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Published 16:01 19 Nov 2018 GMT
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That might be what garners criticism for the Irish football brotherhood too but it's still the reality that kicking ball and watching ball - round ball - is engrained in society around these parts.
It's easier to send your kid to a football team on a Saturday morning. It's cheaper to send them to schools that play football at a decent standard. And there are very few places around the whole island where you'd describe a town as 'not being known for football'. Rugby, on the other hand, is still living off pockets of 'rugby areas' - they'll grow, no doubt, but it's a tough comparison yet with football.
And, as much as that almighty roar on Lansdowne Road on Saturday night put to shame anything the footballers have produced in the last 18 months, there still aren't as many people tuning in. That roar says more about Martin O'Neill than it does about culture.
In fact, more people watched England play Croatia in the World Cup semi-final on RTÉ this summer than they did the Ireland v New Zealand November international.
https://twitter.com/RTEPress/status/1064518799179816960
On average, over 50,000 more people were tuned into the national broadcaster for that World Cup game between two different countries.
England v Croatia viewers
Peak: 1.12m
Average: 924,300
Ireland v New Zealand viewers
Peak: 1.0+m
Average: 883,700
The same thing happened back in 2016 too when Portugal against Wales in the Euros last four drew a bigger audience than any of the rugby clashes throughout the entire year - more than the Six Nations, more than either New Zealand game. A football match with no Irish skin in it was the bigger attraction.
Interestingly though, the All Blacks win on Saturday didn't draw as big a crowd as the Grand Slam decider against England did earlier this year.
It slots in second in the rugby rankings for the calendar year.
2018 Six Nations viewers (average)
France v Ireland: 572,000
Ireland v Wales: 647,000
England v Ireland: 951,000
And, for a year-long comparison, its average viewership on RTÉ would've come in fifth for 2017's overall most-watched shows.
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