Rugby now more popular than football AND GAA?!

**kennedmc** · 12/11/2009, 1:30 PM

Football is without a doubt the one true global game. No other sport can touch it for the global presence and the way it attracts millions of viewers whether it be the Premier League, world cup, Euros, the champions league etc.

The Olympics as a one off event can match it for a couple of weeks but apart from that nothing comes close which is to be expected.

**CarrickFan** · 12/11/2009, 1:33 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Murfinator you have contradicted yourself somewhat re: the anglicised part, saying that you can't associate with them yet you understand that they have to go away but for that reason you cant get right behind them.

reading a different post of yours, dont take any offence here, but you are a good few years younger than a lot on here and I would assume fairly fresh out of college. If/Wehn the need arises that you too, may need to leave the country for whatever reason, I think you will see things from a different light.

Lastly, The reason alot of emigrants come on here is because this is how we keep in touch with the daily/day to day updates and keep in contact with everything thats going on in the world of Ireland soccer.

Paul i wouldnt bother responding to him...i swore to myself before i wouldnt rise to Murfinators bait and this is defo the VERY LAST TIME.

as you questioned earlier i dont think he really gives a sh*t about Football Irish or otherwise....NO MATTER what the thread is about he always turns it into "soccer lads not part of my community"..."anglicised"..."dont represent me" etc.....its the same EVERY TIME...praising other sports(which of course is his right) and belittleing soccer fans.
also some of the points are quite ridiculous...for example the Lucozade thing!!!FFS Lucozade is part of Glaxosmithkline a global corporation whatever their advertisement department do is nothing to do with us here and for the record Alan Kelly was an excellent goalkeeper for Ireland as was his father before him so get your facts straight.

Murfinator to you i say you are as entitled to your opinion as anybody in the world and in fairness in your posts you do make some excellent points and i applaud you for that but as i have noticed you bring each thread back to your same arguements as i have pointed out above which i just think is childish...also i notice you choose to ignore posts which make point or challange against what you have said and clearly have no response to you.....as i said im done rising to ur bait but if i was you i would question why you come on to this site if its just to agitate.

Good luck to you Sir and all the best for the future.

**SUB of the day** · 12/11/2009, 4:02 PM

Originally Posted by SilkCut

You need to visit Limerick or Cork when Munster next win a Heineken cup or Ireland next win a grand slam and tell them that mate. See how long you last!! Its a religion in some counties outside the pale.

A religion ?.......where were all the faithful for the AIL cup final in Limerick?......where one their own clubs was playing!!!

**Acornvilla** · 12/11/2009, 4:18 PM

Originally Posted by Murfinator

13 actually. 6 nations + tri nations + argentina + 3 pacific islands.

usa, canada and japan aswell

**Schumi** · 12/11/2009, 4:21 PM

Rugby is quite big in Georgia too for what it's worth.

**pineapple stu** · 12/11/2009, 4:25 PM

National sport in Andorra, after they realised they were rubbish at football.

**geysir** · 12/11/2009, 4:27 PM

I have Georgian rugby still on my mind.

**colster** · 12/11/2009, 4:27 PM

The Czechs have the right idea

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvUIbqKyppY

**EastTerracer** · 12/11/2009, 5:02 PM

Originally Posted by Acornvilla

usa, canada and japan aswell

Originally Posted by Schumi

Rugby is quite big in Georgia too for what it's worth.

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

National sport in Andorra, after they realised they were rubbish at football.

And yet, less than one million people across all these countries (+ Argentina, Italy and the Pacific Islands) were interested enough to watch the Rugby World Cup Final. Doesn't sound that popular to me

**MeathDrog** · 12/11/2009, 6:40 PM

Nothing against the sport of rugby itself, but it's the whole elitism surrounding it ****es me off. After all, it is a sport taken seriously by around 11/12 countries.

Soccer is no.1 in terms of participation in this county. No doubt about that.

**Brian Boru** · 12/11/2009, 7:48 PM

Globally soccer is bigger than every other sport combined. More people watch the world cup final than the olympics biggest event (eg 100 meters final). Gaelic games are marginally bigger than soccer in Ireland. Though in Sligo town soccer is bigger. Soccer is huge in Ireland indeed. Rugby is a good sport but is only more popular than the other 2 in D4. Even in Limerick soccer and hurling combined would be bigger than rugby. Rugby is a minority sport. You could strike up a conversation with a taximan in Florida or Africa about Roy Keane. As good an all as he is they won't have heard of Brian O'Driscoll or rugby for that matter.

