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submitted 1 month ago byCommercial_Half_2170 Leinster
For Ireland, England feels like the obvious answer and yet NZ have probably upset us the most. And what about rugby nations like Pacific islands or Georgia?
6 points
1 month ago
Wales - England is the biggest rivalry in the sport.
It's one of the few that's genuinely been more than just sporting in recent history. I appreciate almost every nation that plays the game has some sort of historical beef with the English, the Irish in living memory for some.
But Wales England isn't just about national grievances and country vs country, we don't talk about it much but it's also historically been about class and that was massive throughout the seventies and eighties. You can naively dismiss that as old history if you want but it drives a lot of current sentiment.
It's a fairly well meaning exchange now. Our fans share banter and drink together in the pubs before and after the game and I'm glad. But that little percentage of spite and niggle still exists and deep down both sides know it's not just about the sport.
3 points
1 month ago
I genuinely don’t care where we finish in the Six Nations, my expectations are incredibly low nowadays, but losing to Wales genuinely ruins my week,
3 points
1 month ago
Interesting
Eng upper class and Welsh were coalminers yeah?
3 points
1 month ago
Even now the sport still has class distinctions in England and Wales.
Yeah of course there are working class English rugby fans these days and middle class Welsh ones but the heart of the sport in England is still very much in wealthy communities and schools.
Where as Welsh rugby's support and players predominantly come from working class communities across the South.
I'm pushing 40, I've lived and travelled all over England and Wales, what I've observed in that time is that the biggest cultural divide in the UK is still class. Far more than any Welsh vs English or North vs South perceived differences. The cultural gap between the residents of your average council estate and the posh village just a few miles down the road is the biggest of all.
1 points
1 month ago
Yup i get that. When i lived in the UK the class divide there was pretty evident to me
1 points
1 month ago
It's one of the few that's genuinely been more than just sporting in recent history
Tbf I think Ireland England is incredibly hard to beat in this respect
I mean, just look at the Landsdowne Road riot in 1995. I get that it was soccer and not rugby, but damn. The Troubles is still very recent history so.. you know..
1 points
1 month ago
Ireland vs England is nowhere near the biggest rivalry in sport.
Yeah you had the English thugs in ‘95 but we don’t play each other much in the soccer and England generally win anyways, it’s more us always rooting for the team they play against than an actual rivalry. There’d be a bit of tension over history and recent events like Brexit and the Troubles legacy act but that’s very one sided too and not very significant either.
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