What would be the Irish Rugby team's official nickname?

dmullins3

The All Blacks/Kiwis just beat the Pumas and I just realised that we have no nickname. If we were to be assigned one, what would you like to see us called.

I like the Wolfhounds, given its status in Irish mythology and more obviously as the second team are already called the Ireland Wolfhounds and so it seems like a natural fit.

Deedsie

dmullins3 wrote: »

The All Blacks/Kiwis just beat the Pumas and I just realised that we have no nickname. If we were to be assigned one, what would you like to see us called.

I like the Wolfhounds, given its status in Irish mythology and more obviously as the second team are already called the Ireland Wolfhounds and so it seems like a natural fit.

The Fenians... It would drive people nuts :-)

Being serious, nicknames are tricky, a lot of teams have a broader flora and fauna to choose a nickname from than Ireland.

eclipsechaser

I know it's the name of our 2nd team but I like the Irish Wolfhounds.

philstar

how about....

the micks & billys

gives it an all ireland emphasis

I would like us to remain nickname-free.

Applying some contrived nickname to the team would just smack of marketing nonsense. The three sides mentioned in the OP have had their nicknames for decades or longer.

Lando Griffin

Has to be The Green Machine. Our jearsys are green, we are like a machine and they rhyme.

Mr.Nice Guy

The Craggy Islanders.

And whenever Sexton is about to kick the ball the crowd should chant 'down with this sort of thing.'

And as the ball is in the air, 'careful now.'

Actually, perhaps not.

The Rape of Lucretia

I think a nickname is a splendid idea and one that would move us into the modern era of international sport.

Our troubled mixed-up history leaves us with a bizarre legacy that really is out of step with the financial business that is internation level rugby these days : witness the nonsense of two anthems when in Lansdowne, or two flags being paraded for one team yesterday in the principality, or our recruitment of foreigners to play for us simply because the stay here long enough earning their crust and couldnt make their home country's international teams.

What we need is something marketable, that the world at large would readily associate with us, that would have a quick hook for logos and merchandise, a lovable character that would appeal to kids, etc.

I can propose : 'The Leprechauns'.

lunarhog

Les verts

stadedublinois

lunarhog wrote: »

Les verts

In French we use XV du trèfle (shamrock) as the nickname

The Rape of Lucretia

stadedublinois wrote: »

In French we use XV du trèfle (shamrock) as the nickname

So you think we are a trifle hein !

See you on the 11th of October, :mad:.

pickarooney

They think it's all clover.

Deedsie

Maybe as the 2nd XV are the Irish Wolfhounds the nickname for the 1st team should be the Irish Wolves.

The Wolves were the top predator here long before humans & hounds.

The young Wolves - for the Under 20's

lunarhog

The spuds

rrpc

It's all so complicated. New Zealanders are referred to as Kiwis, because, well, kiwis come from there. Australians as Wallabies because it's their national symbol, French as frogs because they eat them.

So really a mix of symbol, well known produce and stuff we eat would be appropriate. Shamspudages anyone?

lunarhog

The balaclavas

Celly Smunt

Those lads who had all those problems with each other but somehow managed to reconcile through rugby team.


Are we not already kind of known as the micks though?

Stheno

The shamrocks?

eet fuk

The Badgers

iroced

rrpc wrote: »

It's all so complicated. New Zealanders are referred to as Kiwis, because, well, kiwis come from there. Australians as Wallabies because it's their national symbol, French as frogs because they eat them.

We are not frogs. Frogs is what the English like to call us. Exactly like we call them les rosbifs.

Our nickname is a lot more simple and straightforward: Les Bleus.

stadedublinois wrote: »

In French we use XV du trèfle (shamrock) as the nickname

Yeah we just go by each country's emblem.

England: le XV de la rose.
Ireland: le XV du trèfle (shamrock).
Italy: la squadra azzurra sometimes shortened as la squadra (the sky-blue team). We actually use the italian words, we don't translate.
Scotland: le XV du chardon (thistle).
Wales: le XV du poireau (leek).

