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Was anyone else, like me, horrified by the playing of the French national anthem at the Stadio Flaminio?

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In light of events back in 390 BC when the Gauls defeated the Roman army at the battle of the Allia and subsequently went on to "sack" (in the historical rather than sports sense of the word) Rome, don't you think it's drastically insensitive that the French National anthem was played at the Stadio Flaminio just before the opening match of this year's Six Nations Championship?

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  1. Horrified? I was MORTIFIED!


  2. Wow!

    I didn't realize that Europe had so many unresolved issues floating around that national anthems of other countries cause outrage at rugby games.  

    It is not a mettter of getting over these things, it is matter of doing something about these things.  (Expressing regret etc.)  If people are not over something you cannot tell them it cannot bother them - it obviously does.  The fact someone tells them they have no right to be mad just says not only has nobody dealt with whatever it was, they were under the impression that the angry people are so irrelivant that the fact they are still mad doesn't matter.

    Thet's exactly how the middle east got the way it is.  These stupid little things lead to wars, political struggle, anger, fights etc.  By I bet that must leat to an interesting rugby game though.  p**s em off first.

    (Im also a fan of the throat cutting gesture in the New Zealand Haka too primarily because it pisses people off before the games)

    RESOLVE YOUR ISSUES - OR KILL EACH OTHER PLAYING RUGBY - I'd rather watch the latter (cause I don't live in Europe)

  3. I think that we should all be mature enough to accept the playing of any visiting team's national anthem. It's a sporting, not a political occasion.  The anthems don't really mean that much any more, anyway. I am Irish but I will always treat 'God Save the Queen' with respect & if Irish teams play in the UK I expect the spectators to treat our anthem with similar respect.

  4. I agree I think its totally insenstitive that the oppressors have the nerve to demand that their national anthem should be played.

    After all its not as if the Stadio Flamino got any money for the use of the stadium, the French just turned up and demanded to play at that ground to rub the Romans noses in it. Its not even as if the oppressors were invited there by the Roman (or its successors) team).

    The very fact that the Stadio Flamino was built with state money shouldn't mean that the justified and deserving rights of narrow minded bigots should be ridden over roughshod. Unless you can keep the hated going, how else can you forge a nations identity.

  5. Yes, it's disgraceful.

    I'm also horrified that the Nordic nations haven't apologised yet for all the raping and pillaging that the Vikings did in Britain.

    And don't get me started on the French invading us in 1066 without UN approval...

  6. I'm with you Diarmid.

    My Grand mothers were both Irish, our family suffered horribly in the mid 1840's at the hands of b*****d English.

    After only 160 years they are daring to play God save the queen at Croke Park this weekend. They might as well be dancing on my families graves.

    I demand an apology from Tony Blair

    *des c...

      I think you'll find that was the joke.

  7. Fascinating! Whoever told you that the Gauls and the French were the same?

    The Gauls were part of a federation of Celtic tribes that from roughly 1200BC  to 300AD stretched from Spain to the Danube and included Britain. The Kingdom of Francia was of Germanic origin and did not come into existence until the 600s AD. Even then it was only a small area centred around Paris and did not cover the whole of present day France until the Norman Kings of England lost the plot during the 12th-14th centuries AD, because the Dukes of Normandy through inheritance and marriage owned lands of far greater area than the Kingdom of France up to this time.

    This case is like castigating Americans because ones ancestor was killed by a Red Indian in the 1600s. Clearly you are just trying to find a reason to stir up animosity between modern nations and show off by refering to a little known historical incident. Unfortunately, instead of demonstrating your knowledge of history you have demonstrated your ignorance of it.

  8. No, it's tradition to play the respective countries national anthems before the starrt of every game, and it's certainly happened many times before, just tink of the F1 season, if there is a French driver or car that wins, then the French national anthem is played, and in other sports such as winter sports, Olympics, Athletic Championships, even international Football matches including the World Cup. So why should rugby be abny differentor do you think the UK or Germany should ban the playing of the other countries respective anthems at any time?

  9. The English should not play GSTQ as it is the British national anthem, they should come up with an English one, I suggest "Vindaloo".

  10. No, I think it was played rather well, especially the raspy tubas who were quite brill. For "horrific" try e.g. R. Williams' noises.

  11. So why are the English butchers allowed to sing God Save the Queen throughout the world when they have fought, tourtured, killed and enslaved millions over the years. The past has to be left in the distant past.

  12. How easily we forget.

  13. Yes, I`ve heard that several Gauls have sent their medals back and the Gaul Republican Army are to stage a demonstration if it ever happens again.

