National Forum

Non-Gaa Forum

(Oldest Posts First) - Go To The Latest Post


Replying To Saynothing:  "What other name have you for it other than a friendly?"
Maybe you should play a game see how friendly you find it?

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17535 - 16/11/2025 18:54:56    2644819

Link

Replying To GreenandRed:  "What part of it isn't true?"
That we don't grow plenty of good rugby players

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17535 - 16/11/2025 18:56:25    2644821

Link

Replying To Bon:  "Well it is a British sport after all."
It's worth remembering that our home grown players develop and play that game at home and across the world.
They earn more than a decent living bringing home huge salaries. Good luck to them.

supersub15 (Carlow) - Posts: 3308 - 16/11/2025 20:52:22    2644862

Link

Replying To KillingFields:  "why wouldnt you?
would be fantastic to have 2 teams from this island in the tournament. wierd to be so down on them"
Not wierd at all imo.

Pope_Benedict (Galway) - Posts: 4468 - 16/11/2025 21:11:26    2644871

Link

Replying To Viking66:  "Maybe you should play a game see how friendly you find it?"
Same could be said for any contact sport Viking.
How Rugby supporters can get such a horn over friendly games is beyond me. Its just game time for players which is important but no different than a friendly game in any other sport in which results are taken with a piece of salt. You need to beat the top teams when it actually matters as we found out in the world cup.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2587 - 16/11/2025 21:32:20    2644880

Link

I hate what was done to the Irish by the Brits all throughout history as much as anyone but I'm able to separate that from sports or music or film, etc. I can enjoy Rugby, Soccer, Tennis, Golf, a Beatles or Stones song, etc. Many here can't seem to grasp that separation.

SouthGalway (Galway) - Posts: 101 - 16/11/2025 22:37:18    2644897

Link

Replying To Bon:  "Same could be said for any contact sport Viking.
How Rugby supporters can get such a horn over friendly games is beyond me. Its just game time for players which is important but no different than a friendly game in any other sport in which results are taken with a piece of salt. You need to beat the top teams when it actually matters as we found out in the world cup."
Exactly. Dublin beat Tipp in challenge last January.

So we're better than All Ireland champions?

I think not.

BarneyGrant (Dublin) - Posts: 3816 - 17/11/2025 00:00:00    2644908

Link

Replying To Viking66:  "That we don't grow plenty of good rugby players"
The three Kiwis are backs. We grow plenty of plenty of Gaelic Footballers and hurlers of the athletic profile of backs. The IRFU have made plenty of good good moves, many since professionalism. But blocking paths to international team isn't one one of them. Not so long since non-provincial players wouldn't be considered for Ireland. Now they'll take players from anywhere. But never progressed beyond a World Cup 8 standard. A flawed plan.

GreenandRed (Mayo) - Posts: 8356 - 17/11/2025 00:41:39    2644913

Link

Replying To Bon:  "Same could be said for any contact sport Viking.
How Rugby supporters can get such a horn over friendly games is beyond me. Its just game time for players which is important but no different than a friendly game in any other sport in which results are taken with a piece of salt. You need to beat the top teams when it actually matters as we found out in the world cup."
Since you have never been involved in the sport, its no great surprise that you don't understand it. Its the same for any sport, players and supporters of that sport will always find reason to be more passionate about it than those looking on from the outside. However what object to is people making lazy comparisons to their own sport in a way to try and belittle the other sport.
Ask yourself a question - where was the last friendly game that Kildare had played? I guarantee you they didn't trave to Australia to play it. The world cup comes around once ever four years, A lot of sports you could argue ar the same in the Olympics would be seen as the top of the game, however do they stop trying to be the best they can be for the other 3years ? Everytime they go out they want to prove they are the best and be the best, that just doesn't happen in a world cup. SA are the best in the world not because they won a world cup but because of their consistency against all major teams.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 2119 - 17/11/2025 07:02:11    2644918

Link

Replying To Bon:  "Same could be said for any contact sport Viking.
How Rugby supporters can get such a horn over friendly games is beyond me. Its just game time for players which is important but no different than a friendly game in any other sport in which results are taken with a piece of salt. You need to beat the top teams when it actually matters as we found out in the world cup."
The World Cup would be nice to win, but at the end of the day its like an All Ireland Final. These friendly games as you put them determine whether you go to a world cup or not. And what your chances in a world cup as regards seeding might be.
Beating top teams any time is nice. Same as in Football or Hurling. If we beat any team in a League semifinal or Final Id be delighted for example, though I know at the same time its only the League. Im always delighted if we beat Kilkenny or Galway in a Round Robin hurling game also, and I would be delighted if we ever beat Dublin again in one too!!! Id be delighted if we won Leinster, though thats only like being delighted to win the 6 nations, which I always am also seeing as we have won way less 6 nations than Wexford have won Leinsters, but like Leinster the top teams from elsewhere arent in it. Likewise I'm sure Cavan supporters were delighted with their win in Mayo, and their recent Ulster Championship wins also, even though they were pretty much only friendly games also, insofar as noone was knocked out after them.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17535 - 17/11/2025 07:24:33    2644920

Link

Replying To Lockjaw:  "That was unbelievable!

Still a lot of work to do, but fair play to those lads. They've restored a lot of pride in the Irish shirt.

Roll on March!!"
Was exciting and good luck to them but you'd think they'd won the World Cup the way some are going so mad about it.

Seanfan (Roscommon) - Posts: 222 - 17/11/2025 08:37:57    2644929

Link

Replying To BarneyGrant:  "Exactly. Dublin beat Tipp in challenge last January.

So we're better than All Ireland champions?

I think not."
Only the most deluded of types could read into that.
Its like beating New Zealand in a friendly then getting schooled by them in a World Cup.

Bon (Kildare) - Posts: 2587 - 17/11/2025 09:42:33    2644933

Link

Replying To BarneyGrant:  "Exactly. Dublin beat Tipp in challenge last January.

So we're better than All Ireland champions?

I think not."
Who played in that game Barney? And was Liam McCarthy qualification or seeding affected by it? Big difference between challenge games and games which decide if you qualify for the World Cup at all, and what seed you are in the draw.

Viking66 (Wexford) - Posts: 17535 - 17/11/2025 09:48:39    2644936

Link

Replying To SouthGalway:  "I hate what was done to the Irish by the Brits all throughout history as much as anyone but I'm able to separate that from sports or music or film, etc. I can enjoy Rugby, Soccer, Tennis, Golf, a Beatles or Stones song, etc. Many here can't seem to grasp that separation."
ABE and the North teams.

Saynothing (Tyrone) - Posts: 2473 - 17/11/2025 09:59:52    2644942

Link