so watching an old 80's movie "blood of heroes" and in it they play a game called jugger, which to all intents looks like urban brawl to me.

anyone else ever noticed this... assuming someone else has seen this movie. lol

Blood of Heroes is a 1989 Austrailian film, and Shadowrun is a 1989 US game, so the odds of either influencing the other are very low.

As for Urban Brawl style films see Urban Brawl Movies.

I know that movie as "Salute of the Jugger" but probably because it seemed a tad post apocalyptic I never really equated it with urban brawl and SR. I see from your 2nd link it's an emerging sport. ha

Well bar the use of firearms and such maybe.

the team make up and ball handling rules are what seem to overlap to me.

As an Australian, I know we are behind in almost everything ,from technology, movies, trends ect. I can only imagine how far behind we were in 89', so I think its very likely that its a coincidence. I love the movie though, some popular actors starred in the film and was near the start to their professional careers.

Note that from 1968-1975, Piers Anthony wrote a series of novels later known as "Battle Circle". Jugger is, in many ways, Battle Circle brought to film.*

Urban Brawl, on the other hand, seems to be a descendant of "The 10th Victim", based off of Robert Sheckley's "Seventh Victim".

Both are probably descendants of "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell.

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*I'm not sure there's a connection as it would require Anthony's books to get to Australia and I know I have a devil of a time getting Chopper Reed books in America. (All the ones I have, someone picked up for me in Australia.) I've also heard Piers Anythony's later works (Xanth) never became popular in Europe and if they didn't, I don't know how well Battle Circle would have fared. For all I know, Jugger may simply be an Australian take on the 10th Victim.

"He had never slept in a better bed."

Edit to the above: Blood Bowl came out in 1987. Claiming Blood Bowl as an Urban Brawl ancestor seems very reasonable.