Supported Leinster and enjoyed it when they were shite – When Munster referred to them as ladyboys – stood there in the wind and rain in a shite stadium – it was great. Would prefer to support a shite recognisable Leinster than a world select Leinster. The fair weather fans can stay at the RDS “Royal! Dublin Societies” horse jumping arena – they are the horsey set anyway!! The rest of us can go back to the old Rugby stadium.

To the billionaires I say – vete a la chingada! Pendejos

DDD

Perhaps saying it was ‘inevitable’ is a bit strong, but if you look at the way the game has gone since turning professional in ’95, to what we have now in Europe, the infighting Wales has had, the great clubs that have disappeared, i think it can only go one way, what with people like Toulon’s and Bath’s owners, pushing it hard in that direction. When we get games like best NH club team vs best SH team (in the pipeline so iv heard), i wonder how long international rugby will be seen as the pinnacle. Don’t get me wrong we are a long long way from all this, but the game is changing, not necessarily for the better, but it is changing.

As for for your last comment Brighty, i think you only need to look at Man Utd and Man City, fans blindly following teams with absolutely no local link. Bloody shame.

Has he played there internationally?

I also don’t want it from a practical level. Football has had over a century of money ruling to get to some sort of level where in general it tends to work without too many casualties. Rugby has had less than 2 decades so in my opinion we’re not balanced enough to follow the Bath owners dreams of full on “let the money talk” approach to rugby. In rugby I fear we’re not ready for that sort of massive upheaval – we’ve already lost teams like Richmond, Leeds (effectively), etc. For a decade we had very little Cornwall rep at the top-level (still don’t technically I know but at least Exeter give a bit of a link to down there). In Wales the money has meant the massive upheaval of the ongoing experiment of going regional.

At the roots level, as you’ve already said, fans demand different things from their rugby team to their football team. We demand a feeling of identity and community. We’re not all that interested in being bought by a billionaire who drafts in the entire All Blacks squad so we can win a trophy.

At the pro sport level most of us still see the international game as paramount, the pinnacle – money doesn’t because at that level it can’t use money to efficiently buy the best players and the results that follow. Football shows what happens here eventually.

My fear is that by following the football model we’ll rip the game up, assuming it’ll all be ok cos it worked for football, but it won’t because it’s not the same sport and we don’t have a century of pro realities to back it up.

“It certainly was not inevitable that money will rule.” Money sullies everything. I’m still banging my drum to end the Soccerification……….

I want a sport I can be proud of – a team I can be proud of. Don’t ever want to see a Leinster full of mercenaries. We need limits to keep the sport real.

What makes your pride in your team?

How they play is one thing – but feeling they are part of the community you come from is what makes me partisan – “bumping” into Cian Healy when you go for a coffee, having BOD as a neighbour, knowing kids who have grown up to play for “your” team – these are things that also instil my pride in Leinster.

Would love to know how much pride the burghers of Toulon genuinely feel for their team.

DDD

I do love it when people who don’t follow pro12 teams try and tell me why it didn’t have value before by assuming I only watch rugby for the same reasons they do.