I think it will be made available for the semi-final if the IRFU ask for it to be honest, but I don't think it would be a PR disaster if the GAA refused. People have way more important things to be worrying about at the moment.
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I think it will be made available for the semi-final if the IRFU ask for it to be honest, but I don't think it would be a PR disaster if the GAA refused. People have way more important things to be worrying about at the moment.
assuming leinster and munster do win, the RDS would be too small for the ticket demand, therefore look to the GAA
If using a GAA ground would it not be better for Munster to use the Gaelic Grounds in Limerick so that the game is kept in Munster and with a slightly smaller attendance (50,000 capacity i think) there would be a greater ratio of munster to leinster fans.
Well in fairness on the jumping the gun issue, I did qualify it with an if.
As for the stadium thing. There's a GAA rules logistics issue with grounds other than Croker. The motion they passed a couple of years ago referred specificially to that ground. So long as it's there and nowhere else this problem won't be that much of an issue.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WexCar
The gaa have only opened croke park, the relaxing in their rules states that croke park is available while lansdowne road is being rebuilt so the Gaelic grounds is out as it any other GAA stadium in the country.
its not jumping the gun in relation to talking about this as if Croker were to be used the GAA would have to be approached post haste.
i personally think if the GAA are approached by the ERC/IRFU they should say yes, in a recessionary economy the money it would generate would be great for the country as well as the feel good factor for the whole country that weekend.
i also think should Munster qualify for the semi final regardless of who they are down to play it should be on in Croker
they couldn't give away tickets that years. touts lost fortunes. 2fm had daily competitions for final tickets.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
I'm sure there were some bad things too....
Please stick to the soccer related threads then, as you are a Soccer Fan. The title of the thread is 'Rugby Union 2009' and therefore should have sent some alarm bells ringing in your mind as to what was being discussed in this thread.
I'm sure you're one of those 'morons' (your phrase, not mine) that run around in your Pike Rovers jacket or jumper, as is your right. What people choose to wear and support is down to themselves, and shouldn't affect you in any way.
Stick to the soccer.
There, end of rant.
They didn't try very hard. I was going to go to that final but the cheapest tickets were something like €50 on the day. Daft given the lack of interest in the participants.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
It showed to me the true level of support for rugby in Ireland.
I would agree with you in some respects, but you have to take into account the cost of the day itself. Lets say you were travelling from Limerick; train €40, match ticket €50, food and other expenses €20, a few pints €30. Thats an expensive enough day out just to watch two french teams that you wouldn't normally support.
Those prices are based on a few years ago btw...
I know, but if it was the Champions League final, it'd have been packed to the rafters, regardless of who was playing and there'd have been thousands looking for tickets too
Where as if it was an FAI cup final it would have had about the attendance that the final of the 'ken did.
For whatever reason, Irish people support domestic rugby and foreign soccer.
Or people jump from bandwagon to bandwagon
Exactly.. :DQuote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
Yes people follow success so I agree to an extent, but in this example maybe it's worth appreciating the context a little more, in that the teams of the majority of rugby followers in the country, ie Munster and Leinster, were both knocked out in the semis that year. Personally, knowing what could/should have been and having seen plenty rugby that year, I wasn't really of a mind to go watch the final of a competition when my team was eliminated in the semi. Had it been the pool stages when Munster and Leinster were knocked out I think you'd have got more Irish going as the hunger would've been back.
Would you go to the marriage of your hoped-for wife to the **** who beat you to her hand just because you support love in all its forms? :p
Seriously though, I don't think anyone would claim rugby penetrates Ireland in the numbers football does. As well as that, in general the Irish public get a more regular supply of high level rugby compared to football so there'll never be as much demand for those "one-off" rugby matches.
Some media have made that exact claim.Quote:
Originally Posted by kingdom hoop
I should point out that I'm not anti rugby and regularly attend Leinster games. From being one of about 2-3,000 as little as 4-5 years ago attending Magners League games I know exactly how fickle support is
Munster is the best Bandwagon in town especially the HC finals. :cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
I don't think that support is as fickle as some make out. The support of the provincial sides has increased but most of the 18,000 at the Edinburgh game would also be involved in schools or club rugby in some form or other.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
I don't have any numbers but I'd guess that Magner's' League might be the second best supported rugby competition in Leinster.
well to be fair its a bandwagon that has been running for 11 years and massive crowds have travelled to england, wales, switzerland, spain, france, italy etc, so to be fair i think the bandwagon description is out the windowQuote:
Originally Posted by pete
No offense Hula, but the bandwagon is very much alive and well in Limerick. It's all well and good people supporting them and becoming fans, but I bet you 70% of Munster fans couldn't name the squad of players, or tell you diddly squat about the history, besides beating the All Blacks etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by hula4
At Thomond Park one evening a friend of mine was watching as O'Gara put over a penalty. He was alone as his Uncle and brother (Munster fans all their lives) couldn't get a ticket. A woman 2 seats away asked her husband 'how many points would they get if it went under the post'??
