Ulster - British or Irish?

I hope I'm not going to cause a argument here but I have noticed that fans from Munster Leinster etc seem to also support Ulster. However, surely Ulster is a British team as they are governed as part of the United Kingdom where as Munster and Leinster are republic of Irelend provinces. I would be interested to hear the views from Munster, Connaught, & Leinster fans why they share this affinity to a team from the United Kingdom?

Oh ffs, get lost! Seriously?

Just go.

Agree - beat it wrfc.

Ulster is a British team- why don't you try that line in Cavan, Monaghan and Donegal!

2/3rd U.K. 1/3rd Irish if you go by counties.The fact that the Ulster players play for Ireland is why we support tehm.Oh and Northern Ireland is not part of Britain it's called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

thanks for your clear answer asoreleftshoulder, I was struggling to come up with a way to state it clearly (I'm not feeling so great so brain not fuctioning).

Hope that's cleared up the matter for you wrfc1980. Mind you I thought it was a well known fact about Ulster, but ah well.

I hope I'm not going to cause a argument here

Liar, liar pants on fire.

We like them because their best players represent us too when they play for the island of Ireland. Irish rugby stays well clear of politics. Maybe we should follow that example and knock this thread on the head.

Sorry if I have offended Notch, if you tell me what is so offensive about my post I will gladly edit it. There's no need to get so aggresive.

I think tis coz you are just mistaken, wrfc1980.

As Feckless has pointed out, Ulster players represent Ireland in rugby. Politics has no part in it. In rugby Ulster are linked with Ireland, hence all the other provinces supporting them.

Think that's the matter resolved, no?

You're right pal. I am sorry.

I am rather tense right now due to the rugby and I snapped which was wrong. Hope you accept my apology

But yeah, it's lot more complex than that. Ireland has always been united in rugby. That's the short answer.

asoreleftshoulder wrote:2/3rd U.K. 1/3rd Irish if you go by counties.The fact that the Ulster players play for Ireland is why we support tehm.Oh and Northern Ireland is not part of Britain it's called the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Thanks asoreleftshoulder - I guess that answers my question, I didn't appreciate that 1/3rd of the counties were Irish.

Wrong thread!

I think people need to stop being so sensitive. He only asked a question. Blimey.

Safe- it's easy to forget the ignorance which exists over in Britain about Ireland. But thats not the fault of the OP.

I was silly to react like that and I do apologise.

Notch, we have the same problems with the 'Ridings' in Yorkshire

The where?

To be honest I just read the title, which is fairly incendiary stuff, thought 'here we go'

Then I actually read the post and realised it was a sincere post. Silly, silly boy. Very embarrasses

I would of thought that the reason Munster support Ulster is because they are both "IRISH TEAMS" and they play together in the IRISH NATIONAL TEAM. simple realy.

4 Provinces. ONE country under Rugby.

We are going to get a lot of this lads. It comes with our combined success in the HC and the abject failure of others.

Just take it in and smile that inner-smile.



Believe.

wrfc1980 wrote:I hope I'm not going to cause a argument here but I have noticed that fans from Munster Leinster etc seem to also support Ulster. However, surely Ulster is a British team as they are governed as part of the United Kingdom where as Munster and Leinster are republic of Irelend provinces. I would be interested to hear the views from Munster, Connaught, & Leinster fans why they share this affinity to a team from the United Kingdom?

I don't want to cause an argument here, but I find this question simply astonishing. If you follow rugby in any way, you would know that Ulster is on the island of Ireland. You would also know that Ulster players play for the Ireland team. Even if you went by those two widely known facts, your question would be largely redundant.

So, wrfc, why did you ask it? What information did you not know that led you to ask it? I'm really curious.

He asked it because he knew he would get plenty of bites.
Makes a change he was not having a go at Wales though.

Rugby is an all Ireland sport with an all Ireland governing body. Ulster rugby is based in Belfast which is in the UK and represents the county of Ulster in which 3 counties are in the Rep of Ireland and 6 in NI.

There are no borders in Irish rugby.

Ulster are an Irish province.

No bites from moi. Just a sympathetic cuddle.

roddersm wrote:Rugby is an all Ireland sport with an all Ireland governing body. Ulster rugby is based in Belfast which is in the UK and represents the county of Ulster in which 3 counties are in the Rep of Ireland and 6 in NI.

There are no borders in Irish rugby.

Ulster are an Irish province.

Ulster is an Ireland province. Tsk, Tsk.

Pot Hale - I don't support Toulon just because Jonny Wilkinson plays for them, nor do I support Gloucester in Europe (I'm a Worcester fan) just because they have players that play for England. Therefore I discounted, maybe incorrectly that just because some Ulster players play for the Irish rugby team that Muster, Leinster fans etc would support them.
To answer your other point, Wales is on the island of Great Britain, do you support the English teams against the Irish regions just because we share the same island? I thought not....

Pot Hale wrote:

roddersm wrote:Rugby is an all Ireland sport with an all Ireland governing body. Ulster rugby is based in Belfast which is in the UK and represents the county of Ulster in which 3 counties are in the Rep of Ireland and 6 in NI.

There are no borders in Irish rugby.

