Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Playing numbers per union

  • 03-09-2011 5:35pm
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,976 ✭✭✭


    I thought this was interesting having seen it on another forum.
    Rugby unions according to www.irb.com of top teams

    Total Male Players:

    England 2531705
    South Africa 614787
    France 302023
    Ireland 140716
    New Zealand 126146
    Australia 85283
    Italy 61432
    Wales 49226
    Scotland 36237
    Samoa 18761


    Senior Male Players:

    England 166762
    France 110270
    South Africa 109878
    Australia 39380
    New Zealand 27374
    Ireland 25440
    Wales 22408
    Italy 15848
    Scotland 11687
    Samoa 7690


    Teen Male Players:

    England 1545233
    South Africa 193411
    Ireland 57867
    France 50651
    New Zealand 39317
    Australia 19239
    Italy 17220
    Scotland 15009
    Wales 14500
    Samoa 1792


    Pre-teen Male Players:

    England 819710
    South Africa 311498
    France 141102
    New Zealand 59455
    Ireland 57409
    Italy 28364
    Australia 26664
    Wales 12318
    Scotland 9541
    Samoa 9279

    The most accurate figures are the senior male players.

    From an Irish point of view the teen male players is very promising. I don't know how accurate those things are but if it is accurate we're in for a bright future. They could be including touch rugby etc in that though.


Comments

  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,962 ✭✭✭jacothelad


    profitius wrote: »
    I thought this was interesting having seen it on another forum.



    The most accurate figures are the senior male players.

    From an Irish point of view the teen male players is very promising. I don't know how accurate those things are but if it is accurate we're in for a bright future. They could be including touch rugby etc in that though.

    Most of those figures are rubbish. It seems that according to them, 10 % of all primary school children in Ireland are active rugby players. Total bilge.

    Then there are the other figures. There are 204 rugby clubs in Ireland. Those figures mean on average that there are 125 senior players and 281 teen players attached to each club. There are a few clubs that might have 405 active playing members but I don't know of many. Even a big club like Belfast Harlequins only puts out 4 teams these days plus 3 under age groups. I think those figures are either a figment of someones fevered imagination, or, concocted by someone to prove they are doing their job, or, contain the names of every player who has had a playing membership of any club since about 1970.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,207 ✭✭✭durkadurka


    jacothelad wrote: »
    Most of those figures are rubbish. It seems that every primary school child in Ireland is an active rugby player.

    Well 57000 would be about one in seven Primary school boys and frankly I don't believe that.

    Loads of kids only take it up in secondary school. Even the 57000 teen players is unbelievable. That's about one in five teen boys.

    I went to a medium ranked rugby school and only about one in three played rugby there ....


    Edit:
    Link below to schoolgoers in the republic. If you divide by two to eliminate girls and generously add 50% to factor in the north, you're talking about 370,000 primary boys and 270,000 secondary boys in total on this island. To suggest 115000 of these play rugby is frankly unbelievable.

    http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/stat_web_stats_10_11.pdf


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,632 ✭✭✭ormond lad


    These are the playing numbers from the 09-10 IRFU annual report if you want to compare them
    Senior Males
    7,056 U
    5,923 M
    10,154 L
    2,307 C
    25,440 2010
    24,377 2009
    Senior Women
    744 U
    751 M
    1,140 L
    129 C
    2,764 2010
    2,491 2009
    Age Grade (Club)
    4,231 U
    9,125 M
    11,778 L
    4,969 C
    30,103 2010
    26,270 2009
    Mini Rugby
    4,767 U
    6,938 M
    10,995 L
    1,902 C
    24,602 2010
    24,981 2009
    Total Club Numbers
    16,798 U
    22,737 M
    34,067 L
    9,307 C
    82,909 2010
    78,119 2009
    School Rugby Programmes
    Age Grade (Secondary schools)
    U:11,750 M:4,910 L:11,516 C:2,288 2010:30,464 2009:31,270
    School Development Programme
    U:9,945 M:8,795 L:16,184 C:4,783 2010:39,707 2009:49,362
    Total Participants (School & Club) 38,493 36,442 61,767 16,378 153,080 159,263


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,207 ✭✭✭durkadurka


    While I'm at it I would suggest that the ratios above are only barely true in south Dublin, where rugby is at it's strongest , of which I have some knowledge.

    There are vast swathes of the country where rugby is barely played.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 532 ✭✭✭roycon


    ive seen several of these down the years and the only category where ireland have ever appeared above 6/7th place is schoolboy rugby. in terms of adult players argentina are usually ahead of ireland and in every single category wales have usually been ranked ahead of ireland


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,188 ✭✭✭mrboswell


    Anyone have figures on the number of professionals from each country?
    I would be very interested to see those figures.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,416 ✭✭✭nc6000


    I thought Japan had the most players? Maybe the IRB do not include them in the list of "Top Teams".


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 3,632 ✭✭✭ormond lad


    nc6000 wrote: »
    I thought Japan had the most players? Maybe the IRB do not include them in the list of "Top Teams".

    Japan has 121543 reg players according to the IRB website which would be behind england, france, south africa, ireland, new zealand


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 816 ✭✭✭vinny chase


    durkadurka wrote: »
    While I'm at it I would suggest that the ratios above are only barely true in south Dublin, where rugby is at it's strongest , of which I have some knowledge.

    There are vast swathes of the country where rugby is barely played.

    I agree with you in principle, and have always thought those figures were off wherever I've seen them.

    But, to be honest, rugby is growing into new parts of the country. I always laughed when I went to Connacht games in the Sportsground and the teams of young lads playing tag at half time are from places like Leitrim, Carna in Connemara, the wilds of Mayo somewhere or places like Roscommon and even Donegal!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,976 ✭✭✭profitius


    ormond lad wrote: »
    These are the playing numbers from the 09-10 IRFU annual report if you want to compare them

    Senior Males
    25,440 - 2010
    24,377 - 2009

    Age Grade (Club)
    30,103 - 2010
    26,270 - 2009

    Mini Rugby
    24,602 - 2010
    24,981 - 2009

    Total Club Numbers
    82,909 - 2010
    78,119 - 2009

    School Rugby Programmes
    Age Grade (Secondary schools)
    30,464 - 2010
    31,270 - 2009

    School Development Programme
    39,707 - 2010
    49,362 - 2009

    Total Participants (School & Club)
    153,080 - 2010
    159,263 - 2009

    You can see by those figures the effect the grandslam had on rugby in non traditional schools. Thousands of more kids wanted to play it. A good world cup will boost playing numbers again.

    Overall, taking 2009 out of it, theres been a steady rise in numbers with club rugby being more consistant.


  • Advertisement
  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,838 ✭✭✭theboss80


    Interesting from USA Today report

    Traditionally, football and other more popular sports siphon potential American rugby players away from the game, but much has changed in U.S. rugby since the last World Cup.
    More children — 350,000 last year, according to USA Rugby— are playing as schools begin programs now that the sport is back in the Olympics as rugby sevens (beginning in 2016 in Brazil). USA Rugby says general membership is at 98,000, up about 6.5% since 2010.

    Numbers definitely on the rise there. 7's seems to be drawing in the numbers at college level


Advertisement