Need I say more??
Fair enough on the schools scene but even that is a bit of a strange one. From my (limited) knowledge as many people go for the social side as go for the game (I realise they can't really be seperated). I'd imagine that most who watch leinster play would definitely have been involved at school level.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bald Student
The club scene has never got crowds (certainly in Dublin). Even before the heineken cup era, the Ail was on its knees
Been to 3 HC finals myself but always knew a lot more bandwagoners than me.Quote:
Originally Posted by hula4
The club scene never got big crowds but it's always had plenty of bodies. We wouldn't accuse a player or coach for a junior soccer club of jumping on the bandwagon by going to an international.
I've no doubt that if Leinster get to Edinburgh in May tens of thousands of true blue supporter will appear out of nowhere but I think the 18,000 capacity of the RDS is within the size of the non-bandwagon rugby public. The same is true of the Ravenhill crowd.
The big test of the Munster support will come when the novelty of the new stadium wears off and they need to fill it every second week. Bandwagoners can be turned into loyal fans and we'll find out soon enough how successful the Munster Branch has been at doing that.
you will always get things like that, especially now that tickets for the games are easier to get due to the increased capacity but the majority of people that go to games are very knowledgeable.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pike B
obviously people are going to support a sucessful team but i would be confident that thomond park will always be full for heineken cup games for the forseeable future.
and who cares if there are so called bandwagoners on board the atmosphere created in cardiff last year, in lansdowne in 06 and thomond park throughout the years more than makes up for it
I'll have to take your word for it. I haven't stepped on board yet!! :pQuote:
Originally Posted by hula4
Obviously inaccurate, but equally, as you know, it has greatly increased in active participation at the same time. So its relative position has improved. Tag rugby for example seems to be very big in Dublin - good for strengthening the interests in the game of those with a casual interest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Dodge
But like anything that comes up fast, there will be some dramatic and 'negative' change that might be hard to handle for some.
believe it or not bud i was at the first ever european game in 1995, my dad brought me for my birthday and did ball boy there for a few years as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pike B
living in Dublin now i dont get to go as often as i like but i love going, especially the by now annual thrashing of a much hyped english team in january!
just on that note, if there are any Dublin based munster fans the dublin based munster supporters club watch all the matches in Searsons on Baggot Street, good atmosphere there if you want to watch it with a like minded crowd
Hey, like I said. There are some genuine fans out there. It's the other idiots I despise..Quote:
Originally Posted by hula4
Anybody else confident about the 6N this year?
I'm confident that we will win our home games. France are in transition, and England are in dire straits at the moment. I'm pretty sure we will beat Italy but it won't be the customary doddle, but fear we'll lose our games in Cardiff and Murrayfield.
Wales are the form team and will take all the beating. Scotland are on the up and will surprise a few people.
I hate playing the French. We struggle to work them out and often bring the best out of them :(. It's the game I always fear. I can still feel the pain last time out at Croke Park. I agree Wales are the team to beat this year but I'm optimistic. Our back line is as good as anyone out there in the Northern hemisphere and if Munster can transform their club form into a green shirt over the next few months we may end up heading to Cardiff with the chance of winning a 6N at long last.Quote:
Originally Posted by joeSoap
I see Goode has been recalled for England. Danny boy gets dropped :D he was the greatest player of all time only 6 months ago. It's funny how a few charged down kicks can change the mood of a nation.
I fancy France to win due to their strength in depth. As mentioned above we have real trouble beating them.
England have real trouble now at half back - can't think who they will play there.
Ireland team announced to play France this Saturday in the first 6 nations game.
Sensible selection IMO - Wallace is the only Irishman playing twelve at the moment.Quote:
http://www.irishrugby.ie/10735_15920.php
Ireland Coach Declan Kidney has named his first Ireland team for the RBS 6 Nations
O'Driscoll and Wallace started together in the midfield during the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia in 2008 and rekindle that link for the first time at home.
Robert Kearney is selected at fullback and his Leinster colleague Luke Fitzgerald is named on the left wing, with Tommy Bowe making up the back three for the side.
