Ormond do you not know that Connacht play in a different competition in Europe and are unlikely to get back into the top European competition thanks to the new competition signed up to by the Irfu. I have a interest in the Dublin and to say who wins the Dublin county final does not matter is ridiculous when you consider the team that won the Dublin final last year went on to win the All Ireland club final beating the champions of a number of teams in the process. How does the Italy v South Africa match effect any Irish viewers yet the give coverage to that. It is not only county finals the do not cover, the do give proper coverage to provincial finals either. I heard the Rte panel say the Ireland Geogra game as not been important the same as most rugby pundits and i heard the Ireland coach say that the aus match had no effect on the world cup and was nowhere near as important as the six nations.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 21/11/2014 18:35:59    1674042

S Goldrick i have seen anyone say rugby was not played before 1987 and the only one insulting six nations wins was Ormond who was insulting the women's six nations win. I fail to see why it is ridiculous to compare international soccer friendly games with the November tests rugby game, sure some friendly games can be of little but so can some of the test games against one of the weaker rugby nations which usually happen every autumn. The game against the Usa was Ireland last game before there vital game against Poland, which is similar enough to Ireland's last Rugby game before the six nations which this game against Aus is. The soccer team have about the same competitive games as the rugby teams and the teams the are playing are trying out new players in different positions, new fellas in the team etc, i cant see much of a difference.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 21/11/2014 18:45:55    1674044

the dublin championship is hugely relevant to fans all over the country..do you not understand how the club championship works?..whoever wins in dublin is likely to be a major contender for the all ireland..this applies to various counties noted for a strong club scene

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 21/11/2014 19:39:22    1674050

exactly ros..i dont see how you can look at the match at the weekend and try and big it up as so much better than the soccer friendlies during the week..all pretty much the same thing..trying out new players for future games

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 21/11/2014 19:40:32    1674051

The coverage of the international rules compared to the rugby tomorrow perfectly sums up the point of this thread. Yesterday on Drivetime on radio 1 no mentions of the rules game,a five minute interview with Joe Schmidt at 5 to 5, an interview with Tony Ward at half 5 sports news, coverage on yesterdays six one sports news no coverage of the rules, an hour long preview of the rugby on game on 2 fm yesterday, no mention of the rules, today on morning Ireland we had an interview with Shane Horgan previewing the match, then mention of a player making his preview for Connacht to night, then finally the mentioned the rules was on but mentioned nothing else to do with it, the news at one mentioned the rugby but not the rules, at 5 to 5 on Drivetime we had another 5 minute interview this time with Paul O'Connell, on the 2 fm sports news at 5 rules not mentioned but both the Irish rugby match and team news for A leinster that does not take place until Sunday was mentioned.

Then back on Drivetime at half 5 the top story on the sport news was O'Connell denying some daft rumour about him moving to some French second Division side in 11 months time, the finally got around to talking about the rules match the fourth item on the agenda, the picese was some in such a massively negative way introducing it talking about how people had lost interest and how it might be the last rules series, how the aussie did not take it seriously previously etc etc, not bothering to mention the fact the game was sold out weeks, the aussies picked there best team the could, the large media interest in it in Australia etc all negative. On the six one sports news we had report about the rugby and an interview with a players father and grandfather before the rules were mentioned which was the last item on the sport news.

The same negative angle was taken but at least the mentioned the strength of the aussie panel. Then on game on on 2fm we had a interview with Bernard Jackman despite them covering rugby the whole programme the previous evening, the international rules was introduced in the same negative way, at least the interviewed Marty Morrissey who was positive about the future of the serious the coverage it was getting down under, what it means to the players etc. While i am aware of the concerns for the future and the problems of the past, i think it is disgusting the way Rte have just focused on the negative side bar Marty. The finally have one piece on the Rte website which itself is very negative. The are playing an add for the business show tomorrow on at the same time as the International rules game is on. where Frankie Sheadan is going talking about Joe Schmidt management skills despite never having played or worked with him.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 21/11/2014 20:33:09    1674056

21/11/2014 14:53:26 Soma
The managers for the International Rules series have both picked the strongest squads available to them for tomorrows game as they are both desperate to win it. The Aussie rugby manager has followed through on his promise to try out different players and experiment in his team selection tomorrow to prepare for the serious business next year. Yet people are claiming that the rugby game is the bigger one...there are none so blind than those who will not see.The rugby game is key to deciding 3rd/4th in the world. Huge game and whatever people say about the world rankings not mattering they do as it helps pr/marketing and players do respond to getting something few will have got before. If Ireland win they'll be 3rd and only a small few will have been in an irish side in that position

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 22/11/2014 13:00:39    1674164

