Why is rugby/the Irish rugby team so popular?

Must have been difficult getting parked up with the horse, big crowd to watch a rugby match followed by soccer, for free.

Exactly this. They can try and dress it up whatever way they like. The fact is the teams who are most successful are the most supported here, basically jumping on the bandwagon.

Troll.

I support the national team. Even though the quality is often not great, I wouldn't go off an support another country. So I am not sure I buy it as an excuse to support English teams instead of LOI teams.

I'd say there are a few reasons rugby gets the dislike it does, here's my thoughts.

The media. The national media hype up rugby way beyond what level of interest is actually there. As I have pointed out rugby roots do not run deep in this country, but seeing as the likes of RTE are based right in rugby heartland, and The Irish Times has the background it has, rugby gets way more promotion than it deserves.

Think back to the farce of a RWC 2023 bid. No one in the media except an enigmatic fringe journalist based in Brazil were willing to dig deep into the bid and find it's pretty obvious flaws. It was all rainbows and lollipops from the Irish media

The level of farce that the bid actually was came out in the technical review prior to the election process when it was revealed that the Irish bid was third behind South Africa and France.

The promoters. I know it's up the the advertisers to pump their product, but declaring that Ireland is "Rugby country" and that the team are "The team of us" when neither are anywhere near true does annoy people.

Then there is the elitism. The reality is rugby is an elite sport and for a male to become an Irish rugby international going to a private fee paying school, well out of the reach of most people, increases their chances beyond belief.

And finally the flag and anthem. Basically by ditching the tricolor and Amhrán na bhFiann the IRFU were appeasing the likes of Davy Tweed, and if you don't know who Davy Tweed was here are a few highlights

• He was an Irish rugby international from Ulster
• He was an member of the TUV (Traditional Unionist Voice) having left the DUP because they had become soft
• He openly verbally abused Catholics on their way to mass as part of three year long demonstration, simply because they were Catholics on their way to mass.
• Oh an he is also a convicted pedophile.
• He died a few weeks ago in a crash.

If the likes of Davy fuckin Tweed does not like the Irish tricolor or Amhrán na bhFiann, they should be told to piss off and form their own rugby union.

Well then let them form their own union as I said.

Seems odd to pick out a paedophile idiot as representative of the entire Unionist community, but whatever.

You need more people, I'd think. Four or five kids can have a 2 on 2 kickabout, but with rugby you need a few more. Also, you can play football out on the road, with rugby it needs to be grass.