Neil Francis

[The_Most_Infamous]

No chance mate. I’m a stubborn cunt.

Its not right forcing people to take these vaccines.

[Thomas_Brady]

Boca Juniors v River Plate is mental.

[Cheasty]

@mickee321

Franno is the only rugby journalist worth reading, well maybe i could add in Owen Slot. The rest are appalling .
in terms of radio analysis Franno, Paul Wallace and Hugo Macneil are the only Irish pundits worth listening to … this is another massive loss to a once great game.

Rugby officially died for me in 2001 with the beginnings of that disgusting Munster boatrip to Toulouse- from then on it has become unwatchable and the quality of analysis is now deplorable

Back in the amateur era the quality of Irish rugby punditry was very good, and was much more entertaining because the analysis tended to focus a lot more on character, which meant it was more personal. The game prided itself on robust debate and insulting people for their lack of rugby ability or coaching prowess was seen as the norm. Some time back I watched a bit of a Rugby After Dark episode following Ireland v Wales 1992 which was uploaded by the now late KillianM2 YouTube channel and it was every bit as entertaining as I remembered that type of punditry to be. Frano was one of the last of that tradition and when he was good, he could be very good, particularly in his storytelling. Irish rugby punditry needs insults and the willingness to offend because it has become a sanitised clique.

Unfortunately what Frano also took from his playing days was a penchant for insulting people based on race and sexuality etc,. And you rightly can’t do that. In truth Frano has been lucky to hold on until now. And he knew exactly what he was saying about Marcus Smith, and his apology was even more weasel worded. He can have no complaints. And there plenty of others in Irish media who shouldn’t be long hitting the road after him.

On one level Frano comes across as a genuinely thoughtful and highly intelligent man. I would guess he’s a considerably more intelligent man than George Hook, and further ahead again of Eddie O’Sullivan. But on another level he also comes across as Butthead (Luke Fitzgerald is more of a Beavis).

It’s been fascinating to see O’Sullivan try to position himself in the territory left vacant by Hook’s demise. He followed Hook to Galway, to the US, and now into Hook’s right wing contrarian gobshite space. That Galway>US>right wing gobshite path is a well trodden one.

O’Sullivan has been crafty enough so far to keep himself out of any real trouble, or maybe it’s just that he hasn’t had the high profile platforms Hook and Francis had. But it seems to me he has a more openly toxic worldview than Hook or Francis, while having less ability to entertain than either. O’Sullivan’s worldview is that of a relentless zombie Fox News viewer. His innate dullness means he doesn’t go for the badly judged soundbyte, he piles on the poison in continual small doses. But I’d wager that sooner or later he’ll get himself into trouble. And when he does, he won’t be missed.

[Arthur]

What would you do if someone jabbed you in your sleep one of your family or someone to stop you from losing your house? Like when they used to put BA to sleep to get him on a plane.

[The_Most_Infamous]

I don’t think thats going to happen.

[Arthur]

Maybe it already has be a great practical joke by your buddies. You ranting and raving about it in the pub (smoking area) and the lads holding up your covid cert behind you.

[Cheasty]

@flattythehurdler

I watched him play for a while the last day and it didn’t strike me.

I’d never heard of Marcus Smith until I saw him playing in the last midweek match when I turned it on during the second half. It was immediately apparent to me that he was of mixed race heritage. There’s no way Francis cannot have been aware or at minimum have assumed the same based on what presumably would have been a much greater familiarity with Smith than I would have had.

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

I see fifteen years ago Francis was asked to name Ireland’s greatest 15 of all time and he named himself on it

[Cheasty]

@BruidheanChaorthainn

I see fifteen years ago Francis was asked to name Ireland’s greatest 15 of all time and he named himself on it

There’s a charm to that. Self deprecating arrogance. The humour is in the self conscious absurdity of the claim.

[Ashman]

Was it Doyler christened Franno “The ruck inspector “ ???

[TheBird]

@EmilioButragueno

I’d doubt it. I would imagine that the producer maybe thought like a lot of people would, that there was no offence in what he said.

Aye, the poor producer probably hadn’t a scooby doo no more than I did who this Markus lad was and the nature of his heritage. But I’m pretty sure Franno did so fuck him.

[BruidheanChaorthainn]

I’d be amazed if the Indo are doing podcasts and nobody is editing them.

[ChairmanDan]

It was. Doyler and Franno didn’t get along.

[Ashman]

Weren’t they both Blackrock College RFC ???

[gilgamboa]

@peddlerscross

I have never heard of that term before

Huh

[ChairmanDan]

Both Blackrock College RFC. Doyler was a British Lion though. Franno wasn’t.

[Ashman]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GPzxZC0yG1c

[Thomas_Brady]

Where in Britain is Doyler from?

[ChairmanDan]

You’re talking about Doyler in the present tense. Sadly Doyler passed away well before his time, back in 2004.

[Ashman]

Doyler’s autobiography was a great read