Anybody working in a scientific research facility?

No money in it.

Put the NFL All-Stars in (after teaching them a few of the rules) and the New Zealand All Blacks would be All Black and Blue. Simple physics actually - a 350 pound defensive tackle that can run the 40 in 4.6 would turn your average Wolrd Cup rugger turf fertilizer.

That is rubbish.

There isn't a football player at 350lbs who could last 5 minutes in a Rugby game. He'd be dying of oxygen depletion. the games are different.

NFL players would make terrible Rugby players as Rugby players would make terrible football players. Sure some guys could cross over but the 300 lb ers would be useless.

The NFL's big guys are too fat. look at the stomachs on these guys. All the guys over 300 lbs have 20% + body fat. Offensive linemen put on the bulk for blocking but ask them to run continuously (as opposed to stop/start plays) and they would have to lose the weight.

Plus Rugby does have money in it now. It's all professional. Not NFL money but some guys do have contracts in the 1 to 2 miilion a year range.

By the way - an awful lot of 40 yard times are exaggerated - and no guy over 300 runs under 4.8. And I follow football closely and look at the times from the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Most of the O lineman times are in the 5.1 - 5.5 range.

By the way i just did some checking.

Cal dominates NCAA Rugby but the University Of British Columbia and University of Victoria in Canada regularly beat them. Checking on Cal rugby web site their results over the last 6 years are not too good against the Canadians. If you go to Victoria's website they claim they are usually the number one North American University team but they do say North American not world.

I notice on U. Cambridge website they play against pro teams in England as well as a couple of other Universities. Against the pro teams they often get beat but not too badly except Leicester spank them pretty good (60 -6 last year).

Seems they trade off with the BC teams for the "World" title.

As for the football issue, I just love messing with ruggers the world over (nearly started a brawl in a bar in Queenstown, NZ with that last comment once). I do still think that a team made up of NFL All Pro running backs, fullbacks, linebackers, cornerbacks, and safeties could become dominant in the world pretty **** quick. They have unbelievable leg strength, quickness, and much better endurance than ruggers give them credit for.

As for the 350 lbs comment, well, there aren't many over 300, but there are a few, and I did say All Stars.

Also, I looked and it seems that Cambridge Rugby does the same thing as its rowing. Whole lot of Cal's best players after graduation went over to play for Cambridge or Oxford while training for the National Team. These then can't be considered college teams, but elite training camps - semi-pro organizations. I'd put money they also have college teams that they field as they do for rowing.

Well since we're all bragging about university stuff - I just got accepted into undergrad biomedical science, which I'll be starting this September. See I was doing biology but I had to drop out after 6 weeks due to my depression and Social Anxiety Disorder (I'm taking a year out to get help). The biology was ok but it was kind of too general, most people who do it apparantly go into teaching, which I don't want to do, so I think biomedicine will be better.

I want to do really well in my undergrad so I can get accepted into a postgrad in medicine.

Can anyone tell me their opinion of medicine? Is it very hard? Interesting (I imagine it would be, but you never know)?

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"Ach, stick it up yer trakkans!"

I think you will do fine.

Hard is relative, but personally I found the pre-med classes to be more challenging then medical school itself.

Best wishes for your depression and anxiety Try exercise also?

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None of the gods love wisdom or desire to become wise, for they are wise already -- nor if someone else is wise, do they love wisdom. Neither do the ignorant love wisdom or desire to become wise; for this is the grievous thing about ignorance, that those who are neither good nor beautiful nor sensible think they are good enough, and do not desire that which they do not think they are lacking.

Plato, Symposium 203E-204A