Battle of the Nations - Live steel fighting

[Syt]

That one Russian seems to have gotten a stern talking to by the refs after beating up the guy who was already down.

[Syt]

That Italian dude is on the ground for quite some time now.

[merithyn]

That Italian dude is on the ground for quite some time now.

Italian?

It's Italy vs. USA next.

[merithyn]

Gotta admit that the USA has the coolest uniform out there.

[Syt]

That Italian dude is on the ground for quite some time now.

Italian?

It's Italy vs. USA next.

Before the previous fight. From the Italy-Belarus(?) fight. At least his team mates shouted in Italian to each other. You could see him lying on the ground surrounded by medics occasionally, when the camrea swept across the field. It's why there was such a long break before the fight we just saw.

[Syt]

Which is probably also, why Italy only had 20 guys in the ITA-USA fight.

[Jacob]

I watched a few bouts... I'm surprised no one is doing a shield wall type formation.

[The Minsky Moment]

They're the two teams to beat. Russia has won every year for the last three years, and they LOVE to let everyone know that. They pitched a fit when the US wanted to include a team, saying that since the US didn't have a medieval history, we shouldn't be allowed.

Whereas the Russians have an unfair advantage since they have nothing but a medievial history.

[Syt]

Uhm, does that one US-ian have a "sunwheel"/swastika on his shield?

[Syt]

They're the two teams to beat. Russia has won every year for the last three years, and they LOVE to let everyone know that. They pitched a fit when the US wanted to include a team, saying that since the US didn't have a medieval history, we shouldn't be allowed.

Whereas the Russians have an unfair advantage since they have nothing but a medievial history.

Well, I'm not surprised the sport originated in countries known for nationalist hooligan violence.

[merithyn]

Uhm, does that one US-ian have a "sunwheel"/swastika on his shield?

Oh, I see it now. No, it's a pinwheel of arms. It's a pretty common medieval symbol for "might".

[merithyn]

I watched a few bouts... I'm surprised no one is doing a shield wall type formation.

I think that last year the USA tried something like that and got decimated. The Russians and Poles just slam through shield walls.

[Syt]

Well, a shield wall makes sense if you stack them deep to provide resistance. Which you can't really with 21 dudes.

[merithyn]

This is going to be a good fight. Poland vs Belarus

Bel-A-RUS! Bel-A-RUS!

[merithyn]

Wow! They dented the shit out of that guy's helmet! He's gonna have a concussion....