The Ubiquity of Rugby

Big Nasty

mikemac1 wrote: »

Rosenburg of Norway got in the CL for years and years in a row

Our population is much the same as theirs

Yeah but they held on to their natural resources so could afford to pump money in to their team! :pac:

mikemac1

Pherekydes wrote: »

Meanwhile, Ireland is top ranked in Hurling, Camogie, Gaelic Football... :pac:

We should be like the Americans [and Toronto]

Win the baseball World Series
Or if you win the Superbowl you become World Champions

Can't wait for September, who will be World Champions of our sports!

stovelid

Agricola wrote: »

Used to love soccer when I was a lad in short trousers. Had the posters on my wall, the jerseys in my wardrobe etc. Then as I got older the game seemed to change. It became packed with preening effeminates. Men who dont deserve to go be labelled a man. Overpaid, cheating lowlifes who don't give a shít about who they play for as long as they are getting the most amount of money they can possibly get. Just as society in general has become more materialistic and self-centred, football seems to be mirror this. I couldnt buy into it anymore, couldnt cheer on a team full of people like this.

The culture of the game I used to love makes me puke. So from now on its the honesty of rugby and the national soccer team for me. The international scene is the last bastion of what the game used to be about.

You do know that 99.9% of the football played in the world is not played by the richest clubs on the planet?

BarackPyjama

Pherekydes wrote: »

Yes, you are. FIFA are the world governing body, and Ireland ranks 18th in the world.

Shows how much I know about football.

cailinardthair

pajunior wrote: »

The figures I quoted are estimates because no-one but the IRFU or players know, but Luke Fitzgerald's contract negotiations were leaked and he was being asked to drop from 280,000 to 200,000. If he is earning that then O'Driscoll is definitely on 400,000

You're missing my point. The IRFU can only afford about 200,000 for the top players. Then the rest comes from the amount of advertisement your doing which is pooled back into the IRFU and you get your precent so that's where the extra comes in.
So the more advertisement you do, the more you make, hence the extra 200,000 bonus for BOD or Luke Fitzgeralds case an extra 80,000 then, but down to 200,000 because he was dropped from international so there's a drop in pay there,but was still doing advertisements for Leinster.

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

We're always going to feature prominently in the rugby world rankings due to the shortage of nations who play to a high standard. In international terms however we're still very much a second tier team.

We're not second tier, second tier rugby countries are USA, Canada, Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Georgia from the top of my head at the moment.
Maybe Italy, Scotland and Argentina may be considered in recent years but they are a level ahead of the listed countries

DEFTLEFTHAND

mikemac1 wrote: »

Rosenburg of Norway got in the CL for years and years in a row

Our population is much the same as theirs

I think during that period Rosenborg as Norwegian champions were qualifying automatically to the group stages.

stovelid

BarackPyjama wrote: »

[*]Embarrassing domestic league
.

There's tangible benefits to this perception. One of them being the fact that nearly all of the mongos on threads like this will never turn up at games and embarrass the shit out of everybody.

Duckworth_Luas

mikemac1 wrote: »

We should be like the Americans [and Toronto]

Win the baseball World Series
Or if you win the Superbowl you become World Champions

Can't wait for September, who will be World Champions of our sports!

Baseball is as international as rugby union.

mikemac1

True it is

But other countries don't get to put forward teams for the playoffs of the World Series
Just USA and Canada

carvaggio

mikemac1 wrote: »

Rosenburg of Norway got in the CL for years and years in a row

Our population is much the same as theirs

The structure is very different in Ireland.

Rosenborg were by far the biggest side in Norway and developed a huge financial advantage over the other clubs and became the equivalent of a Rangers/Celtic situation, though not quite as extreme. They have had a lot more money to play with than Irish teams (several multiples).

Also in Norway and other Northern European countries there is a greater tendency for their better players to prove themselves in their own league initially, whereas in Ireland our best talent is displaced to England very early on.

However Norways league is now ranked 26th in Europe, the Airtricity league is ranked 33rd. Based on that it could be presumed that we're not that far off anyway, in terms of the general level of our clubs.

