The Rugby Thread

[Buzzo]

Ha. I’ll bet that was used in motivation. I’ve never seen anything like that.

You’d have got some decent odds on Munster winning the URC a few months ago. Massive shock, shows how strong Irish Rugby is right now, and also great for the URC.

[Doc_Piptorious]

So….. ROG and Stringer were in the same year at Uni as me. I socialized as part of a wider group a few times (In the Western Star Jaco ) - he was a bit of a big head back then with his check shirt, Levi’s and boat shoes with girls hanging off him The two lads had starred in schools rugby and he was making the break through with Cork Con.

He’s some guy now though - he has a weekly slot in Off the Ball (Irish radio) and he’s a joy to listen to. He’s travelled and been successful everywhere - the consummate pro and hard worker - he’s openly said Ireland is on his list do I look forward to that. They’ve literally built a team of giants - the power they have is ridiculous

Oh and Cillian Murphy was in UCC the same time - socialized with him a few times also

You kind of forget that I was in UCC at that time too


And if you want to name drop, I played in the same team as Anthony Foley and Keith Wood for a spell and played in the winning team in a Munster Junior cup final at Thomond Park (you will have to guess whether it was in 1987 or 1989 :P )

Was only an ok rugby player though I was really fast . Had guys like Pat Cross and Frankie Brosnan as mentors when I was playing school rugby and in the Young Munster youth team.

Used to get hauled into the footy and hurling teams on a regular basis by a certain Paudie Fitzmaurice as I was fast and physical so a good defender when the team were up against fast and skillful forwards. The **** that man taught me to do with a hurley, let's say the darker arts of the game, were outright barbaric

The shout of "WHIP" was my cue to tame a lively wing forward.Paudie liked having a defender with a rugby player's size but a footballer's pace being what the forwards had to run against.

Paudie was a right hard ******* on the pitch despite his size, and would have slotted in nicely into the dominant Limerick teams of recent years. Not for nothing was Paudie an All Star.

He was disgusted I chose boxing over football and hurling.


Boxing (Supert heavyweight in the unpaid ranks) and distance running were what I exceled at though and when I was in UCC about the same time as you, I used to train under Tommy Kelleher up at the Glen ABC.


I do remember ROG at UCC. Utter prick of an individual at that age who was a bully to a lot of the less physically inclined students there, not dissimilar to some of the well known guys I played with in the Secondary school teams. Big mouths that like pushing smaller students around until they ran into the GAA lads or the boxers who could handle rugby players and dish out far more than they received.

[Irishnev]

I never played rugby, played GAA and have a few county medals with my club underage. When I grew up we dominated Clare due to the a punt if kids around Shannon. Was handy at football/soccer and played A league in Limerick all the way up vs Carew Park, Glengross, Fairview etc….. played Willie John Boland, Paul O’Donnell and Dominic Foley even though they were all a year older than me.

Hung out with the GAA lads in UCC - Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Sean Sheehy (Irish news from Kerry), knew Seanie McGrath well, Dave Bennett, Tony Healy v well (world champion Handballer) and more…..

College is great for that, UCC had a great sports scene

[Doc_Piptorious]

I never played rugby, played GAA and have a few county medals with my club underage. When I grew up we dominated Clare due to the a punt if kids around Shannon. Was handy at football/soccer and played A league in Limerick all the way up vs Carew Park, Glengross, Fairview etc….. played Willie John Boland, Paul O’Donnell and Dominic Foley even though they were all a year older than me.

Hung out with the GAA lads in UCC - Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Sean Sheehy (Irish news from Kerry), knew Seanie McGrath well, Dave Bennett, Tony Healy v well (world champion Handballer) and more…..

College is great for that, UCC had a great sports scene

I sort of knew Willie when he was at Carew Park. He was mates with a few guys I knew from the Rathbane/Carew Park/Keyes Park area that were good up and coming boxers and kick boxers. When in Limerick I boxed out of both (and later cut my teeth getting started on my coaching accreds in them and in Scotland) Corpus Christi and St Francis ABCs (not at the same time of course lol).

Was another lad there at the time that had trials with Chelsea (he was courted heavily by Chelsea with his family being flown to London a lot and loads and loads of club merch being sent to them) and had an injury so ended up working for Tesco in Limerick. Ger was his first name but for the life of me cannot recall his second name.


UCC had and still has a great sports scene, but was/is also a great uni for social scenes, art scenes and so on. It is a Uni that kind of follows me around one way or the other in life as constantly crossing paths with folk who also went there and often in the oddest of places. Michelle in Liverpool is a graduate of UCC (along with being a ridiculous high achiever in work and life. ( Hi 'Chelle - you're always one of my faves ) and met a least a half dozen others in Liverpool who are ex UCC. When I was in Germany I met a few there that were in UCC and the business I co own now has two ex UCC heads working there that I never knew beforehand.


