Just a good luck message really to both the Leinster and Munster teams in their respective semi-finals.

I'll be roaring both teams on in their attempts to win the Heneken Cup and the Challenge Cup (hopefully pushing Connacht into the Heineken next year if one or both of them win their respective trophies).

Munster and Leinster are both in great form at the moment and home advantage should hopefully see both teams through to Cardiff at the end of May.

Best of luck to both teams.

tribeinbrum (Galway) - Posts: 4155 - 28/04/2011 16:49:25    919963

I agree tribeinbrum, its important for Irish rugby that the provinces continue to do well in the European competitions and its great to see Munster not letting up despite being relegated to the lesser competition.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 28/04/2011 21:18:11    920176

To be fair it's a bit of a nothing competition Munster are in. Best of luck to Leinster, it will be very tough but they're favourites for a reason and should go through. Can't wait, nothing comes close to a big Rugby game

pplocal (Tyrone) - Posts: 5878 - 28/04/2011 21:57:40    920251

What about Aston Villa in a Cup Final? Ireland in the World Cup or Euros? Tyrone in the All-Ireland? Nonsense Pomeroy, rugger hugger nonsense.

Seamus89 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 3848 - 29/04/2011 10:42:18    920317

Outside Gaelic of course. I'd prefer to see Ireland win the Rugby World Cup than Villa win the Champions League or Ireland the World Cup

pplocal (Tyrone) - Posts: 5878 - 29/04/2011 11:19:58    920346

Outside Gaelic of course. I'd prefer to see Ireland win the Rugby World Cup than Villa win the Champions League or Ireland the World Cup

I can understand the Villa thing, as you don't really support them, just like I don't really support Inter. Their just the teams we like, it's not the sort of passionate connection a fan has with his one true love, in my case Ireland, in your case Tyrone, I'd imagine.

But you'd rather see Ireland win the Rugby World Cup, against what, 8 other countries who play competitively? Rather than seeing them win in the greatest tournament on Earth, THE World Cup? Crazy stuff. At the moment, Ireland are one of the top 5 teams in the world in rugby, and they're top 35 in soccer. But that's the thing, the Irish public don't really care about rugby, there will never be the Italia 90 style passion for a load of snobs like Brian O'Driscoll. Never.

Come on the Boys in Green!

Seamus89 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 3848 - 29/04/2011 13:18:42    920441

If it was only one other team I'd still support them, I just prefer Rugby to football. Always have, probably always will

pplocal (Tyrone) - Posts: 5878 - 29/04/2011 17:20:55    920628

Seamus89
Rather than seeing them win in the greatest tournament on Earth, THE World Cup? Crazy stuff. At the moment, Ireland are one of the top 5 teams in the world in rugby, and they're top 35 in soccer. But that's the thing, the Irish public don't really care about rugby, there will never be the Italia 90 style passion for a load of snobs like Brian O'Driscoll. Never.

__________


Seamus, who are you to tell anyone what they should or shouldn't do or think? Either Pomeroy or the country for that matter. You are the only person that comes across as a snob.

For my part, I completely agree with Pomeroy - I would far rather see Ireland win the world cup in rugby than soccer, as I prefer the game, have a Connacht season ticket, and like going to see snobs like O'Driscoll play rather than diving cheating overpaid bad losers who have no respect for referees. But thats just me. You are of course entitled to prefer the other, but don't foist your own opinions on others.

abhainn (Galway) - Posts: 1000 - 30/04/2011 11:02:10    920878

Seamus89
County: Kilkenny
Posts: 1460

920441
Outside Gaelic of course. I'd prefer to see Ireland win the Rugby World Cup than Villa win the Champions League or Ireland the World Cup

I can understand the Villa thing, as you don't really support them, just like I don't really support Inter. Their just the teams we like, it's not the sort of passionate connection a fan has with his one true love, in my case Ireland, in your case Tyrone, I'd imagine.

