The IRISH RUGBY thread

[Owen Brannigan]

Yellow card give over man. Christ I'm sick to the balls of this middle class event junkies nonsense. Have you been to any Ireland games of late. I was in Cardiff and I'll tell you now it was mostly working men and women who sacrificed a day off work and paid flights, hotels, trains etc to be there and support their team. Stop bringing the class element into it.

If you want to go down that road then why not question the blazers who sit in the posh seats in county grounds or Croker come the summer. Plenty of snobbery exists within the GAA. The Casement project being one example!

+1

[Walter Cronc]

For those who missed the newstalk interview with BOD:

- He speaks of how we punch above our weight compared to England and New Zealand.
- He talks of our players having a limited skill set compared to NZ but how this is starting to change - U20s recent performances being an example
- He also talks about how rugby is an obsession in NZ much like the GAA here and how we'd have to stop playing Gaelic Football to have any chance of competing with them regularly

So no lads he's not looking for us to stop playing Gaelic Football. Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story though.

[The Stallion]

I wasn't sticking the boot in, just struggling to reconcile the oft-stated opinion that Ireland are one of the best teams in Rugby with the fact they have NEVER won a knockout World Cup game, as well as the wild Irish celebrating after England won the Six Nations Title.

Still can't understand it and haven't received a satisfactory explanation tbh.

Can you reconcile with emotion Stallion? Jimmy White was one of the best snooker players I ever seen, but do you disregard his career and the enjoyment of watching him play because he never won the world championship?

I could go on, especially within the GAA - Declan Browne, Matty Forde, Derek Duggan, Benny Coulter etc., - all consigned to the dustbin because they didn't win the All Ireland?

But I am not going to go on, because you like stats - well, between England and the perennial greatest All Blacks -  36 times they played the best of the world of Rugby (friendly and competitive) and no-one could beat them. That is the best 23 players from the best Rugby playing nations in the world.

The only team that could beat them was a team from Ireland, 32 counties and all.

Take into consideration that one of these victories that this All-Ireland team achieved was the first ever in the history of Irish Rugby, a feat that none of the great Irish teams could achieve in the past.  And that the other prevented the first back to back grand slams by any team in the Six Nations era - and that it was Ireland that stopped England.

If these considerations do not raise any sense of celebration or joy in you - then you are a rock my friend.

I think it was applesisapples that said it correctly - I am glad I am one of those that can enjoy this sort of occasion.

I enjoyed watching Jimmy White, Forde etc. I'm not sure what that has to do with anything though. Ireland play a really dull and unadventurous brand of rugby, so not only are they not a genuinely great team, they are also hard to watch. This was not the case with White, Forde etc.

Did you play ever rugby Stallion? How would you know what is dull and whats not?

Is this a serious question?  I know what is dull because it doesn't entertain me.

[Maroon Manc]

Yellow card give over man. Christ I'm sick to the balls of this middle class event junkies nonsense. Have you been to any Ireland games of late. I was in Cardiff and I'll tell you now it was mostly working men and women who sacrificed a day off work and paid flights, hotels, trains etc to be there and support their team. Stop bringing the class element into it.

If you want to go down that road then why not question the blazers who sit in the posh seats in county grounds or Croker come the summer. Plenty of snobbery exists within the GAA. The Casement project being one example!

Spot on.

[Taylor]

For those who missed the newstalk interview with BOD:

- He speaks of how we punch above our weight compared to England and New Zealand.
- He talks of our players having a limited skill set compared to NZ but how this is starting to change - U20s recent performances being an example
- He also talks about how rugby is an obsession in NZ much like the GAA here and how we'd have to stop playing Gaelic Football to have any chance of competing with them regularly

So no lads he's not looking for us to stop playing Gaelic Football. Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story though.

So if we stop Gaelic Football BOD says we could compete?

[PW Nally]

I wasn't sticking the boot in, just struggling to reconcile the oft-stated opinion that Ireland are one of the best teams in Rugby with the fact they have NEVER won a knockout World Cup game, as well as the wild Irish celebrating after England won the Six Nations Title.

Still can't understand it and haven't received a satisfactory explanation tbh.

Can you reconcile with emotion Stallion? Jimmy White was one of the best snooker players I ever seen, but do you disregard his career and the enjoyment of watching him play because he never won the world championship?

I could go on, especially within the GAA - Declan Browne, Matty Forde, Derek Duggan, Benny Coulter etc., - all consigned to the dustbin because they didn't win the All Ireland?

But I am not going to go on, because you like stats - well, between England and the perennial greatest All Blacks -  36 times they played the best of the world of Rugby (friendly and competitive) and no-one could beat them. That is the best 23 players from the best Rugby playing nations in the world.

The only team that could beat them was a team from Ireland, 32 counties and all.

Take into consideration that one of these victories that this All-Ireland team achieved was the first ever in the history of Irish Rugby, a feat that none of the great Irish teams could achieve in the past.  And that the other prevented the first back to back grand slams by any team in the Six Nations era - and that it was Ireland that stopped England.

If these considerations do not raise any sense of celebration or joy in you - then you are a rock my friend.

