Rugby now more popular than football AND GAA?!

[Stuttgart88]

Football vs rugby in Wales. Discuss.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07fm3ct

Discussed here. Great Radio 4 programme "In Wales the Ball is Round". I'm not sure if the link above works; if not just google it or search for it on iPlayer radio.

[davidatrb]

Maybe I am being overly defensive, but I object to what he mentions about the "paucity of numbers attending LOI games".

There were 50,000 travelled to Lyon by some accounts and 5000 that attended the match vs France. I am going to give some LoI numbers too.

When you compare to the League of Ireland numbers remember that that French match in Lyon was the biggest match since the Spain game at the same stage of competition in 2002 - 14 years ago. Also bear in mind that the LoI numbers are repeated week after week after week, but the number of Ireland matches in major tournaments are VERY few and far between.

In contrast there were 20,000 attended the opening round of fixtures in the LoI this season - you can double that if you want to include the next round of fixture which will count all home fans (Shamrock Rovers didn't have a home match in first round). 25,000 attended the FAI Cup Final last year. Yes 50,000 is more than these numbers but not by orders of magnitude. There are a lot of ppl working on improving attendances at the League and phrases like that paint a bad picture of the League that I don't think it deserves. We should be bigging the League up not knocking it down - I think it might be key to the development of talent in the future. I know there is ALOT of room for more improvement but lets build on what we have and acknowledge the achievement to date and move on from there.

We shouldn't take those kind of snide comments sitting down. I bet most ppl reading that sentence didn't even register because it is so ingrained in the national culture that the League of Ireland is ****. We need to change that attitude because really the League is not as bad as the perception of it is.

Paucity. Insufficient. Insufficient for what? Insufficient to create an atmosphere, a match day experience? I don't think so. Having been to LoI matches and National team matches the atmosphere is often more electric at League of Ireland with the Irish match day experience a little more sanitised or civilised ....

[BonnieShels]

Mick's gone to balls.ie, Woolly's gone to joe.ie. Mick had a week long farewell culminating in his last crappy quiz, probably because Ger Gilroy owns balls.ie, whereas Wooly was put straight on gardening leave. Think it was about 3 weeks ago?

Just shows you with Balls and Joe blur into one. I remember Mick's last week. That's why I'm shocked to hear of Woolly's vamoosing so soon and without notice. And I listen to the show most nights! Anyway...

[ifk101]

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gael...time-1.2704382

The below reminded of the above article - "GAA doesn’t really need feed of pints to have a good time"

All Ireland Final Day…
A great day to be Irish, you rock out of bed, possibly with a dodgy banging headache from a few ‘kill the nerves’ pints the night before. Its no such day for porridge or a healthy breakfast, it’s the slap up fry. You discuss match ups, the weather and the possible outcome, the jersey is washed and ironed, the good jeans are on, wallet, phone and you’re out the door. Few pre match pints in Quinns, the chat and banter is unreal. As you tip down Jones' Road with a spring in your step, you can hear the crowd cheer each score in the Minor match.
You head into croker and get that buzz when you see the pitch, the shiver runs down your back, wishing you could be out there. You roar like **** when the players walk past you during the parade, with their chests out and hopping off the ground. Then It’s time for the National Anthem, up you stand in your seat, hands behind the back and belt out every word proud as punch, the ball is thrown in and we’re off. Your heart is close to exploding for 70+ minutes, at the final whistle if your team is on the right side of the score board its mayhem, if not, it’s depression. Either way you are going for pints. Everyone spills out in all directions, mad for porter, you skull pints and go through the game in fine detail
“He was ****e, overrated…”
“Jaysus it was some score, and at that time of the game, serious balls”
“AH sure stop, hes and animal”
The night is approaching, you’ve had nothing but a half a cooked burger, destroyed in onions, since breakfast - so you sly into the chipper and put in some soakage. The craic about town is mighty, plenty of slagging, then the time has come “We’ll hit coppers”, you get out of the taxi in Harcourt street, the queue is a 100 yards long, but you still wait, as you stand there half cut you decide to ring your mate, whos at home in bed, looking for his gold card. After a long wait you’re finally in, the place in wedged, Saw Doctors blaring, one part of you feels like getting sick, the other wants another Jager bomb.
Its now 4.30am and you’ve had your fill… back to the chipper for more slagging, taxi home soon after and then into the cot. You wake up Monday morning, not knowing your arse from your elbow - Dying, but if SAM MAGUIRE is heading in the direction of your county you don’t give a ******, because the session is on again….
ROLL ON SUNDAY !!!!

