O'Driscoll got to the top of Carrantuohill whereas Hunt got half way up Everest.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 02/12/2014 09:16:41    1675890

THhs sounds like a Compromise rules game between the Soccer pros and GAA amateurs again.
I'd have money on GAA boys kicking the soccer guys backsides. I reckon all it would take is for them to add a shoulder tackle into the game of soccer and the GAA boys would win. Could ya imagine the amount of stoppages though every time the soccer lads hit the ground after a tackle.
There would be 90 minutes of extra time to be played at the end of the game.

Nick (Wexford) - Posts: 1100 - 02/12/2014 09:39:26    1675897

MesAmis you are correct when you talk about the denigration of our soccer players in this country but your references to O Driscoll are making a fool of you.

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 02/12/2014 11:53:38    1675929

Auld Hunt really hit the heights of the professional game though didnt he.......pause.......NOT!

hawkeye82 (Kerry) - Posts: 202 - 02/12/2014 12:17:25    1675934

Greengrass
County: Louth
Posts: 3373

1675929
MesAmis you are correct when you talk about the denigration of our soccer players in this country but your references to O Driscoll are making a fool of you.

Why?

O'Driscoll reached the top of a sport that is played seriously in Ireland but as a minority sport. The same for the UK, played seriously but plays second fiddle in a big way.

In France it is strong but again behind football by a distance. It is barely played in Italy and that is almost it in a serious way in Europe. It is not in anyway strong in Asia or Africa with the exception of one ethnic elite group in one country. But again in SA it is a minority sport. Again in Australia, a long way behind a number of other sports. Only in NZ is it the main sport. In the Americas then it has some popularity in Argentina and that's it.

That's the rugby world, O'Driscoll got to the top of it and fair play to him but compare the sheer depth of talent that the likes of Hunt had to beat to get to where he's got and I don't think my comparison is that off the wall.

Context is everything and O'Driscoll's achievements are brilliant, fair play to him, but they should be seen in the context of the fairly shallow depth of talent in a worldwide sense that he competed against.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 02/12/2014 12:36:37    1675937

01/12/2014 21:24:19 mike03
Ormy rugby is a minority sport however you look at it. Every world cup has had the same 9 teams make up the 1/4 finalists.
There are 4 teams in the Southern Hemisphere and 6 in the Northern Hemisphere. That is 10. Less than a dozen. And of those 10 it is the main sport in only 3 of those countries. Does that explain it a bit better? Go back to school. Cop on with the name calling.
And what world are you living in where 9 teams can make the quarter finals of a competition.
How is their only 4 teams in the Southern Hemisphere and 6 in the North? Name them as you are bound to miss out on several very strong rugby nations.
01/12/2014 21:36:25 Greengrass
To play at the top of any sport requires huge dedication and ability. I would never disparage Stephen Hunt or his achievements. To play at the top level as he has done is a tremendous achievement. However when it comes to sporting excellence he is not in the same league as Brian O Driscoll, Colin Cooper or Henry Shefflin. of course he isn't but if you are a bitter anti rugby supporter he is
02/12/2014 09:16:41 MesAmis
O'Driscoll got to the top of Carrantuohill whereas Hunt got half way up Everest. If same argument was made in an Irish context Shefflin isn't nothing on Colm Cooper. Now see how ridiculous your argument is
02/12/2014 11:53:38 Greengrass
MesAmis you are correct when you talk about the denigration of our soccer players in this country but your references to O Driscoll are making a fool of you. +1
02/12/2014 12:36:37 MesAmis
Why? O'Driscoll reached the top of a sport that is played seriously in Ireland but as a minority sport. The same for the UK, played seriously but plays second fiddle in a big way.
In France it is strong but again behind football by a distance. It is barely played in Italy and that is almost it in a serious way in Europe. It is not in anyway strong in Asia or Africa with the exception of one ethnic elite group in one country. But again in SA it is a minority sport. Again in Australia, a long way behind a number of other sports. Only in NZ is it the main sport. In the Americas then it has some popularity in Argentina and that's it.
That's the rugby world, O'Driscoll got to the top of it and fair play to him but compare the sheer depth of talent that the likes of Hunt had to beat to get to where he's got and I don't think my comparison is that off the wall.
Context is everything and O'Driscoll's achievements are brilliant, fair play to him, but they should be seen in the context of the fairly shallow depth of talent in a worldwide sense that he competed against.Rugby isn't behind Soccer in a big way in France. Go to South of France and its all rugby. Parts of Northern France are the same
Your ignorance about Italian Rugby is laughable. How is the sport barely played there?
Your ignorance of rugby in eastern Europe like Romania, Georgia, Russia again is laughable.
In South Africa Rugby is far from being a minority sport. You don't know much about South Africa if you think that. Then there is Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar all just a few with very strong rugby traditions
Japan has a huge following in rugby. Hong Kong, parts of China.
In America's Uruguay have a strong rugby history.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 02/12/2014 13:06:35    1675948

.Ormond

Rugby isn't behind Soccer in a big way in France. Go to South of France and its all rugby. Parts of Northern France are the same
Your ignorance about Italian Rugby is laughable. How is the sport barely played there?
Your ignorance of rugby in eastern Europe like Romania, Georgia, Russia again is laughable.
In South Africa Rugby is far from being a minority sport. You don't know much about South Africa if you think that. Then there is Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar all just a few with very strong rugby traditions
Japan has a huge following in rugby. Hong Kong, parts of China.
In America's Uruguay have a strong rugby history.

