rugby hangover

thebaz · 14-12-2011 01:01PM #1

Am I alone in struggling to get my appetite back for watching rugby post WC - after the heartache of watching Ireland (dream team) crash and perhaps not showing up for QF, and then Wales my second fav. team - gone , particularly so early in the morning - maybe the fact that leinster won the HC cup last year makes this year seam an anti-climax

I enjoy watching my son play , and enjoy playing footy myself , but my apetite for watching rugby has gone the same way , of my lack of interest in watching football - perhaps it is also the over saturation of Sports on the TV , where every Sunday is Super Sunday - and the seasons never seam to end

BBDBB · 14-12-2011 01:03PM

I dont want anyone to begin stoning anyone until I blow this whistle

even if they do say they their appetite for rugby has waned

braintoxic · 14-12-2011 01:05PM

thebaz wrote: »

Am I alone in struggling to get my appetite back for watching rugby post WC - after the heartache of watching Ireland (dream team) crash and perhaps not showing up for QF, and then Wales my second fav. team - gone , particularly so early in the morning - maybe the fact that leinster won the HC cup last year makes this year seam an anti-climax

I enjoy watching my son play , and enjoy playing footy myself , but my apetite for watching rugby has gone the same way , of my lack of interest in watching football - perhaps it is also the over saturation of Sports on the TV , where every Sunday is Super Sunday - and the seasons never seam to end

A real rugby fan would never say footie

Fireball07 · 14-12-2011 01:10PM

I dunno...but my appetite is stronger than ever. I cannot wait for the Llanelli game at the weekend. Maybe it's been the tense nature of all Munster's games so far but I haven't wanted to watch so much rugby in a while.

Podge_irl · 14-12-2011 01:10PM

I've certainly missed more games this season then others. It does feel like the last 18 months has been one long season.

lologram · 14-12-2011 01:10PM

braintoxic wrote: »

A real rugby fan would never say footie

thebaz wrote: »

I enjoy watching my son play , and enjoy playing footy myself , but my apetite for watching rugby has gone the same way , of my lack of interest in watching football

He's comparing rugby and football, not referring to the same sport.

Although some people (eg Australians) like to say footy for rugby, and there's nothing wrong with that.

kennedmc · 14-12-2011 01:11PM

thebaz wrote: »

Am I alone in struggling to get my appetite back for watching rugby post WC - after the heartache of watching Ireland (dream team) crash and perhaps not showing up for QF, and then Wales my second fav. team - gone , particularly so early in the morning - maybe the fact that leinster won the HC cup last year makes this year seam an anti-climax

I enjoy watching my son play , and enjoy playing footy myself , but my apetite for watching rugby has gone the same way , of my lack of interest in watching football - perhaps it is also the over saturation of Sports on the TV , where every Sunday is Super Sunday - and the seasons never seam to end

Maybe in reality you are not such a big rugby fan? Since you have lost ineterst in the game in 2 months!!

I found the world cup a bit of a bore but really love watching the HC and Rabodirect again. Supporting Leinster, seeing how the other provinces are getting on and getingt excited (!) at the thoughts of some of the younger players who could come through for Ireland - regardless of province.

also can't wait for the 6 nations! Every match matters and none of this getting up at 6 in the morming lark....!

basillarkin · 14-12-2011 01:12PM

lologram wrote: »

He's comparing rugby and football, not referring to the same sport.

Although some people (eg Australians) like to say footy for rugby, and there's nothing wrong with that.

As do the New Zealanders

wixfjord · 14-12-2011 01:13PM

thebaz wrote: »

Am I alone in struggling to get my appetite back for watching rugby post WC - after the heartache of watching Ireland (dream team) crash and perhaps not showing up for QF, and then Wales my second fav. team - gone , particularly so early in the morning - maybe the fact that leinster won the HC cup last year makes this year seam an anti-climax

I enjoy watching my son play , and enjoy playing footy myself , but my apetite for watching rugby has gone the same way , of my lack of interest in watching football - perhaps it is also the over saturation of Sports on the TV , where every Sunday is Super Sunday - and the seasons never seam to end

I'm the exact opposite. Couldn't be bothered with many of the group games that Ireland weren't involved in, and I'm a huge HEC fan. Best rugby comp in the world for me.
Really enjoying the season so far, and SKY do an incredible job on the HEC too. I also feel far closer to Leinster than I do the national team too.

