Club, Province, National team, else (Lions, etc.)

[Cruz_del_Sur]

What's your pecking order? Why?

We were talking about this the other day and were comparing it to other sports, mainly footie.

In my case it would be Club, National, Province, but i suppose i am an exception. A small, biased and unreliable sample at the pub showed most people put their national side first. Probably due to my footie background, club comes first.

I am particularly curious about how the Irish/Scottish/Welsh and English would rate the Lions vs their national teams.
Thanks in advance.

 

[munstermuffin]

For me Club by a good bit. Then Country then Lions

 

[TRF_heineken]

Well I think it differs mostly on the country you live in and their priorities.

I think most Saffas would be voting like me in that the Springbok comes first and then franchise/union.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

That is precisely why i asked H!
I was also curious to see if some old romantics favoured province over club.

 

[Pieter Steph du Teague]

Country, Club, Lions

 

[McTallshort]

Country, Grass roots club, Lions, Premier club,

 

[saulan]

I think most Saffas would be voting like me in that the Springbok comes first and then franchise/union.

This, always Boks first.

 

[Leonormous Boozer]

Country, province, every other club and country, Argentina, Lions.

 

[ncurd]

Country Club Lions

But if the Lions occurred more than once every 4 years I'd care more about Lions. That's not to suggest I'd boot it I quite enjoy Lions tours but I don't take it as real measure of NH v SH and I hate the 'politics' of selections......

 

[Car]

I basically couldn't watch my national team for most of my time as a rugby supporter, so I voted what I always enjoyed watching most. That has to be the Lions precisely because it's only every four years. After that, I do enjoy watching the big national teams more than the clubs, but I care more about the clubs I support than about the German national team, but that has to do with being able to follow them better (well, not any more) and knowing them better. Despite watching all of our Rugby Europe Championship matches this year, I still have the feeling I don't know our national team that well and the level isn't exactly the Six Nations or the Rugby Championship. If we were better than that, I'd put them first. Not that the Pro D2 is that great to watch, either, but I've been following the team for years, I've watched a match live in Perpignan, that creates some bonds.

 

[big ginger 8]

Ireland comes first, as much as I love Leinster I can't put them ahead of Ireland.

 

[die_mole]

since i really don't root for teams just in terms of what i care about:

club, babas, lions, provinces (i think they are dumb but whatever floats your boats), internationals

 

[ncurd]

Someone actually cares about the babas.........bloody hell!

 

[die_mole]

Someone actually cares about the babas.........bloody hell!

I find them fun to watch, it's something you don't find something very often in sports. I actually wish they were used more often against tier 2 sides.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Country, Lions, club.

But to be fair, to get a real sense of this you'd have to weight it because the Lions as an extreme example is special because its so infrequent. If the lions somehow played every weekend like our clubs, we wouldn't care much at all. The national game is similarly better because there are only a few windows in a year when we get to have it.

I love my club but find it hard to put as much store in the rivalries we have as you can on a national side.

I'm not even sure who wasps' rivals are - we're not a London club anymore. The Tigers rivalry was really special a decade ago but since we haven't been successful for so long now I don't think Leicester really care about us any more... *sobs*... They're too busy hating Northampton. Bath have their West Country rivalry and stopped being a dominant force a while ago... I really dislike Saracens but then who doesn't...
In domestic terms the rivalries feel a bit cheapened by how regularly we come up against each other. I feel it must be the same in the pro 12? Those players face each other all the time domestically, in Europe and in the six nations. So at club level nothing comes close to the feeling of beating or losing to a six nations rival.

That said, European games bring something else completely. Games against the dominant clubs like Munster and Leinster really mean something to me - I REALLY want to beat Leinster next week for example and if wasps stay good I like to think there could be something of a rivalry there.

The irony of all this is that I have zero national pride generally and don't really care about such attachments. Bizarely, sports are an exception!

 

[RedruthRFC]

Apparently I'm in a minority in putting my club first, then country, province (county as we're in England) then international.

To me, there is no way that watching England play can compete with the connection I have with a club I've followed since youth, represented in the past, turn up to watch in all winds and weathers every other week and have a say in the running of. If I was to move away and was no longer able to watch my club, club and country would probably switch positions. As it stands, watching England's abject World Cup was disappointing and frustrating, but nowhere near as much of a low blow as it would be to have to turn up and watch my club have a terrible season. Looking at the crowds at Twickenham on Bill Beaumont Final day, I imagine that only a Cornishman would put county rugby ahead of the Lions, the passion for county rugby down here is massive, many would put Cornwall way ahead of England in the pecking order. I'm not anti-Lions at all, but compared to the other three, it's a once in a while nicety.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Let me pick you as an example sandwich, hope you don't mind. Mean no offense and apologize in advance if i do. Out of sincere curiosity, if your pecking order is Country, Lions, Club, why pick the Wasps logo below your nickname for the forum? Thx again.

 

[Mrs. Peter Quinn]

Let me pick you as an example sandwich, hope you don't mind. Mean no offense and apologize in advance if i do. Out of sincere curiosity, if your pecking order is Country, Lions, Club, why pick the Wasps logo below your nickname for the forum? Thx again.

Cruz, I'm so offended, how dare you!!

well, the badge is for clubs isn't it?
I guess differentiation comes into it too... I'm one of thousands of England fans on these boards, but when I joined I can't even think of any one specific wasps fan - I'm sure there was one but I can't remember. There are more now of course but it's still important to show the world you're not a Tigers supporter.

 

[big ginger 8]

since i really don't root for teams just in terms of what i care about:

club, babas, lions, provinces (i think they are dumb but whatever floats your boats), internationals

Out of interest why? They're essentially clubs at the professional level.

 

[Vieux Talonneur]

England first, then the club game (all of em, I don't support one). Lions are interesting, but I don't "care" about them in the same way as the others simply because of their rarity, also their aura has been diminished by the hype and overt commercialisation.