Clowns: Shane Horgan & Donal Lenihan

Nationality: Irish
Role: RTÉ rugby pundits
Act of Clownery: Ignorance


One of the amusing things about the European rugby dispute is that it has exposed certain ex pros and journalists forced to confront a more complicated issue. Whilst Bernard Jackman offered a more articulate and accurate analysis of state of play, RTÉ couldn't have chosen any two pundits more clueless than the other two in Shane Horgan and Donal Lenihan.

Donal Lenihan: "The outcome has been good for them (IRFU)" 

Really? But it's the end to the Dublin based Union governed and run ERC organisation and the highly favourable revenue split in their direction.

The ERC was almost an ideal little set up for the IRFU, hence why they were fighting so hard to keep the advantageous status quo of the Union run tournament. With the ERC dead and virtually all the demands of PRL and LNR in place, this was less of a compromise but a defeat for the IRFU. Not all that good an outcome.

Donal Lenihan: "They (IRFU) went down the honourable route"

Now this statement is astonishingly self righteous. It's very similar to one of those pompous, subtly narcissistic and "pride and honesty" banners that litter Thomond Park.

So how exactly did the IRFU go down "the honourable route" of Unions running the tournament? How does this make them "the only honourable Celt"? Even Shane Horgan knew Lenihan was talking rubbish.

This is part of a wider Disneyfied narrative spun by some amongst the Irish media that they the good honest little guys fighting the big evil corporate business.

Shane Horgan: "They were worried about weakening of the Italian and the Scottish game if they're not playing in the Rabo or they're not playing in the Heineken Cup. But all of a sudden we seem to be worrying more about that than the actual countries themselves.

So I think we might a shift from here on with the IRFU going: actually you know what if this is the way the game is moving and everybody else is looking out for themselves and so are the Scottish and the Welsh. Well maybe our clubs might be better off better suited playing in a stronger league to develop sometime down the future with the English clubs.

And that may be something they are looking at in the future, as obviously this whole idea of fraternity and the overall arching of the game and the 6 Nations isn't as important isn't as important to the other nations as it to us."

Firstly, let's sum up his points. So the IRFU have been looking out for the Italians and Scottish right? But then Horgan later says, that "they are worrying more about that than the actual countries themselves", and then that they are "looking out for themselves".

So if the IRFU are worrying about the Italians and the Scottish, and the Italians and Scottish are looking out for themselves, then surely Horgan thinks the IRFU should be backing that then? No, because he then goes onto say the IRFU should stop worrying about the health Scottish because the Scottish "are looking out for themselves". He then later says "I don't think it was (IRFU) completely altruistic".

Horgan is contradictory and makes little sense. He's also ignorant of the facts. The Irish provinces are unable to join the English as the PRL will simply not allow Union run sides in their competition. No way the IRFU could just pop straight into the league run by who they have been fighting a battle against for the past 2 years.

The whole idea of "fraternity" is also erroneous, it's all about the IRFU maintaining the advantageous arrangements that have seen themselves successful in European rugby over the past 15 years. Contrary to the we're "playing the honourable game" narrative, those like Lenihan are actually being dishonest in claiming otherwise, or alternatively just more ignorant.