Tefral · 14-12-2011 01:15PM

Have to say after the nailbiting finishes that Munster have put me through the last while: im addicted. Such a rush when you do finally win!

justsomebloke · 14-12-2011 01:15PM

truthfully after a lack luster WC I could see how people were expecting a rugby hangover but in reality the first week of HC games were fantastic and the standard has continued since then with some gripping games and it has really has been the centrepiece that the WC should have been. So at the moment no hangover for me if anything I'm more gripped now then I was during the WC, and we still have the business end of the rabo 12 to come!!!!

Skid · 14-12-2011 01:15PM

The Heineken Cup has been brilliant this year - some great, tight matches every single weekend.

Far more enjoyable than the World Cup, I reckon.

Big Nelly · 14-12-2011 01:20PM

Actually more excitied about the Rabo and HC this year. Probably more to do with the outrageous times we had to get up at to watch the rugby. The lack of been able to build an atmosphere due to watching Ireland's big match's on a Sat morning at 7 or 8 when I should be in my bed:D

I just hope there is a good atmosphere in Aviva on Saturday night. I would have loved to see Bath in RDS. You just can't beat a good HC match atmosphere in RDS!!!!!!!!

vinny chase · 14-12-2011 01:20PM

I love seeing Ireland succeed in rugby; I'll probably never forget the day of the Grand Slam victory in my life I imagine.

But still; I find something a little artificial about international rugby, and it has never captured my imagination the way rugby that you feel you are closer connected to will.

That started when I was young going to watch my father play AIL rugby, and continued through school where I watched the school play and represented it myself.

For me, Leinster's Heinken Cup victories are my favourite ever moments in rugby. Allied to that; I think the Heineken Cup is the best sporting competition in the world (obviously I'm biased

). I can watch pretty much any game in the tournament and the tournament is so competitive and played with such great intensity.

Definitely no rugby hangover for me. Can't get enough of it!

durkadurka · 14-12-2011 01:49PM

lologram wrote: »

He's comparing rugby and football, not referring to the same sport.

Although some people (eg Australians) like to say footy for rugby, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I've heard BOD say footy too.

phog · 14-12-2011 02:03PM

I suppose the timing of the W/C games and the manner in how we exited from the competition hasn't helped the fatigue around rugby.

I love attending games so I looked forward to the PRO12 and H/C games, mined you Munster played Ospreys on the evening of the W/C QF and they beat us in TP so the fatigue grew to anger.

When atending a game I prefer to be in the terrace as I feel so much closer to the game than being up in Row Z of a stand.

Teferi · 14-12-2011 02:42PM

There was more excitement in the opening weekend of the Heineken Cup then there was in the entire World Cup. Great country, great hosts, boring rugby (in the main).

HC is really the best rugby competition in the world.

onlyrocknroll · 14-12-2011 02:58PM

I found it hard to be enthusiastic about the Rabo immediately after the WC (but not during it strangely) but the Heineken Cup has cured me of that pretty quickly.

molloyjh · 14-12-2011 03:11PM

wixfjord wrote: »

I'm the exact opposite. Couldn't be bothered with many of the group games that Ireland weren't involved in, and I'm a huge HEC fan. Best rugby comp in the world for me.
Really enjoying the season so far, and SKY do an incredible job on the HEC too. I also feel far closer to Leinster than I do the national team too.

Yeah it's far easier to feel closer to the provincial thing. I've gotten fairly bored with the internationals over the last couple of years. It doesn't help that the Irish team are, at least in my eyes, under-achieving. The crowd doesn't get behind them much and the rugby is poor to watch. The RWC too was a bit of a disappointment (Oz game being the obvious exception). I missed the NZ game last autumn so the only international game I've been at with atmosphere anything like a good provincial game was the England one in the 6 Nations this year. And that's out of 7 games I've been to in the last 13/14 months. The other 3 AIs and the RWC warm-ups were incredibly dull and the France game in the 6 Ns was just frustrating.

But last weekend I spent the majority of it watching rugby. So no hangover here.

braintoxic · 14-12-2011 03:55PM

Here here

JustinDee · 14-12-2011 04:13PM

thebaz wrote: »

Am I alone in struggling to get my appetite back for watching rugby post WC - after the heartache of watching Ireland (dream team) crash and perhaps not showing up for QF, and then Wales my second fav. team - gone , particularly so early in the morning - maybe the fact that leinster won the HC cup last year makes this year seam an anti-climax

I enjoy watching my son play , and enjoy playing footy myself , but my apetite for watching rugby has gone the same way , of my lack of interest in watching football - perhaps it is also the over saturation of Sports on the TV , where every Sunday is Super Sunday - and the seasons never seam to end

I found it hard to get back into the season post-RWC myself and I work in the sport!
However from going to club games each round of the UBL, I got my feel for the game back again. Not just at one club but a different club each round. See rugby from the start again.
Try the clubs. Then on top of that get to the Intl U20s or Intl Women's games, for example. Before you know it, the Six Nations will gearing up towards kick-off on Feb 5th with the Welsh game up ahead.

