THE Telegraph has accused Irish rugby fans of ‘insufferable superiority’ amid the social media storm wreaked by Off the Ball.
Earlier in the week a 48-second snippet of its breakfast showed caused outrage for pondering if a 12 or 13-man Ireland would beat Wales.
At one point one of the co-hosts suggests a third-string Ireland team would be too much for Wales[/caption]
Presumably Simon Easterby would curse them for supplying such ideal bulletin board material to tomorrow’s opponents[/caption]
"Would a thirteen-man-Ireland beat Wales…?
"12… now it's a game!"
How bad/hampered would Ireland have to be to lose against #Wales…? | 🏴🇮🇪
OTB Breakfast w/ @Team_Optimum | #UnlockMoreYou#SixNations | #WelshRugby | #IrishRugby | #WRU pic.twitter.com/0zUbBxMNKC
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) February 11, 2025
Whatever about presenters shooting the breeze in light-hearted fashion to fill time on a two and a half hour show, the decision to clip it for social media was ill-judged.
At the time of writing the clip has compiled a ratio of 565 replies to just 89 likes, always a sure sign that’s broadly gone down very badly.
James Corrigan of The Telegraph was among the thousands to come across it while scrolling X and used it as the fulcrum of his piece on how Irish rugby supporters en masse have grown full of themselves.
He makes the point that there are plenty of members of the Irish rugby media pack who have earnestly decried the discussion.
However, he adds: “If the digital radio show Off The Ball has indeed written Wales’s team-talk for their daunting task in Cardiff on Saturday, then they might also have unwittingly underlined the visiting Blarney Army’s growing status as being insufferably superior.”
Corrigan continues: “Ireland received nothing out of it but the bolstering of a perception that does their heroes no favours.
“A senseless sneering snippet placed on top of an ever-expanding charge sheet of conceit.”
He later adds: “Of course, OTB does not represent rugby on the island, and fair dues to those writers experienced enough to remember when they were the championship whipping boys and for quickly pointing this out.
“Alas, the stench of cockiness lingers ever more strongly and there seems an emerging fear that during the rise into the game’s elite echelons a former reputation has been sacrificed.
“Collective contempt is not a pretty look, especially among a fan base who previously added so much genuine humour and bonhomie to the occasion.”
The furore has been such that it was brought up at Wales interim boss Matt Sherratt’s Thursday press conference.
Unsurprisingly he clearly feels he has enough on his plate in stepping into the breach left behind by Warren Gatland without adding any extra fuel to the fire.
Dead-batting a question from the Irish Mirror, he insisted: “I learned the first time I did this job, I think I was referred to as an ‘unknown little Englishman’, so I deleted my social media pretty quickly.
“I’ve not looked at anything like that and I’ve not heard any talk around that in camp.
“This week has genuinely been about focusing on what we can bring to the game.
“I respect Ireland, a very, very good team, well-coached and good players.
“Cardiff is a hostile place to come as well on a Saturday afternoon and there will be 15 players on the field that are desperate to represent their country.
“That’s all we’re focused on. Not any chat from outside of camp.”