Anyway the point is comparing the Airtricity league to our leading rugby clubs is never really going to be close to comparing like with like.

stovelid

I lived in Norway and more people seem to attend domestic football than here, hence the strength of the league. I'm sure not having a football association like ours helps volumes too. Facilities are better too.

humanji

humanji wrote: »

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

Not really what he's saying, in fairness

Richard Hillman

Football is getting killed by the governing bodies and football fans

Rugby is getting increasingly popular because of the way the governing body are allowing the rules to evolve with the game and by the family fan culture.

They are two sports going in completely different directions. Football is run by crooks and dinosaurs like Sepp Blatter and John Delaney who are trying to milk the game for their own ego's. There are ego centric people running rugby but all in all the good of the game is something that is the primary focus.

In terms of fan culture, i go to a lot of LOI matches and some Leinster/AIL matches. My experiences are more positive at rugby matches. The amount of the lesser lights of society that attend LOI matches are spoiling it for me. A lot of them would probably mug you if you seen them down a dark alley. The fact that we support the same football team is the only thing we have in common. I used to love standing behind the goal singing and chanting but i eventually just moved to the main stand because of skanger teenagers. Even a lot of away games are becoming no go. A lot of work is being done by the clubs to get rid of these young lads but its hard for them to refuse the money they bring.

When i go to Leinster and AIL matches, its much more positive. I can have a couple of pints and enjoy the game without looking over my shoulder or cringing at the behavour at some lads.

pajunior

cailinardthair wrote: »

You're missing my point. The IRFU can only afford about 200,000 for the top players. Then the rest comes from the amount of advertisement your doing which is pooled back into the IRFU and you get your precent so that's where the extra comes in.
So the more advertisement you do, the more you make, hence the extra 200,000 bonus for BOD or Luke Fitzgeralds case an extra 80,000 then, but down to 200,000 because he was dropped from international so there's a drop in pay there,but was still doing advertisements for Leinster.



We're not second tier, second tier rugby countries are USA, Canada, Japan, Fiji, Samoa and Georgia from the top of my head at the moment.
Maybe Italy, Scotland and Argentina may be considered in recent years but they are a level ahead of the listed countries

The sponsorship for individual players is pooled by the IRFU?? That sounds absolutely ridiculous, do you have anything to back that up?

cailinardthair

pajunior wrote: »

The sponsorship for individual players is pooled by the IRFU?? That sounds absolutely ridiculous, do you have anything to back that up?

I asked my dad who is a high up in the Connacht branch when the original post was mentioned how the players are paid just to be sure. And that's what he told me and he would know because he is around for years in the branch. Most of the advertisements are sponsors of the IRFU.

Look at the O2 ad with BOD, Sexton and O'Connell. They get their share from that but the IRFU get there cut because its sponsoring the Irish team.

Toyota have O'Connell, Leamy and O' Callaghan on posters and advertising it for Munster, they'll get their share from that and Munster rugby will take their cut which is under the IRFU.

If you look at all the advertisements with Irish players and the're wearing their jerseys that money is pulled into the IRFU because there sponsering the team not themselves.
If they're not, they are advertising on their personal accord and it has nothing to do with there pay check from the IRFU.

pajunior

cailinardthair wrote: »

I asked my dad who is a high up in the Connacht branch when the original post was mentioned how the players are paid just to be sure. And that's what he told me and he would know because he is around for years in the branch. Most of the advertisements are sponsors of the IRFU.

Look at the O2 ad with BOD, Sexton and O'Connell. They get their share from that but the IRFU get there cut because its sponsoring the Irish team.

Toyota have O'Connell, Leamy and O' Callaghan on posters and advertising it for Munster, they'll get their share from that and Munster rugby will take their cut which is under the IRFU.

If you look at all the advertisements with Irish players and the're wearing their jerseys that money is pulled into the IRFU because there sponsering the team not themselves.
If they're not, they are advertising on their personal accord and it has nothing to do with there pay check from the IRFU.

