A chara, – One of the great clichés of Irish sport is that Irish rugby punches above its weight given the numbers playing the game here and Gerry Thornley is the latest to try it on (“The strength of Irish rugby is a minor miracle given how few play it”, Sport, Analysis, June 21st).
Gerry quotes from a World Rugby report (Global Reach of Rugby 2019) in support of his proposition and the massive playing numbers of certain countries are put up in lights.
It is perhaps worth highlighting the playing figures in some other countries. The playing figures in Japan, Argentina and Wales, for example, are broadly similar to Ireland. Japan knocked us out of the most recent World Cup. Argentina have reached two Rugby World Cup semi-finals (something Ireland has never achieved even once) and they also knocked us out of two World Cups. Wales have a better record than us in the Five Nations, the Six Nations and the World Cup.
The reality is that we were the worst team in the old Five Nations and we now rank fourth in terms of Six Nations championships won.
A lot has changed for US women since 2016. What does that mean for Kamala Harris?
Forty years of the Dart: ‘Dealing with the public is one of the hardest things anyone can do’
Mark Francis: Acoustic Oceans review – A fascinating development in the Irish artist’s decades-spanning career
Fake phone calls, meeting pretend-presidents and being ambushed by your parents on TV: The rituals of All-Ireland week
In addition, we have a World Cup record that is among the most embarrassing records in all of Irish sport.
I can’t help but feel that a bit of humility to offset the hubris could actually see us punch above our weight for real. – Yours, etc,
REAMONN O’LUAN,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.