The Dew Drop Inn Virtual Rugby Pub

First topic message reminder :

Welcome to the virtual rugby pub - a place where you can come in for a sly beverage and discuss whatever's on your mind, or just eavesdrop on the regulars if you fancy a break from all the rugby chat.

The only rule in this pub is one of mutual respect for everyone in it, oh and no defacing the Tommy Bowe photo on the bar. That's a banning offence

So pull up a chair....what'll it be?

No no no notch the first four games were just a process to get to that game, you could see it all the way through that if they just cut out the stupid errors they would be great. It happened against England and hopefully they can keep it going for the wc

I know Hughie, I'm just having a bit of banter. It was very frustrating to see us undermine ourselves. Personally whilst I'm optimistic about the RWC, I'm not going to worry too much about our chances and just enjoy the ride as a fan.

Afternoon,
Just skimmed back over a couple of pages:does anyone know for sure that Fiji are going to be allowed to take all their players and staff to NZ? If they can't, then they won't be going and the last thing I read stated that the NZ govt was making no exceptions.

Notch wrote:Personally whilst I'm optimistic about the RWC, I'm not going to worry too much about our chances and just enjoy the ride as a fan.

I don't believe that for a second. You might try not to get involved, but you won't be able to help it!

Mick(TEFC) wrote:Afternoon,
Just skimmed back over a couple of pages:does anyone know for sure that Fiji are going to be allowed to take all their players and staff to NZ? If they can't, then they won't be going and the last thing I read stated that the NZ govt was making no exceptions.

Mick, that's still the case. No-one official has talked about who's on the banned list though it's being looked at. There are a few home-based players in the Fiji wider training squad, I did see some speculation somewhere that it could hurt their front row. Rugby is one of the few ways NZ and Aus have of "hitting" the Fijian leaders personally, and they're using it.

Of course, the way things are going Fiji and Tonga could be at war by RWC time: http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/south-pacific/5139442/Atoll-beacon-comes-with-warning. And it wouldn't surprise me if NZ and Aus backed up Tonga - the govt's are that peeved with the Fiji junta.

Guys

Just a quick update on where i stand as regards starting the rugby club at the Taphouse in Belfast. I have emailed various supporters clubs and have got really positive feedback out of Munster and Connacht (who are trying to set up their official supporters club this year). Still waiting to hear from Leinster and i will email all the ML and Ulsters Heineken opponents at some stage.

We will have signed Ulster, Munster and Connacht shirts in the pub and hopefully a signed Leinster one and an Ireland shirt and Connacht have said they will send up some flags etc. The overall response has been really good and i have to say the guys i spoke with are a credit to their respective provinces.

One area i am to clarify is
1. Charging in to the club; the premise was charge £10-15, and receive your shirt (this will be a proper rugby shirt with our club logo, not a t-shirt) and discount card. At the minute discount would be at least 40p off a pint and a pound off certain bottles (depending on supplier) minimum.
Each time the club gets together we would put money away for away trips (probably down south) which we can get discount for and we would incur the cost of travel (thats the plan).

Would anyone be hypothetically willing to pay this or should membership be free?
There will also be a facebook page starting up during this week to try and generate interest and i will post links on Ulster unnofficial facebook fanpage.
Also with regards to the world cup we had a look at dates/times and it looks like we will try and do something for the Ireland v Aus/Italy games and the knockouts. Do you guys think there will be enough interest.

Is the £10-£15 just a T-Shirt and Discounted Beer?

Rugby shirt, discounted beer, and travel to away trips. There will also be either a food discount on the card or more likely there would be food laid on any time the team meets up.

IF you have any other suggestion stag add it on. Im totally open to having more on it but im picking your brains here!

I should add Stag that whe i was talking with the MUnster supporters club we were obviously (very loosely) talking about deals for travelling fans and doing our utmost to get a deal on accomodation (our sister pub is a hotel)

I'm trying to think if I would pay it. Stand - I'm actually thinking for the sheer craic to land into your place for Ireland v Australia. 606 meetup anyone?!!

Standulstermen wrote:I should add Stag that whe i was talking with the MUnster supporters club we were obviously (very loosely) talking about deals for travelling fans and doing our utmost to get a deal on accomodation (our sister pub is a hotel)

I can imagine. Munster tends to look after the away fans

I'd love a pub meet up during the world cup, as long as I didn't miss any of Wales' matches I'd be up for that.

Stand - what you're planning to do with the place sounds brilliant and it's great you've been getting such positive feedback and support from people from Munster, Connacht etc, really good going

It’s not out of the question Stag. 17th September at 9.30am is doable.

Stand, is the £10-£15 an annual fee? Also, what does “Each time the club gets together we would put money away for away trips” entail?

It sounds like a great idea for a bunch of mates but it could be too ambiguous for a club with public membership.

Cheers Dreamer

Stag- Yeah well to be honest considering the support Munster bring up here its really mutually beneficial. If we didnt charge for the club have you any ideas about how to join it. I want it to be for Rugby fans and not for those looking to score cheap drink

Mick - we must give it more though! Yes thats my concern too. Its still quite vague. Is it possible to arrange some kind of service where a fan can bring their ticket stub to the bar and get some benefit for doing so.

Mickado wrote:It’s not out of the question Stag. 17th September at 9.30am is doable.

Stand, is the £10-£15 an annual fee? Also, what does “Each time the club gets together we would put money away for away trips” entail?

It sounds like a great idea for a bunch of mates but it could be too ambiguous for a club with public membership.

