The D4 Media/ Posh Boys and Irish Rugby – Spoon feeding the masses

CrabRevolution · 13-02-2014 12:03AM

The OP only mentions the GAA in passing in his post and mentions it along with soccer. He never mentioned hurling or football and their popularity.

I dont see why a lot of posters seemed to just take it as an opportunity to try and say the GAA is crap for the 7435th time in their lives. Not once did anyone attack his mentioning of soccer. Chips on everyone's shoulders it seems.

On the topic at hand, I like the Ireland rugby team aswell as Leinster. Watch as many matches as I can and hope they win. My only gripe is the way RTÉ go on as though the mood of Ireland depends on the performance of the national rugby team. After a (rare enough)big win its "a great lift for the nation" and all this.

If they said that about the soccer team you'd have many people pointing out that not everyone likes soccer, but seems the rugby commentators get away with it.

average hero · 13-02-2014 12:05AM

I think your point is valid OP. Working in a big multinational company based in D2/4 a few years ago, the only sport you could talk about with managers was rugby. If you talked about soccer you were considered a knacker and if you talked about GAA, you were considered a culchie or not-worldly. I remember going into work every morning and getting a coffee and there were 3 managers who only talked Irish/Leinster rugby each and EVERY morning at the coffee machine. They were talking tripe about the sport too, but you could see that it was a social climbing exercise for them.

A lot of rugby has been adopted by the d4/prawn sandwich brigade (sports fans will get the reference). Some people follow it because of the social climbing aspect and some because of the aspirational aspect to it. A lot of casuals won't know their arse from their elbow in relation to tactics, team selections, rules etc. That's okay, but it exposes the casual aspect of the support.

Ask a lot of the 'fans' to follow North English Rugby League or to follow Connaught's pre-season test matches and I know the answer you'll get!

Frank Lee Midere · 13-02-2014 12:07AM

As someone who grew up watching GAA and being a big football fan, as well as watching the odd 5/6 nations games I am now only a fan of Rugby internationals and the best of the hurling championship. I also like cricket. I've only ever played hurling though.

So where does that leave me in the class divide? Pretty normal judging by the rugby fans I hang around with.

Of course there has been some bandwagon jumping on the provincial rugby recently, but so what. Football fans who claim that rugby fans are jumping on the bandwagon rarely support Hartlepool.

Heroditas · 13-02-2014 12:09AM

joseph brand wrote: »

The OP is simply saying what a lot of us think.
There are a lot of schools in 'poorer' areas of Dublin where rugby isn't played.

Afaik, BOD's father had to move him to the 'right' school, so that he would be eligible for the Leinster/ Ireland team.

I have a friend over the west of Ireland and he plays rugby. But he laughs at the way many of his team mates have the D4 accent.

I'm wondering if I heard it correctly, but someone on the radio said that tickets for the England match were €2,500!

I've spent most of my life playing football, no interest in rugby, but fair play to the Irish team for their recent success.

The great thing about football, growing up, was 'street soccer'. Jumpers for goalposts. "Watch your house!"

There's schools in Ballymun playing rugby now.

O'Driscoll was sent to Blackrock because that's where his parents wanted to send him, not because of the rugby. That was secondary.

€2500 for the England game? Big sporting event in high price shocker. It's always a popular game anyway.

EDIT: regarding the accents? Well you don't have to play rugby if you're from the bog to get a "D4" accent. I've seen plenty of people pick up a "D4" ( whatever the hell that's supposed to mean) accent as soon as they start living in Dublin and they've never played or even gone to a rugby match in their lives.

Artful_Badger · 13-02-2014 12:11AM

joseph brand wrote: »

The OP is simply saying what a lot of us think.
There are a lot of schools in 'poorer' areas of Dublin where rugby isn't played.

Afaik, BOD's father had to move him to the 'right' school, so that he would be eligible for the Leinster/ Ireland team.

I have a friend over the west of Ireland and he plays rugby. But he laughs at the way many of his team mates have the D4 accent.

I'm wondering if I heard it correctly, but someone on the radio said that tickets for the England match were €2,500!

I've spent most of my life playing football, no interest in rugby, but fair play to the Irish team for their recent success.

The great thing about football, growing up, was 'street soccer'. Jumpers for goalposts. "Watch your house!"

That has a lot to do with how society used to be though. A lot of schools and parents didnt allow rugby or soccer to be played either. I recall a few of my classmates in primary school dying to join the local soccer team but their parents forced them into playing GAA.

