With the 6 Nations about to start, Rugby will be forced down our throats again. Who actually plays it in Ireland? Not enough that we have to import foreigners. Team of us indeed
A minority sport that little more than a handful of countries take anyway serious. But a great chance for bit of social climbing and looking down the nose.
It must annoy GAA types terribly that Six Nations matches are more popular than all but the Gaelic and hurling finals.
India and Pakistan seriously inflate the cricket and hockey numbers.
In reality after soccer everything is is small fry world wide interest wise.
Hmm, counties versus countries. Just under 200 million live in the six nations whilst the thirty two counties have just under 7 million. Yeah, apples and oranges there.
The Ireland six nations games and internationals v the likes of SA, Aus NZ pull TV numbers equal to the All Ireland finals.
After that there is a huge drop off.
Run of the mill AIL games, which is the 4th tier of rugby after international, European cup and URC pull crowds less than 1k.
Where as club GAA games across many counties pull crowds above that.
Irish people like the big rugby days, but feck all else.
This is quite true
I'm a middle of the road rugby fan ,the Mrs is from limerick and loves it
Does she know the rules?
I’m obviously referring to the Irish (‘26 counties’) viewership.
I’ve flicked past enough GAA matches to know that many take place at empty grounds.
I wouldn't be a GAA type, but I was doing a bit of shopping this afternoon and there were a lot of people around. You wouldn't get that on an All Ireland Sunday, or when there's a competitive international soccer match on. The few who genuinely love it make a lot of noise, and that's amplified by the hangers-on who don't care much for rugby itself, but like seeing Ireland winning. I remember some rugby pundit tried to make out that it's now "the people's game". Yeah, the people who went to private schools, swan around in brown shoes and blazers and drink Heineken.
Do we soccer? Do we need hockey? Ice hockey? Chess? Do we need Fair City, Coronation Street, Match of Day? Rembrant? Dali? Van Gogh? Yates (Jack and W.B.)? Irish Dancing? Hurling? Chips? Boards.ie? Do we need a big colour tv with remote control?
I hate rugby myself, town gets stuffed with Fiachras and their Heino's but I forgive them as there are plenty of lads about in tight rugby jerseys so win win ;)
A bit rich OP given the state of the Irish soccer team.
The reality is we don't have much to cheer in sport so we may as well take what we can get.
I like Rugby. Not religiously but I'll watch the 6 nations and the world cup.
I'd imagine that's the default position for most.
The best thing about rugby is how much it annoys the right sort of people.
Op never mentioned soccer.
lot of assumptions here
Its ubiquity annoys me. I had nothing against it before the hype.
yet we still need to beg for every Tom dick and Harry who has even the most tenuous connection to Ireland to come and play for this country (or the south of it at least).
Plenty of the current Irish rugby team weren't born in Ireland and some have absolutely no connection to it whatsoever other than playing here for a few years. Woeful post.
In my experience GAA types either don't care enough about rugby to notice or they actively support the sport.
Practically every player and alicakadoo at my local club has also some involvement, at some point, in GAA.
It appears to be soccer types who get their knickers in a twist over the popularity of rugby football.
I would guess those numbers are the population of nations not play those sports at a decent level. Not how many regularly follow those sports.
Well, if there's enough interest then why shouldn't it 'be'.
Having said that, we certainly have more than enough team sports.
"Rugby with the goys"?
Now we know what the Jews think of it.
Rugby any day over that GAA rubbish that is usually forced down our throats. And we can play it at the highest level against other countries.
Why does that matter ?
Why the need to politicise it ?
jesus how sad do you have to be to have this take...
you obviously have never been involved in rugby at any level if thats your take. utterly stupid generalisation.
as for the first bit..what sort of nonsense is that? alot of people were around town...on the day of an international. mind boggling take.
Need? Maybe.
How else are Tarquin and Diarmuid gonna get their homoerotic kicks without watching overgrown men rolling around on the ground with each other and sticking their heads between each others legs. Gives them the opportunity to absolutely send it with a few Heino's down the Bridge too whist cheering on the man on man action on the screen or live at the Aviva.
My community school in Galway played rugby and hurling. John Muldoon went there.
This bit about "importing foreigners" really gets my goat.
How many of Ireland's representative teams in ANY sport rely on "foreigners" to give them any sort of credibility?
There were four players from the rugby team's match day squad of 23 last Saturday born outside of Ireland and two of them had Irish ancestry, namely Hansen and Carberry. The latter has been living in Ireland since he was a child. The other two, Akee and Gibson Park had to live here for years before they could qualify. Fair play to them.
Look at our soccer side over the years. Full of people who had barely set foot in the country in their lives ever before "declaring" for "Eire".
What about "our" Winter Olympics team. There's literally somebody called Bubba from Utah representing us. Along with a Frenchwoman and a Norwegian man.
The Irish rugby team is one of the most authentic home-grown representatives of our country that we have.
Diss it all you like. You're entitled to your opinion of the game as I am entitled to my opinion of the likes of you.
But I'll keep it on the inside. (I'd get banned otherwise)
Which is worse? Allowing players with no Irish heritage to play for Ireland, if they have lived in Ireland for a few years. Rugby. Or allowing players with Irish heritage who never lived in Ireland to play for Ireland. Soccer.
Once the rules allow, I don't see any problem either way.
You could say the same about literally any sport or recreational activity. None of them are needs, but lots of people enjoy them.
Soccer, and GAA sports could all be described as equally unnecessary/in your face.
Also your remote has a button for channel changing, so no one is 'forcing' you to watch anything you don't want to.
Why limit choice in this world when it doesn't really affect your life in any way?
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