All Blacks v Irish property developers

You'll get bandwagoners in every sport. How many of the thousands that went to France to fix tyres had been to a loi or local club game in the preceding 12 months.

This ain't a defence of the coverage of the sport but rugby isn't special in it's following or the marketing surrounding it.

For clarity I haven't been to an organised soccer match in a few years but used to go to Galway United and Bray wanderers games when I lived in Galway and south Dublin respectively. Companies advertise around sports that are doing well and getting coverage because we appear to have a lot of event junkies here regardless of the game.

SJW Lover wrote: »

“I was looking at both 15s and I wouldn’t swap anyone – I actually think New Zealand might take one or two of our players if they had the choice"


Jamie Heaslip - before the hammering last weekend talking about how we measure up against the reigning world champions.



Now, please forward some "data" showing our soccer pundits talking such hyped up crap before any match. You can even go back to Italia 90 if you wish.



"Do you have a questioning brain" - genuinely worried i am arguing with a 12 year old.

Heaslip played with a lot of those guys though, you'll find a lot of pundits who are recently retired reluctant to criticise their former teammates. Heaslip is relatively inane too.

SJW Lover wrote: »

“I was looking at both 15s and I wouldn’t swap anyone – I actually think New Zealand might take one or two of our players if they had the choice"


Jamie Heaslip - before the hammering last weekend talking about how we measure up against the reigning world champions.



Now, please forward some "data" showing our soccer pundits talking such hyped up crap before any match. You can even go back to Italia 90 if you wish.



"Do you have a questioning brain" - genuinely worried i am arguing with a 12 year old.

I heard Heaslip saying that....I thought he was on drugs.

Did you swallow it? Did you place a bet on what he said? Is this where it is coming from?

Jesus lad, you need to relax a bit about this stuff. It's punditry.

Bambi wrote: »

Actually Rugby does appear to be quite a pricey past time

Expensive school with the extra curricular activities costing a fortune
Coaching & Supplements

I know 4x4 mummies who pushed their primary school kids into rugby because they think its great for networking, for both the kids and them:D

The private school thing aside does anyone know how much it costs parents for a rugby season if their kid is selected for an underage side? Heard a segment on the radio recently that football clubs are around €400-500 a season which surprised me, never knew it was that high. Im not even sure what it goes towards, probably up keep of the club and transport for away days.

I think though there is something in the private schools thing and the success of the national side. Only speculating here but perhaps the talent pool in private schools is not big enough to later produce an Irish team capable of winning the world cup. Problem is though in order to have the quality of players to win a WC you need the kids to be playing rugby religiously from a young age, they need to do their 10,000 hours as it were. They more or less do it that way in private schools but outside of that system kids will often dilute their rugby with GAA and football. So they never become good enough to challenge the kids from private schools who are only playing rugby from a young age and then into the academy system. The net for the talent pool needs to be broader that just the private school system imo.

SJW Lover wrote: »

Sure i have been relaxed throughout our exchange Francie. I havent had to misquote you or misrepresent what you are saying either to make my point.


I'm assuming you cannot find a soccer equivalent to Heaslip's nonsense?



I think the question as to why people might find the rugby coverage a little tiring given the paucity of achievement has been answered adequately.

The GAA get trounced if we play the Aussies in international rules, want to start having pops at them?

The coverage was over the top but that isn't unique to rugby, it's any sport we are seen to be doing well in.

SJW Lover wrote: »

Sure i have been relaxed throughout our exchange Francie. I havent had to misquote you or misrepresent what you are saying either to make my point.


I'm assuming you cannot find a soccer equivalent to Heaslip's nonsense?



I think the question as to why people might find the rugby coverage a little tiring given the paucity of achievement has been answered adequately.

My granny had advice on that as well...switch it off.

I do it frequently during sporting events and I rarely if ever listen to punditry.

The Dunphy's, Brolly's, Heaslip's of this world sure know how to keep themselves in a job when they get can people fulminating about what they say.

Muahahaha wrote: »

The private school thing aside does anyone know how much it costs parents for a rugby season if their kid is selected for an underage side? Heard a segment on the radio recently that football clubs are around €400-500 a season which surprised me, never knew it was that high. Im not even sure what it goes towards, probably up keep of the club and transport for away days.

in a club you wouldnt be paying 400-500 per season.
Only season I've ever had anything near that was seasons I went on over seas tours and that happened 3 times in 12 years between mini rugby(up to u12 level) and youths rugby(u13 to u18)
You have membership which could be 80 though some clubs can be up to 120/130 for kids with then there may be some costs for buses etc going tongames.