Loads of rugby ahead. Anyone can be forgiven for taking a breather from time to time. Not too long a breather though . . .

thebaz · 14-12-2011 06:43PM

kennedmc wrote: »

Maybe in reality you are not such a big rugby fan? Since you have lost ineterst in the game in 2 months!!

!

I see myself more of a sports fan , but far prefer playing than watching - the older i get the more i watch - but since quitting the fags , i'm in ok shape , having retired early due to a bolloxed knee - sometimes watching footy (soccer) on tv just bores me - i guess live sport is the next best thing to playing, i'd be too bad tempered to coach :mad:

.ak · 14-12-2011 06:57PM

I admit the WC left a bad taste in my mouth.. not so much because of the Ireland situation, but simply for the lack of big, rememberable matches.

..but, certainly no hangover, I was looking forward to more club rugby and I must admit I've been rewarded so far with Leinster's progression in the League after a rough start and an excellent HEC (albeit a little wobbly due to re-jigged team sheets)

MungBean · 14-12-2011 07:07PM

I was feelin particularly low after the world cup I have to admit. Was excited when the players rejoined the teams for the league but it didnt shake off the feeling of woe as I thought it would.

The HEC has just blew me away though. Any residual ill feeling from the world cup went with that opening day. HEC is where its at now.

Crash · 15-12-2011 12:39AM

Its a long season. with the world cup, it ends up feeling like its a year and a half long, and family pressures, and wives/girlfriends/important things start to come into the mix. I've been suffering from a proper hangover this year, normally I've enjoyed every magners match and gone to every home game, but this year i've skipped a lot. The HC is finally bringing me back to where I was before, but think it'll be post new years, maybe even post-february before I start attending the majority of matches again. It happens to all of us, so I think you'll spring back.

Digifriendly · 15-12-2011 10:53AM

I'm a big rugby fan but have to admit the RWC left me feeling very flat. It was a big let down but as other posters have said the HEC has more than made up. Can't wait for this weekend. Some of the matches so far have been outstanding with very few onesided scorelines (Clermont vs Aironi excepted). Looks like at least half of the pools will go down to the wire and with teams looking for home QF's there's probably going to be very few 'dead rubbers' (to use a tennis term). So IMHO HEC has more than made up for the RWC.

buck65 · 15-12-2011 11:01AM

The Irish team comes second to me and to alot of Munster fans I know. I spend most of the 6 nations hoping Munster players avoid injury.
Also we have hyped up our national team to such an extent we were surprised to lose against a superior Welsh team. Far too predictable.

JustinDee · 15-12-2011 11:16AM

If I had to choose it would be International for me. Always has been. Always will be.
Provincial branch teams are the feeder to the national side above all. Nothing beats the level of intensity of a crunch international. Nothing. It is true representitive rugby.

MungBean · 15-12-2011 11:18AM

buck65 wrote: »

The Irish team comes second to me and to alot of Munster fans I know. I spend most of the 6 nations hoping Munster players avoid injury.
Also we have hyped up our national team to such an extent we were surprised to lose against a superior Welsh team. Far too predictable.

I dont think its a case of club first or country first. I think they all compliment each other.

You have Pro12 teams (younger players), HEC teams (solid squads) and then Irish teams. Its all one big family.

I'm a Leinster man but I like to see the other provinces do well. I have an affinity for them because of the players that represent Ireland.

I feel sorry for someone who cant enjoy an Irish match for fear of how it will affect the club I honestly do.

wixfjord · 15-12-2011 11:19AM

JustinDee wrote: »

If I had to choose it would be International for me. Always has been. Always will be.
Provincial branch teams are the feeder to the national side above all. Nothing beats the level of intensity of a crunch international. Nothing. It is true representitive rugby.

I disagree completely, but we've been down that road before!
The parochial side of provincial, added to the fact that it's far easier to get to games, added to other factors like the team's makeup and gameplan means Leinster feel more like my team than Ireland.
As a wise man once said, I'm a Leinster man, I make no apologies for that.
Plus vast parts of the 6N generally bores the hole off me.

BBDBB · 15-12-2011 11:21AM

I used to think like that JD, but the HEC standard now is so high that I believe it is very close to International level for intensity and skill.

I enjoy both, and wouldnt want to choose one over the other.

Rabo/Magners I enjoy but there are some dire games

rugby hangover

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