**Acornvilla** · 12/11/2009, 8:12 PM

a spanish student moved into my flat this week. im living in limerick he has never heard of the heiniken cup or munster for that matter!

**CarrickFan** · 12/11/2009, 8:51 PM

Originally Posted by Acornvilla

a spanish student moved into my flat this week. im living in limerick he has never heard of the heiniken cup or munster for that matter!

has he heard of Martin Camano?

**Acornvilla** · 12/11/2009, 9:08 PM

Originally Posted by CarrickFan

has he heard of Martin Camano?

i'll ask him and let you nnow tomorow

hes a big bilbao fan he watched MNS with me on monday and spent much of the show laughing at the crowds, stadia and defending...

**tetsujin1979** · 12/11/2009, 9:19 PM

Originally Posted by SUB of the day

A religion ?.......where were all the faithful for the AIL cup final in Limerick?......where one their own clubs was playing!!!

Shannon played Clontarf in the final. Off the top of my head, in Limerick there's also Young Munster, Garryowen, Richmond, Old Crescent, UL Bohemians, and Thomond rugby clubs, each with their own set of fans. Did you really expect fans of those clubs to attend? From what I could tell (I was at the game) there was zero attendance from any other Dublin clubs.

to put it another way, if Bohemians played Sligo in the FAI Cup Final, would you expect any Shamrock Rovers, St Pats, Sporting Fingal, etc, fans to attend?

**old git** · 12/11/2009, 9:48 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Shannon played Clontarf in the final. Off the top of my head, in Limerick there's also Young Munster, Garryowen, Richmond, Old Crescent, UL Bohemians, and Thomond rugby clubs, each with their own set of fans. Did you really expect fans of those clubs to attend? From what I could tell (I was at the game) there was zero attendance from any other Dublin clubs.

to put it another way, if Bohemians played Sligo in the FAI Cup Final, would you expect any Shamrock Rovers, St Pats, Sporting Fingal, etc, fans to attend?

last 2 munster magners league games at thomond park 15,000 for cardiff blues / 16,700 for ulster match were are all the fans gone nearly 13,000 empty spaces both games .. do young munster , garryowen, richmond, old crescent, ul bohs , thomond fans not support munster now or is it the gloryhunters/ fairweather fans have started to fade away

**Murfinator** · 12/11/2009, 9:54 PM

Originally Posted by Brian Boru

Even in Limerick soccer and hurling combined would be bigger than rugby. Rugby is a minority sport.

Here's a man who's never been to limerick.

**SilkCut** · 12/11/2009, 9:56 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Shannon played Clontarf in the final. Off the top of my head, in Limerick there's also Young Munster, Garryowen, Richmond, Old Crescent, UL Bohemians, and Thomond rugby clubs, each with their own set of fans. Did you really expect fans of those clubs to attend? From what I could tell (I was at the game) there was zero attendance from any other Dublin clubs.

to put it another way, if Bohemians played Sligo in the FAI Cup Final, would you expect any Shamrock Rovers, St Pats, Sporting Fingal, etc, fans to attend?

Thank you Tetsujin. We appear to have gone way off the topic of the thread. There is absolutely no arguement that Football is the more popular sport GLOBALLY, we are taking about its popularity in Ireland right now and it is a very understandable arguement. Success breeds success, as long as we are producing average footballers and world class rugby players, rugby is going to increase in popularity. There is no reason not to follow all of our sports though because comparing them is a bit of a waste of time. Each game has its good points and its bad points eg. I love to see Brian O'Driscoll drop his shoulder and leave opponants on their arses, I also love to see McGeady stepover the ball and go past his man, I used to love watching DJ Carey and Jamsie O'Connor leave their opponants for dead, the Gooch doing the same in football and over here, Chris Judd dominating for Carlton in the AFL. Essentially we watch sports to see the best exponants of the games doing what they do best, with that in mind, as long as Ireland are the best rugby team in Europe and on the outter in Football the chances are that rugby will be more popular (in Ireland.)