I think it was applesisapples that said it correctly - I am glad I am one of those that can enjoy this sort of occasion.

Ah come on now!!

Mayo would come have had their AI if they had a player of Duggan's ability in their forwards. He'll be talked about long after the Dillons and Dohertys are forgotten.

First time he's been mentioned in such exalted company in my memory. If he said Tony Mc I would have no issue.

[johnneycool]

For those who missed the newstalk interview with BOD:

- He speaks of how we punch above our weight compared to England and New Zealand.
- He talks of our players having a limited skill set compared to NZ but how this is starting to change - U20s recent performances being an example
- He also talks about how rugby is an obsession in NZ much like the GAA here and how we'd have to stop playing Gaelic Football to have any chance of competing with them regularly

So no lads he's not looking for us to stop playing Gaelic Football. Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story though.

So if we stop Gaelic Football BOD says we could compete?

If we stopped playing Gaelic Football and poured all those resources and energy into Rugby I'd have no doubt either we'd compete with NZ and whoever else.

I spent a few weeks in NZ and rugby to them is the be all and end all. Much like the GAA here you'd be in the back end of nowhere and out of the blue there's a rugby pitch and maybe a wee wooden stand or the likes.

[seafoid]

For those who missed the newstalk interview with BOD:

- He speaks of how we punch above our weight compared to England and New Zealand.
- He talks of our players having a limited skill set compared to NZ but how this is starting to change - U20s recent performances being an example
- He also talks about how rugby is an obsession in NZ much like the GAA here and how we'd have to stop playing Gaelic Football to have any chance of competing with them regularly

So no lads he's not looking for us to stop playing Gaelic Football. Don't let the truth get in the way of a good story though.

The headline was misleading
Obviously if you wanted a majority of people to play rugby as per NZ it would mean pauperising the main sport

[straightred]

Ireland under JS are dull to watch in the main.
Bar the Italy & England games Ireland in the 6N were dull as dishwasher and that is down to the tactics.
Irrespective watching them beat Eddie Jones & the English on Saturday should give any Irishman with a pulse great satisfaction.

As a small country and considering the number of available players we are over-achieving.

If BOD could get shot of GAA though we could be much better 

I was brought up to the belief that rugby was for people who weren't good enough for gaa or soccer...... with that in mind BODs theory will never work !...... only joking !

Seriously though I just don't accept that we over achieve. I think we achieve exactly or sometimes below our ranking. Others including myself have said that only when we get to a WC semi will I believe that we over achieve - until then we are simply doing what our ranking says we should do. We are ranked #4 in the world so in theory we have to get to a semi in the next WC to satisfy that ranking. I hope we do.

I don't want to come across as anti rugby as god knows I've tried to like it. That means going to 6N, leinster and even a few club matches with friends but it just doesn't do it for me. Club level is were you really see the problem - you could literally count the number of people who go - that's the price that is being paid for the 4 provincial teams. On the admin side the IRFU seems to be a very well run outfit who have managed to maximize the product. The FAI could certainly learn from them.

Finally regarding the elitism. Progress does seem to have been made particularly in rural areas but the upper class attitude is alive and well in Dublin.

[GetOverTheBar]

Hard to look forward to Saturday with any optimism. The biggest result of the day...or more meaningful might be how Wales do in France with regards to the rankings for World Cup.

I was wrong. Big performance from Ireland but you wonder what might what been had they not been all over the place in the opening 40 at Murrayfield now.

[seafoid]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/watch-irfu-release-stirring-video-on-our-iconic-stadiums-as-part-of-their-bid-for-the-2023-rugby-world-cup-35556158.html

[foxcommander]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/watch-irfu-release-stirring-video-on-our-iconic-stadiums-as-part-of-their-bid-for-the-2023-rugby-world-cup-35556158.html

I assume the GAA gave them permission to show Croke Park as part of the bid.
They shouldn't be allowed darken the doors.

[The Stallion]

Why not?

[Owen Brannigan]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/watch-irfu-release-stirring-video-on-our-iconic-stadiums-as-part-of-their-bid-for-the-2023-rugby-world-cup-35556158.html

I assume the GAA gave them permission to show Croke Park as part of the bid.
They shouldn't be allowed darken the doors.

Not only Croke Park but Nowlan Park, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Fitzgerald Stadium, Pearse Park, McHale Park, Celtic Park and Casement Park will be hosting games in 2023.  You will be welcome to go along to see the rugby in any of these fine grounds or in Thomond Park, Ravenhill or the Aviva Stadium.

[stew]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/watch-irfu-release-stirring-video-on-our-iconic-stadiums-as-part-of-their-bid-for-the-2023-rugby-world-cup-35556158.html

I assume the GAA gave them permission to show Croke Park as part of the bid.
They shouldn't be allowed darken the doors.

Not only Croke Park but Nowlan Park, Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Fitzgerald Stadium, Pearse Park, McHale Park, Celtic Park and Casement Park will be hosting games in 2023.  You will be welcome to go along to see the rugby in any of these fine grounds or in Thomond Park, Ravenhill or the Aviva Stadium.

Why? They already have,.

If the association can make oodles of money and get copious amounts of free publicity for hosting games why not you draconian devil? )