21/11/2014 18:35:59 ROS1
Ormond do you not know that Connacht play in a different competition in Europe and are unlikely to get back into the top European competition thanks to the new competition signed up to by the Irfu. I have a interest in the Dublin and to say who wins the Dublin county final does not matter is ridiculous when you consider the team that won the Dublin final last year went on to win the All Ireland club final beating the champions of a number of teams in the process. How does the Italy v South Africa match effect any Irish viewers yet the give coverage to that. It is not only county finals the do not cover, the do give proper coverage to provincial finals either. I heard the Rte panel say the Ireland Geogra game as not been important the same as most rugby pundits and i heard the Ireland coach say that the aus match had no effect on the world cup and was nowhere near as important as the six nations. Connacht are quite likely to be in the top European competition next season. If you looked at the pro12 table and the way Connacht have played this season you would know that
You may be interested in the Dublin county final but over the entire country is their going to be 000s upon 000s watching tg4 for the game? No.
21/11/2014 18:45:55 ROS1
S Goldrick i have seen anyone say rugby was not played before 1987 and the only one insulting six nations wins was Ormond who was insulting the women's six nations win. I fail to see why it is ridiculous to compare international soccer friendly games with the November tests rugby game, sure some friendly games can be of little but so can some of the test games against one of the weaker rugby nations which usually happen every autumn. The game against the Usa was Ireland last game before there vital game against Poland, which is similar enough to Ireland's last Rugby game before the six nations which this game against Aus is. The soccer team have about the same competitive games as the rugby teams and the teams the are playing are trying out new players in different positions, new fellas in the team etc, i cant see much of a difference. I didn't insult the women's 6 nations success. International soccer friendlies are much less important than rugby November and summer tests. The soccer team have much more games per year and always competing in qualification groups so friendlies are much further down the pecking order for soccer side than the November internationals are for the rugby side.

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 22/11/2014 13:05:49    1674165

21/11/2014 19:39:22 fabio8
the dublin championship is hugely relevant to fans all over the country..do you not understand how the club championship works?..whoever wins in dublin is likely to be a major contender for the all ireland..this applies to various counties noted for a strong club scene
exactly ros..i dont see how you can look at the match at the weekend and try and big it up as so much better than the soccer friendlies during the week..all pretty much the same thing..trying out new players for future games Hugely relevant? Not really
Don't be so arrogant.. of course I know how the club championship works but that doesn't mean huge huge numbers will be interested in the Dublin country final
The importance of the November tests goes back years when Ireland would not play New Zealand etc as often and it was a huge deal to host them. That importance is still there.
These games are more important than the soccer friendlies due to how many more competitive and non competitive games the soccer side plays

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 22/11/2014 13:09:48    1674167

Ormo
The rugby game is key to deciding 3rd/4th in the world. Huge game and whatever people say about the world rankings not mattering they do as it helps pr/marketing and players do respond to getting something few will have got before. If Ireland win they'll be 3rd and only a small few will have been in an irish side in that position
What gibberish! If it is a huge game why has Cheika kept his promise to experiment with his line-up so all players get a chance to play on the tour? It seems to me it is only a 'huge' game for Ireland. It is as depressing as it is true though that this game can help a lot with pr/marketing - gone are the days in rugby when fans talked about guts and glory, now we have marketing teams and improving rankings so pr is looking good. Ireland were 9th in the world rankings last year - how did this impact on pr/marketing do you know?
Friendly games in soccer are much more meaningful because the rankings in soccer have much more meaning. Win a couple of big friendlies and Ireland could move from pot 3 to 2 in the next qualifying draw, greatly increasing our chances of qualifying for tournaments. In rugby world rankings are almost meaningless in terms of tournament progression.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 22/11/2014 14:02:02    1674179

Huge game in Aviva today - think Australia might sneak it. Good interview with Cheika on Radio 1

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4663 - 22/11/2014 15:31:17    1674195

there is huge interest in the dublin county final among gaa fans all over the country....why are you trying to dismiss this?...the club championship is a huge competition for a lot of people and represents the gaa even more than county does it can be argued....especially as smaller counties have a better chance with the odd strong club..there isnt 000s of people watching connacht games either...look at the attendances..how many times have they been sold out?...club gaa in mayo galway n roscommon for instance would be lot more relevant than connacht in the region...also big for the all ireland club series as all 3 generally have strong contenders for the club all ireland...you might not be interested in the dublin county final but loads of us are

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 22/11/2014 16:59:51    1674213

pr and marketing?..thats the reason given for the games importance?...wow is all i can say..really really reaching when that kind of stuff is brought up..rankings dont matter that much in rugby cause its always the same group of teams whereas in soccer people are always going up and down and its huge for qualifying groups especially for us in uefa which is very strong all round..obviously its less relevant for a team in south america as similar to rugby there is only a limited number of teams

fabio8 (USA) - Posts: 2182 - 22/11/2014 17:04:55    1674216

Ormond you are wrong on a number of points Ireland went from fifth to third in the world rankings on the basis of beating Georgia that tells you everything you need to know about the World rankings. If Leinster win there game in hand Connacht will be sixth, there are 7 places to qualify and considering a Italian team are guaranteed a place and Connacht are only point ahead of Scarlets it is far from likely Connacht will qualify, Connacht could finish sixth which would be a brilliant result for them but if the Scottish and Italian teams are below them the will not qualify, there is 14 games left in any case. Ireland play 10 soccer qualifiers over 2 years which works out the same number as Ireland's six nations matches so it the same thing.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 22/11/2014 17:14:48    1674219