I'm not going to call someone on the inside a liar but I think the figures are a little off. But anyway it has nothing to do with this thread.

cheif_pigum

first of all , i like rugby but love soccer , i dont think a true sports fan berates either


a few things however

what is this rubbish and who started it about soccer players being girly , feminine or a bunch of poofs , roy keanne , wayne rooney , vinny jones , carlos puyol , would put the fear of god in any rugger player , in my experience , the kind of people who play rugby are less hard than those who play soccer or GAA for that matter , strong does not always equal hard

why does a sport have to involve physical contact in order to be exciting , tennis is a non contact sport and can be incredibly exhilirating and exciting , this idea that rugby is inherently top because one side knocks the other for six is baffling to me , by that criteria , WWF is a terrific sport :rolleyes:

as for rugbys increased profile in ireland , success breeds popularity and the national and club sides have witnessed a golden era , the sport also seems to be ran particulary well in this country , compared to scotland where the game has regressed this past decade due to incompetant rugby authoritys

ireland do very well in both soccer and rugby internationally when you consider the fact that both do battle with the behemoth which is the GAA , comparing a country like ireland with 4.5 million to somewhere like denmark or norway or even scotland is false as none of those countries have ethnic sports which hoover up the bulk of talent , outside the citys , the majority of handy ball players will inevitabley end up playing hurling in kilkenny or tipperary or gaelic football in cavan , monaghan or mayo , the GAA is a national movement in this country and is probabley the single most possitive institution in the history of the nation but its the 500 pound gorrilla which every other sport must surely envy due to goverment funding and loathe due to its soaking up talent which might otherwise line out for ireland in soccer , rugby or perhaps many olympic sports

the reason ireland is weaker than it would otherwise be at soccer or rugby is the wonderfull GAA

The_Kew_Tour

BarackPyjama wrote: »

Soccer in Ireland:

• Embarrassing domestic league
• Rubbish international team
• Ireland ranked 33rd in the world

Rugby in Ireland:

• Ulster European winners once and finalists this season
• Munster and Leinster two of the truly great teams in Europe
• Ireland ranked 8th in the world - down from 4th after a few poor seasons

It's no real surprise rugby is becoming increasingly popular. We're performing at a much higher level than we are at football; both domestically and internationally. The number of European and domestic (ours being Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy) titles that we've amassed over the last 12 years is amazing for a country our size. Anyone that's been going to Leinster matches for the last few years will tell you how incredible it's been to be there.


Hopefully the national team can step up again soon and realise their potential.

Talk about not having one idea about what you are talking about.

Ireland have won 2 grand slams in how many years, while Wales have won 3 in 7 years.

The Irish rugby team are the most overrated team in the world. I would ask if there is any team that has achieved less with more hype in any sport?

Ireland are 8th in world in sport that 2 countries national sport would have combined population of this whole island.

The_Kew_Tour

For all you rugby lovers:

When was last time you went to see your local team or went to AIL game?

cheif_pigum

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Talk about not having one idea about what you are talking about.

Ireland have won 2 grand slams in how many years, while Wales have won 3 in 7 years.

The Irish rugby team are the most overrated team in the world. I would ask if there is any team that has achieved less with more hype in any sport?

Ireland are 8th in world in sport that 2 countries national sport would have combined population of this whole island.

rugby is the national sport in the following countries

new zealand
wales
tonga
samoa
fiji
south africa ( albeit among the white minority )

BarackPyjama

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Talk about not having one idea about what you are talking about.

I know a fair amount about rugby. Not much about football admittedly.

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Ireland have won 2 grand slams in how many years, while Wales have won 3 in 7 years.

The Irish rugby team are the most overrated team in the world. I would ask if there is any team that has achieved less with more hype in any sport?

Agreed. Our national team has underperformed massively.

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Ireland are 8th in world in sport that 2 countries national sport would have combined population of this whole island.

Yes, but we have produced 5 European champions in the last 7 years. That's some feat. The club/provincial achievements are considerably more successful than our international achievements. You can't write that off. We all know the Ireland international team are overrated. But that's mostly down to management than the players we have (which should be achieving a lot more)

cheif_pigum

BarackPyjama wrote: »

I know a fair amount about rugby. Not much about football admittedly.



Agreed. Our national team has underperformed massively.



Yes, but we have produced 5 European champions in the last 7 years. That's some feat. The club/provincial achievements are considerably more successful than our international achievements. You can't write that off. We all know the Ireland international team are overrated. But that's mostly down to management than the players we have (which should be achieving a lot more)

the top english and french clubs dont exactly take the heineken cup seriously though , do they

BarackPyjama

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

For all you rugby lovers:

When was last time you went to see your local team or went to AIL game?

I go to most Clontarf games. Home and away.

