Modern rugby

[Borracho]

Is an over-coached, flair-free, muscle-reliant bore. According to the Irish Times, anyway, a paper where three or four of the top five most-read articles each day are invariably rugby-related . . .

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/is-rugby-in-danger-of-becoming-a-brilliantly-coached-bore-1.2010790

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Modern rugby

navel gazing rugby articles are the best.

Things were better when everyone was a fat cunt who couldn't run without stopping for a fag.

[Toro Toro]

Modern rugby



Pile of arse.

[Borracho]

Modern rugby

Being the event-junkies sort that they are, Ireland fans will happily put up with the tedious fare as long as the team remains successful. Well, relatively successful, at any rate.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Modern rugby

If Competitive guinness shitting was a televised sport, and Ireland had a chance of beating england, it would become huge in this country.

in much the same way that if someone vaguely famous went for a shit in slane, 80,000 people would buy tickets.

[The Bean Counter]

Modern rugby

If he wants to watch rugby players running with the ball in hands, maybe he should try watching league.

What he really seems to be saying is that defences are a lot better than they used to be, and the game is less exciting as a result. I'm sure we've had similar discussions on the football forum. Loath as I usually am to agree with toro, it is tedious and irrelevant.

[Diable Rouge]

Modern rugby

Just as well the Aussies have got three tries today, the Irish rugby boors/bores were in danger of matching English national fans for hubris, with the Webb Ellis practically Dublin-bound already.

[Borracho]

Modern rugby

Nobody celebrates friendly wins like Ireland rugby fans.

[ursus arctos]

Modern rugby

Don't you guys get tired of doing this?

Especially when Toro refuses to take the bait?

I can sort of understand that Calx has to deal with rugby boors in his everyday life, but they aren't exactly thick on the ground in Cahir, are they?

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Modern rugby

Rugby is fucking inescapable, in this country, even though most people who claim to be fans have never played the game.

Three of ireland's four national drive time radio news shows are presented by rugby commentators. One of them, george Hook, is a dangerously, mentally ill moron, who is using Rugby to bring neo conservatism to the irish people (his american correspondent is Michael fucking cuntface Graham) it is absolutely everywhere, and always has been, continuously being rammed down our throats because of the advertising money attached.

Every st patrick's day three major competitions reach their conclusion. You have the two GAA all Ireland club competitions, which are the culmination of a season's competition involving clubs in every parish in Ireland. they receive about half a page coverage each. The other competition is the leinster schools rugby cup which is played between a handful of expensive schools, and it has it's own fucking mini supplement in the irish times, because so many companies wish to advertise around it.

It is impossible to escape rugby. And I'm in Galway at the moment. Connaught are spending a lot of money to convince people that Rugby is vaguely important in this town/city. Every year they hang shitty flags the full length of SaltHill, and refer to it as the Green Mile (I don't know what the fuck they are thinking) the flags are covered with exhortations to stand up or rise up, but ecause they are so exposed to the elements, they are all torn and half rotten withing weeks.

This ad is on heavy rotation on RTE, and is impossible to avoid on youtube in ireland

[Toro Toro]

Modern rugby

Connacht.

[Borracho]

Modern rugby

Very interesting interview with former France prop Laurent Benezech on why contemporary rugby players are massive compared to yesteryear (a clue: it's not because they're eating better food).

http://www.independent.ie/sport/rugby/international-rugby/paul-kimmage-rugby-has-to-face-up-to-its-growing-pains-30766512.html

I'm sure it's all grand though. Rugby players wouldn't stuff themselves with drugs.

[Toro Toro]

Modern rugby

I'm sure professionalism has nothing to do with it.

Poor Paul Kimmage.

[Cesar Rodriguez]

Modern rugby

The Awesome Berbaslug!!! wrote: Every st patrick's day three major competitions reach their conclusion. You have the two GAA all Ireland club competitions, which are the culmination of a season's competition involving clubs in every parish in Ireland. they receive about half a page coverage each.

Understandable, I just looked up some GAA action on youtube and its underwhelming stuff to be honest.

Rugby requires much more skill, speed, power and athleticism and puts Ireland on the global stage.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Modern rugby

I think that the people of australia, and new zealand already know where Ireland is.

[N est à?]

Modern rugby

Rugby is surely of zero importance to Ireland's image in the rest of the world. It didn't even make it into Alan Partridge's litany.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Modern rugby

most of the world don't know what rugby is

[Flynnie]

Modern rugby

Toro Toro wrote: I'm sure professionalism has nothing to do with it.

Poor Paul Kimmage.

Rugby's been professional for almost 20 years, and the Southern Hemisphere sides have been effectively professional for longer than that. I'm with the haters, the size of rugby players is concerning.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Modern rugby

it's reaching a point where I'd sooner play a game against the cubical cows and conical hogs of modern rugby, than read another fucking paul kimmage article.

[ursus arctos]

Modern rugby

Agree with Flynnie on the doping question.

most of the world don't know what rugby is

This is a valid argument if you are comparing union with football, but is pretty silly if one is comparing it to GAA.

[Borracho]

Modern rugby

I do like the idea that rugby is a crucial factor in raising Ireland's profile around the rest of the world. That's a good one.

[Borracho]

Modern rugby

Flynnie wrote:

I'm sure professionalism has nothing to do with it.

Poor Paul Kimmage.

Rugby's been professional for almost 20 years, and the Southern Hemisphere sides have been effectively professional for longer than that. I'm with the haters, the size of rugby players is concerning.

Sky Sports News ran a five-minute item about doping in rugby a couple of weeks ago. They interviewed the son of Craig Chalmers. He had been done for taking anabolic steroids.

At the end of the item, they flashed up a graphic. It gave the average weight of the England pack in 1993, then the average weight of the pack of Clive Woodward's World-Cup-winning side in 2003, then the weight of the current England pack. I can't remember the precise figures but the current lot were something like two and a half stone heavier than the 2003 players, and almost four stone heavier than their 1993 equivalents.

[Cesar Rodriguez]

Modern rugby

Nesta Arantes do Nascimento wrote: Rugby is surely of zero importance to Ireland's image in the rest of the world. It didn't even make it into Alan Partridge's litany.

No-ones arguing that Rugby is a key part of Ireland's identity. It does however provide Ireland a viable chance of sporting success on the world and European stage that neither football nor GAA does.

[ursus arctos]

Modern rugby

I do like the idea that rugby is a crucial factor in raising Ireland's profile around the rest of the world. That's a good one.

This is actually true in certain circles.

My favourite anecdote along these lines is that Anglo Irish Bank, the most toxic of the several toxic Irish financial institutions that paupered the Irish people, sought to boost their profile over here at the height of their excess by prominently sponsoring the shirts of the Harvard Business School rugby team.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Modern rugby

CR, I think you are overestimating how many people around the world are interested in rugby by a factor of 100s. most of the world is unaware that it exists.