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
The Israeli rugby team is currently 60th in the World Rankings for men's rugby union. 😉
I've almost zero interest in rugby union (more into gaelic football tbh) but I've even less interest in having a cut off it just for the craic. Obviously, thousands of people like it so more luck to them. What harm is it doing? Keeping kids off the street.
Plenty?as in 4 out of 23?
2 of those have Irish parents/grandparents and were born abroad
I initially wasn't too happy about Aki playing for Ireland because he seemed to be disinterested when asked at first but he's definitely bought in since then
A woeful post, as you'd put it
The disparity between the backgrounds of some/most of the top players and the average rugby player in Ireland is fairly massive and completely at odds with the posh south Dublin stereotype that people outside of the sport have. Your average club player outside of D4 tends to be working class and from a public/community school as you pointed out
Am I meant to have heard of him?
Former captain of the Connacht rugby team. Most capped player in the Pro14. Won an All-Ireland minor medal in hurling.
"Do we need it" Sorry now OP but you are living in a world where 'need' is supplanted by what people ultimately 'want'.
Must it?
I dislike rugby and even I want Ireland to do well because they are Ireland. There's a patriotism dividend to Six Nations matches. The interest in them isn't sliced up 32 different ways.
Yes we do need it. 30 big sweaty man crashing into each other. What's not to like
I have no interest in rugby and I am bemused by the clear bandwagoning by the Irish supporters cheering the national team on only because they’re decent at the moment (the fans are mostly from Dublin and very very fickle. See the dwindling support for Dublin GAA for example, or Manchester United).
However I do think that the players should be seen and not heard. In other words I don’t think they should be encouraged to pursue “media” positions outside of the rugby pitch.
There is a tendency in the past ten years to promote ex rugby players as a radio or television presenter because they’re “good craic” and “heroe’s[sic]” but in reality they’re as dull as the sound of a dry shíte hitting the bowl. Keep them off the television unless they’re playing. Wankerś
^^^^^^^
Would you ever dare give that opinion when other sports being broadcast on TV or on the radio are offering the very same thing to their viewers/listeners.
What's not to like about listening to those former athletes who are officially qualified to give their expert analysis on their sport of expertise when the newest generation are taking up these positions after the careers of the former have officially ended.
They are well within their given field to give expert analysis about their eventual successors in the sport whether people like to listen to them or not. You cannot just have normal randomers coming in off the street and spouting off completely inaccurate opinions about the athletes ability when they actually don't have a clue in what they're talking about in front of the viewers etc....
It would look like a car crash waiting to happen.
Finlay Bealham also.
Born and grew up in Australia, moved to Ireland as a teenager to pursue rugby, has an Irish grandparent.
Stalwart for Connacht, playing there for over 10 years.
The sport, its supporters, and some of the stuff we do to make it an all-island thing really seems to bother barstool republicans,
Love it. 😀
Of course that pun is probably lost on some of the sophisticates on this thread.
Explain it for us.
no one does , the protestants wont tell us
i think thats what all the pushing and shoving in the scrum is about ,
What I always wonder at is the perception some seem to have that rugby is some kind of elitist only game. That may be slightly true in the Leinster players (sorry to generalize a little, and even then you have the likes of Furlong who's from rural Wexford) but rest of the country the players are mainly working class / middle class lads from various places (like Keith Earls who's from Moyross, as working class area as you get).
I'd love to bring some of these people to Thomond park on the match day and see if they can hear any 'elite' accents there...
"Do we need Rugby, do we need Rugby Oisinn? Did you hear that? What else would we have to talk about otherwise?"
appears the goys didnt front up just enough today ?
no shame in it as France are very strong right now but as every year the hype machine over eggs in it in advance of the tournament
Rob Kearney is dreadful as a pundit , presenter on virgin media is even worse
My heart bleeds for THE TEAM OF US
Must be weird to delight in Ireland losing.
Not in the slightest
not so but with France so strong right now , the expectations of grand slam success were totally over cooked
Well they put together more passes in 20 minutes than the precious football team managed in 5 years so don’t know what you’re laughing at? Maybe your own mediocrity and dead end life is a bar you rate others on, pretty sad if so.
That's only because we are one of the few nations who play it professionally.
It's like us being No.2 in the world GAA rankings to the Aussies.
Incorrect - there are a multitude of teams in the southern and northern hemispheres who play rugby. A hell of a lot more than anything GAA can claim
Such angry. Just because your big lads scrapping lads didn't win for you
WWN weighs in
https://www.tiktok.com/@waterfordwhispersnews/video/7063824183104408838?_t=8PoZmk0VuQH&_r=1
Oh, yes, of course a lot play it, they need to to make up a World Cup, but they take it as seriously as we do our men's national Basketball team or our national Baseball league (which I didn't even know we had till 30 seconds ago). The 6N teams + the Kiwi's & Aussies are basically the only ones who care about it.
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://wd.vanillicon.com/v2/d3e92925f7bde702415f91ea088d4f7a.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w0.vanillicon.com/v2/0c95fbacfd3f8db330cceee65321bca3.svg)
![Photo of [Deleted User]](https://w7.vanillicon.com/v2/75771797d68b15f0c5c6e631c7bb7ced.svg)