The reality though is that most 'new' rugby supporters don't have a previous history of either playing the sport or being affiliated to a club. As a Leinster supporter, that doesn't both me. The 'bandwagon jumpers' are more than welcome as far as I'm concerned. Turnstile sales are what have made Leinster the team they are today. Long may it continue.

Scioch

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

For all you rugby lovers:

When was last time you went to see your local team or went to AIL game?

Considering you have lost interest at the peak of Irish rugby because you dont like new fans I'm not sure your in any position to be looking down on anyone. Just watch the games and let everyone else do their own thing nobody has to prove anything to you to be classed as a fan of the game. The sport isnt there to please you personally so get over yourself.

BarackPyjama

cheif_pigum wrote: »

the top english and french clubs dont exactly take the heineken cup seriously though , do they

They do in fairness. They went sour a few years ago because of their domestic setup and the strain that the Heineken Cup put in them but even now they recognise that it's the one to win. All teams are fighting on 2 fronts now. Although the Pro12 teams have it a bit easier. Then again, they don't have the same resources or head count.

The_Kew_Tour

LordSmeg wrote: »

Considering you have lost interest at the peak of Irish rugby because you dont like new fans I'm not sure your in any position to be looking down on anyone. Just watch the games and let everyone else do their own thing nobody has to prove anything to you to be classed as a fan of the game. The sport isnt there to please you personally so get over yourself.

Well you could have answered the question or not rather then trying be smart ass.(It would be something I expect from silly football supporter)

Again you have had personal attack on me just because I dont agree with you.

I know well the sport isnt there to please. I give myself less of chance at that by going to AIL games dont you think?

The_Kew_Tour

BarackPyjama wrote: »

I go to most Clontarf games. Home and away.

The reality though is that most 'new' rugby supporters don't have a previous history of either playing the sport or being affiliated to a club. As a Leinster supporter, that doesn't both me. The 'bandwagon jumpers' are more than welcome as far as I'm concerned. Turnstile sales are what have made Leinster the team they are today. Long may it continue.

fair play.

Scioch

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Well you could have answered the question or not rather then trying be smart ass.(It would be something I expect from silly football supporter)

Again you have had personal attack on me just because I dont agree with you.

I know well the sport isnt there to please. I give myself less of chance at that by going to AIL games dont you think?

What relevance does it have to me being a fan whether or not I go to AIL games ? None whatsoever. I havent attacked you personally at all, your looking down on other fans despite admitting yourself you have lost interest not because of anything to do with the game (which is flying here) but because your day out at the game isnt the same now that the sport has gained popularity. I think that pretty much rubbishes any view that you have of yourself being a better fan than others.

The_Kew_Tour

LordSmeg wrote: »

What possible relevance does it have to me being a fan whether or not I go to AIL games ? None whatsoever. I havent attacked you personally at all, your looking down on other fans despite admitting yourself you have lost interest not because of anything to do with the game (which is flying here) but because your day out at the game isnt the same now that the sport has gained popularity. I think that pretty much rubbishes any view that you have of yourself being a better fan than others.

Day out? Have you read my posts?

Can I ask what age you are?

Seriously all you have done is take the 2 steps back approach with me.

Your getting childish at this stage, your sly digs are laughable.

BarackPyjama

Anyway... a lot of the contention between football, rugby, GAA and other sports is unfounded. Just look at how many professional rugby players are GAA mad. BOD is a huge Dubs fan. You think Rob Kearney never played GAA before? It's the reason he's one of the best aerial fullbacks in the world. If not, the best. What sport do you think gave Shane Horgan learned the ability to pluck the oval ball out of the air mid-flight? Here's a clue - it wasn't rugby. The number of Munster players with a hurling background would shock you too.

True sportsmen are generally sports agnostic.

Logical Fallacy

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

For all you rugby lovers:

When was last time you went to see your local team or went to AIL game?

I don't really support a local team up in Dublin. For my sins I am a Garryowen supporter.

Scioch

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

Day out? Have you read my posts?

I read this one where your whinging about you day out being ruined by stupid fans who dont know the game that well. Do you not remember posting it ?

The_Kew_Tour wrote: »

I used to go to 5 nations games with my Dad back in 1990's. We were so **** back then but I loved the whole day out.

Now I dont have half the interest because of all these glory Hunting fans who haven't even a clue of most of rules.

