Has Derek Hegarty made it home from Japan yet?
That’s a great win
Anyone get to any interesting games this weekend? I was the the Crescent Barnhall match yesterday. Horrible conditions. Barnhall looked very powerful up front and bullied crescent. Not sure if they are that impressive, saw crescent get walked all over up front by Cashel too in the senior cup. Same Cashel pack gave the cookies a good game up front for 65 minutes a week later.
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I went along to a game involving one of Irelands most famous clubs yesterday. Less than 100 people watching it despite it being played in perfect weather, and no player on the pitch from that club over the age of 26 because all the older lads pack it in at a very early age. It’s a scandal what’s been allowed to happen to grassroots rugby, il never understand why there is not more anger about it.
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IMO all rugby supporters followed the provinces in the early years of the European cup and got pissed off when the corporate and bandwagon pushed them out. They never came back to the club game either. I’d be surprised if more than 15% of people at pro 14 games regularly turn up at club games.
As for the age profile it’s a big commitment especially with work and family life starting to hit in late 20s.
IRFU and provinces (Munster in particular in my own experience) couldn’t give a shit about the AIL in the last 15 years. 1A is a serious standard.
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A couple of the away supporters we got talking to at the game yesterday were keen to let us know they didn’t know who Munster were playing later in the day. Had I been a bit more mischievous I’d have asked them how delighted they were at the greatest ever Lion from their club captaining his country recently. Its a real shame though, the standard is decent and most clubs try to play some good stuff, the majority of games would be far more entertaining than watching Munster beating some Italian rabble by 40 points.
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So much more history too. Love talking with the auld lads around. They can tell you about a match between two clubs 30 years ago in great detail. A man and his dog would tell you about Munster Leinster in the 80s.
In fact that famous game game in '78 where NZ lost wasnt even a sell out. My mother and her aunt bought tickets at the gate.
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Young Munster vs Shannon 94 or 95
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Surely it would have been cash at the stiles
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the last game of rugby i attended was a celtic league game in musgrave park in september 2002 when munster beat swansea - Arwell Thomas was kicking goals for Swansea
Up until then i has attended muliple AIL and MSC games notably Ballymena’s defeat of Cork Constitution in Feburary 1992 that saw Derek Macaleese give a flawless display with the boot resulting him in been called up for Ireland’s game against France ( i think Bryn Cunningham cc @Sidney was on the wing for the Rifle Park side) and in 91 or 92 i was also in Dooradoyle the day Garrryowen beat Con to win the league i actually think that was the day Michael Thomas scored for wrexham to beat Arsenal in the FA Cup 4th round - but that would have been 92 and so maybe im a little mixed up here
I was a regular wather of SWALEC cups highlights shows and also Rugby after dark that was a wonderful post mortem of all things 5 nations on a Sunday evening - it was box office with Mick Doyle on and Edmund Van Esbeck.
I actually do still enjoy the 5 nations and the tradition around it - who will forget Paul Dean’s performance against scotland in january 88 and the games in november… what i despise is provincal rugby in this country post 2004 - the Munster brand is disgusting in every way - its everything rugby in munster that i grew up with is not - look you have con and that merchant class carry on and that is fine , old money etc-i can respect that but the wanker that follows the munster side in this country post 2004 is a horrible breed - i want nothing to do with it tbh - it is without tradition or class …
what the RWC has done tho and always does is reawaken my love for the game - Samoa, Fiji and the springboks are what the game is about and do you know something i can see myself going over to Navan RFC someday to see them play City of Armagh or Ballynahinch
the provincal game tho …not a chance
@Heyyoubehindthebushes
thats a great post from you btw
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the killing fields?
Great post mickee but a point of order, you have the wrong Ulster club playing at Rifle Park there
Banbridge ?
Correct
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Navan are good stock from what I heard. Solid foundations at underage and 20s have shot them up the divisions with a Limerick influence ex Young Munster players coaching, Brian Haugh and Declan Bannon also played over last few years and ex Garryowen James Mcenerny.
This provenices claiming to be clubs has really rubbed me up the last few years. They dictate how the grassroots is run and dont listen. I’ve been on courses run by them on how to coach the game. Fellas doing it haven’t a notion on how to play. Refs arent given enough support or knowledge particularly the guys who never played the game. It’s hard enough for those guys to go out and ref a junior match with fellas who know how to get away with stuff
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Non other bar all refurbished this year and all
we watched the first half of the world cup final yesterday and the oldest lad was really into it - it was a tradition of ours that last few weeks to watch a bit before heading off to the GAA at ten for training…i honestly was going to take him over to the Navan game yesterday before the heavens opened and having gotten soaked in Trim on friday i didnt think she’d be best pleased…
Navan are away in Dublin in Donnybrook on Saturday if you fancy a spin to the big smoke. At least theres a stand. Highfield on the 16th would be tasty. Hard to see a team stop them
I’m pretty sure Cork Con beat Garryowen narrowly at Dooradoyle in the final regular season game of the 90/91 season to win the inaugural title - it was a title decider as they were the top two and just happened to play each other on the final day
Big crowd at it if I remember rightly, they were hanging from the rafters, as was said about another long since departed Irish sporting epoch of a similar era
I think Garryowen won the 91/92 league fairly easily then in '93 there was the St. Mary’s-Young Munster decider which was moved to Lansdowne Road