Things have shifted a lot from how it used to be. And it makes it all the more baffling that people go on about bandwagon fans jumping onto an elitist sport. The more people who become fans from all areas and backgrounds the less it will be an elitist sport.

But people dont want that, because they dont actually care. You'll notice the terms west brit and prod come up in these discussions a lot. Thats because its not an issue with the sport its an issue with this reverse elitist view that your not proper Irish if you're from a certain area.

Yamanoto · 13-02-2014 12:11AM

Dick phelan wrote: »

another point is fawning over Drico, now Drico is a great player no doubt but let's be real he isn't the greatest Rugby player ever, nor is he the greates Irish Sportsperson ever, 8th highest try scorer hardly the greatest ever FFS.

I'm not sure many who know their Rugby would make a claim as to him being the greatest player ever, that's such a fiendishly hard thing to pin down tbh.

Is he a great of the game?

Incontrovertibly so.

Here's what Barry John had to say about O'Driscoll after the Wales game....

O’Driscoll isn’t just one of the finest players we’ve seen of the modern generation, he is one of the finest in the history of the game. Full stop.

I would certainly have been happy to have had him on my shoulder during the 1970s. In fact, he reminds me so much of Mike Gibson, who did play next to me with the victorious ‘71 Lions and who is probably the most complete back I have seen.

Brian is very much in that class. Imagine Ireland having the pair of them together in the centre? That would be some force.

In top level sport you have very good players. Then you have the exceptional ones who make the difference when it matters in the big games.

It is why they are called big game players.

One of the extraordinary things about O’Driscoll, is that in modern rugby, where the hits are huge, the intensity immense, the injuries pretty constant, he has lasted at the top for fully 15 years.

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/sport/rugby/rugby-news/barry-john-wales-no-longer-6687904

Wacker The Attacker · 13-02-2014 12:17AM

smcgiff wrote: »

Just because people don't play it doesn't mean they can't appreciate it.

How many professional female soccer/top GAA players do you know? So, that's 50% of the population disenfranchised.

Rugby gets the attention it deserves. A tough, manly game with no players rolling on the ground like sissys if they get their ankle tapped.

Yes. They save that for the ear biting, spear tackling, eye gouging and having their heads stamped on.

Dyr · 13-02-2014 12:21AM

average hero wrote: »

I think your point is valid OP. Working in a big multinational company based in D2/4 a few years ago, the only sport you could talk about with managers was rugby. If you talked about soccer you were considered a knacker and if you talked about GAA, you were considered a culchie or not-worldly. I remember going into work every morning and getting a coffee and there were 3 managers who only talked Irish/Leinster rugby each and EVERY morning at the coffee machine. They were talking tripe about the sport too, but you could see that it was a social climbing exercise for them.

A lot of rugby has been adopted by the d4/prawn sandwich brigade (sports fans will get the reference). Some people follow it because of the social climbing aspect and some because of the aspirational aspect to it. A lot of casuals won't know their arse from their elbow in relation to tactics, team selections, rules etc. That's okay, but it exposes the casual aspect of the support.

Ask a lot of the 'fans' to follow North English Rugby League or to follow Connaught's pre-season test matches and I know the answer you'll get!

We have a new senior executive in our place. Your standard issue southside-dublin-golf-club-old-boy-network dick. I'm Standing in the lift with him and a junior executive fella and the new guy goes to the other head out of the blue "so will you be at the match tomorrow?" ( Apparently ireland or leinster or whoever the **** were going to be running into another pack of mongs at the aviva the next day)

The other guy ( a GAA lad) looks at him genuinely perplexed and goes "eeehh.......no. Is it the rugby?"

"oh you do'nt follow the rugby?" said in a tone like all of a sudden he's talking to someone from mars

Just another reason to hate rugby really

Molester Stallone · 13-02-2014 12:24AM

Bambi wrote: »

We have a new senior executive in our place. Your standard issue southside-dublin-golf-club-old-boy-network dick. I'm Standing in the lift with him and a junior executive fella and the new guy goes to the other head out of the blue "so will you be at the match tomorrow?" ( Apparently ireland or leinster or whoever the **** were going to be running into another pack of mongs at the aviva the next day)

The other guy ( a GAA lad) looks at him genuinely perplexed and goes "eeehh.......no. Is it the rugby?"