I remember watching Leinster in HC last year on Tv at semi Final in Lansdowne. At one stage you could see 2 girls doing there makeup. Says it all about the type of fan that watches it now.

No atmosphere anymore either.

Can I ask what age you are?

I'm 30. Am I too young/old to be a decent fan or something ? Do I have to be 40+ with 20 AIL games under my belt before I can get off the bandwagon ?

Cantona's Collars

BarackPyjama wrote: »

Anyway... a lot of the contention between football, rugby, GAA and other sports is unfounded. Just look at how many professional rugby players are GAA mad. BOD is a huge Dubs fan. You think Rob Kearney never played GAA before? It's the reason he's one of the best aerial fullbacks in the world. If not, the best. What sport do you think gave Shane Horgan learned the ability to pluck the oval ball out of the air mid-flight? Here's a clue - it wasn't rugby. The number of Munster players with a hurling background would shock you too.

True sportsmen are generally sports agnostic.

I agree,our local rugby club has gone from strength to strength due to guys brought up playing GAA taking up the sport.There are still a few hangers on who see it as fashionable to be seen at games but these are largely ignored.There still seems to be the air of grandeur attached to rugby while football is seen as the common mans game.Some of my friends see being involved in rugby as a status symbol.
A bit odd where I come from seeing as a huge amount of the success on the rugby field is now due to the 'common man' playing the game.Status has no place when they take to the field.

Mal-Adjusted

BarackPyjama wrote: »

Anyway... a lot of the contention between football, rugby, GAA and other sports is unfounded. Just look at how many professional rugby players are GAA mad. BOD is a huge Dubs fan. You think Rob Kearney never played GAA before? It's the reason he's one of the best aerial fullbacks in the world. If not, the best. What sport do you think gave Shane Horgan learned the ability to pluck the oval ball out of the air mid-flight? Here's a clue - it wasn't rugby. The number of Munster players with a hurling background would shock you too.

True sportsmen are generally sports agnostic.

very true. in my home (very small) town, the majority of the senior Hurling team are also the majority of the senior Rugby team.

everyone has their favorite sports, but the tribalism that often goes with it is ridiculous. "My sport is better than yours!" is rampant, be it football, hurling soccer or rugby. there's room enough for all.

And as for bandwagoners. in fairness, they bring in much needed funds, indirectly promote the club and stand a good chance of becoming seriously dedicated fans. one doesn't need to have been a fan from an early age to be a true fan!

BarackPyjama

zerks wrote: »

I agree,our local rugby club has gone from strength to strength due to guys brought up playing GAA taking up the sport.There are still a few hangers on who see it as fashionable to be seen at games but these are largely ignored.There still seems to be the air of grandeur attached to rugby while football is seen as the common mans game.Some of my friends see being involved in rugby as a status symbol.
A bit odd where I come from seeing as a huge amount of the success on the rugby field is now due to the 'common man' playing the game.Status has no place when they take to the field.

It doesn't matter where you're from or what your background is when you walk onto the pitch to play a *competitive* game of rugby. If you're not reasonably hard, you're in trouble.

As a genuine lifelong rugby supporter from Dublin, nothing would make me happier than watching every corner of the city (and province) taking up rugby en masse. It's a f**king savage sport. Once you get sucked into playing it, you'll wonder how you ever did without.

Whippersnapper

Attended my first ever rugby game recently. I must say I found it to be incredibly dull. There was very little atmosphere in the crowd who were mostly smoothing the creases out of their cords and sipping beer. I really wanted to enjoy it but it there was zero connection between the fans and the team on the pitch. Give me football or GAA any day.

dpqt

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.

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?

Loike soccer if for the plebs roysh.

To hell with rugby, its a rich mans game, explains why a lot of them look down their noses at soccer and soccer supporters.

BarackPyjama

Whippersnapper wrote: »

Attended my first ever rugby game recently. I must say I found it to be incredibly dull. There was very little atmosphere in the crowd who were mostly smoothing the creases out of their cords and sipping beer. I really wanted to enjoy it but it there was zero connection between the fans and the team on the pitch. Give me football or GAA any day.

There's rarely any connection between the team and the fans. The team are way too focused. Although a lot of the time the fans will create the atmosphere. You mind me ask you what match it was?