  14. As a proud England fan I have to reluctantly accept that the Italian and French anthems are both much, much better than "God Save the Queen".

    Of course they should have sung it - Gaul shat on Rome much as Rome shat on Gaul.  Crucially it was all a long, long time ago.

    Interestingly, read and understand the lyrics to both anthems and then see what relevance either has to a) rugby, b) the modern world.

  15. Oh for god's sake - PC insanity!

    Strangely enough i wasn't horrified, given that the Gauls v Roman army wasn't the first thing i thought of - was more of 'Italy are gonna get stuffed' kinda musing

    Whenever England play Germany here or there, and they singthe national anthems there is no such outrage - and there are people stil alive who suffered the horrors of that. Show me a living survivor who was offended and then you may have a point.

    What about Australia? Before the ashes tests both anthems were sung - is it not insensitive to stand there and sing about a country that sent people there as prisoners A LONG TIME AGO?

    Yes, now let's stop singing our national anthem at Murrayfield in case we offend Mel Gibson.

  16. were the f************k are you coming from get a life do you know what year your in

  17. Oh for gods sake you cant hold a grudge that goes back to the times of the ancient Romans. That's ludicrous.

    It was an International sporting event. At any international the two nations have their national anthems sung. That happens whoever is playing.

    This weekend England travel to Dublin to play Ireland in the 6 Nations, do you honestly think that because the 2 nations have a bit of a past they shouldn't be allowed to sing their national anthem?

    You are being beyond stupid

    PS : Peter H you are an embarrassment. The Republic of Ireland has as much to do with the United Kingdom as Russia has to do with Timbuktu. They have their own President,  a Taisoch (apologies if I spelt that wrong) and their own system of government. They are completely independent from us

  18. Not really! Us Welsh, Scots and Irish have to put up with God Save the Queen when England play at our grounds and there were plenty of terrible things the English did against us!

    Saying that, I hate people who boo national anthems. Even though I hate the English rugby team I won't do that because it's disrespectful.

  19. what a stupid question. Sport is war! Give me two points you moaning minny

  20. am i in a time warp.. you were horrified by a national anthem being played because of an event as you say around 2500 years ago?

    should all spainirds be expelled from italy because of what haniball did?

    what a strange question

  21. Peter H said

    I like where you're coming from. Looking forward to God Save the Queen in Ireland on Saturday. After all she's their Queen too.

    planet and different come to mind

  22. Try God Save the Queen this week at Croke Park, Dublin where British soldiers murdered over a dozen spectators at a GAA match during the Irish War of Independence.

  23. Yes it was incredibly insensitive and I just don't think the French should be allowed to take part in any future tournaments for the rest of time.

  24. Peter H you stupid prick. The Queen has nothing to do with the Republic of Ireland. Get your facts right you gobshite.

    Peter H........A wind up merchant or worse. A man of limited intelligence.

    To all offended I apologise for my use of bad language. I will not be baited like that again.

    Also I would like to point out that I'm not one of the people up in arms over the playing of their National anthem at Croker.

    p.s. God might just save their queen but 15 Irish men are going to give 15 English men an awful hiding on Saturday evening and they won't have an army their to fire on the innocents in the crowd like the last time they came to Croker.

  25. No. We cannot live in the past, or relive past wrongs when two countries come together for a Sporting event.

    Its Rugby, not a Historical play.

  26. Nice question, know where you are coming, from pretty d**n funny thats theres people here who think you are serious! "Pads and Shiney helmets" nice.

    CCCCooooommmeeee on Ireland

  27. No more horrified than last year when I went to watch the Calcutta cup being played at Murray field  (England v Scotland).

    We had to watch a disgraceful display that would not have been allowed anywhere else of a Scots troupe of actors dressed as William Wallace supporters playing out an enactment of fighting against the English (from braveheart) What we witnessed in Sadio Flamino paled into insignificance by comparison

    The Scottish Rugby association ought to have been reprimanded over this.    I felt really sorry for the English fans having to witness

    this shameful spectacle. Whatever you think about the English they would never have done such a thing.

  28. My only problem was that the band were obviously too quiet, so the crowd was singing way ahead of them.  It sounded a bit of a mess.

  29. well if france was playing there's no reason they shouldn't have played the national anthem. you're not making any sense.

  30. Get real!! What century are you living in? If we all went around with that sort of opinion, we'd all bear grudges for some reason or other. Its pathetic!

  31. Listen all he's taking the p**s cop on will ye don't be so serious
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