I think though there is something in the private schools thing and the success of the national side. Only speculating here but perhaps the talent pool in private schools is not big enough to later produce an Irish team capable of winning the world cup. Problem is though in order to have the quality of players to win a WC you need the kids to be playing rugby religiously from a young age, they need to do their 10,000 hours as it were. They more or less do it that way in private schools but outside of that system kids will often dilute their rugby with GAA and football. So they never become good enough to challenge the kids from private schools who are only playing rugby from a young age and then into the academy system. The net for the talent pool needs to be broader that just the private school system imo.

pool through fee paying schools isnt big enough but provinces will pick a lot from there as the people emerging generally will be stronger but as clubs and youths rugby and newer schools improve the numbers emerging to people level from these will increase.
The 10000 hours isnt necessarily true. There is huge numbers of outliers to that or at least hours within the sport of rugby itself as has been plenty to play to high level of rugby who started playing in mid late teens having already played decent amount of other sports.
The net is going beyond private schools with development and coaching officers paid by provinces/irfu bringing sport to new areas/schools teaching the sport..

Danthemanhere wrote: »

I support Ireland in rugby, none of the provinces. I am from Leinster and I went to some Leinster games a good few years ago but honestly, I couldn't stick the D4 thing. Talking about boggers and culchies as if Leinster was just 1 county and the accent was grating. I do like to see all the provinces do well obviously, leads to a greater Irish team. But I do see why some despise the rugby crowd, some can be obnoxious and I follow rugby less than when I was younger. It was better not knowing much about the players. Now knowing about some of their privileged upbringings and disgusting behaviour off the pitch, it does turn me off supporting them slightly.

but that's only a tiny portion of the crowd and leinster rugby themselves do a lot to bring sport beyond that small group of people....

Muahahaha wrote: »

Thanks for clarifying, had thought it might be more expensive than that. While not cheap either most famileis could afford it if their kid loves rugby and is decent at it

max I think I've seen is maybe 200 for membership for a year but that only be in around Dublin. Anywhere else kids membership is much less.

aYeah agreed, its all about increasing the net of the talent pool. I just wonder do kids who have only been playing it 3 or 4 years often lose out to kids who have been playing it 8 or 9 years and then they wander away from the game and back to GAA/football. Had they stayed they might have been late developers but if they're on the bench constantly they'll lose interest and move to other sports.

its ot that kids who've picked up the sport late aren't picked its kids in the fee paying schools in leinster train 3 times a week and play 18-20 games a year at a minimum which is far more than those elsewhere in the main so it's not that they're playing longer its they are playing more.

Problem is what we're up against is the likes of NZ where all their kids play rugby so even though our populations are similar their talent pool would be multiples the size of ours. Then you've Wales where its played by more kids and then the bigger populated countries like SA, France, England where they have a naturally large talent pool because their populations are in the tens of millions. Im sure the IRFU are doing everything they can to increase numbers playing the game but with GAA and football so prevalant in public schools coupled with parents fears of head injuries in rugby they are really up against it.

in New Zealand it's more the best athletes in the country play rugby. Here they dont. Kids with potential to be world class rugby players dont get enough access to the sport but that's changing as more development officers are hired and facilities developed to help those not in fee paying schools get to play at higher levels.
There is more kids playing the sport in Ireland than in Wales. But rugby is national sport there so best athletes will be more likely to play rugby than anything else.

Muahahaha wrote: »

Problem is what we're up against is the likes of NZ where all their kids play rugby so even though our populations are similar their talent pool would be multiples the size of ours. Then you've Wales where its played by more kids and then the bigger populated countries like SA, France, England where they have a naturally large talent pool because their populations are in the tens of millions. Im sure the IRFU are doing everything they can to increase numbers playing the game but with GAA and football so prevalant in public schools coupled with parents fears of head injuries in rugby they are really up against it.

More kids under 12 in NZ play soccer than rugby. It may even be up to under 15.

Mad_maxx wrote: »

Big deal if it's important to the Maori, not everyone feels obliged to sit quietly in awe

New Zealanders are the most humourless bunch on earth when it comes to their rugby team, sod them

Come on mate. I apologised for hooking up with your girl. It was a one night stand. No need to slag off my whole country for it.