Ireland is not a rugby nation, it is a bandwagon nation, according to Lunchtime Live callers.

On the show this afternoon, host Andrea Gilligan asked whether the success of the Irish rugby team has made the sport one of the most popular in Ireland.

She was speaking after former Irish international and La Rochelle coach Ronan O’Gara said the current squad has moved away from the elitest image of rugby.

He said the team’s exploits are really appealing to the normal joe soap because they can see a team “that is genuine, that is normal and that represents the working-class people or Ireland as opposed to just the private schools”.

Meanwhile, on Newstalk Breakfast this morning host Ciara Kelly said Ireland had become a ‘rugby nation’ and suggested the sport had overtaken soccer in terms of popularity.

Caller Liam from Tipperary disagreed.

“We’re not a rugby nation, we’re a bandwagon nation,” he said.

“I’ll be the exact same. I hope they win the game tomorrow night. I hope they win the World Cup; it will be great for Irish rugby and great for Irish sport – but it will be also great for Irish pubs.

“All the games are on at 8pm on a Saturday night, so they're great to go out, they’re great to have the craic, they’re great to have a few pints and watch it.

“The reality is, a soccer team lost a World Cup quarterfinal in 1990 and there was half a million people on the streets waiting to bring them home.

“If Ireland lose the game on Saturday night against New Zealand, I don't think there'll be half a million people on the streets welcoming them home.”

"Wishful thinking"

He said rugby has come on an awful lot in recent years but the idea it has overtaken soccer or GAA is “a bit of wishful thinking from a certain group of people”.

“It's a good old sport to watch on television, it's a great sport to watch in the pub, but the reality is, there's more GAA teams in Cork than rugby teams in the whole country,” he said.

“Best of luck to them and I hope to do well and I think they will do well.

“They’ve certainly come on an awful lot, but like I said, if they were to lose the game tomorrow night, people would still have a good night out, but they'd probably forget about it fairly quickly afterwards.”

"Very successful"

Also on the show, Andrew in Mullingar said perspectives on rugby in Ireland are changing.

“I suppose it's a divisive question which is always going to get a response, is rugby now Ireland’s game?” he said.

“Rugby has become a game that has a much broader base of support. It is very successful in a very competitive environment.

“This notion that only eight teams could win it is correct – but there's only eight teams going to win the Rugby World Cup or the Soccer World Cup, and that's the reality as well.”

Ireland fans celebrate at the final whistle in the Rugby World Cup against South Africa, 23-09-2023. Image: PA Images / Alamy

He said the success of the Irish team has made the sport very popular with younger people.

“They have assumed success because of it,” he said.

“They haven't been part of the longer road where, if you go back to the 80s and 90s, rugby and success wouldn't be two words you would put together.

“In fact, anything with Ireland and success wouldn't be two words you would put together.

“There's no doubt that, other than amateur boxing, there is very little to shout about in terms of international respect and international success.”

You can listen back to the full debate here: