It's a weird profanity checker, very protestant. No hookers or gambling. You obviously found another word.

I think it was "****" [hard core]

It's a minority sport that still carries the stigma of being for the posh lads, in a gigantic multicultural city obsessed with football and with several football teams with **** supporters and tribal nature.

I'd say that the posh bit is a bit outdated these days. Grass roots rugby is made up of a wide social range, and they tend to be a large part of rugby's fanbase.

Agree about the football obsession though, bewildering though it is. Quite why a country is obsessed with a sport that they seem to regularly be poor at is beyond me.

Not really, though, is it? Two advantages football has are a lack/simplicity of rules/laws and a much looser structure which makes it far easier to play for a few kids with a ball and no ref.

There's more to it than that but I think it helps football's popularity considerably.

Yep. A game that can be played by a group of kids of a number between 6 and 30 with jumpers for goal posts on a patch of bare land will always have an easy in compared to any of the oval ball games, whether they're RU, RL, NFL, ARL, etc.