[Charlie Darwin]

“AH sure stop, hes and animal”

[bennocelt]

When does that happen, lol

then It’s time for the National Anthem, up you stand in your seat, hands behind the back and belt out every word proud as punch,

[IsMiseSean]

The GAA crowd always start cheering & shouting well before the end. Normally they have some young one crowing it out too.

[paul_oshea]

“AH sure stop, hes and animal”

You've shown your inability to fully understand and impersonate gaa loving country folk.

Aaah scchhhhtop, sure he's an animal.

Very subtle, but very important difference

[BonnieShels]

The GAA crowd always start cheering & shouting well before the end.

Every time I've heard AnaF ata sporting ocassion whether soccer, football, rugby or hurling there's always a carcophony at around teh "lámhach" stage. The GAA crowd ain't got nowt to do with it.

Normally they have some young one crowing it out too.

Mostly it's just the Artane or Garda band though...




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh2oxxB2uCc

[IsMiseSean]

Mostly it's just the Artane or Garda band though...

I should have said games outside of Croke Park. At most Connacht Championship games it's usually a daughter/niece of a county chairman who hasn't a note in her head.

As for the Nadia debacle. Wasn't that just a case of JD trying to get a bit of hole for himself?

[IsMiseSean]

Every time I've heard AnaF ata sporting ocassion whether soccer, football, rugby or hurling there's always a carcophony at around teh "lámhach" stage. The GAA crowd ain't got nowt to do with it.

Ireland v Italy at Euros
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqZ_dORNPx4

All Ireland Final Dublin v Mayo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef5qN-w0Jm4


TBF the football crowd in the Nadia clip do start cheering before the end but I'm putting that down to trying to drown her out.

[tetsujin1979]

I should have said games outside of Croke Park. At most Connacht Championship games it's usually a daughter/niece of a county chairman who hasn't a note in her head.

As for the Nadia debacle. Wasn't that just a case of JD trying to get a bit of hole for himself?

Thought it was him trying to ingratiate himself with the Sunday Independent crowd, he was at their Christmas party around that time and was interviewed by that human skidmark Barry Egan

[Stuttgart88]

It's quiet so time to reopen this one!

NZ rugby losing its halo?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-37627971

Not to mention Danny Cipriani's current court case, and James Haskell and Ben Kay both writing columns in The Times last week condoning cheating and extreme violence, and the new TUE abuse claims in France.

And, I don't know if I posted it here before but at our hotel in Bordeaux in June I met an elderly NZ couple. They barely had a rashers about the tournament, they were just on holiday, but they said lots of kids including their grandkids are playing footy over rugby now. Parents think it has become too physical.

That all said, All Blacks were awesome against springboks last week. And I do feel a bit of sympathy for Aaron Smith!

[OwlsFan]

Mind you more attended the Leinster v Munster game (40k) than were at the Ireland v Georgia game (39k). That said the latter was 12K up on the previous fixture between the teams. No sure what that means but it's quiet so time to reopen this one !

[tetsujin1979]

I was at the rugby game in the Aviva at the weekend. No way was there 40k at it. I reckon they worked out the attendance by counting every ticket sold, rather than every fan through the gates.

[jbyrne]

Mind you more attended the Leinster v Munster game (40k) than were at the Ireland v Georgia game (39k). That said the latter was 12K up on the previous fixture between the teams. No sure what that means but it's quiet so time to reopen this one !

20,000 max if played on a Thursday evening like the Georgia match

[Charlie Darwin]

I reckon they worked out the attendance by counting every ticket sold, rather than every fan through the gates.

Are you sure it's the rugby you're talking about?

[tetsujin1979]

Are you sure it's the rugby you're talking about?

yeah, the tactic isn't just used by the FAI. At the rugby the lower tier was pretty full, especially in the west stand, but the upper tier (where I was sitting in the south stand) was about half full.
I was in the west stand upper for the Georgia game, didn't think there was much difference in the attendance between the two games.

[osarusan]

I'm fairly sure Munster do it too - count all tickets sold (or given away) as well as season tickets.

[OwlsFan]

20,000 max if played on a Thursday evening like the Georgia match

Yes, interesting point and of course there is home and away support involved in the rugby match. The Georgians had maybe 50 at our game?