Having lived in France for a couple of years it was defo my experience that rugby is behind football in terms of player numbers, support etc. Pick up L'Equipe and there is some rugby coverage but it is football dominated. Some of the southern newspapers may be batter for rugby but still cover football massively.

Again in Italy, rugby is a long way behind football in terms of player numbers and support.

Rugby is nowhere near being played at a high level in any other European nation. I am ignorant about the specifics of rugby in Russia and Romania - and I'm not alone in that, the majority of Russians and Romanians are fairly ignorant about rugby in their countries. Georgia I hear are big into their rugby but also have a strong tradition in other sports.

Rugby is a minority sport in SA - football again outstrips it easily enough. Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar in none of these countries are rugby player numbers or support that big in comparison to other sports.

Uruguay is another example of a country where rugby is not the main sport and is a minority pursuit.

Japan and China are again other examples of countries in which rugby is not the main sport.

You said that I'm ignorant of other countries but judging from your musings above you might want to take a look at those nations without your rugby tinted glasses on. In none of the countries you mentioned is rugby the number sport, even you must realise that.

I never said that rugby isn't played in other countries, just that it is a minority sport in almost all countries it is played in with the exception of NZ and a couple of Pacific Island nations.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 02/12/2014 14:54:20    1675990

So again Ormond

Rugby isn't the main sport in a single one of the countries you mentioned, and in some of them it is a long back.

Some laughable knowledge from you if you think that rugby is a patch on football in terms of depth of players and supporters in a worldwide sense.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 02/12/2014 14:56:55    1675991

Ormond
Rugby isn't behind Soccer in a big way in France. Go to South of France and its all rugby. Parts of Northern France are the same
Your ignorance about Italian Rugby is laughable. How is the sport barely played there?
Your ignorance of rugby in eastern Europe like Romania, Georgia, Russia again is laughable.
In South Africa Rugby is far from being a minority sport. You don't know much about South Africa if you think that. Then there is Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar all just a few with very strong rugby traditions
Japan has a huge following in rugby. Hong Kong, parts of China.
In America's Uruguay have a strong rugby history.
02/12/2014 14:54:20 MesAmis
Having lived in France for a couple of years it was defo my experience that rugby is behind football in terms of player numbers, support etc. Pick up L'Equipe and there is some rugby coverage but it is football dominated. Some of the southern newspapers may be batter for rugby but still cover football massively.
Again in Italy, rugby is a long way behind football in terms of player numbers and support.
Rugby is nowhere near being played at a high level in any other European nation. I am ignorant about the specifics of rugby in Russia and Romania - and I'm not alone in that, the majority of Russians and Romanians are fairly ignorant about rugby in their countries. Georgia I hear are big into their rugby but also have a strong tradition in other sports.
Rugby is a minority sport in SA - football again outstrips it easily enough. Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar in none of these countries are rugby player numbers or support that big in comparison to other sports.
Uruguay is another example of a country where rugby is not the main sport and is a minority pursuit.
Japan and China are again other examples of countries in which rugby is not the main sport.
You said that I'm ignorant of other countries but judging from your musings above you might want to take a look at those nations without your rugby tinted glasses on. In none of the countries you mentioned is rugby the number sport, even you must realise that.
I never said that rugby isn't played in other countries, just that it is a minority sport in almost all countries it is played in with the exception of NZ and a couple of Pacific Island nations.Your are still showing a large amount of ignorance on the popularity of rugby
All sports are well behind Soccer in terms of popularity, crowds and comparing them is useless but you are very ignorantly dismissing rugby with no real idea of the popularity of the sport.
You even admit you have no knowledge on some areas so stop spoofing. Rugby is very big in Romania, Georgia, Russia.
Rugby is a very very popular sport in South Africa and is nowhere near a minority sport. The 600'000+ players and huge numbers of supporters would say otherwise
You need to read up on your rugby history as rugby is very popular in Kenya. Their 7s side has been extremely successful. It is a core side in the world 7s series. something quite a few countries with strong 15 a side teams are not.
Romania had one of the strongest sides in Europe in the 80s but issues around fall of communism affected the sport and they're only really turning things around recently. The first ever European rugby game in 1995 took place in Romania.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 02/12/2014 15:44:16    1676014

02/12/2014 14:56:55
MesAmis
So again Ormond
Rugby isn't the main sport in a single one of the countries you mentioned, and in some of them it is a long back.
Some laughable knowledge from you if you think that rugby is a patch on football in terms of depth of players and supporters in a worldwide sense. Where did I state that rugby was anywhere near soccer? No sport is. It would be like saying hurling is the same as gaelic in terms of Ireland when it isn't a patch on gaelic in terms of depth of players and supporters in a nationwide sense but if people started posting like that you and others would rightfully get pissy with whoever posted that
I'll say it again your ignorance on rugby is laughable

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 02/12/2014 15:44:38    1676015

ormondbannerman
County: Clare
Posts: 8855


All sports are well behind Soccer in terms of popularity, crowds and comparing them is useless but you are very ignorantly dismissing rugby with no real idea of the popularity of the sport.

