Leinster or Munster

[mykneehurts]

Munster without a shadow. Had a few experiences with Leinster lads at underage and to be quite honest I found them to be the most arrogant and belittling people I have ever played against in any sport. It's the whole attitude of the organisation that is wrong in my opinion.

The bandwagon thing with Munster can be annoying alright. I remember watching a match with a guy from Clare who I was in college with who used to go on and on about Munster and he must have asked me about every refereeing decision in the game! He was just supporting them because it was the fashionable thing to do (they won the European Cup that year and he actually attended the final!)

1.Connacht
2.Munster
3.Leinster
4.Ulster
5.London Irish

[bula bula]

I’m from The Faithful living in Munster. When I lived in Dublin I’d head to Donnybrook or the RDS on a Friday night and even living down here I’ll try and make at least a couple of the home ERC games. What does wreck my head a bit is when Munster play I would normally wish them the best and hope they win, especially in the crunch European games. I think there is a decent bit of that sentiment out there with Leinster rugby supporters, even the rugby heads I hang around with from Dublin. Lots of Leinster rugby supporters I know would have gone to Cardiff, Twickenham or wherever Munster have played some of their ERC finals and cheered them on.

I find that sentiment does not necessarily flow in both directions. A lot of the rugby lads I meet down this way are delighted when Leinster fail to achieve (and they do this in style) and would strongly have the attitude of “its not good enough for us to win bit everybody else has to loose”. This is nothing to do with winning mentality, its your average Irish parochial attitude of wishing ill on the boy in the parish next door. Its this element of the Munster band wagon that I dislike as it has undermined a certain amount of the positivity I would have had toward them in the past. I think that a hell of a lot of Munster fans would like to see Leinster never win a European Cup as it would be perceived to be raining on their parade.

In the same situation as yourself with living in Munster and have to echo the point about the begrudgery of anything other than Munster rugby and a real delight in any failings of Leinster. I was actually a keen follower of Munster whenever Leinster were not involved, but some of the stuff I have seen go on down here has actually turned me off them. I am hoping for a semi-final meeting with them and a victory would be oh so sweet and so very very bitter for the Munster men. Perhaps then go on to rain on their parade and actually win the Heineken cup.

[Archangel]

I have never had any connection to rugby, until last year when my then 7-year-old started with Tullamore Rugby Club.
I always have followed the parish rule to speak of, so seeing local lads wearing Munster jersies at gaa football training is beyond me.
If I was to purchase any rubgy kit or merchandise it would Certainly be Leinster!

PS. It's a point that pains me. My eldest lad (11) plays soccer with Tullamore, and the next lad (8) plays rugby, neither have much interest in the GAA.. my girl (7) does Irish Dancing & Horse Riding, and wait for it... No.4 is our 5 year old lad who just wants to play drums and rock'nroll all day. ........... I'm past retiring but still going to lace the boots for the season.

[Archangel]

Actually just realised,.. there goes working on my golf handicap for another year....

[Lone Shark]

Golf ain't going anywhere. Dabbled with it a bit as a teenager, as much due to the fact that Da used to play as anything, but eventually came to the conclusion that I'll still have golf in my fifties. Football on the other hand.....

Don't worry about the kids either. A lot of us didn't realise what we had as youngsters, only to cop on a bit when we grew up. I'd say a couple at least will surprise you yet.


As to the topic at hand, I can see where a lot of ye would be coming from with the aggravation at this notion that Munster Rugby is something special, some innate thing that links all of the province - when in actual fact they just so happened to be the more successful of the two provinces that were given a good head start by the system. Those who take genuine joy in Munster's success, fair enough, that's a good thing whenever it happens, but this lauding of the "Red Army" drives me crackers. The largest band of day out merchants you'll ever find. Thousands talking about how they were in Cardiff or spent thousands on a trip to the south of France as if it were a badge of honour, and yet most of them couldn't find their way to Musgrave Park if they had to, nor could they tell you about any of the likely breakthrough players in Munster's U-20 panel. They'll all tell you about Bruff on account of John Hayes, but ask them about Old Christians and they'd direct you to a nearby monastery with a raised eyebrow.

Munster by the Grace of God my feckin hole. Filter out all those lads above and you're not left with anything much. I'll take my windswept Sportsgrounds on an occasional Friday evening and be happy out with that.

[Efan]

I have never had any connection to rugby, until last year when my then 7-year-old started with Tullamore Rugby Club.
I always have followed the parish rule to speak of, so seeing local lads wearing Munster jersies at gaa football training is beyond me.
If I was to purchase any rubgy kit or merchandise it would Certainly be Leinster!

