What’s with all the prejudice against rugby?

SOME events are a gift to a columnist, others are a curse. Somebody with a large blank space to fill every week doesn’t drop to his knees in thanks when Kilkenny win another All-Ireland hurling title, but the Rugby World Cup is a gift that keeps on giving.

What other event frees you up to talk about the great unmentionable in Irish society — class?

I’ll come back to that. It’s only fair to point out first that the RWC is held to a different standard compared to other tournaments and events. Among the pokes and prods it gets are: a) an assault on the grounds that it isn’t a representative gathering; or b) sniffing about the rules changing from tournament to tournament; or c) moaning that it ranks low on the visible entertainment index.