BarackPyjama

dpqt wrote: »

Loike soccer if for the plebs roysh.

To hell with rugby, its a rich mans game, explains why a lot of them look down their noses at soccer and soccer supporters.

Most rugby fans don't look down their noses at football or its supporters. A lot of them don't like the sport but most would agree - 'each to their own'.

On a personal level - I watch the Champions League. I watch a good few Utd matches with my mates who support them. As much as I'd love to *enjoy* a game of footy, the diving and s**ty sportsmanship really, really gets to me. As does the screaming in the refs face. That *really* annoys the hell out of me. Refs should be respected in every sport and verbally abusing the ref should be a red card offence. As should diving. If they brought more discipline into football, I'd enjoy it a lot more. Not saying rugby is perfect but it's a lot more sporting in that regard. (And yes, I appreciate that there are a lot more bone crunching punch-ups in rugby - that's part of the tradition for some reason - no need to point it out )

Cantona's Collars

BarackPyjama wrote: »

It doesn't matter where you're from or what your background is when you walk onto the pitch to play a *competitive* game of rugby. If you're not reasonably hard, you're in trouble.

As a genuine lifelong rugby supporter from Dublin, nothing would make me happier than watching every corner of the city (and province) taking up rugby en masse. It's a f**king savage sport. Once you get sucked into playing it, you'll wonder how you ever did without.

Before in my town there was a discrimination between the ordinary working class guy & those who were playing rugby.It wasn't the done thing to play the game unless you were wealthy or protestant bar a few exceptions.
It's good to see how times changed and every walk of life is involved,looking back through team photo's one can see the progression,before when you saw the names of the players you were looking at doctors,solicitors etc.Now it's a healthy mix of the above and factory workers,barmen etc.

Zebra3

Richard Hillman wrote: »

The amount of the lesser lights of society that attend LOI matches are spoiling it for me.

That's pure bs.

Most bankers, developers, and politicans wouldn't go near a LoI ground.

DEFTLEFTHAND

zerks wrote: »

Before in my town there was a discrimination between the ordinary working class guy & those who were playing rugby.It wasn't the done thing to play the game unless you were wealthy or protestant bar a few exceptions.
It's good to see how times changed and every walk of life is involved,looking back through team photo's one can see the progression,before when you saw the names of the players you were looking at doctors,solicitors etc.Now it's a healthy mix of the above and factory workers,barmen etc.

Its a shame to hear that, did the professional classes frown upon others playing the game or it was it just that the working classes didn't want to associate with them? My small club in Tipperary has always been an open mix of all the different classes since its creation in 1950.

BarackPyjama

zerks wrote: »

Before in my town there was a discrimination between the ordinary working class guy & those who were playing rugby.It wasn't the done thing to play the game unless you were wealthy or protestant bar a few exceptions.
It's good to see how times changed and every walk of life is involved,looking back through team photo's one can see the progression,before when you saw the names of the players you were looking at doctors,solicitors etc.Now it's a healthy mix of the above and factory workers,barmen etc.

I assume you're from North of the border then? Rugby, as far as I'm aware, was even more a class sport up North than anywhere else in Ireland up until very recently. Considering the number Ulster supporters I met from both sides of the divide last weekend in London, that seems to have changed a bit.

Before the professional era, a lot of Irish internationals were doctors, solicitors, etc. and a lot of internationals were given cushy bank jobs (where they did sweet FA) to allow them to play rugby.

That's all changed now. Doesn't matter who you are or where you're from. It's a pro sport now. Money and talent talk and legacy and class walks.

Whippersnapper

BarackPyjama wrote: »

There's rarely any connection between the team and the fans. The team are way too focused. Although a lot of the time the fans will create the atmosphere. You mind me ask you what match it was?

Ireland France at Lansdowne last summer.

Paparazzo

I like both, soccer 1, rugby 2 though. To say rugby is better because the players don't dive is sort of proving you don't understand the 2 sports. In soccer players dive to gain advantage for their team. In rugby players cheat in different ways.
Both have their pros and cons, but the worst thing about Rugby is the lack of countries that play it on a decent level. Ireland are almost always in the top 8 in the world. Soccer is so popular world wide it's impossible for our soccer teams to have the same success as the rugby team.