PS. It's a point that pains me. My eldest lad (11) plays soccer with Tullamore, and the next lad (8) plays rugby, neither have much interest in the GAA.. my girl (7) does Irish Dancing & Horse Riding, and wait for it... No.4 is our 5 year old lad who just wants to play drums and rock'nroll all day. ........... I'm past retiring but still going to lace the boots for the season.

Archangle … look on the bright side you could have a Shay Given, Brian O’Driscoll, Jessica Curtain and a Larry Mullen Jnr. in the making so as old age creeps up you should at least have a shot at a 5 Star Nursing home. Keep taking the punishment and don’t end up like Ali!

[Archangel]

look on the bright side you could have a Shay Given, Brian O’Driscoll, Jessica Curtain and a Larry Mullen Jnr. in the making so as old age creeps up you should at least have a shot at a 5 Star Nursing home. Keep taking the punishment and don’t end up like Ali!

There's fine Positive Mental Attitude for ya.!!!!

[Silken Thomas]

It's Leinster all the way for me.

Any grown man who supports another province over their own has a lot in common with 90% of the 8 and 9 nine year olds who pick one of the 'Big Four' in the U.K. for their success or chances of alone.

The myth that Munster has some sort of 'parish' or 'salt of the earth' feel to it is nauseating to be frank.

The fact that the likes of Ronan O' Gara , Peter Stringer, Tomás O'Leary, Donncha O' Callaghan, Tony Buckley, Mick O' Driscoll, Anthony Foley and Jerry Flannery to name but a few! are all former players from fee paying private schools such as PBC and CBC and as a result would in my eyes anyway be seen as upper middle class always goes unnoticed.

Another thing that I have well grown tired of is the lazy jounalism of the broadsheet papers which continiously publish these bizarre articles relating to the 'Red Army' who devote their lives to a 'Crusade' for the 'Holy Grail'!
Billy Keane and Co. please
In addition Paul O' Connell has no similarity to superman
The fact that a club team of the size and support of Munster blessed with half an Ireland team with a few very costly Kiwi recruits can win is not 'unbelievable' or 'magical' but very achievable.
The same Kiwis who have 'embraced' the 'Munster Way' so whole heartedly. Believe me If you were being paid maybe 4 times the average New Zealand rugby professionals salary you would too.

I'd have little time for a provincial deserter but for the record the bandwagon element doesn't really bother me. I can understand perfectly why thousands would go to a city like Cardiff, London or Toulouse for a weekend of boozing, infedility and the likes for a game they never played or don't understand. Why not? It's a bit of fun.

This might come across as begrudgery. It's not. When Munster play Ospreys i'll still root for an Irish team.
Just save me from the propaganda

[Bord na Mona man]

I'd have little time for a provincial deserter but for the record the bandwagon element doesn't really bother me. I can understand perfectly why thousands would go to a city like Cardiff, London or Toulouse for a weekend of boozing, infedility and the likes for a game they never played or understand. Why not? It's a bit of fun.

The "brave and the faithful" are actually the "drunk and the randy"?
I always wondered why the simple act of getting on a plane and going to a match was considered so EPIC by Munster fans.

[kinnittyman]

Ah this is super. All those points on the Munster rugby supporter and the team are completley spot on!!

Roll on the European semi (Hopefully)

[TheManFromFerbane]

In addition Paul O' Connell has no similarity to superman

Well that's complete bullshit anyway. The man is a Legend and I would have his babies

[Lone Shark]

In addition Paul O' Connell has no similarity to superman

Well that's complete bullshit anyway. The man is a Legend and I would have his babies

And what wonderful looking infants they would be.

[lovelyhurling]

As an offaly man living in limerick (part-time) I find it hard to take their how great munster are, we're always right attitude they have. Leinster aren't much better but at least they have a set which never changes..no bandwagon! Id support leinster as you cant chose where your born but Id support every province no matter what..even went out celebrating with the munster crowd after heineken cup games and the "heroic" loss to the all blacks! (slightly jumped on a bandwagon there myself).

It would be great to see leinster beat them in a semi...Munster fans wouldnt know what to think!

[joe bloggs]

Well its time now for a lot of lads to nail their colours to the mast. I'll be watching this in my local and it will be interesting to see how many of my fellow Offaly men will be supporting Munster. Even more interesting, if Leinster win, will the munster supporters get behind Leinster in the final

[Bord na Mona man]

I think Munster will win it by a few points.
The strength of the squad and quality of the team they have is phenomenol. 80 minutes is just too long for any team to survive the Munster onslaught. Leinster didn't have much creative to offer against Harlequins. To be fair they dug in well to win ugly. Fellas like Kearney and Fitzgerald might be Grand Slam winners, but are not yet the great players who could turn a game on its head.

It would be some craic of Leinster won though. It might cool the jets of Billy Keane all right. Now that Ulster and Munster have reached the summit, it would be fitting to see Leinster do the same.

Poor Connacht are the orphans of Irish rugby though!