Obstacles in the path of history

THERE’S just no pleasing some people. Leaving Croke Park on Saturday, it was fascinating to listen to the thoughts of the paying public as they discussed the various merits of Ireland’s latest win. Opinions varied from brutal game, fascinating contest, boring, incredibly physical, deserved win.

The problem with rugby is that it is essentially a players’ game. More complex in terms of structure, technical content and the laws of the game than say soccer, hurling or gaelic football, at times many of the watching public are in blissful ignorance of what is going on.

It is also true to say that if one team seek to go out and stop the other from playing, the end product can be less than pleasing to the eye. Suffice to say, a bad game of hurling would beat a bad game of rugby hands down. Come to think of it, a good game of hurling would also beat a good game of rugby, but that’s for another day.