Why is Rugby So Annoying?

Things
261

What was the gist of it?

262

Michael was concerned about how Joe would prepare for the world cup with ‘only’ 14 games to go between now and then.

Michael tried to draw him on a few controversial points and Joe swatted him away with ease. A true gentleman. A fairly poor production from our nations broadcaster if I’m honest.

263

Crotty, please expand! I think that’s completely wrong. People who moan about Ireland’s Call do not want a 26 county rugby team, they want the Irish national anthem played at all irish rugby games. They also want a 32 county soccer team as well…and I know the history!

If you want to talk about anthems after reunification, great, lets have the discussion. No Irish Government wants to discuss Irish reunification, no Irish government has produced a white paper on that subject, they don’t want a proper discussion. Sinn Fein said they will produce a white paper if they are in government. Will you vote for them???

Do you want a different Irish flag rather than the green white and orange which represents peace between catholic/Protestant or republican/unionist???

Do you want to change our national anthem from amhran na bhfiann.

Christ unlike the Irish Government, Do you want a proper discussion about the above?

264

Amhrann is played at all matches. It’s musical merit is irrelevant. The welsh one is the best national anthem as these things go as a tune. Ireland’s call is an addendum and a perfectly reasonable one in principle.

265
  1. No it isn’t
  2. No it isn’t
  3. No it isn’t
266

Amhran na bhfiann was not played in Paris last week.

God Save the Queen was played at Ireland games at Ravenhill up to 1953 until certain players led by Jim McCarthy said no more. In the end they played the ‘salute’ to mrs windsor that day but agreed to never play rugby in Ravenhill again.

Ireland’s Call being played outside the 26 counties and Amhran na bhfiann ‘at home’ got the IRFU out of serious hot water when they were asked in the 90’s to play in Belfast.

267

Ireland’s Call is the worst excuse for a National Anthem I’ve ever heard. It’s a big pile of steaming shit

268

[SIZE=6]Chants at rugby final[/SIZE]

Irish Times - Wednesday 19 March 2014

Sir, – Together with two friends I attended the game on Sunday between Blackrock College and Clongowes, which turned out to be a thriller, played in exemplary spirit. It made a fine conclusion to a rugby weekend. On the field, that is.

Seated in the sparsely populated north stand, there was a mix of rugby people, some neutral fans, including many families with children.

Some 10 rows behind was a large group of young men, all attired in Blackrock jerseys and colours, who offered loud, occasionally aggressive, vocal support. This included a chant of few words, “**** off Clongowes, “**** off Clongowes”, not an imaginative lyric, just highly objectionable.

They appeared to be recent graduates rather than current pupils and so outside the direct sphere of any influence from their alma mater. However, it made me wonder how they came to acquire these “values”.

What school did I go to? Blackrock College. Proud of that fact? Let me get back to you on that.

Yours, etc,

PETER CULLY,
The Alders,
Monkstown Valley,
Co Dublin.

http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/chants-at-rugby-final-1.1729670

269

Pure and utter scum, those ex-Blackrock hooligans. Rugby football’s shame.

270

[QUOTE=“Wrigley Field, post: 920293, member: 1735”][SIZE=6]Chants at rugby final[/SIZE]

Irish Times - Wednesday 19 March 2014

Sir, – Together with two friends I attended the game on Sunday between Blackrock College and Clongowes, which turned out to be a thriller, played in exemplary spirit. It made a fine conclusion to a rugby weekend. On the field, that is.

Seated in the sparsely populated north stand, there was a mix of rugby people, some neutral fans, including many families with children.

Some 10 rows behind was a large group of young men, all attired in Blackrock jerseys and colours, who offered loud, occasionally aggressive, vocal support. This included a chant of few words, “**** off Clongowes, “**** off Clongowes”, not an imaginative lyric, just highly objectionable.

They appeared to be recent graduates rather than current pupils and so outside the direct sphere of any influence from their alma mater. However, it made me wonder how they came to acquire these “values”.

What school did I go to? Blackrock College. Proud of that fact? Let me get back to you on that.

Yours, etc,

PETER CULLY,
The Alders,
Monkstown Valley,
Co Dublin.

http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/chants-at-rugby-final-1.1729670[/QUOTE]

What a twat.

“**** off Peter” “****” off Peter!

271

[QUOTE=“Elvis Brandenberg Kremmen, post: 920303, member: 1624”]What a twat.

“**** off Peter” “****” off Peter![/QUOTE]

Been plenty of lively debate on rugby matters in the letters page of the Paper of Record this week. Vincent Browne had a piece in Wednesday’s paper as well which seems to have largely rubbed the rugby lobby up the wrong way.