Oh and a guy who I knew through record shops is ex UCC and got his first novel published this year.

Is at the point if I hear someone is ex UCC I just assume they are really really really good at doing something.

[Irishnev]

I sort of knew Willie when he was at Carew Park. He was mates with a few guys I knew from the Rathbane/Carew Park/Keyes Park area that were good up and coming boxers and kick boxers. When in Limerick I boxed out of both (and later cut my teeth getting started on my coaching accreds in them and in Scotland) Corpus Christi and St Francis ABCs (not at the same time of course lol).

Was another lad there at the time that had trials with Chelsea (he was courted heavily by Chelsea with his family being flown to London a lot and loads and loads of club merch being sent to them) and had an injury so ended up working for Tesco in Limerick. Ger was his first name but for the life of me cannot recall his second name.


UCC had and still has a great sports scene, but was/is also a great uni for social scenes, art scenes and so on. It is a Uni that kind of follows me around one way or the other in life as constantly crossing paths with folk who also went there and often in the oddest of places. Michelle in Liverpool is a graduate of UCC (along with being a ridiculous high achiever in work and life. ( Hi 'Chelle - you're always one of my faves ) and met a least a half dozen others in Liverpool who are ex UCC. When I was in Germany I met a few there that were in UCC and the business I co own now has two ex UCC heads working there that I never knew beforehand.


Oh and a guy who I knew through record shops is ex UCC and got his first novel published this year.

Is at the point if I hear someone is ex UCC I just assume they are really really really good at doing something.

I have Ger Collopy in my head for some reason….. as I said WJB was a year older than me. The best players around that time were Paul O’Donnell (went to Liverpool), Dom Foley from Charleville and a guy from Shannon called Paul Carr (dead now….. drink related)

[Doc_Piptorious]

I have Ger Collopy in my head for some reason….. as I said WJB was a year older than me. The best players around that time were Paul O’Donnell (went to Liverpool), Dom Foley from Charleville and a guy from Shannon called Paul Carr (dead now….. drink related)

Pretty sure that is it. He grew a tache at one point back then. He was something else to watch play though. Willie looked head and shoulders above anyone else at that level, because he was, and Ger looked a level above him all the time.

Dom Foley is ringing a bell too. Would he have been closer to Ballyhea just outside Charleville rather than living in Charleville town itself?


Was a guy from near Kilmallock too that was tipped to go a long way. Saw him years later working on the doors at Bulgaden Castle (pub).


Do remember quite a few guys that were good at footy, football and hurling from out the Shannon way and from around the Bunratty/Six Mile Bridge area too.

[Zapater]

[ame="https://youtu.be/ARM19ZTFE10"]Final Whistle: Discussing the 'canon arm' technique used by the Irish sides in the URC - YouTube[/ame]

[Irishnev]

Final Whistle: Discussing the 'canon arm' technique used by the Irish sides in the URC - YouTube

I saw that, same as I saw the ones of their players celebrating a soft final …….

[Buzzo]

Final Whistle: Discussing the 'canon arm' technique used by the Irish sides in the URC - YouTube

Interesting

**** being a RU ref, the breakdown is impossible to officiate. I actually think they get it right more often than not, but little things creep in that provide that 1% advantage.

[Irishnev]

Crusaders win again - grit, power and basics saw them over the line in the end. Feel sorry for Damien McKenzie who is superb

[Zapater]

Watershed moment in South African rugby, not the result because everyone knew we'd smash Australia at Loftus but putting so many attacking backline players together and letting them play. Always had the players but matching them up and giving them freedom is something new. Obviously in the WC it will be back to bashing and box kicking but with good to know that they know we can win games like this.

Thought Jean de Villiers and Breyton Paulse were going to cry after years of begging for this.

[RichC]

Stuart Hogg has retired with immediate effect. Must be injured to bring it forwards and not making the World Cup

https://www.skysports.com/amp/rugby-union/news/12505/12917892/stuart-hogg-scotland-international-announces-retirement-from-rugby-union-with-immediate-effect

[Irishnev]

Ireland U-20s into the WC final, beat SA fairly handy today. FR favs vs Eng in the other semi

[Buzzo]

Jesus ****ing Christ

That is some squad.

[ame]https://twitter.com/springboks/status/1678667427486285824[/ame]

[Irishnev]

Jesus ****ing Christ

That is some squad.

https://twitter.com/springboks/statu...67427486285824

Ya - my mate is from SA, I’ve been saying all along they’ll win the WC. They just have too much power - maybe FR can match them

Vermulen and Kurt A to come into that squad as well

[ame="https://twitter.com/dssteyn/status/1678806196159905799"]https://twitter.com/dssteyn/status/1678806196159905799[/ame]