Ireland’s Rugby World Cup exit

Sir, – There has been much weeping and gnashing of teeth in the national media over Ireland’s performance at the weekend in the Rugby World Cup. Ireland were badly beaten. They suffered a heavy loss. They were clearly exposed as the lesser team.

They were not, however, “thrashed”, “hammered”, “slaughtered” or “obliterated”. Such crass and incendiary language filters to the playground and fosters a culture whereby failure and disappointment are seen as shameful, and as justifiable objects of public ridicule, as opposed to being natural aspects of life, intrinsic to the human condition.

Some perspective would be good here. – Yours, etc,

FIONNUALA WARD,

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Dublin 9.

Sir, – We always start with such great hopes. But then when we got to that stage at the Rugby World Cup, when we really had a good chance, we just did not feel comfortable up there! Is it “thanks for letting us play syndrome”, that we are great fun, we have a great time win or lose, and everyone loves the Irish?

I am sick of it. I doubt you will publish this.

MICHAEL McEVOY,

Killiney,

Co Dublin.