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Ferbane are Offaly Senior Football Champions. First time in 25 years. Tears were shed.

[The problem is that they should have had plans to rearrange a game or move it, with it being agreed by all countries]

Why is everyone getting annoyed? This was obviously factored in beforehand. Going to Japan would have ensured that there was the possibility of a game being cancelled.

The problem is that they should have had plans to rearrange a game or move it, with it being agreed by all countries. If the countries agreed, then why make a fuss?

That's exactly why everyone is annoyed. Italy had a (very remote) change of beating NZ and getting through. That is now taken away from them. As Sergio Parisse said, it would have been interesting to see what would have happened had NZ required the points to get through.

It just undermines the whole tournament in my view, and even teams that are through anyway now get an extra week's rest. Not having a contingency plan for a tournament being played in Typhoon season is amateurish and ridiculous.

Was at the Raiders-Bears game yesterday. Enjoyable experience for my first NFL game, even if American sports fandom is so fake and forced. Hammered Americans who can only shout "wooooo" or "yeahhhh!" when reacting to the game become quite tiresome after a while.

It was definitely made more enjoyable by the fact I had Josh Jacobs in my fantasy team and the guy I was playing was seated beside me.

Spurs' new stadium is absolutely incredible. It's like a way cooler version of the Aviva.

Was there myself. Great weekend. Brother in Law caught a ball lobbed into the seats by Harry Kane. Unreal stadium in fairness.

Done.

PJ bringing Kerrys Seamus Moynihan with him. Lads around here are good at adding ... add that one.

didn't they play together in IT Tralee?

Do Ireland qualify if they beat Samoa with a bonus point? What are the possible permutations given scotland now play Japan?

If Scotland beat Japan, I think Ireland still win the group with a bonus point win v Samoa?

Ireland currently have 11 points,
Japan have 9,
Scotland and Samoa have 5

So if Ireland end up with 16, then Japan would need to beat Scotland and Samoa to pass them out, which would eliminate Samoa and Scotland.
Scotland wouldn't be able to catch them as their max is 15,
Samoa's max would be 12 I suppose, if Ireland beat them with a BP.

So a Bonus Point win will definitely get them 2nd, and if Scotland beat Japan (or Samoa beat Japan) then the BP win v Samoa would be enough to win the group I think.

Can you wear gloves in Rugby?

I was nervous before this game.

Are we looking at this year's Ajax?

That same thought struck me. Quick, fearless, naive and serious goal threat.

Leixlip were relegated to Senior last year. Confey are indeed senior.

It does however have large immigrant population from Dublin who don't integrate with the locals, keeping themselves largely to their middle calls ghettos.

A Dub buying a starter home in Leixlip is the very same as, say, Lucan.

There would be a very small percentage who are mad into GAA and would straight away head up to the GAA club, go the adult team matches, etc.
So 95% wouldn't cross the door of the GAA club until the kids come along. Then most would bring their kids (at least a few times!) to the local soccer or GAA club or both.

You have lost your sense of humour Hound.

It's the awful realisation that the titles are tainted, and he knows the Dubs don't have the respect of us culchies, which they crave more than anything.

The stripes on the sleeves remind me of the iconic 1982 white jersey. I

[Thought the yanks might put it up to the French for a while, but seems to have been a canter.]

Thought the yanks might put it up to the French for a while, but seems to have been a canter.

NZ sowing it into Canada as expected. All three Barrett brothers going in for trys.

It was 12-9 with about 15-20 minutes left. France got late tries that completely flattered them.

NFL is absolutely not clean. No doubt at all. At any one time several lads would be serving games suspensions for PEDs.

At least the Tongans are definitely muck so we should be able to get our 2 bonus points from the next 2 games.

Samoa are filthy.

[I read Connacht have a group of 16 year olds in boarding school.]

I would say this issue would be more relevant to soccer than rugby

I'm nor sure. Soccer requires a passport plus certain criteria. Rugby requires residency for 5 years.

I read Connacht have a group of 16 year olds in boarding school. At 21 they are eligible to play for Ireland (and SA if course). Soccer can't simply do that.

Its an issue, and while the bigger kids are doing it, so will we.

Ha! Ha! Quite possibly one the most ridiculous statements I have seen on this board in a while.

I know we are not the biggest rugby heads here out west but I think we can tell the difference between a few 16 year old lads from Kildare that go to Clongowes and South Africans!!!

Bit of false equivalence going on here if you are equating George North with CJ Stander.  My views on international qualification are long held, and I think I said it here before. For example, I am a massive fan of CJ, and he has immersed himself in the Munster and Ireland culture, and into his local community in Castleconnell, but he's not Irish. He has no ties to Ireland other than the time he has spent here playing Professional Rugby.

I have no problem with someone with genuine Irish ties playing for Ireland, soccer, rugby or anything else. As a nation of emigrants, I think it's churlish to say that someone like Mick McCarthy is not Irish. If you have Irish familial ties, and you are brought up with a genuine sense of Irish identity, and hold an Irish passport, then I think you are Irish. Same for the equivalent Welsh, Scots and everyone else. I'd have no issue with Mike Haley playing for Ireland, and obviously lads like Ronan O'Gara and Jamie Heaslip.

But you can't tell me that Jean Kleyn is, or feels, Irish. The 5 year rule is an improvement, but it's still effectively a 'Rugby Union Representative Team' as opposed to a National representative team. It's not #teamofus it's #teamofirfuaffiliatedprofessionalplayers.

The AB saga not over quite yet, a civil suit lodged for alleged rape by Brown

By the Raiders?