"oh you do'nt follow the rugby?" said in a tone like all of a sudden he's talking to someone from mars

Just another reason to hate rugby really

No, just a reason to hate bullshít artists though

CrabRevolution · 13-02-2014 12:24AM

Bambi wrote: »

We have a new senior executive in our place. Your standard issue southside-dublin-golf-club-old-boy-network dick. I'm Standing in the lift with him and a junior executive fella and the new guy goes to the other head out of the blue "so will you be at the match tomorrow?" ( Apparently ireland or leinster or whoever the **** were going to be running into another pack of mongs at the aviva the next day)

The other guy ( a GAA lad) looks at him genuinely perplexed and goes "eeehh.......no. Is it the rugby?"

"oh you do'nt follow the rugby?" said in a tone like all of a sudden he's talking to someone from mars

Just another reason to hate rugby really

Thats a pretty terrible reason, I normally have to fight to defend the GAA but would you say that that hurling is crap because some people follow only it? Do you detest soccer because others also follow it exclusively?

sullivlo · 13-02-2014 12:27AM

I'm female. Catholic (seeing how it's important to my ability to follow a sport).

From the northside. Not anywhere fancy. Working class.

I play rugby. I follow rugby. I have a Leinster season ticket.

It's not only the d4 boys.

I follow Leinster and Ireland. I like to see the other provinces do well. Irish provinces are made up of Irish players mostly. The Irish team are Irish lads. The same cannot be said for the soccer team.

Somewhere my head is screaming at me that the OP (& others on this thread) think that we are losing out on seeing coverage of the English premier league in the media. Liverpool? Man united? Bandwagon man city and chelski fans?

I also follow league of Ireland soccer. Not much in the news about that.

If you don't like reading about rugby, don't read the pages!

Chazz Michael Michaels · 13-02-2014 12:34AM

average hero wrote: »

I think your point is valid OP. Working in a big multinational company based in D2/4 a few years ago, the only sport you could talk about with managers was rugby. If you talked about soccer you were considered a knacker and if you talked about GAA, you were considered a culchie or not-worldly. I remember going into work every morning and getting a coffee and there were 3 managers who only talked Irish/Leinster rugby each and EVERY morning at the coffee machine. They were talking tripe about the sport too, but you could see that it was a social climbing exercise for them.

A lot of rugby has been adopted by the d4/prawn sandwich brigade (sports fans will get the reference). Some people follow it because of the social climbing aspect and some because of the aspirational aspect to it. A lot of casuals won't know their arse from their elbow in relation to tactics, team selections, rules etc. That's okay, but it exposes the casual aspect of the support.

Ask a lot of the 'fans' to follow North English Rugby League or to follow Connaught's pre-season test matches and I know the answer you'll get!

I work in D4 for a large company. I can confirm the above.

Carlos Orange · 13-02-2014 12:34AM

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

I agree o.p, cant stand rugby, always was and always will be a protestant to me, a elitist sport followed by mostly west Brit types.

If I had known this earlier I might have started watching rugby.
Need something to boost my not really Irish street cred.

Paramite Pie · 13-02-2014 12:35AM

JONJO THE MISER wrote: »

I agree o.p, cant stand rugby, always was and always will be a protestant to me, a elitist sport followed by mostly west Brit types.

What a backward attitude you have:rolleyes:. If you want the sport to be less 'protestant' then go participate it. If you refuse to follow or show interest then you can hardly call it 'elitist'. They're not excluding you.

Duck's hoop wrote: »

Nothing like some mild sectarianism on a windy night like that.

CS Parnell was Protestant btw.

Wolftone was protestant as well. Sshhh......

Dyr · 13-02-2014 12:40AM

Heroditas wrote: »

There's schools in Ballymun playing rugby now.

O'Driscoll was sent to Blackrock because that's where his parents wanted to send him, not because of the rugby. That was secondary.

€2500 for the England game? Big sporting event in high price shocker. It's always a popular game anyway.

EDIT: regarding the accents? Well you don't have to play rugby if you're from the bog to get a "D4" accent. I've seen plenty of people pick up a "D4" ( whatever the hell that's supposed to mean) accent as soon as they start living in Dublin and they've never played or even gone to a rugby match in their lives.

Which schools? I'm from ballymun horse, you dont see many kids around here throwing oval balls around

AndonHandon · 13-02-2014 12:41AM

Rugby league is a simplified and watered down version of Union. Rugby union does attract "D4 types" to its fanbase but there is no bad in that. The snobby prejudices of the rugby haters says more about them.

