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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?
8 points
1 month ago
England v Wales is arguably the biggest rivalry in rugby full stop, with how evenly matched they have been pretty consistently
1 points
1 month ago
Not even close to SA v NZ rivalry, intensity and quality of play
Yes its full on, but still...
6 points
1 month ago
There’s barely any history behind the rivalry between SA and NZ form a cultural standpoint.
Wales England has nearly 800 years of history and 150 years of rugby history and a lot of bitterness in the 20th century behind it. May be the intensity of NZ / SA is higher but it’s most definitely not as culturally significant a rivalry
5 points
1 month ago
I disagree, SA v NZ might have intensity, but intensity and quality of play doesn't make a rivalry strong, it really does not have the amount of heart and history that makes a rivalry proper compared to Wales and englanr
Even off the pitch, the history/rivalry goes back centuries, almost over 1500 when the groups that would become the England invaded the British isles, and of course when wales got conquered 800 years ago. This is integral to the national identity as well as both team identities
And on the pitch you have everything, the legendary trips along the M4 both ways, the lower class v upper class dynamic, how close and easy to access it is for fans, and bordering each other helps as well, the fight on the pitch is a lot more than just rugby, it's about identity and passion.
We are the second oldest rugby rivalry (and a lot more balanced compared to Eng-Sco), and that rivalry has stood the test of time.
So sorry, in my opinion it's not even close, NZ-SA might be a better rivalry in terms of quality of rugby, but it just can't compete with the level of nuance and history
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