The Ubiquity of Rugby

markesmith · 28-05-2012 02:02PM #1

I know a lot of people with scant interest in GAA, and derisive attitudes towards 'soccer', but they wet themselves when the rugby is on.

A lot of women seem to be mad into it especially, despite having zero interest in any other sport.

The players themselves are lauded as gentlemen and warriors, and the epitome of manliness.

tl;dr version: Am I the only person that finds it puzzling that rugby is so popular?

prinz · 28-05-2012 02:03PM

People like different things shocker! It's a bit like the way everyone becomes interested in the horses when Cheltenham is on, myself included.

smash · 28-05-2012 02:03PM

It's a proper full contact sport. Soccer is shíte.

humanji · 28-05-2012 02:03PM

You're puzzled that people would like something you've no interest in?

Zab · 28-05-2012 02:04PM

eh? It's nowhere near as popular as football.

chin_grin · 28-05-2012 02:05PM

markesmith wrote: »

I know a lot of people with scant interest in GAA, and derisive attitudes towards 'soccer', but they wet themselves when the rugby is on.

I couldn't be ar$ed with any of them.

Sky King · 28-05-2012 02:05PM

It seems to be very well promoted too. (I have no interest in it though).

kfallon · 28-05-2012 02:07PM

markesmith wrote: »

tl;dr version: Am I the only person that finds it puzzling that rugby is so popular?

No, I think it's absolutely shite myself and it became so popular when the football team became rubbish.

I remember Brendan Mullen, Eric Elwood, Ralph Keyes and Simon Geoghegan and when winning in Twickenham was the pinnacle of Irish rugby! These days if rugby was on in my back garden I'd close the curtains

FatherLen · 28-05-2012 02:07PM

because it's better than watching a bunch of overpaid lady-boys diving around a pitch for 90 minutes

hatrickpatrick · 28-05-2012 02:07PM

I prefer rugby over soccer for two reasons: Firstly because it's a more complex and interesting game, (less linear in my opinion), and also because Irish teams, both national and international, have a very strong presence - as a soccer supporter your only real choice is to support a foreign club, which just doesn't have the same excitement (for me anyway) as supporting my own province in rubgy tournaments.
I prefer it over GAA purely because there's far more of an international element to rugby. That's not to say GAA isn't a great game, it's just that I find supporting it isn't quite as exciting. I refer to both Football and Hurling here, although given the choice I do find hurling more exciting than Gaelic football

I suppose you could say I'm a man who prefers international battles to civil war

kfallon · 28-05-2012 02:08PM

prinz wrote: »

People like different things shocker! It's a bit like the way everyone becomes interested in the horses when Cheltenham is on, myself included.

Can't beat the ould nags tho

chin_grin · 28-05-2012 02:08PM

FatherLen wrote: »

because it's better than watching a bunch of overpaid lady-boys diving around a pitch for 90 minutes

Or heino-drinking toffs fondle each other? :pac:

Eramen · 28-05-2012 02:09PM

I agree OP, I know a good few people with that attitude.

They say 'GAA is for scumbags and has a bad culture.'

They say 'Soccer is for whimps.'

They say 'Rugby is a real sport for the real man.'

They say all this from the bar stool, red faced in argument and guzzling a heino.

I ought to ignore them sayings/ :pac:

Dudess · 28-05-2012 02:09PM

It seems to have become flavour of the month all right in the past 15 years or so - the Munster Leinster thing in particular.

Mr.Biscuits · 28-05-2012 02:09PM

smash wrote: »

It's a proper full contact [..]

So is gay porn.

Soccer is shíte.

Football is the greatest game ever invented.

chin_grin · 28-05-2012 02:10PM

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Football is the greatest game ever invented.

Careful now, don't be saying things you can't take back!

prinz · 28-05-2012 02:10PM

kfallon wrote: »

Can't beat the ould nags tho

Not as much as you could.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/15236541

RichieC · 28-05-2012 02:11PM

I like football and Rugby.

smash · 28-05-2012 02:11PM

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

Football is the greatest game ever invented.

It's 22 over paid posers wrecking a perfectly good lawn!

FatherLen · 28-05-2012 02:12PM

RichieC wrote: »

I like football and Rugby.

NO! you have to pick one!

kfallon · 28-05-2012 02:12PM

prinz wrote: »

Not as much as you could.. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/horse-racing/15236541[/QUOTE]

Eh where am I mentioned in that article???

hatrickpatrick · 28-05-2012 02:14PM

Mr.Biscuits wrote: »

So is gay porn.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTpXymuwxNs

Dudess · 28-05-2012 02:14PM

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

as a soccer supporter your only real choice is to support a foreign club

FatherLen · 28-05-2012 02:15PM

i am going to announce my departure from this thread before the shitstorm of rugby vs soccer really kicks off.

SEPT 23 1989 · 28-05-2012 02:15PM

The followers of rugby seem to be more interested in the social aspect of the game its like one large networking event

Leftist · 28-05-2012 02:16PM

markesmith wrote: »

I know a lot of people with scant interest in GAA, and derisive attitudes towards 'soccer', but they wet themselves when the rugby is on.

A lot of women seem to be mad into it especially, despite having zero interest in any other sport.

great post and 100% true.

there are plenty around that genuinely love the sport and did so before 2000.

so many bandwagon jumpers since. It's a fashion statement. A middle class glory hunting expedition. If irish teams were to become mediocre then these people wouldn't care.

kfallon · 28-05-2012 02:16PM

Dudess wrote: »

I also struggled with that bit too! Tho having been a fan of an Eircom League (as it was then) team for years until I had to move to Dublin you could argue some of them aren't actual football teams! :P

As someone once said to me of LOI Football.....it's free in but you have to pay to get out :pac:

hatrickpatrick · 28-05-2012 02:16PM

Dudess wrote: »

Should have been more precise: As an Irish soccer supporter your only real choice is to support a foreign club, in terms of club sport. Soccer internationals are still fun but Rugby has regular club games featuring Irish clubs every year, as well as international matches.

Again, that's just me

omg a kitty · 28-05-2012 02:17PM

GAA is great and all but it's a bit like watching your brothers play against your cousins everyday now. As a previous poster said, it's too local.

Soccer got boring after 2 seasons with all the off pitch non sense going on. Someone must make racist comments and someone must assault the referee. And an Irish team barely ever makes it international..we're not that good at it so all you people start supporting British clubs and at the same time turn around and say you hate Britain..make up your minds

smash · 28-05-2012 02:18PM

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

The followers of rugby seem to be more interested in the social aspect of the game its like one large networking event

As opposed to fighting with each other over who's "team" is better...

I said "team" because it's usually never their team, just a team from somewhere in the UK.

Bodhisopha · 28-05-2012 02:18PM

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

I prefer rugby over soccer for two reasons: Firstly because it's a more complex and interesting game, (less linear in my opinion), and also because Irish teams, both national and international, have a very strong presence - as a soccer supporter your only real choice is to support a foreign club, which just doesn't have the same excitement (for me anyway) as supporting my own province in rubgy tournaments.
I prefer it over GAA purely because there's far more of an international element to rugby. That's not to say GAA isn't a great game, it's just that I find supporting it isn't quite as exciting. I refer to both Football and Hurling here, although given the choice I do find hurling more exciting than Gaelic football

I suppose you could say I'm a man who prefers international battles to civil war

Bollocks!

The Ubiquity of Rugby

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