BarackPyjama wrote: »

Soccer in Ireland:

• Embarrassing domestic league
• Rubbish international team
• Ireland ranked 33rd in the world

Rugby in Ireland:

• Ulster European winners once and finalists this season
• Munster and Leinster two of the truly great teams in Europe
• Ireland ranked 8th in the world - down from 4th after a few poor seasons

It's no real surprise rugby is becoming increasingly popular. We're performing at a much higher level than we are at football; both domestically and internationally. The number of European and domestic (ours being Ireland, Scotland, Wales and Italy) titles that we've amassed over the last 12 years is amazing for a country our size. Anyone that's been going to Leinster matches for the last few years will tell you how incredible it's been to be there.


Hopefully the national team can step up again soon and realise their potential.

You summed it up nicely, bandwagon jumpers. Success = crowds. People don't care what the sport is, as long as we win.

Mal-Adjusted

Whippersnapper wrote: »

Ireland France at Lansdowne last summer.

Best matches to go to is actually scotland, wales, england for the six nations..... there's a good buzz around the stadium....i have heard french matches can be quiet.......or even go to a rabo match just for a different atmosphere especially a home one there great craic!!

Cantona's Collars

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Its a shame to hear that, did the professional classes frown upon others playing the game or it was it just that the working classes didn't want to associate with them? My small club in Tipperary has always been an open mix of all the different classes since its creation in 1950.

A bit of both really,the working classes stuck to soccer & GAA while the professionals,doctors,solicitors & COI played rugby.It changed during the 90's when a lot of lads around 17 decided to play in some tournaments and showed up some of the traditional rugby heads with their skills.

@Barack Pyjama, I'm not from the North,it's the home of the Towns Cup champions that I hail from.The club is 100 years old this year.I think the influence of a lot of the old guard kept it a bit elitist for a good many years.

Whippersnapper

Mal-Adjusted wrote: »

Best matches to go to is actually scotland, wales, england for the six nations..... there's a good buzz around the stadium....i have heard french matches can be quiet.......or even go to a rabo match just for a different atmosphere especially a home one there great craic!!

I will definitely try to get to one of those. I want to enjoy rugby but it just seems flat to me. I'm someone who gets caught up in the emotions of a football game and is carried along with it. I'm finding it difficult to arouse any sort of passion for rugby. My grandfather is from Swansea and the closest I get is watching the Welsh side in the 6 Nations. I know, I know, sorry Ireland/Leinster.

BarackPyjama

Paparazzo wrote: »

I like both, soccer 1, rugby 2 though. To say rugby is better because the players don't dive is sort of proving you don't understand the 2 sports. In soccer players dive to gain advantage for their team. In rugby players cheat in different ways.

I'd kind of agree with that. Refereeing is so incompetent and erratic in professional rugby at the moment that most teams are able to dabble in the 'dark arts' of slowing the ball down illegally at the breakdown, cheating in the scrum when the ref doesn't know how to ref the scrum properly, etc. But there's a big difference between playing on the edge of the law and diving, rolling around and grabbing your ankle screaming, acting like you've just been shot. The diving in football is shockingly bad sometimes.

Paparazzo wrote: »

Both have their pros and cons, but the worst thing about Rugby is the lack of countries that play it on a decent level. Ireland are almost always in the top 8 in the world. Soccer is so popular world wide it's impossible for our soccer teams to have the same success as the rugby team.

Agreed. Football is the most popular sport in the world on most levels. Having said that, rugby has increasingly become/is becoming a professional sport in more and more countries (Italy, Japan, Georgia, Romania, USA) so it's is catching up, albeit slowly.

Paparazzo wrote: »

You summed it up nicely, bandwagon jumpers. Success = crowds. People don't care what the sport is, as long as we win.

Well as a Leinster fan of over 20 years, the 'bandwagon jumpers' of recent years are welcomed. The crowds at games are still great craic and the team are doing exceptionally well. It's happy days.

BarackPyjama

Whippersnapper wrote: »

I will definitely try to get to one of those. I want to enjoy rugby but it just seems flat to me.

I do find it understandable that anyone that hasn't played rugby, and maybe isn't 100% familiar with the rules, would find it a bit boring. Not saying that you are but if you're not clued into what's happening on the pitch and on the ground, I'd imagine it's fairly confusing and a bit drab.