Finally.

My entire point is that no other sport can compare to soccer in terms how hard it is to make it.

The rest are in the minority in most countries, rugby included.

All I've said is that rugby is a minority sport in all the countries that you mentioned. By minority sport I mean that rugby is not the number one sport in those countries. You've accused me of been ignorant about rugby because I have said that it is not the largest sport in all the countries you mentioned. I'm right it isn't, rugby is in the minority in those nations. You know it as well as I do so I've no idea why you're trying to argue otherwise.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 02/12/2014 17:56:44    1676063

I agree with Mesamis.

cuederocket (Dublin) - Posts: 5084 - 02/12/2014 18:11:56    1676071

Ormond.

Your ignorance about Italian Rugby is laughable. How is the sport barely played there?

Why don't you enlighten us then. Wikiepedia says they have 79,487 players. Compare that to other figures for these sports:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Italy

Tell us why MesAmis statement about rugby being a minority sport in Italy was so laughably ignorant.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 02/12/2014 18:28:31    1676080

It may be a minority sport but for O Driscoll to reach the levels of excellence he reached didn't take less dedication or ability than it took any of the worlds best soccer players to reach the levels they are at . Messi or Ronaldo may have reached higher levels of excellence than O Driscoll but none of the rest of them have . One area where O Driscoll outstrips all of today's soccer players is the levels of performance he maintained right to the end of his playing days in a sport that is infinitely more punishing and physically demanding than soccer . That is not to denigrate soccer or it's top players it's just a fact .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 02/12/2014 19:31:21    1676094

rugby is a minority sport in these countries..how is that ignorant?..soccer is much bigger in france than rugby is..sure rugby is more popular than it is in other areas but it is still way behind soccer...i suggest you go to marseille some day and think about it.....what mesamis has said is perfectly fair and reasonable...soccer by sheer numbers of players and everything else is incredibly tough to make it...context is everything...people need to stop getting upset and just look at what mesamis is saying as its perfectly reasonable what hes saying...nobody is disputing what o driscoill has achieved

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 02/12/2014 19:35:09    1676096

thats debateable on a lot of levels greengrass...soccer is hugely punishing on your legs especially....and often a lot of players rely on their pace and quick reflexes...these typically decline as one gets older...dont be straying into hyperbole just to support o driscoill..its a fair point mesamis made..and i would look at the likes of andrea pirlo before slagging off todays soccer players

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 02/12/2014 19:37:25    1676098

Greengrass
County: Louth
Posts: 3375

1676094
It may be a minority sport but for O Driscoll to reach the levels of excellence he reached didn't take less dedication or ability than it took any of the worlds best soccer players to reach the levels they are at . Messi or Ronaldo may have reached higher levels of excellence than O Driscoll but none of the rest of them have . One area where O Driscoll outstrips all of today's soccer players is the levels of performance he maintained right to the end of his playing days in a sport that is infinitely more punishing and physically demanding than soccer . That is not to denigrate soccer or it's top players it's just a fact .

I never said that O'Driscoll's rise took less dedication but just that he had to reach the top of a much shallower pool than his soccer counterparts.

MesAmis (Dublin) - Posts: 13710 - 02/12/2014 19:37:51    1676099

MesAmis your argument about playing numbers can also be turned on it's head . There are 32 teams in the Champions League playing for 16 places . There were 24 teams in The Heineken Cup playing for 8 places . Nobody could argue that the competition for places in The Champions League was anywhere near as intense as it was in The Heineken Cup. In The Champions League you have more teams but many of them are very average and the gap between them and the elite teams is huge . The elite teams have the elite players that are at the pinnacle of their sport . The same is true of rugby . The elite eight or ten teams have the elite players . It takes no less talent to get to the pinnacle of rugby than it does in soccer . What the numbers in soccer does is provide more opportunity for players who operate below the elite level .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 02/12/2014 19:42:21    1676101

Fabio they have denigrated O Driscoll . They said Stephen Hunts achievements compared to O Driscoll's . They don't .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 02/12/2014 19:45:23    1676104

Nonsense fabio . You are seriously trying to tell me that there is the same level of physical attrition in soccer as there is in rugby ? John Terry goes through the same level of physical punishment week on week out that Paul O Connell does ? Yeah right !!!' Wise up .

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 02/12/2014 19:49:04    1676108