s sporting news, we must use the opportunity to wrest back the word football from our soccer rivals. Soccer (Association Football) came into existence at least a generation after rugby football. At that time there were many forms of football in England and around the world. […]

  • Jesus in a chariot rides through the clouds above Englands green and pleasant land and dark satanic mills. AI generated.

    Swing Low Sweet Chariots of Fire

    I have been wondering why the English are so fond of chariots. Chariots are a recurring theme in the English national identity and in their rugby songs. They even made a film called after them (Chariots of Fire). What is it all about? Chariot is a relatively recent word (see How did modern vehicles get their […]