Irish Times - Letters - 20 March 2014

Sir, – I wish to strongly disagree with the politically correct nonsense put out by VincentBrowne (“Rugby culture is boorishly patriarchal”, Opinion and Analysis, March 19th).

Rugby is hard and physical and those who engage in it accept that or do not play it. That is the reality. It is good to see the Irish women’s rugby team do so well internationally and may they continue to prosper. They are quite prepared to engage in rough physical play, showing bravery, courage and determination and no-one criticises them! – Yours, etc,

DAVE KAVANAGH,
Lawrence Grove,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.

A chara, – Vincent Browne approaches the topic of physically aggressive sports such as rugby from an entirely negative point of view.

Contrary to Mr Browne’s assertion, it is perfectly possible to enjoy the positive aggression of sports such as rugby and Gaelic football without being a dysfunctional, violence-glorifying misogynist. Indeed, for many sedentary office workers – both male and female – the catharsis of physical exertion is highly conducive to good physical and mental health. There’s nothing like a big “hit” to clear the head and improve the mood!

Indeed, if Mr Browne had taken the time to watch the women’s international which followed Brian O’Driscoll’s last match at the Aviva, he would have seen a formidable team of Irish women crashing into their Italian opponents with great skill and physical fearlessness. Are they, too, propagating the nefarious “culture of rugby” which glorifies the infliction of pain?

Mr Browne might consider receiving a few decent shoulder charges or rugby tackles to clear his mind of this misguided theorising. – Is mise,

OLOF GILL,
The Mill,
Clare Island,
Co Mayo.

http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/rugby-and-culture-of-boorishness-1.1730995

Irish Times Letters - Thursday 21 March 2014

Sir, – Are Vincent Browne’s sensibilities confined to rugby, where he finds it so “disturbing” for a participant to obtain a “thrill in legally inflicting pain on someone else” (“Rugby culture is boorishly patriarchal”, Opinion and Analysis, March 19th)? If this susceptibility extends more widely, perhaps he would ponder his own opinion pieces, where he has been inflicting pain for years. – Yours, etc,

GEOFF SCARGILL,
Loreto Grange,
Bray,
Co Wicklow.

Sir, – Rugby could be viewed as part of the overall British package offered to this nation and gratefully accepted along with an accompanying ethos which many Irish schools have embraced and championed in our recent history. This British ethos (along with fagging and other abominations) had one aim and one aim only, namely to desensitise British youth and thus prepare them for the cold-hearted military and cultural domination of native peoples around the world. The “playing fields of Eton” is where most of their battles were fought and won. The British Empire is no more, but the fight continues as long as the will to compete and dominate is seen as a legitimate aspiration for sentient beings. – Yours, etc,

GABRIEL ROSENSTOCK,
Gleann na gCaorach,
Co Átha Cliath.

Sir, – It is such a pity that the venerable Vincent Browne did not play serious rugby at school, even though we know he did attend Castleknock College for five years. If he had it seems doubtful that he would find rugby culture “boorish and patriarchal”. Mr Browne obviously has never tackled an opposing player in full flight for the line, never had the satisfaction of bringing down an adversary physically and legally. He is extraordinarily good at it on television and in print – but on the physical field of play? No, nay, never! – Yours, etc,

ERIC C O’BRIEN,
Howth Lodge,
Howth,
Dublin 13.

Sir, – Considering the risk of physical injury alone, anyone who encourages a child to play rugby is an eejit. – Yours, etc,

DENIS O’CONNOR,
Front Street East,
Toronto,
Ontario.

Sir, – Does homophobia exist in rugby? Does misogyny exist in rugby? Does boorish behaviour? Yes. Rugby – like Gaelic football and hurling and soccer – is simply a sport played by people and since any community contains these things, it is silly to suggest that a sport or a club or an office or any large collective of people does not reflect elements of those attitudes. But they do not define it.

Is rugby a tough sport? Yes. Mr Browne suggests that the “manly” culture of rugby is dysfunctional. Is it dysfunctional to teach teamwork, hard work, taking the knocks life may send and getting back up again? Those are values many people would like to pass on to their children.

The culture of rugby that I know is one epitomised by Brian O’Driscoll and Donncha O’Callaghan and so many more of the icons of Irish rugby – fair play, hard work and respect (we still call the referee “Sir”, though that may be a product of the “posh private education” that seems to irk Mr Browne so much).

