WITH IRELAND KICKING off their November rugby internationals against New Zealand on Friday night, Gav and Sinéad debate the extent to which Ireland can really be called Rugby Country. Is rugby really a national obsession?

The popularity of the provinces and the Irish national team is beyond question, but how has that fanbase grown given so few people play the game? Given the fact the Irish team is dominated by players produced by private schools, can the team be said to represent the country at large? And if not, does that even matter?

The pair sift through some of the reasons underpinning the sport’s appeal -the violence, the success, the opportunities it affords for drinking - explain the amount of media coverage afforded to the sport, and ponder what, if anything, the sport’s popularity says about class divisions in Irish society.

Get in touch with us - sinead@thejournal.ie and gavincooney@the42.ie