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Rugby League in Ireland

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  • 22-03-2021 12:03am
    #1
    uch
    Registered Users Posts: 7,008 ✭✭✭


    I know a good percentage of Irish people like Rugby Union, but I always wondered why Rugby league never took off here, anyone know why it's not popular? I have family in Northern England and it's No.1 to a lot of them.

    21/25



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    #2
    Fr Tod Umptious
    Registered Users Posts: 15,007 ✭✭✭✭Fr Tod Umptious


    League was a working class breakaway from the more upper class rugby union back in the day.
    Because they could not afford to take days off to play rugby so they wanted to be professional, which was against the union ethos.
    And it was and still is very much concentrated in a band of industrial areas across the north of England.

    Now in Ireland there was no industrial revolution so you had a landed class and a landless class.
    Rugby never made it down to the landless class so they never got the opportunity to breakaway.

    The more widespread support for and interest in rugby union in Ireland is a relatively new thing.
    Since the professional era when the IRFU created four franchises which preformed well and became popular.


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    #3
    For Forks Sake
    Registered Users Posts: 11,472 ✭✭✭✭For Forks Sake


    https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=599


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    #4
    AndyBoBandy
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 14,901 Mod ✭✭✭✭AndyBoBandy


    MOD: Thread moved to Rugby League forum,

    Please read the charter, which can be found here before posting.


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    #5
    Tom Mann Centuria
    Registered Users Posts: 10,910 ✭✭✭✭Tom Mann Centuria


    uch wrote: »
    I know a good percentage of Irish people like Rugby Union, but I always wondered why Rugby league never took off here, anyone know why it's not popular? I have family in Northern England and it's No.1 to a lot of them.

    Rugby League also never took off in large parts of England and rest of UK, money and establishment backing kept, and continues to keep Union as Numero Uno.


    Shame it never took off here because as the NRL great Laurie Daley said "Rugby League is a simple game played by simple people. Rugby union is a complex game played by w@nkers."

    Oh well, give me an easy life and a peaceful death.



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