Ulster are an Irish province.

Ulster is an Ireland province. Tsk, Tsk.

Just forget about political borders and think in terms of rugby unions. The Welsh union is separate from the English one. The Irish union is one entity for the island of Ireland. The Irish and Welsh tend to root for all their provinces/regions, because of the close link between them and the test team. And that's it explained really.

Oh, it is a WUM after all. Never mind.

wrfc1980 wrote:Pot Hale - I don't support Toulon just because Jonny Wilkinson plays for them, nor do I support Gloucester in Europe (I'm a Worcester fan) just because they have players that play for England. Therefore I discounted, maybe incorrectly that just because some Ulster players play for the Irish rugby team that Muster, Leinster fans etc would support them.
To answer your other point, Wales is on the island of Great Britain, do you support the English teams against the Irish regions just because we share the same island? I thought not....

Wrfc, you didn't answer my question though. What information did you not know that led you to ask the question? Did you not know that Ulster is part of the Ireland Rugby Football Union? Did you not know how the provinces of Ireland are made up in terms of counties? Do you really believe that Ulster Rugby is a British rugby team whose players play for Ireland and for other provinces?

I don't understand your last point. You ask if I support English teams against the Irish regions just because they share the same island? They don't share the same island. Irish regions are based on the island of Ireland. English teams are based on the island of Great Britain. It would depend on who is playing and the circumstances, for example, if it affected the outcome of a H Cup pool, then possibly yes.

PS I don't support or live in Wales in case that's what you think.

Lads cant beleive this got this many posts.

wrfc1980 presumably at least 31 and cant figure this out?? Clearly a WUM

Or is it?

I used to be able to tell. The question of the national identity of the people hailing from the six counties of NI is a very complex issue. We have the right to carry an Irish passport, a British passport, or both. I myself have an Irish one.

But the great thing about rugby is it wouldn't matter if I had a British one or whatever- we're all Irishmen together. The national team represents two countries and one rugby nation, and being members of that rugby nation we love to see our brothers in arms do well.

You'll find the answer here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ufcQe5D27s

Notch wrote:. The national team represents two countries and one rugby nation, and being members of that rugby nation we love to see our brothers in arms do well.

That's exactly the point Notch. I would have figured anyone with a basic understanding of NH rugby would know this. But hey, maybe not. In Worcestershire anyway....

Ulster British or irish? Neither...they are martian and they speak with funny accents...

Martians are green too DOD

They can be orange as well...(just for balance of course)

Green or Orange, we're all just pasty and White at the end of the day

And sunburned on occassions.

Sure we're all the same when we're lying over the ball and commiting breakingdown skullduggery

We all frighten England together. And we're all terrified of the French together.

DOD wrote:Ulster British or irish? Neither...they are martian and they speak with funny accents...

Nah that's just Ballymena. Lovely girls though.

Ballymartian girls?

I won't have a bad word said about them. Their green hair and curly teeth are my favourite features.

Anyone know why Ulster fans sang "Swing low.." v Leicester. Was it to rub salt in wounds or pledge allegiance. Just kidding. Was awesome, should have won today too if you ask me. SUFTU!! Mon Ulster.

Poor chap, stirred up a veritable hornets nest. I don't think it's a wum and it's not an unreasonable question for the uninitiated.

It does make me proud of the game of rugby though.

Notch wrote:. The national team represents two countries and one rugby nation, and being members of that rugby nation we love to see our brothers in arms do well.

Gibson wrote:No bites from moi. Just a sympathetic cuddle.

Notch wrote:Green or Orange, we're all just pasty and White at the end of the day

DOD wrote:And sunburned on occassions.

roddersm wrote:Sure we're all the same when we're lying over the ball and commiting breakingdown skullduggery

AND

mankiaow wrote:It does make me proud of the game of rugby though.

Absolute Truth

leinsterbaby wrote:Anyone know why Ulster fans sang "Swing low.." v Leicester. Was it to rub salt in wounds or pledge allegiance. Just kidding. Was awesome, should have won today too if you ask me. SUFTU!! Mon Ulster.

That was just...well... thats the Ulster sense of humour for you....just slaggin like.....

Notch wrote:Green or Orange, we're all just pasty and White at the end of the day

And freckles. Dont forget de freckles. And the RED hair.

And 3 teams in the HC QF's

How ja loike dem freckles.Huh?

Gibson wrote:
And 3 teams in the HC QF's

How ja loike dem freckles.Huh?

Gibson wrote:How ja loike dem freckles.Huh?

Fair play, that made me laugh out loud

Stuart Barnes did call Ulster the team from Northern Ireland during the game today. Many people outside of Ireland don't know that the province of Ulster also includes 3 counties from the Republic. Anyway, nearly every irish rugby fan I know supports all 4 provinces once they're not playing each other, and rightly so.

Gretgael1 wrote: Anyway, nearly every irish rugby fan I know supports all 4 provinces once they're not playing each other, and rightly so.

Absolutely man..people outside Ireland may not understand our set up...it doesn't matter what passports we have or what church we attend, if any, when we pull on the jersey and put on our boots we represent Ireland and Irish rugby...we fight and bleed together, and when we bleed..we bleed green...