I'm still gutted, still hungover.ROI will always be no1 for me.Rugby grand, Gaa fine, but nothing actually hurts like the ball hitting the back of the Irish net.The viewing figures of Roi V Russia, as opposed to Leinster V Munster will be interesting.
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One of the things Dunphy got right in his WC 2010 synopsis is that football is afcing a crisis of authority, both on and off the pitch. This is definitely hurting its profile and rugby is generally played in a more honest manner - though I expect if there was any advantage in rugby players diving, they would. You can't exactly complain to the ref about being taken down!
The EPL being hyped beyond rational bounds & its saturation TV coverage doesn't help either.
Still gutted too. Got back to London this afternoon looking for some consolation from shamrock rovers on the RTE latest scores page. I couldn't believe it when I hit the "refresh" button at 4.50pm. At 4.45pm it was all grand.
Experience tells me that good and bad results come in clusters. I'm hoping this bad cluster (Ireland, Arsenal, Rovers...) finished this afternoon.
In terms of spectacle and excitement and honesty! Rugby Football has gone up to a higher level, Association Football has IMO gone down a level.Originally Posted by Jinxy
Everything
I really like my rugby but in almost every top flight game in every country there's a proliferation of atrificial atmosphere injected by Queen or other naff soundbites. The crowd culture just isn't there as much as it is in football- at its best anyway. I thought the support last night was superb (certainly considering the hiding we were getting), much better than the team deserved.
The YBIG boys in the south lower were a credit. The spectacle wasn't lacking last night, only our ability.
It happens in rugby the odd time. Contepomi was guilty of it when he played for Leinsters (all Argentinians are divers, regardless of profession) and ironically was on the receiving end of one against Harlequins a couple of years back.
Rugby is a bit different in general though since a large part of the game is actually predicated on cheating more effectively than the opposition.
maybe change "team" to "performance" to be fair. i dont think the team lacked effort or passion, just ability
Fair enough - that's what I meant
I love the fact that the referee's authority is respected so much in rugby. But equally, I used to hate seeing blatant cheating - like Jerry Collins "accidentally" obstructing a full back chasing his up and under and offering a hands up "I couldn't get out of the way ref" shrug - going totally unpunished.
getting back to the original question, the attendance was given as 50,411. I thought the figure was closer to about 48,000, but either way the official capacity of the stadium is 51,700 so should the question be Have the Irish people abandoned this team, instead of why have they?
The most incredible thing that has happened to fans who support Ireland without a doubt has happened in North America in recent times. The amount of North Americans following the team is now incredible. Why, I have no idea. In the 1990's watching an Ireland game in a Manhattan bar (when i couldn't actually travel to said game) was souless. It was like watching the game on your laptop in Sibera. But within the last few years a huge Irish fan base has built up. A few Hispanics and African-Americans but especially East European descendents and of course Irish and Italian's have flocked to the team. Why now? Maybe Crosby can explain. Rugby will never replace football as the worlds sport. These rugby types are the very people who have destroyed the Irish economy. Blackrock and Wesley. Bloxham and Davy. There is your Rugby Leinster core. Should be in the Joy.
Last edited by Noelys Guitar; 10/10/2010 at 2:26 AM.
Tx, not in mood for a slanging match
(and its obvious from my post anyway)
............" honesty"........eye gouging, headstamping, spitting fake blood? classic rugby mentality.
Those are very rare events - I watch primarily NZ teams and they are incredibly clean & fair players. It is true that the Bok brutes and some Northern Hemisphere teams have a smattering of dirty forwards but that is being weeded out of the game and is very much the exception.
It's still a more honest game than soccer by a mile, at least rugby players don't feign injury and collapse in the penalty area pretending they were tackled, there is a real cynicism in soccer. Anyone who saw Holland kick and stamp their way to the WC final must surely know the beautiful game is dead...
When was the last time you saw a soccer match where a single player didn't try and cheat?
All of which is caught, cited and subsequently punished by the rugby authorities. It's all generally consistent, and most rugby players play within the spirit of the game. What do FIFA / UEFA do? Oh yeah, pretend it doesn't happen or try and justify it as "part of the game"
Just listening to Newstalk Sunday sports show. They are after extending their discussion on the Irish team and the matches Friday and Tuesday night due to the "overwhelming response" on the textline. So much for a waning interest in the Irish team!
Holy wild tangent, Batman.
Viewing figures for Leinster V Munster peaked at 313000, numbers for ROI V Russia still not available, but I will be stunned if they don't surpass this by some margin.
You are correct on the whole, but I have seen Italian and French players dive in Rugby especially when there is a Garryowen
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