But you'd rather see Ireland win the Rugby World Cup, against what, 8 other countries who play competitively? Rather than seeing them win in the greatest tournament on Earth, THE World Cup? Crazy stuff. At the moment, Ireland are one of the top 5 teams in the world in rugby, and they're top 35 in soccer. But that's the thing, the Irish public don't really care about rugby, there will never be the Italia 90 style passion for a load of snobs like Brian O'Driscoll. Never.

Come on the Boys in Green


Ah Seamus... Have you been living under a rock? Rugby has got huge. The majority of Irish sports fans I would venture, have a closer association with "snobs" like Brian O Driscoll who ply their trade in Ireland than the overpaid soccer players who make millions turning out for mediocre Premiership teams in England. The attendances at Irish rugby and soccer internationals tell the whole story. I don't think the soccer team have even sold out the new Landsdowne Road yet. Leinster, never mind Ireland have managed that feat at least twice including for a League match v Munster.

As for your idea that rugby is a snobs game, that may be so in England and Scotland and parts of Ireland, but in much of Ireland, Wales, the south of France and New Zealand I think it's mostly false. You go to college in Limerick. Ever been out to see Thomond or Shannon or Young Munster?

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 30/04/2011 11:27:51    920893

Roundball

How come the interest in rugby declined so dramatically around September 2007, before recovering dramatically around April 2009? Bandwagoners, that's all they are. There is a genuine hardcore soccer support out there, and there is a hardcore hurling and football support. I don't think there's any hardcore rugby support, outside of the posh areas of South Dublin.

Went to one Munster game in 2009, a few mates were going, I said if I was going to spend 4 years in Limerick I should see Thomond at least once. I was actually quite impressed by the support, but then I looked at the figures for attendance in the past. They were pathetic, up until the team became very good. And since they reached their peak, attendance has already fallen quite sharply.

I remember your friend Alan Kelly, sorry, Minister Kelly, talking about how he was always a Munster fanatic. You were in your **** Alan. Hardly anyone in Munster followed the team before 1999 or so. They'd fill Thomond every time the All Blacks showed up, and that was about it.

Seamus89 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 3848 - 30/04/2011 11:54:46    920901

Seamus 89,

More rubbish. Where are the millions supporting soccer games? You say the only place there is rugby support is in south dublin, but why is it that nearly all the premier league of ireland clubs are from dublin? I have nothing against soccer in Ireland, but it does not have the support rugby has, its as simple as that. More people are going to see Leinster today than have seen Ireland play in most of their last dozen home internationals.
And talking of people supporting Munster when they are winning? What a joke! Who knew, more people would support a winning team? I assume you're not applying the same argument to cavan and dublin people tomorrow? Munster attendances remain good enough to pay off a newly built stadium, something soccer cannot manage due to small attendances both on the television and on the terraces.

abhainn (Galway) - Posts: 1000 - 30/04/2011 12:19:00    920915

Seamus89
County: Kilkenny
Posts: 1461

920901
Roundball

How come the interest in rugby declined so dramatically around September 2007, before recovering dramatically around April 2009? Bandwagoners, that's all they are. There is a genuine hardcore soccer support out there, and there is a hardcore hurling and football support. I don't think there's any hardcore rugby support, outside of the posh areas of South Dublin.

Went to one Munster game in 2009, a few mates were going, I said if I was going to spend 4 years in Limerick I should see Thomond at least once. I was actually quite impressed by the support, but then I looked at the figures for attendance in the past. They were pathetic, up until the team became very good. And since they reached their peak, attendance has already fallen quite sharply.

I remember your friend Alan Kelly, sorry, Minister Kelly, talking about how he was always a Munster fanatic. You were in your **** Alan. Hardly anyone in Munster followed the team before 1999 or so. They'd fill Thomond every time the All Blacks showed up, and that was about it.
______________________________
How come the interest in Irish football only peaked around 1988/90, 1994 and 2002, certainly before Ireland qualified for Euro 88 there was only a hard core of supporters who would go to watch them. I have never been to an Ireland since the days of Eoin Hand, I disliked Charlton, his style of football, his management, his bloody annoying voice, and never quite hitched up to that particular band wagon I'm pleased to say.

