Italia 90 or 2009 Grand Slam

who_me · 09-08-2013 06:20PM

NiallSparky wrote: »

Grand slams are incredibly common though, there's been 37 of them. 8 since the year 2002.

Edit: Also worth pointing out that every country except for Italy has won at least one. Only 20 or so teams have progressed further in the World Cup than the Quarter Finals.

So football is a sport in which a small number of teams dominate? Kinda like rugby so.

The_Kew_Tour · 09-08-2013 06:29PM

Tin Foil Hat wrote: »

It's just you. Support for rugby has been on the increase since the start of the century.

BS

I remember watching a game against England in 1996 and there was only handful people in pub who was watching it.

Same in 2000 when Ireland beat France me and basically one other person.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero · 09-08-2013 06:55PM

I don't understand why one has to choose between the 2, both were great sporting achievements, but getting to and performing well in a WC in the most played sport in the world will always trump a win in a 6 team tournament in a rugby.

For me however, your local GAA club doing well tops everything. I've been lucky enough to see my county win 2 AI's, see Ireland at the WC in '02 and see every minute of Ireland's Grand Slam campaign, but none of those came close to the feeling I got when Salthill won the club AI in '06. The more involved you feel in something, the better it is.

Skid X · 09-08-2013 07:00PM

Italia 90 was unreal. We are unlikely to ever see anything like it again in Ireland.

I've never seen everybody so happy - people who never watched a match before or since were delirious with happiness.

The Grand Slam was great, but I suspect people from Leinster, Munster and Ulster remember their respective Heineken Cup wins with equal happiness (if not more).

ArnoldJRimmer · 09-08-2013 07:27PM

I assumed it was trolling when I saw the thread title. A sport played by every country in the world and a tournamenet thats extremely difficult to qualify for every 4 years. Our first time, and although it wasn't pretty we made it to the last 8 against all the odds

And a sport taken seriously by around 10 countries in the world, where we won a competition held annually, only for the 2nd time. Fair play to Drico and the lads, I was glad they won it, but I would put the Junior B2 Dublin league handball medal I won in the same year as a greater achievement.

The Heineken Cup victories by the provinces are to be celebrated as its a difficult completition to win

Jimoslimos · 09-08-2013 07:35PM

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

I assumed it was trolling when I saw the thread title. A sport played by every country in the world and a tournamenet thats extremely difficult to qualify for every 4 years. Our first time, and although it wasn't pretty we made it to the last 8 against all the odds

You could also argue that until recently, outside of Europe and South America soccer wouldn't have been close to being the most popular sport in many countries.

diomed · 09-08-2013 07:41PM

Jimoslimos wrote: »

You could also argue that until recently, outside of Europe and South America soccer wouldn't have been close to being the most popular sport in many countries.

FIFA rankings go from 1 to 207.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero · 09-08-2013 07:41PM

Jimoslimos wrote: »

You could also argue that until recently, outside of Europe and South America soccer wouldn't have been close to being the most popular sport in many countries.

But Europe and South America account for a huge portion of the world, so that's an utterly pointless statement.

That, and you're also forgetting Africa.

Jimoslimos · 09-08-2013 08:12PM

diomed wrote: »

FIFA rankings go from 1 to 207.

IRB rugby rankings go from 1 to 100. Point being? Doesn't mean rugby is played seriously in all those 100 countries - same applies for the 207 member countries of FIFA.

THFC wrote: »

But Europe and South America account for a huge portion of the world, so that's an utterly pointless statement.

That, and you're also forgetting Africa.

Yes but what about North America & Asia (including China, Japan, India, Pakistan Indonesia & Bangladesh).

I'm not forgetting Africa - but at the time of the WC in 1990 African countries were regarded as whipping boys. Only two of the the 24 nations competing were African, compared to 15 European. In that regard, Cameroon were the surprise team of the tournament - not Ireland

Amirani · 09-08-2013 08:19PM

who_me wrote: »

So football is a sport in which a small number of teams dominate? Kinda like rugby so.

Haha. 20 teams isn't a small number of teams. Relative to the number of countries playing football maybe, but relative to the number of countries who are any good at rugby, it's ****ing massive.

Pherekydes · 09-08-2013 08:34PM

Jimoslimos wrote: »

IRB rugby rankings go from 1 to 100.

And how many could stay with New Zealand for 5 minutes? There are 8, or maybe 10 at the outside, competitive countries in Rugby.

Pang · 09-08-2013 09:12PM

Italia 90. I don't remember much about the games etc... as I was a child but I remember the buzz and how happy everyone seemed.

