Rugby now more popular than football AND GAA?!

**bennocelt** · 26/04/2012, 10:49 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Football's authorities could do far more to address diving and play acting and general whingeing. Their inaction is lamentable.

wrt the contact sport bit, in rugby one of the objects of the game is to knock your opponent over. In football you're penalised for it. It's naive to think that if rugby players could gain advantage by pretending to have been knocked over (ahem, Marcus Horan) they wouldn't do it.

Def agree but they might have to act soon. The African nations was a bit of a shambles where players were falling to the ground at a rate of every 5 minutes. Wasn't a great spectacle.

As regards rugby - I have seen Italian and French players diving in garryowen and other high ball situations

**4tothefloor** · 27/04/2012, 12:09 AM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

In general, though, cheating in rugby is seen as an art. There are more grey areas but it's still a fact that cheating is accepted and encouraged.

There's different forms of cheating though. In football, diving, feigning injury, rolling around like you've been shot, trying to get other players booked or sent off etc is despicable. It ruins the image of the game, makes the players look like pussies and cheats and is just a general turn off. There's no respect or honour in it. There isn't really a comparison in rugby as it's a full contact sport, so not much room for gamesmanship.

Now if you compare that to say, pulling shirts during set pieces, handling the ball on the line to deny a goal or the last defender taking the attacker out and committing a professional foul, that's also cheating but it's acceptable IMO. And the guilty party is usually rewarded with a red card. Luis Suarez was given a rough time for handling the ball on the line against Ghana, but it was all a load of nonsense really. He did what he had to do, got sent off and Ghana bottled the penalty. It wasn't Suarez's fault that Ghana missed the penalty or that the poor African team didn't make a semi for the first time. You could also say that winding up opposition players verbally or giving a player digs off the ball is cheating, but again I think that's acceptable and part of the game. This is the kind of 'cheating' that also goes on in rugby, and to be fair it is an art form. You just have to make sure you don't get caught.

Football's problem is the gamesmanship, the diving and the feigning. If they can eradicate that it will be a great game again. Retrospective banning and straight red cards are the only way. Rugby is enjoying a purple patch at the moment here in Ireland, but that will only last as long as the success lasts. The working man does not grow up with rugby here - most grow up reared on GAA and Soccer as these are the local clubs in most parishes and towns. Yea, he might 'follow' rugby while the bandwagon is in full flow, but let's see if he'll stick around when the wheels start coming off. It's already happening here in Munster, the fair weather fans and glory hunters are dropping like flies!

**paul_oshea** · 27/04/2012, 12:48 PM

Great to hear long may it last and continue, but i'm not sure it has 4tothefloor.

thats not cos i dont like rugby, i just hate the way people go on about it who dont really have a clue about anything.

**elroy** · 27/04/2012, 9:58 PM

Originally Posted by JGKyne

I hate Shane Horgan...

I feel he was taken to task on his comments on the French abandoned match when he said that if it was a soccer match it would be a riot. If any soccer pundit said that the other way round, he wouldnt be let go so lightly.

**gastric** · 27/04/2012, 10:23 PM

The same debate regarding soccer versus rugby has come alive again on boards.ie and from a rugby perspective. Worth a look!

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showt...5000269&page=4

**Charlie Darwin** · 29/04/2012, 2:49 PM

If you've never seen a 200lb man dive like a beyotch in a rugby game, check out the Heineken Cup highlights tonight.

**Stuttgart88** · 29/04/2012, 4:18 PM

I missed that. What happened? I did notice Rougerie trying to switch balls, nicking a ball from the ball boy to take a quick throw and Stuart Barnes saying fair enough, you do what you can get away with, or you do what you gotta do in a semi-final. Not a biggy, in fact I agree.

Cracking game btw. I thought Leinster were better but only Man U usually get that kind of late break. Failing to ground the ball when comfortably over the line. Ouch!

**Charlie Darwin** · 29/04/2012, 4:31 PM

It was a super tackle from D'Arcy, I think. He gets a lot of stick for his Ireland performances (not all of it unjustified) but he was immense today, silly penalty that should have seen him yellow-carded aside.