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 30/04/2011 12:25:27    920918

abhainn
County: Galway
Posts: 730


Shamrock Rovers- South Dublin- Hardly D4 territory
Bohemians- North Dublin
St Pats- On the Border Inchicore again hardly D4 territory
Shelbourne- North Side
UCD- Not really a team they get about 10 supporters

So Dublin have five teams in the league of Ireland out of twenty and the majority are in working class areas.

paddyogall (Mayo) - Posts: 5110 - 30/04/2011 12:30:57    920923

As an Ulsterman I will be standing up for Leinster this week end come on !!!!!

fortyfive (Tyrone) - Posts: 5929 - 30/04/2011 13:52:41    920959

Seamus

Look I'm not a huge rugby supporter but I do enjoy the sport and will shout for the provinces and Ireland. The fact is we don't get a huge amount of success in this country (we're a small nation and punch above our weight to be fair) and our rugby teams over the last decade have consistently been among the best in Europe. When our soccer team go well it's obviously popular but where rugby wins over soccer is that our best rugby players play in Ireland play in Ireland, if you have the money you can go see O Gara or O Driscoll every other week the same can't be said of Robbie Keane. Also rugby clubs are springing up all over rural Munster, it's now very definitely the second game behind GAA.

As for rugby in Limerick, Munster is only a recent phenomenon yes, but club rugby isn't. Until the invention of "the Heino" the provinces were only used as trials for the international side. Club rugby in Limerick has a long history and they loved nothing more than beating the doctors and lawyers from Dublin and Cork.

As for Alan Kelly. I don't know much about his love of rugby. I think he was at a Heineken Cup final and had his Euro campaign endorsed by Peter Clohessy. He has much stronger links with Tipp hurling.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 30/04/2011 14:19:28    920978

Firstly, I'd like to see the figures for the numbers of football clubs in the country, versus the number of rugby clubs in the country. I think the football clubs would be much more common, in Kilkenny, they certainly are.

Secondly, Kelly had a Euro campaign that basically consisted of sporting endorsements, with no real focus on policies at all. His website had all sorts of sections for his love of sport, Tipp GAA, Munster Rugby, Cork City FC...I despise the politicians who insist on talking about their pastimes like that.

Seamus89 (Kilkenny) - Posts: 3848 - 30/04/2011 14:37:42    920990

Kelly's record in Europe was excellent. His campaign might have had the odd gimmick but he delivered when he was out there.

You could well be right about the number of soccer clubs v rugby clubs but the tide is turning and rugby is making big in roads in places it didn't even exist before.

roundball (Tipperary) - Posts: 2514 - 30/04/2011 15:29:20    921020

Leinster rugby D4 types and wannabe D4 types are the most annoying "Yeah Rooooiiiiight" crowd about. Hope they get stuffed and it looks like they will be.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9819 - 30/04/2011 15:39:42    921024

30/04/2011 15:39:42
Ulsterman
County: Antrim
Posts: 3458

921024
Leinster rugby D4 types and wannabe D4 types are the most annoying "Yeah Rooooiiiiight" crowd about. Hope they get stuffed and it looks like they will be.

Why the begrudgery chief?

JuanPeron (Westmeath) - Posts: 177 - 30/04/2011 15:57:59    921041

Sat in a bar in Wicklow a while back watching Leinster and Munster and the plastic Leinster Rugby types were just annoying and full of shite. They were bandwagon jumpers and pretended they knew everything about rugby when in effect they knew **** all. It was "BOD this and BOD that", "yeah roiiiight", "cop on ref....blah de blah"; as stereotypical as you could get about Leinster 'fans'. Eventually I asked some of them who their local clubs were, did they follow them and most of them hadn't a clue. Then there's the most over rated rugby player EVER and all the nonsense that surrounds him, O'Driscoll. He's made a career out of 3 tries against France 10 years ago. That's why I don't like Leinster.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9819 - 30/04/2011 16:19:49    921053