There are many good reasons why we should back England tomorrow

THE Irish attitude towards the English is going to be tested tomorrow evening. Our nearest neighbours go into the rugby World Cup final to play against a country with whom we have very limited links, yet some people — possibly a large number — may cheer for South Africa simply on the basis that they’d prefer to see anyone but England win.

How sad is that? Thankfully, that number is much smaller than it would have been once. Ireland has become far more accommodating to English people, as disclosed in the recent census that showed more than 160,000 British-born people have come to live here, many in the last decade. That figure does not disclose the breakdown between English, Scottish and Welsh, but given the population of Britain it is likely that the majority of these immigrants are English.

It isn’t necessarily the case either that they are of Irish descent. They are people who like Ireland and its people and the lifestyle it offers.