Eamon De Valera was sure of it. “For Irishmen, there is no football game like rugby”. More than sixty years later, Neil Francis declared that “rugby suits the Irish psyche and its attraction and success have more than just caught the imagination. We are now following suit with New Zealand in welcoming it as our national game”. Rugby as the national game, or a game that reflects the notion of the martial spirit of Ireland, are ideas that have long been with us. They may come and go with more ferocity in the social media age. But they also reflect…

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