South Africa wonāt be in turmoil come the World Cup. Given their familiarity with Rassie Erasmus, Irish supporters should know this better than anybody. Even under their previous lame duck coach, they almost beat New Zealand in October in one of the most brutal and punishing test matches Iāve ever seen. They pushed New Zealand closer than anybody at the last World Cup. Iām puzzled as to why anybody would assume Ireland would beat them. The lessons of history keep being deliberately ignored.
Itās a full island team
A team that embraces all traditions
Within the soccer geographical boarders they are.
Thatās a fact
There is that. I missed the nz sa match unfortunately.
Why isnāt mclean oirish but Stockdale is?
Name a player from a working class area of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford, Belfast or Derry who has played for Ireland or even for a provincial team.
Actually, give me a list of Dubliners who were capped by Ireland who went to non-fee paying schools. Iāll give you a head start - De La Salle Churchtown had a few. After that, youāll be struggling.
Name me a player from the CNR community in the six counties who has played for Ireland.
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Because the FAI and IFA are idiots and are entrenched in bigotry than other organisations
You will be sectioned before you are 50
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Point me to a ācatholicā school that even plays rugby, or even has a soccer team for that matterā¦
Iāll be quite wealthy and a multiple winner as a coach in various spheres by 50
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Press and CBC.
Rock well
Just a few
As far as I know those schools are in Munster, not in the six counties*, you dope.
*The āsix countiesā is not a reference to Munster.
Sidney is raging today. Itās hilarious viewing.
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Where? Thereād be no issue with catholics playing rugby but the rugby clubs are fed by the schools. Catholics in the north support the rugby team but gaa is dna. Itās a bit different in the cities but the gaa clubs are weak there so thereās not the same identity, it is changing though.
Itās the āprotestantā grammar schools that have the rugby tradition (and fair play play to them, itās a fine and valid tradition) and there are plenty of catholics attending and playing. I never gave much thought to paddy Jacksonās religion - attending methody doesnāt tell me anything, neither does his name.
Weāre a lot more relaxed about it than you think.
āRagingā
āRattledā
āSeethingā
āFrothingā
Continue ad nauseum in the absence of any sort of rebuttal. 
The fact is Iāve written a load of excellent posts, which make very cogent points, show a far better knowledge of the rugby scene than any posters who claim to follow the Irish team have, and which none of the dullards on this thread have been able to engage with and rebut, because my posts are squarely on the money.
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Rebuttal to what?
Iām basking in the glory of another 6 nations victory.
Youāre the one who has spent the entire morning writing verbose diatribes that most forum users will skim past.
Get a life Sid.
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He has destroyed the pretend rubby fans.
St. Paulās Bessbrook had, and may still have rugby, in a sort of dipping your toes in the water way, a bit like Blackrock College have hurling. I think Jarlath Burns was involved in bringing it into the school.
Of course association football is played in Catholic schools in the North.
I love the way you say youāre ābasking in the gloryā of a professional sports team in a sport which you know fuck all about, and whose matches you donāt attend, even though they play down the road from you.
And then you tell me to āget a lifeā.
I think the irony rather flies over your head.
Basking is correct Sid. Champions of Europe!