New rugger fans must resist soccer mob mentality

[Jim_Murphy_74]

From the Indo:

AS IRISH rugby continues to hoover up new fans, being classless isn't just about class. It's about principles as adhesively tied to fair play as those we expect of our sporting heroes.

Events at the RDS last Saturday night -- behind the white lines as opposed to the well-documented stuff beyond them -- painted a grim picture of how the assimilation of rugby supporters old and new have combined to besmirch the spectating experience.

Aside from the incessant foul language and spiteful personal abuse -- think of the children, you may jest -- it was disheartening to hear Paul O'Connell being sneered at as a "British" captain and Denis Leamy being booed off as he cradled his troubled shoulder for the umpteenth time.

For all that, it was a rocking atmosphere and even if the slagging was as subtle as RTE comedy, the home crowd will be worth more than a penalty kick against London Irish this Friday. A word of advice, though -- leave the personal abuse to the soccer mob and have respect for injured players.

Feckin' soccer hooligans   

/Jim

[WeAreBlueWeAreWhite]

I'm guessing as this was a Leinster match most of the fans were Dubs and even worse than that Dubs who think they are posh. Just goes to show you it doesn't matter if you have money or not you can still be a knob. The element that goes to Hill 16 are working class Dubs and now the posh Dubs are just as bad as them

[longrunsthefox]

I'm guessing as this was a Leinster match most of the fans were Dubs and even worse than that Dubs who think they are posh. Just goes to show you it doesn't matter if you have money or not you can still be a knob. The element that goes to Hill 16 are working class Dubs and now the posh Dubs are just as bad as them

You are proof of that 

[new devil]

I'm guessing as this was a Leinster match most of the fans were Dubs and even worse than that Dubs who think they are posh. Just goes to show you it doesn't matter if you have money or not you can still be a knob. The element that goes to Hill 16 are working class Dubs and now the posh Dubs are just as bad as them

you talk some shit

[rootthemout]

I'm guessing as this was a Leinster match most of the fans were Dubs and even worse than that Dubs who think they are posh. Just goes to show you it doesn't matter if you have money or not you can still be a knob. The element that goes to Hill 16 are working class Dubs and now the posh Dubs are just as bad as them

p***k!

[Capt Pat]

There is nothing worse in this world than Irish people who because they are rich and went to private school think they are posh or somehow classy. If only they realised how much they really stink the place up more than a lot of people who have nothing. This is not unique to Ireland but a stronger feature than it is in other countries where the better people are more often than not better people. This does not work so well in Ireland.

[Hound]

From the Indo:

Aside from the incessant foul language and spiteful personal abuse -- think of the children, you may jest -- it was disheartening to hear Paul O'Connell being sneered at as a "British" captain and Denis Leamy being booed off as he cradled his troubled shoulder for the umpteenth time.

Thats lies about the Paul O'Connell / British crap. I'd be very surprised if there was even one idiot who said that given the amount of both Leinster and Munster Lions there has been. To insinuate that even a minority were at that is just pure lies.

And the so-called booing Leamy got was more lies - obviously the first time this journalist was at a Leinster game.

While Denis Leamy was on the ground cradling his shoulder and about to be taken off, Luke Fitzgerald was being substituted. As Fitzgerald went off the usual Leinster chant of Luuuuuuuuuuuke went up. So the idiot journalist obviously mistook this for boos directed at Leamy.

The atmosphere was actually excellent at the game, especially for Leinster fans of course, but they've taken plenty of stick from Munster fans over the years.