Ronan O’Gara and Tomas O’Leary continue their provincial partnership at outhalf and scrumhalf respectively.
The forwards include Jerry Flannery at hooker. Flannery will pack down in the front row with Marcus Horan and John Hayes, who will be winning his 90th cap for Ireland in his 46th appearance in the Championship.
Donncha O’Callaghan and Paul O’Connell start in the second row together for Ireland for the 23rd time.
The back row trio of Ferris, Wallace and Heaslip remain in place from the side that started against Argentina during November.
IRELAND Team (v France, 2009 RBS 6 Nations Championship, Croke Park, Saturday, February 7, kick-off 5pm):
15 - Robert Kearney (UCD - Leinster)
14 - Tommy Bowe (Ospreys)
13 - Brian O'Driscoll (UCD - Leinster) Captain
12 - Paddy Wallace (Ballymena - Ulster)
11 - Luke Fitzgerald (Blackrock College - Leinster)
10 - Ronan O'Gara (Cork Constitution - Munster)
9 - Tomas O'Leary (Dolphin - Munster)
1 - Marcus Horan (Shannon - Munster)
2 - Jerry Flannery (Shannon - Munster)
3 - John Hayes (Bruff- Munster)
4 - Donncha O'Callaghan (Cork Constitution - Munster)
5 - Paul O'Connell (Young Munster - Munster)
6 - Stephen Ferris (Dungannon - Ulster)
7 - David Wallace (Garryowen - Munster)
8 - Jamie Heaslip (Naas - Leinster)
Replacements:
16 - Rory Best (Banbridge - Ulster)
17 - Tom Court (Malone - Ulster)*
18 - Malcolm O’Kelly (St.Mary’s College - Leinster)
19 - Denis Leamy (Cork Constitution - Munster)
20 - Peter Stringer (Shannon - Munster)
21 - Gordon D’Arcy (Lansdowne - Leinster)
22 - Geordan Murphy (Leicester)
Not considered due to injury:
Keith Earls (Young Munster - Munster)
Disappointed Reddan wasn't in the 27 ahead of Stringer. Would be hopeful of an Irish win on Saturday.
Ireland A Team (v England Saxons, 'A' International Match, Donnybrook, Friday, February 6, kick-off 7.35pm):
15 - Gavin Duffy (Galwegians - Connacht)
14 - Andrew Trimble (Ballymena - Ulster)
13 - Darren Cave (Belfast Harlequins - Ulster)*
12 - Keith Matthews (Buccaneers - Connacht)*
11 - Mark McCrea (Malone - Ulster)*
10 - Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary's College - Leinster)*
9 - Eoin Reddan (Wasps)
1 - Cian Healy (Clontarf - Leinster)*
2 - Sean Cronin (Buccaneers - Connacht)*
3 - Mike Ross (Harlequins)*
4 - Bob Casey (London Irish) (capt)
5 - Ryan Caldwell (Dungannon - Ulster)*
6 - Neil Best (Northampton)
7 - Shane Jennings (St. Mary's College - Leinster)
8 - John Muldoon (Galwegians - Connacht)*
Replacements:
16 - John Fogarty (Clontarf - Leinster)*
17 - John Andress (Exeter)*
18 - Donnacha Ryan (Shannon - Munster)
19 - Sean O'Brien (Clontarf - Leinster)*
20 - Isaac Boss (Ballymena - Ulster)
21 - Ian Humphreys (Ballymena - Ulster)*
22 - Barry Murphy (UL Bohemians - Munster)
*denotes uncapped players
still think Casey should be in main squad
Agree with Wallace at 12.Quote:
Originally Posted by charliesboots
Story about Reddan a few days ago that he chose to start in A team rather than seat on bench in Croke Park.
Dropping Reddan has to be a surprise. Surprised at Wallace in at 12 but to be fair to him he is more a 12 than a 10. Also surprised Earls not in either team - is he injured? I thought O'Kellys days were over - can't see him offering much off the bench.
Earls is injured, yeah. It's mentioned at the bottom of charliesboots' post.
For once I actually went back to read the post but obviosuly I only read the top part.Quote:
Originally Posted by Schumi
Happy enough with that team. I think it can beat France, but the question is 'do the players believe they can beat France?'
Looking forward to the game tomorrow. France seem very beatable and a champioship doesn't seem out of the question. Will be a huge blow to the team and Kidney if we lose.
Ireland A - England saxons game at donnybrook tonight called off at last minute