BARRY CUNNINGHAM,
Clonfert,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.

http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/rugby-and-culture-of-boorishness-1.1732449

Irish Times Letters - 22 March 2014

Sir, – Vincent Browne’s singling out of an entire sport’s “culture” as private school boorishness is a strange attempt at some form of populist class warfare (“Rugby culture is boorishly patriarchal”, Opinion and Analysis, March 19th). It is strange because, while perfectly entitled to an opinion, I find it very ironic indeed that he deems those who have attended private fee-paying schools to be “posh”, despite having attended a private fee-paying school himself.

This is surely a ground-breaking statement for a contrarian? An instance of “self-contrarianism”? – Yours, etc,

JUSTIN DEEGAN,
Celbridge Road,
Maynooth,
Co Kildare.

Sir, – Gabriel Rosenstock puts his finger in the wound (March 21st). In my Dublin Catholic school, renowned for its rugby, we 10-year-olds practised military drill as an integral part of the curriculum, swinging white batons to signify that we were “officer class”. We had our own parade ground for marching and afterwards it was compulsory rugby on the playing fields of Rathmines. There were beatings for not attending. True to post-colonial type, Ireland was imitating its colonial masters – young Irishmen were being trained in British imperial traditions. This was in the late 1950s, more than 30 years after Ireland theoretically became independent.

The English also gave us that fine, egalitarian game of soccer – ruptured sinews and broken bones indeed, but no ruptured spleens or broken heads. We were not permitted to play soccer, it was for the lower classes only. – Yours, etc,

GERARD MONTAGUE,
Zaumberg,
Immenstadt,
Allgäu, Germany.

Sir, – Vincent Browne on “boorishness“? That’s a good one. – Yours, etc,

MICHAEL HEALY,
Ardagh Park Gardens,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.

Sir, – The suggestion by Denis O’Connor (March 21st), writing from Toronto, that “anyone who encourages a child to play rugby is an eejit”, is rich considering that ice hockey is Canada’s national sport. Hardly a genteel game. – Yours, etc,

BRENDAN O’CONNOR,
Clinstown,
Stamullen,
Co Meath.

http://www.irishtimes.com/debate/letters/rugby-and-culture-of-boorishness-1.1733827

272

[QUOTE=“myboyblue, post: 920283, member: 180”]1. No it isn’t
2. No it isn’t
3. No it isn’t[/QUOTE]

  1. Sorry, all home matches.
  2. Yes it is.
  3. Yes it is.
273

It’s not a national anthem. It never will be. It is a gesture to the northern Protestants.

274

There is nothing in Irelands Call about religion.

275

Nice to see Gabriel Rosenstock chiming in. I wonder is it he of Superted fame?

276

Brendan O’Connor makes the worst argument I have ever seen in his letter. Imagine sitting down and taking time to write a letter to the Irish Times and coming up with that. That should have ended up in a ball of paper by his ankles.

277

Fair point. “Unionists” then.

278

Here’s a good laugh…

While not wanting to take one whit from the richly deserved adulation accorded by the Irish public toBrian O’Driscoll in the past few weeks to mark his international retirement, please let us spare a thought for another of our rugby superstars, Ronan O’Gara.

O’Gara’s playing achievements were no less outstanding than BOD’s. He is Ireland’s second most capped player (128), and the third most capped in rugby union history. He is the all-time highest points scorer for Ireland and is the fourth highest points scorer in the history of rugby union. He also holds the Heineken Cup record for points scored (an amazing 1,365) in that competition.

He captained Munster[/URL], Ireland and the Lions, and won four Triple Crowns with Ireland and two Heineken Cups with Munster. Who will ever forget his drop goal in 2009 against[URL=‘http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Wales’]Wales[/URL]which won us our only [URL=‘http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Six_Nations_Championship’]Six Nations[/URL]’ Grand Slam, or his nerveless 84th-minute drop-goal, after 41 phases of play, to secure victory for Munster against[URL=‘http://searchtopics.independent.ie/topic/Northampton_Saints’]Northamptonin the 2012 Heineken Cup campaign?

Sadly and inexplicably, O’Gara was accorded no opportunity for a glorious and celebrated retirement from the international rugby fray. His fate at the hands of Ireland’s then rugby management a year ago was to be left out of the 23-man squad for our final Six Nations game, against Italy, which we lost. A great player was badly wronged.

STEPHEN O’BYRNES [B]MOREHAMPTON ROAD, DUBLIN4

http://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/we-need-a-big-shout-out-for-quiet-man-at-no-10-30115321.html[/B]

279

Fuck them

280

Stephen O’Byrnes, Morehampton Road is a cunt.

Denis O’Connor, Toronto is an alright sort.