Bad monkey we know youre a rugby man, but its not a huge game at all.
A few rankings points? So what? That doesnt win you anything. Besides, so few countries play rugby to a serious level that Ireland will be around the top no matter how bad they are.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 22/11/2014 17:15:08    1674220

It's important because it's important to those involved and the supporters, that's all that matters really. Pride and passion. Same as any match in any sport anywhere in the world.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4663 - 22/11/2014 17:22:16    1674221

Ormond why to Tg4 show county finals, ?because people watch them in every county in Ireland. The 2 fm sports news at 2 o clock sums up the rte attitude the mentioned the rules game and instead of just saying the 2 countries are playing in rugby as well, the said the big match of the day was the rugby i.e. bigger then the rules game or any other match such as the utd - arsenal match.

ros1 (Roscommon) - Posts: 1211 - 22/11/2014 17:34:27    1674226

Badmonkey, I dont think that either sets of players, or supporters will de too down hearted if they lose this.
Im just happy that its a good game so far.

joncarter (Galway) - Posts: 2692 - 22/11/2014 17:41:00    1674227

Ormond
The rugby game is key to deciding 3rd/4th in the world. Huge game and whatever people say about the world rankings not mattering they do as it helps pr/marketing and players do respond to getting something few will have got before. If Ireland win they'll be 3rd and only a small few will have been in an irish side in that position
22/11/2014 14:02:02 Soma
What gibberish! If it is a huge game why has Cheika kept his promise to experiment with his line-up so all players get a chance to play on the tour? It seems to me it is only a 'huge' game for Ireland. It is as depressing as it is true though that this game can help a lot with pr/marketing - gone are the days in rugby when fans talked about guts and glory, now we have marketing teams and improving rankings so pr is looking good. Ireland were 9th in the world rankings last year - how did this impact on pr/marketing do you know?
Friendly games in soccer are much more meaningful because the rankings in soccer have much more meaning. Win a couple of big friendlies and Ireland could move from pot 3 to 2 in the next qualifying draw, greatly increasing our chances of qualifying for tournaments. In rugby world rankings are almost meaningless in terms of tournament progression. Not gibberish at all and backed up by the game today
This is their final big game of their season and they have played many big games in consecutive weeks so obviously wont have a full side out. This game is huge for them and us and you could see that how each side played the game today
These games are much more meaningful than virtually any friendly in soccer. We don't have the huge qualification tournaments soccer sides have so these games are of extra importance.
The rankings in rugby affect world cup draws etc just like in soccer affecting qualification draws

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 22/11/2014 19:26:58    1674248

22/11/2014 16:59:51 fabio8
there is huge interest in the dublin county final among gaa fans all over the country....why are you trying to dismiss this?...the club championship is a huge competition for a lot of people and represents the gaa even more than county does it can be argued....especially as smaller counties have a better chance with the odd strong club..there isnt 000s of people watching connacht games either...look at the attendances..how many times have they been sold out?...club gaa in mayo galway n roscommon for instance would be lot more relevant than connacht in the region...also big for the all ireland club series as all 3 generally have strong contenders for the club all ireland...you might not be interested in the dublin county final but loads of us are Huge interest across whole country?? No there isn't wont be many watching game over entire country
There is 000s watching Connacht game. Attendances are strong for Connacht and they often sell out.
22/11/2014 17:14:48 ROS1
Ormond you are wrong on a number of points Ireland went from fifth to third in the world rankings on the basis of beating Georgia that tells you everything you need to know about the World rankings. If Leinster win there game in hand Connacht will be sixth, there are 7 places to qualify and considering a Italian team are guaranteed a place and Connacht are only point ahead of Scarlets it is far from likely Connacht will qualify, Connacht could finish sixth which would be a brilliant result for them but if the Scottish and Italian teams are below them the will not qualify, there is 14 games left in any case. Ireland play 10 soccer qualifiers over 2 years which works out the same number as Ireland's six nations matches so it the same thing. Ireland didn't go from 5th to 3rd from beating Georgia, they went up because of other results last weekend

ormondbannerman (Clare) - Posts: 13473 - 22/11/2014 19:30:16    1674250

Ormo
Not gibberish at all and backed up by the game today
This is their final big game of their season and they have played many big games in consecutive weeks so obviously wont have a full side out. This game is huge for them and us and you could see that how each side played the game today
These games are much more meaningful than virtually any friendly in soccer. We don't have the huge qualification tournaments soccer sides have so these games are of extra importance.
All the copying and pasting is clearly having an affect on you Ormo. This is not the Aussies last game, they play England next week at Twickenham, a much bigger game for them due to the sporting rivalry between the 2 countries and next years world cup. Fear not, I am sure RTE will give it plenty of coverage in the week ahead so you can get up to speed! It is why they altered their team today, though obviously the 15 on the field wanted to win it they have long term plans that are more important.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 22/11/2014 19:42:31    1674254