The original thread seems to have disappeared in the migration? Admins, sort it out. An upset in the first of the quarter finals as @Balbec beloved Gonzaga beat a well fancied Gick 19-11.
It was meant to be the second of the quarter finals but the Holy Ghost derby was postponed until Friday after an outbreak of mumps down Willamstown way.
Congrats @balbec. Decent week for you with the result in croker sunday .
Fantastic news. I feel the forum can unite around this spirited Gonzaga team.
A great victory for the little guy.
Williamstown.
Williamstown @GeoffreyBoycott
Absolutely thrilled Geoff. The Green and White are rampant these days. I’m just sad that Suds and Anthony Clare are not around to see this day. But thankfully King Joffrey is. Semper et Ubique Fidelis!!!
Suds would have been thrilled. Mind you a terrific way for another Gonzaga Attorney General, Senator Michael McDowell S.C. to end his working day. Arriving back into the Law Library for a towelling down after a hard day down in the Four Courts defending media freedom in the Dinny O’Brien v Sunday Business Post case to be greeted by that great news.
Perhaps Paul Durcan can write a poem about the cup run?
The Cork schools love their flares.
Fining schools for their pupils wearing baggy trousers seems a bit harsh.
It’s not in the IRFU’s brief to be literal fashion police.
Has Tim O’Connor anything to say about this? PBC his alma mater.
Green brigade
Pres win .
@Copper_pipe has a side business selling flares
21-7 to the Northside Jesuits at half time.
We’ll take that.
Genuine question. How did all these catholic schools end up with such strong rugby traditions?
There is a good section in Wherever Green Is Worn (history of Irish soccer doc) which talks about the likes of Castleknock College being a big soccer school in the 19th century before moving to rugby.
It’s a mixture of factors with individuals involved with for example, Blackrock College (its said an Old Gamesmaster of the Rugby School brought it in) where the Holy Ghosts would have spread the game to their other schools when they opened (St Mary’s, St Michael’s, Templeogue). Then you’ve geography with that being where a lot of the Protestant schools were who liked rugby so you had the merchant Catholic class looking to interact with that. Rugby was also very very well organized (with the Army and Collegiate elements a factor) which lended itself to schools looking for a good extra curricular activity.
Rugby was actually played at more Christian Brothers schools in the early 20th century but once the nationalist zealotry came in it was restricted to the two fee paying schools and a couple of the others (Waterpark, Ard Scoil Rís to a lesser extent). The Christian Brothers actually sold the game in places like Argentina and Australia more than they did in Ireland.
Are any of the main Rugby schools Protestant ones or traditionally Protestant at least?