I'm not mad into soccer but I find rugby quite insular.

jack presley · 09-08-2013 09:14PM

Pherekydes wrote: »

And how many could stay with New Zealand for 5 minutes? There are 8, or maybe 10 at the outside, competitive countries in Rugby.

Most of the time Ireland can't stay with NZ and we're considered one of the elite countries.

cena · 09-08-2013 10:31PM

Usa world cup. I remember the hole family watch it. That was the best Irish team ever.

Inner City Hedgehog · 09-08-2013 10:45PM

How many people went out to welcome the Irish football team home in 1990?

How many people went out to welcome the Irish rugby team home in 2009?

GAA and association football are the games that really matter to most people in this country.

Mint Sauce · 09-08-2013 10:47PM

As much I loved the Grand Slam, Italia 90 all the fcuking way. Even if I was only 12 years old.

Rightwing · 09-08-2013 10:52PM

Agricola wrote: »

Rugby will never have the same impact as soccer. The rugby lads could win the 6 Nations 3 years on the trot and there would still be more excitement if the soccer team just qualified for a major finals and then got tanked, as they did last year.

Plus Billo and the Dunph are just so much more charismatic that Tom McGurk n Hook.

The problem with rugby is when we play the bog boys like the All Blacks,,,we get thrashed, have never beaten them, only the Munster boys could do that.

Italia 90 was great,,,,but the world cup in japan/korea 2002 was even better.

Overall though rugby is a vastly superior game to soccer.

Amirani · 10-08-2013 01:00AM

Rightwing wrote: »

Overall though rugby is a vastly superior game to soccer.

Hence its far superior popularity worldwide.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 10-08-2013 01:02AM

Rightwing wrote: »

The problem with rugby is when we play the bog boys like the All Blacks,,,we get thrashed, have never beaten them, only the Munster boys could do that.

Italia 90 was great,,,,but the world cup in japan/korea 2002 was even better.

Overall though rugby is a vastly superior game to soccer.

If fairness Munster only beat a hungover Kiwi B team.

:pac:

Rightwing · 10-08-2013 01:05AM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

If fairness Munster only beat a hungover Kiwi B team. :pac:

The national team can't even manage that.....losing by 60 odd points only last year :eek:

DEFTLEFTHAND · 10-08-2013 01:10AM

Rightwing wrote: »

The national team can't even manage that.....losing by 60 odd points only last year :eek:

Aye when they roll in top flight like they did that night the gulf in class to us and them is stark. However the week before we caught them on the hop and came very close to turning them over. I say we probably will do it one day.

Rightwing · 10-08-2013 01:10AM

NiallSparky wrote: »

Hence its far superior popularity worldwide.

I would suggest it's down to paupers. Any pauper can play soccer.

Amirani · 10-08-2013 01:11AM

Rightwing wrote: »

I would suggest it's down to paupers. Any pauper can play soccer.

And all the better for it.

Rightwing · 10-08-2013 01:11AM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Aye when they roll in top flight like they did that night the gulf in class to us and them is stark. However the week before we caught them on the hop and came very close to turning them over. I say we probably will do it one day.

Absolutely, what are the chances of doing it this year ?

RikkFlair · 10-08-2013 01:12AM

Jimoslimos wrote: »

Italia 1990:
P5 W0 D4 L1

GS 2009:
P5 W5 D0 L0

We had to qualify for Italia 90... P8 W5 D2 L1

I don't recall Ireland having to qualify for the 6 nations.

DEFTLEFTHAND · 10-08-2013 01:16AM

Rightwing wrote: »

Absolutely, what are the chances of doing it this year ?

Very slim I'd imagine, Although with the home crowd and them coming off the back of a long season it could be the moment. We can only hope.

Al_Coholic · 10-08-2013 01:18AM

1990 for me although i didnt see Toto Schillacis goal live at the time as i was only 10 yrs old and my mother decided to drag me to mass.

Rightwing · 10-08-2013 01:19AM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Very slim I'd imagine, Although with the home crowd and them coming off the back of a long season it could be the moment. We can only hope.

home crowd will make no difference anyway, that's for sure. last time i was at an All black match,,,the crowd seemed more afraid of the haka than the players,,,,,,and some of the players seemed to get the scutters!

the long season could be a factor alright

Lapin · 10-08-2013 01:21AM

Galway's All Ireland hurling victories. 1980, 87 & 88.

Greatest sporting moments in the history of the world for all sports everywhere.

Everyone agrees with this.

FACT

Augmerson · 10-08-2013 01:57AM

Italia '90, has to be. Just the feeling around the country. Everybody got carried away. I was pretty young at the time but still remember kids playing football out on the street long into the evening with those plastic balls that stung the **** out of your hands or shins.

Italia 90 or 2009 Grand Slam

Comments