Separate topic; Dublin Airport should be renamed after Drico.

sullivlo · 13-02-2014 12:44AM

AndonHandon wrote: »

Rugby league is a simplified and watered down version of Union. Rugby union does attract "D4 types" to its fanbase but there is no bad in that. The snobby prejudices of the rugby haters says more about them.

Separate topic; Dublin Airport should be renamed after Drico.

The Brian O'Driscoll terminal and the Amy Huberman landing strip.

steddyeddy · 13-02-2014 12:44AM

OP protestant does not equal English. Even if it did so what?

Augmerson · 13-02-2014 12:46AM

I think Rugby is big in Limerick and that's got a large working class following. So it's not just confined to Dublin.

Holsten · 13-02-2014 12:48AM

I've wondered this too.

I've no interest in the game at all, maybe it's cause Ireland have actually won things that it gets so much coverage?

steddyeddy · 13-02-2014 12:50AM

It's something we're good at as a country so why knock it?

sullivlo · 13-02-2014 12:50AM

Holsten wrote: »

I've wondered this too.

I've no interest in the game at all, maybe it's cause Ireland have actually won things that it gets so much coverage?

And that it's Irish teams?

jam_mac_jam · 13-02-2014 12:53AM

Meh...better then listening to the fecking transfers happening in soccer which I have to listen to all day, which is what I listen to in work.
Came in after the wales game and all anyone gave a **** about was what liverpool did that weekend.
So huge emphasis on rugby is not as much as football. At least people are interested in a n irish team with rugby.
Its not all d4 types either, I know plenty of Northsiders into it and have been for years. My son played for a northside team as a kid and there was plenty of interested parents out on a freezing Sunday morning not there because the media told them to be.

Nelson Muntz · 13-02-2014 12:56AM

jam_mac_jam wrote: »

Meh...better then listening to the fecking transfers happening in soccer which I have to listen to all day, which is what I listen to in work.
Came in after the wales game and all anyone gave a **** about was what liverpool did that weekend.
So huge emphasis on rugby is not as much as football. At least people are interested in a n irish team with rugby.
Its not all d4 types either, I know plenty of Northsiders into it and have been for years. My son played for a northside team as a kid and there was plenty of interested parents out on a freezing Sunday morning not there because the media told them to be.

Exactly. How can people put the boot into Rugby, played in Ireland by Irish players and then crap on for hours about the EPL.

hotmail.com · 13-02-2014 01:03AM

It is middle class sport. Middle class people have a lot of money. Hence, a lot of money can be made from it.

nxbyveromdwjpg · 13-02-2014 01:03AM

Holsten wrote: »

I've wondered this too.

I've no interest in the game at all, maybe it's cause Ireland have actually won things that it gets so much coverage?

That's a mad idea isn't it, the press covering a team when they win

Crazy times

Banjoxed · 13-02-2014 01:03AM

stretchdoe wrote: »

Whatever about the decision of privately of privately owned media-outlets, RTE's focus is certainly worthy of comment.

Since RTE's latest head of sport was appointed, it certainly seems to me that particular attention is paid to rugby, to the cost of other sports

A particularly galling/strange decision, imo, was the dropping of the coverage of the National cup semi-finals/finals in basketball which have since been picked up by Setanta.

For around 30 years Irish basketball got one weekend of coverage a year, at little cost to RTE i'd imagine, and provided many great games over those years.

The new head of sport comes in and it's dropped for no discernible reason.

This despite the fact that basketball is, by many estimations, the third largest participation numbers in the country, is significantly larger than Rugby in that regard and also has a fairly long history as a spectator sport in Ireland.

Yeah, that was a right queue in the Esso on the Tallaght Road near the Arena. Just like getting served in Searsons, it was. Except for the beer and the numbers of people, and the shifting.

jimboblep · 13-02-2014 01:06AM

hotmail.com wrote: »

It is middle class sport. Middle class people have a lot of money. Hence, a lot of money can be made from it.

sweet I just got bumped up to middle class for playing a game
where do I collect all this money

Ush1 · 13-02-2014 01:10AM

Rugby is grand, it's golf that attracts the true ****.

Femme_Fatale · 13-02-2014 01:12AM

hotmail.com wrote: »

It is middle class sport. Middle class people have a lot of money. Hence, a lot of money can be made from it.

Even more money is made from (association) football - I don't think that's a predominantly middle-class sport.

The D4 Media/ Posh Boys and Irish Rugby – Spoon feeding the masses

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