Look out NFL

Rugby union in the USofA is turning professional. There are already 70,000 players in the US and the national team has, as if you didn't already know, just this past weekend qualified for next year's World Cup.

For the Yanks out there a few pointers:

• Don't just call it "rugby"! It's "rugby union", played by toffs everywhere (except Wales where it is played by unemployed coal miners and/or tenors). DO NOT confuse it with "rugby league", played by hard men everywhere but basically the north of England and Sydney.
• They wear shorts, no helmets and some of them tape down their ears.
• There are limited substitutions nowadays (a sign of softness) but none of the on for a play, off for five plays like American football.
• There are fifteen players to a side (league has only thirteen) all of which have names expect, for no good reason of which I am aware, "number 8".
• They let hookers onto the pitch.

So let's wish good luck to the US in the World Cup. They'll need it. Don't expect them to go far. Their group includes England (current cup holders albeit fading), South Africa and (not American) Samoa.