Scotland 18 v Ireland 19

**An t-Ileach** · 11th March 07, 10:16 AM

Originally Posted by Arlen

I have to admit, I'm a big rugby fan so I was gutted at the result. But if nothing else, we played well...

If Ireland are supposed to be the 2nd best team in the world at the moment, then we did very well to lose by just one point.

**ccga3359** · 11th March 07, 10:56 AM

Originally Posted by An t-Ileach

Well that was a bad result today. France lost (badly) rather than England won. So, it's up to Wales next week at Cardiff to uphold the honour of the Celtic nations and deal with the Sasunnaich. Wales v England at the Millennium Stadium should be a real occasion anyway.

I have an England jersey coming soon. Go England.

**McClef** · 11th March 07, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by ccga3359

Tref, How's the Wales game going?

Ha ha - shall we just say it went.

I'm not going to be too sanguine about their chances next week but hopefully being at home will help at least a little.

And correct me if I'm wrong An t-Ileach, but I was always told that Sasunnaich was the Highlander's word for the Lowlander rather than the English?

**An t-Ileach** · 11th March 07, 04:16 PM

This is an ambiguous area. Strictly speaking, the Lowlander is called a Gall and an Englishman a Sasunnach, but often the Gael doesn't distinguish too carefully between the two.

This is, of course, seriously unfair as the Lowland Scots spent more effort, treasure, and blood resisting the English than the Highlanders and Islanders did.

However, the Lowlanders tended to get off more lightly than the Gaels in the repercussions of Jacobitism (the 18th Century genocide of the Gaels after the '15 and '45 was the most egregious example of this). On the other hand, the Stuart kings tended to use the Highlanders as their means of repression against the Lowlands (helped by the language barrier) - and then maliciously repaid them by disloyalty, and the systematic destruction of their economy, language, and way of life (in which they used the Lowlanders).

There is thus a legacy of much mutual anger and bitterness on both sides of the Highland Line. I think that it is being healthily dissipated in mutually turning on the English now, especially in the ritualised conflict of international rugby and soccer matches.