European Cup Rugby

[gilgamboa]

@Fagan_ODowd

Last Saturday’s titanic final, which La Rochelle won by 27-26, was also overshadowed

Overshadowed

[gilgamboa]

@Fagan_ODowd

We couldn’t get a room in this place. It’s disappointing on that front, but we’ve got to accept that we’re seen as the little team, but that’s about to change

@balbec must be giving media advice to ROG

[glasagusban]

Actually Murray would likely be on in the end game for Ireland too and would have made a difference.

@LionelRitchie

I can. The french pack are ginormous and it was their pack that edged us the 6 Nations before last in Paris.

Fair enough. I think Leinster looked rattled and out of ideas by the end, Ireland currently seem to have a bit more about them.

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

Not many international teams are as well coached as La Rochelle.

You don’t see international games turn into that sort of blunt force type game we saw at the weekend.

[carryharry]

He’s taking way too many bangs on the noggin for his age. Seems to go off in as many games as Sexton at this stage?

[gilgamboa]

@cowpat

They were 2nd division at the time and there was 1 Irish bloke on the night out, think he was ex Connacht

Couple of Connacht lads played with them for a good while when they were in second div…Pete Durcan was one the other fella was McGowan…neither ever did much with Connacht as far as I can remember

Lovely place to live

[gilgamboa]

@Fagan_ODowd

Hansen is a much better player than Jimmy O’Brien in fairness.

JOB was by far the better of the Leinster wings at the weekend

[mikehunt]

A lad I know went down to some underage rugby comp and was staying in ROG’s house. They were probably u10s or u12s. He said ROG wouldn’t let him play with his computer games and that he was a cunt.

[balbec]

We’d identify with his humility and desire to work hard.

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

O Brien is an excellent player. Lacks top end pace though.

James lowe lost the plot.

[Diabhal]

The IT sector is hopping with lads abusing Leinster rubby cunts this morning.

[gilgamboa]

@BruidheanChaorthainn

Lacks top end pace though.

Dont know about that

[cowpat]

That’s gas… would have been funnier if the 10yr old actually came back home and said “he’s a cunt”.

[Cheasty]

French rugby especially the Top Quatorze seems to be absolutely booming now. The English Premiership seems to be floundering. Super Rugby is essentially no more. Leinster are a special case in the RaboCelticMagnersProURC because they have a conveyor belt system and Dublin is a large city and attractive to live in. But bar Leinster that competition is second rate.

The impression I get about French club rugby is it is tapping into a demographic very similar to that of the GAA in Ireland, or baseball in America. Essentially the same market as people who go out to watch the Tour De France. That there is a lot of focus on local and regional pride. But that it’s also a very white market. That it’s seen as a safe, family-friendly alternative to football. French club rugby supporters don’t strike me as hardcore Le Pen or Zemmour supporters but I’d guess there’s probably a good bit of soft support for them, and definitely a lot of support for Melenchon. What I’m saying is I get the impression that French club rugby is seen by a lot of white French people as a truer representation of an imagined golden era 1960s or 1970s French Republic than association football is. And that’s part of the reason it’s booming, as well as being a genuine national competition in a large, wealthy western European country.

How long before the Top Quatorze becomes to rugby what Serie A was in the late 80s/early 90s, and most of if not all of the world’s top players ply their trade there? The money seems better there, and will likely only increase. Living in France and playing rugby there is a very attractive proposition for foreign players, far more attractive than living in, say, Leicester or Northampton.

[Batigol]

@Cheasty

far more attractive than living in, say, Leicester or Northampton

I was in Northampton last week on a family matter and can confirm there is no reason for anyone to ever visit there for any reason ever

[myboyblue]

@Fagan_ODowd

@glasagusban

It’s practically the same team but somehow I don’t see the current Ireland team losing that match like Leinster did. Even without sexton. Different mindset somehow.

You would assume that if O’Mahony was in amongst that lot he would haves knocked a few heads together and engineered an exit. He would also have shithoused a reaction either out of the referee or Stade Rochelais and drawn a yellow card somewhere along the line for them. Leinster when you take out Sexton are too nice.

Van Der Flier was crying on the pitch after. Fucking crying.

[myboyblue]

@glasagusban

That human chain thing

Anyone?

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

I dunno but I’m surprised they aren’t looking at the squad players in Ireland more. Plenty have carved out good careers.

I think there’s more stringent rules now about overseas players in France. Ireland, Australian and New Zealand don’t pick over seas players for international games either which stems the flow.

[glasagusban]

@Cheasty

How long before the Top Quatorze becomes to rugby what Serie A was in the late 80s/early 90s, and most of if not all of the world’s top players ply their trade there?

Did they not introduce limits on foreign players a few years ago when it was going that way?

[Cheasty]

@BruidheanChaorthainn

I dunno but I’m surprised they aren’t looking at the squad players in Ireland more. Plenty have carved out good careers.

I think there’s more stringent rules now about overseas players in France. Ireland, Australian and New Zealand don’t pick over seas players for international games either which stems the flow.

I think Australia have some rule where if a player has a certain amount of caps they can be picked for the Cadbury Wallabies if they’re playing overseas?

If the money keeps going up in France, surely at some point the dam has to burst and the top players in the world will all go there.

Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and New Zealand are small markets, rugby union is a niche activity in Australia, Argentina and Italy. Players in South Africa all seem to want to get out to play in Europe.

The English Premiership should be the big competitor but it seems to be a financial basket case.