HOW IRISH RUGBY can capitalise on the success of the Grand Slam winning team and attract more people to the sport was up for discussion on the latest episode of Rugby Weekly Extra, a podcast for The 42 members.
Murray Kinsella, rugby journalist with The 42, and Berrnard Jackman, former Dragons coach and Ireland international, said this is the opportune time to broaden the appeal of rugby and raise its stature above the fourth most popular sport in the county, as described by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell.
“I know people point to the schools to almost have a pot shot at Irish rugby and say ‘It’s the schools that are doing this for you’, I don’t think there’s a concern that will fade away,” Kinsella said. “People are investing their own money, indeed it’s parents in some cases. That will probably continue to be the case. Irish rugby is harnessing that strength well.”
Speaking about best-in-a-generation athletic talents Kinsella said: “Some of those guys aren’t playing rugby in Ireland. Some of those girls aren’t playing rugby in Ireland. They’re playing other sports, and that’s the challenge for me – it’s to have more people turning their heads and thinking: ‘This is the game I want to play’.
“Andy Farrell has said this is the fourth most popular sport on the island and we want to grow the game, that’s a really relevant point here.”
Kinsella added: “I look at the Irish football team and the diversity of it, people from different backgrounds who love football, whose parents loved football before they came to Ireland, and you think, ‘It would be great if a lot of those kids could also have their head turned by rugby and play rugby’. We are seeing elements of that as well I think. There’s probably more work to be done on that and growing the game where it’s really not on the radar at all.”
Jackman said the Grand Slam win this season, which follows a similar success in 2018, presents an opportunity that must be seized.
“Is this going to be one of the big drivers in getting more people involved in the game through volunteerism or playing? We’ve spoke about what we do with all this young talent that we have – probably a more important question or strategy for the IRFU is how to harness this success in terms of expanding, and becoming the third most popular sport.”
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