Our emblem is le coq (gaulois) (the Gallic rooster) but we just call oiurselves le XV de France.

Outside Europe:
Argentina: les Pumas
Australia: les Wallabies.
New Zealand: les All Blacks or just les Blacks. we almost never use les kiwis.
South Africa: les Springboks.

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

Celly Smunt wrote: »

Those lads who had all those problems with each other but somehow managed to reconcile through rugby team.

South Africa?

KingBrian2

The Shamrocks.:)

allthedoyles

Hibernians

TICKLE_ME_ELMO

The Felix Jones'

Then people could make Keeping up with the Jones' references.

flangemeistro

I'll settle for 2015 RWC Champions.

SleazeMerchant

The Wild Cats.

Losty Dublin

iroced wrote: »

We are not frogs. d: France.

.

Sorry.

Surrender monkeys.

Michael D Not Higgins

SleazeMerchant wrote: »

The Wild Cats.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XItRcMuraCI

Drummerboy2

Seen as its topical what about THE WEST BRITS :)

Neil3030

Ah lads if there's no obvious historical, political or natural symbol, AND if we have all that north/south **** to consider, we should just go with something completely random and awesome.

I vote: The Thunder Bastards.

Redgirl82

"Max Power" I got it off a hair dryer

MikeCork2009

Schmidt Hot

Judging by some of the absolute barrista's on here we might as well resign ourselves to being called the Hipster Brigade.

smiley_face

iroced wrote: »

We are not frogs. Frogs is what the English like to call us. Exactly like we call them les rosbifs.

Our nickname is a lot more simple and straightforward: Les Bleus.


Yeah we just go by each country's emblem.

England: le XV de la rose.
Ireland: le XV du trèfle (shamrock).
Italy: la squadra azzurra sometimes shortened as la squadra (the sky-blue team). We actually use the italian words, we don't translate.
Scotland: le XV du chardon (thistle).
Wales: le XV du poireau (leek).

Our emblem is le coq (gaulois) (the Gallic rooster) but we just call oiurselves le XV de France.

Outside Europe:
Argentina: les Pumas
Australia: les Wallabies.
New Zealand: les All Blacks or just les Blacks. we almost never use les kiwis.
South Africa: les Springboks.

We could go by our native language, and be called simply na fir ghlasa (as in the men in green).
Closest pronunciation in English would be na-feer-gloss-a

Barely There

The Contrabulous Fabtraptions of Professor Horatio Hufnagel.

LorMal

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Sorry.

Surrender monkeys.

Really? Bit offensive and rude if you ask me..

smiley_face

iroced wrote: »

We are not frogs. Frogs is what the English like to call us. Exactly like we call them les rosbifs.

Our nickname is a lot more simple and straightforward: Les Bleus.


Yeah we just go by each country's emblem.

England: le XV de la rose.
Ireland: le XV du trèfle (shamrock).
Italy: la squadra azzurra sometimes shortened as la squadra (the sky-blue team). We actually use the italian words, we don't translate.
Scotland: le XV du chardon (thistle).
Wales: le XV du poireau (leek).

Our emblem is le coq (gaulois) (the Gallic rooster) but we just call oiurselves le XV de France.

Outside Europe:
Argentina: les Pumas
Australia: les Wallabies.
New Zealand: les All Blacks or just les Blacks. we almost never use les kiwis.
South Africa: les Springboks.

Irish people never refer to France's rugby team as "The Frogs".
I've always referred to the French team simply as "The French",
As in 'If "The French" turn up they'll be hard to beat.'
If I were attempting to be rhetorical I would call them "Les Blues" (in my best possible French pronunciation) for the added effect.
In English, one would never use the term "The Cockerels" (or any similar variation) for the French, as it has a different connotation in slang that is not appropriate.

T-Maxx

Three pages in and no mention yet of the obvious:

The Paddys

???

dan1895

iroced wrote: »

We are not frogs. Frogs is what the English like to call us. Exactly like we call them les rosbifs.