The incident was nothing. Cullen threw his hands in the direction of the Clermont prop as they tussled outside a ruck. You couldn't really call it a punch - it was more just a light hand-off to the face. The French player - a massive piece of meat - throws himself to the ground like he's been roundhoused. The referee might have punished Cullen if it hadn't been so ridiculous a fall.

**paul_oshea** · 30/04/2012, 10:53 AM

And the good news is that anybody who wants to be at the final should be able to get there. Although last night's rising flight prices look set to bump up the cost, tickets are likely to change hands at face value -- as is the tradition amongst rugby fans -- and hotel prices will remain largely stable.

Is this supposed to be a thinly veiled attack/dig at football fans? If it is well ive never seen football fans rip off other fans. However I have on 2 seperate occassions seen fellow Irish rugby fans try to rip off other fans. Does that not go against tradition.

**tetsujin1979** · 30/04/2012, 11:13 AM

Clearly they've never looked beyond the fans forums - where touting is usually a banning offence - but one quick ebay search later: http://www.ebay.ie/sch/i.html?_from=...neken+cup+2012
Doubtless it'll be claimed that these sellers are not rugby fans.

**paul_oshea** · 30/04/2012, 11:18 AM

there really is a form of inverted snobbery, elitism, amongst the Rugby fans.

At least with GAA fans, its just a "ah thats sh1te" attitude, whereas with rugby its a sly grin/smile like they are better than the rugby fan. I really noticed that over here where I've met most of these types from Cork and Dublin. Really cynical and snide remarks.

**jbyrne** · 30/04/2012, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Is this supposed to be a thinly veiled attack/dig at football fans? If it is well ive never seen football fans rip off other fans. However I have on 2 seperate occassions seen fellow Irish rugby fans try to rip off other fans. Does that not go against tradition.

i think the statement would be true of all true sportsfans irrespective of the code. in all my years of wheeling and dealing with sports tickets only touts have ever tried to charge me over the face value.

this doesnt relate to fans but rugby clubs are well known to charge well over face value for international and sometimes HC tickets also.

**paul_oshea** · 30/04/2012, 12:06 PM

Ya and who makes up the clubs JB?

**Charlie Darwin** · 30/04/2012, 12:08 PM

Soccer fans!

**jbyrne** · 30/04/2012, 1:18 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Ya and who makes up the clubs JB?

its the club adding "fees" onto the clubs allocated tickets they sell to the fans within the club rather than fans getting tickets and selling them onto other fans for above face value.

this may / may not clear it up but i am not really sure what you are getting at. sorry

**kennedmc** · 30/04/2012, 2:33 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

there really is a form of inverted snobbery, elitism, amongst the Rugby fans.

At least with GAA fans, its just a "ah thats sh1te" attitude, whereas with rugby its a sly grin/smile like they are better than the rugby fan. I really noticed that over here where I've met most of these types from Cork and Dublin. Really cynical and snide remarks.

Maybe they just don't like you?! The below is not aimed at yourself just a general thought .

As somebody who loves football and rugby I have met countless fans over the year from rugby, football and the GAA.
I can honestly say that I have met complete c**ts across all codes and vice versa.

THis idea of placing fans of certain sports all in the one bucket is a nonsense and a convenient excuse for certain types of people to justify their own prejudices.

**paul_oshea** · 30/04/2012, 2:43 PM

I'm not disagreeing with that point, merely asserting a fact, which you have suggested "a convenient excuse for certain types of people to justify their own prejudices". So you see exactly the point I raised about the article mentioned.

It wasn't to me directly but mates trying to get the tickets.

I've never met a GAA fan who would rip you off either, but again I'm sure there are some and its down to the individual at the end of the day.

**Stuttgart88** · 30/04/2012, 2:45 PM

Where was the quote taken from Paul?

**paul_oshea** · 30/04/2012, 2:47 PM

An article by mark hilliard of irish independent fame.

**kennedmc** · 30/04/2012, 2:51 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

I'm not disagreeing with that point, merely asserting a fact, which you have suggested "a convenient excuse for certain types of people to justify their own prejudices". So you see exactly the point I raised about the article mentioned.

It wasn't to me directly but mates trying to get the tickets.

I've never met a GAA fan who would rip you off either, but again I'm sure there are some and its down to the individual at the end of the day.

Fair enough I wasn't referring to your quote just a general comment on this thread and other similar threads that are going on, on rugby and Gaa forums etc.