Replying To WanPintWin: "You need to understand that not every comment which isn't flattering about rugby comes from a place of condescension for the game. Rugby, like every sport has its issues and chief among them in Ireland is trying to broaden the playing base. I love watching rugby and I've supported Connacht for years and have been to Irish games. I was looking forward to Saturday's match, but I thought it was a poor game for the reasons I've already outlined. That has nothing to do with a chip on the shoulder, just an objective observation of a game which took almost two hours to play and had far too many stoppages. As I said before, it is an issue that the vast majority of our Irish system produced players come from a private school background, when only a very small fraction of the population actually attend private schools. This is to the detriment of the Irish rugby team. Pointing it out isn't taking a shot at rugby, it's something that's factual and has been acknowledged by many in the game as a problem. Plenty work is being done to address it, but it will take a long time. Fobbing everything off as 'Gaels' with a chip on their shoulder is just as disingenuous as those who seem to take pleasure in having a go at rugby all the time."
The title of this particular forum is "Anti GAA Agenda" Blaming rugby, or any other sport for that matter, for their ills is ridiculous. Does rugby have its issues? Of course it does. Will they try to rectify them? I've no doubt they will. In the same way that Jim Gavin rectified the dross that was called Gaelic football for the past few years. The IRFU couldn't give two hoots about what the GAA is doing. Why would they? The "true Gaels" are the problem. Trying to ram it down our throats that there's only one show in town will only drive people away. It doesn't work. There's ample evidence that it doesn't work. The Gaa "Gaels" should stop worrying about other sports and concentrate on fixing their own problems.
Replying To Doylerwex: "That's an odd one to be honest. The lads I coach have had Blitz's in Dublin before senior hurling games the last few years and the Dublin clubs we work with have enormous numbers. We're the largest club in Wexford at that age and we're smaller than all the Dublin clubs we've been to."
Agreed the last four years hurling numbers seem to have exploded in Dublin from the underage competitions we have attended, but that's just my observational view, I can't back that up with data.
Past hurler (None) - Posts: 1001 - 24/11/2025 15:11:16
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Replying To Pope_Benedict: "[quote=supersub15: "S A, the best in the world they say. They took the game on a score line of 24pts to 13 pts. So we were beaten by the best team in the world by only 11 pts.
We were dished out 4 Yellows and a Red, they still only beat us by 11 pts.
We finished the first half with only 12 players on the field, they still only beat us by 11 pts.
We started the second half with only12 players on the field, they still only beat us by 11 pts.
At the second attempt Tommy O' Brien was taken out of the game, no yellow, no red, they still only beat us by 11 pts.
All the small margins over 72 mins went to S A, they still only beat us by 11 pts.
We couldn't keep up as when Snyman ? Was sent to the sin bin but was called back before <b>Grant Williams became the first South African player to receive a yellow card with 1 minute to go. </b>
Of the small margins and privileged discissions all went to SA.???
I'm not totally blaming anyone, but the laws in the book should be crystal clear or at least above doubt."</div>This is very one-eyed silly stuff. Are you saying that all of Ireland's card infringements were not infringements at all? You're ignoring any possibility that Ireland's yellow card infringements cost South Africa points too.
I think our backline needs a fresh infusion of young southern hemisphere talent to replace Bundee, Lowe and JGP, who are all getting on now. I wouldn't go looking in South Africa for backline flair, unless they can unearth a young Brian Habana type........with an Irish granny of course."
If you read my post again, what I'm saying is if SA are the best team in the world by a country mile how come they couldn't capitalize on the numerical advantage they had over us when we were down to 12 players in the first and second half. 9 mins from full time we were still in with a decent chance."]Probably because they were more interested in beating us up physically for the entire duration, than they were about thrashing us on the scoreboard. Another aspect is that SA aren't traditionally any good at the more silky nuances of rugby backplay. They're not typically too bothered about having 2 spare men in a backline, when they can go 8v8 in a scrum, and grind a team to submission for the duration, with almost complete domination of all setpiece play. Ireland's defence with numerical disadvantage was admirable and heroic throughout.