Our nickname is a lot more simple and straightforward: Les Bleus.


Yeah we just go by each country's emblem.

England: le XV de la rose.
Ireland: le XV du trèfle (shamrock).
Italy: la squadra azzurra sometimes shortened as la squadra (the sky-blue team). We actually use the italian words, we don't translate.
Scotland: le XV du chardon (thistle).
Wales: le XV du poireau (leek).

Our emblem is le coq (gaulois) (the Gallic rooster) but we just call oiurselves le XV de France.

Outside Europe:
Argentina: les Pumas
Australia: les Wallabies.
New Zealand: les All Blacks or just les Blacks. we almost never use les kiwis.
South Africa: les Springboks.

What do you call a quarter pounder with cheese?

croot

The Rape of Lucretia wrote: »

What we need is something marketable, that the world at large would readily associate with us, that would have a quick hook for logos and merchandise......

How about a play on a TV program name:

Orange & Green is the new (all) Black(s)

whiskeyman

National Symbol = Harp

'The Harpies'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpy

'Female monster in the form of a bird with a human face'

Althought probably best for the ladies squad?

.ak

whiskeyman wrote: »

National Symbol = Harp

'The Harpies'

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harpy

'Female monster in the form of a bird with a human face'

Althought probably best for the ladies squad?

Redgirl82

rrpc wrote: »

It's all so complicated. New Zealanders are referred to as Kiwis, because, well, kiwis come from there. Australians as Wallabies because it's their national symbol, French as frogs because they eat them.

So really a mix of symbol, well known produce and stuff we eat would be appropriate. Shamspudages anyone?

I have never once heard the French teams been referred to as the frogs.....

iroced

LorMal wrote: »

Losty Dublin wrote: »

Sorry.

Surrender monkeys.

Really? Bit offensive and rude if you ask me..

More than offensive and rude, it's pathetic since it reflects plain ignorance of their own History (e.g. Lafayette) from 1) the original authors, 2) the ones who used it against us (e.g. Dave Letterman) back in the context of the US second war in Irak.

What I always found most amusing (especially coming from US) is the "cheese-eating" part. I'd love to know what the authors had in mind about that. I mean for us it's like if you want to get abusive at New-Zealand in saying "rugby playing blah blah blah blah" :rolleyes: :pac:...

-

Coming back to the topic, I'm surprised you don't use the shamrock emblem but it's true I never heard it during my time in Ireland. Which leads to this question: what about the Scots, the Welsh, the English? How do you call them? Just Scots, Welsh & English? I presume you don't use the thistle, the leek and the rose emblems to call them right?

iroced

iroced wrote: »

what about the Scots, the Welsh, the English? How do you call them?

Depends entirely on whether or not they've beaten us recently.

MJohnston

iroced wrote: »

More than offensive and rude, it's pathetic since it reflects plain ignorance of their own History (e.g. Lafayette) from 1) the original authors, 2) the ones who used it against us (e.g. Dave Letterman) back in the context of the US second war in Irak.

What I always found most amusing (especially coming from US) is the "cheese-eating" part. I'd love to know what the authors had in mind about that. I mean for us it's like if you want to get abusive at New-Zealand in saying "rugby playing blah blah blah blah" :rolleyes: :pac:...

It actually originated from an episode of The Simpsons where cutbacks mean Groundskeeper Willie (a very over the top Scottish stereotype) has to teach French to the schoolkids and greets them with, well:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUjGf2Grrus

This being the same 'The Simpsons' that very heavily mocks pretty much all types of humans, most often Americans.

lunarhog

Deleted User wrote: »

Depends entirely on whether or not they've beaten us recently.

Not widely used in Ireland but here goes:

Scots = Jocks
Welsh = Taffs / Sheep worriers
English = Poms / Sassanachs / some Scots also call them the Nigels

.ak

... Yeah, think this thread has had it's day. It'll just be a place for people to come and get offended soon!