Thats where i would actually wait and see what memebers thought Mick. For instance when i used to play football the guys would put away a certain amount of money towards a trip at the end of the year and then when the trip came round it was paid for and everyone got an envelope with spending money.

Im not proposing anything as grand as that as i dont want the responisbility of looking after that much money. My initial thought would be to select an away fixture ( a lot would depend on the fixture schedule) and then we could use the contacts we have been building to get us the best possible deal. When that is done we would take the money in installments and book a hotel/match tickets. We would then hire a minibus (depending on numbers determining the size) and make the trip. The cost to the member would be accomodation/ticket price.

Yeah mick it would be 10- 15 a year.

red_stag wrote:Mick - we must give it more though! Yes thats my concern too. Its still quite vague. Is it possible to arrange some kind of service where a fan can bring their ticket stub to the bar and get some benefit for doing so.

Do you mean an away fan Stag? It is still very vague which is why im on here stealing ideas It may well be it isnt possible but i hope that the bar will at least be more conducive to rugby fans by the end of it

Yes away fans too. If you get advertising near Ravenhill for Munster v Ulster saying to Musnter fans to bring their ticket stub to your bar for buy one get one free, they will flock.

Standulstermen wrote:

Mickado wrote:It’s not out of the question Stag. 17th September at 9.30am is doable.

Stand, is the £10-£15 an annual fee? Also, what does “Each time the club gets together we would put money away for away trips” entail?

It sounds like a great idea for a bunch of mates but it could be too ambiguous for a club with public membership.

Thats where i would actually wait and see what memebers thought Mick. For instance when i used to play football the guys would put away a certain amount of money towards a trip at the end of the year and then when the trip came round it was paid for and everyone got an envelope with spending money.

Im not proposing anything as grand as that as i dont want the responisbility of looking after that much money. My initial thought would be to select an away fixture ( a lot would depend on the fixture schedule) and then we could use the contacts we have been building to get us the best possible deal. When that is done we would take the money in installments and book a hotel/match tickets. We would then hire a minibus (depending on numbers determining the size) and make the trip. The cost to the member would be accomodation/ticket price.

Yeah mick it would be 10- 15 a year.

That’s an excellent idea. You could use facebook to set up your group, then create an event (the away match) that all the members can choose to pay towards, and use that event to send them updates about when the next payment is due etc.

BTW - I agree with Mick - that sounds a smashing idea. You can always use the likes of Ian Humphreys on Twitter to promote this.

Stand, that’s another good idea from Stag there, or to expand on it you could get in touch with the supporters clubs from the traveling teams and tell them that anyone with a ticket stub gets a discount, that way the message reaches the traveling fans before they have even left for Belfast. You could try to make yourself the hub for all travelling fans for the HC. Leicester and Clermont travel in great numbers.

I'll also promote it to any Munster fans I know heading there. I'm hoping to repeat my trip to Ravenhill with some mates this year (depends on fixture list) so we'll stop in if thats the case.

And I'm serious about treating it as a pub meet.

Genuine question. Is it possible to have one of your staff dressed as Sparky . . .

red_stag wrote:Genuine question. Is it possible to have one of your staff dressed as Sparky . . .

Why would anyone want to go as a mangy cat that gets duffed up a lot?

:run2:

red_stag wrote:Genuine question. Is it possible to have one of your staff dressed as Sparky . . .

That would be a deal breaker for me in terms of attendance.

I’m serious about the meet up too btw, would be a good lark I’d say, cheap and cheerful “away trip” too.

Stand, could you talk to the Ulster branch about maybe getting a business card (or something less naff like a voucher for a free pint) into the Season Ticket Holders pack for next year. I’m sure they’d be more interested in promoting a bar that’s going out of its way to be a rugby pub than for any other random boozer…?

Mickado wrote:

red_stag wrote:Genuine question. Is it possible to have one of your staff dressed as Sparky . . .

That would be a deal breaker for me in terms of attendance.

I’m serious about the meet up too btw, would be a good lark I’d say, cheap and cheerful “away trip” too.

Stand, could you talk to the Ulster branch about maybe getting a business card (or something less naff like a voucher for a free pint) into the Season Ticket Holders pack for next year. I’m sure they’d be more interested in promoting a bar that’s going out of its way to be a rugby pub than for any other random boozer…?

Agree entirely. You could also have a Sports Guru prediction Mini League in operation. Anything that promotes rugby and shows your pub involved in it. I'd happily pay £10-£15

Stand, you should get a massive Ulster flag and write the name of your pub on it and get someone to bring it to Ravenhill for every game. Keily’s of Donnybrook and “davey keogh says hello” are ubiquitous at Ireland soccer matches. Also, can I ask what the name of the bar is? You can PM me if you don’t want to advertise it here…

Lads im not certain about the ticket stub idea but i like it. My thoughts were to give away fans the rugby club discount which might work out better. Either way it would certainly be worth your while as an away fan. Im honestly not certain and somewhat speechless about the Sparky idea i have to say

Yeah my boss is a twitter fiend so he has started following all the rugby guys on twitter. Lads if you are serious about a meet up let me know and i can sort something out.

Stag

Im actually trying to stay away from the UB on this one. They are connected to the Ulster Rugby Supporters Club and im not sure how positive they would be towards us. I will keep it in mind but certainly i have already explored the promoting outside of Ravenhill idea and certainly i will be in contact with the Munster Supporters club coming up to the fixtures

Mickado wrote:Stand, you should get a massive Ulster flag and write the name of your pub on it and get someone to bring it to Ravenhill for every game. Keily’s of Donnybrook and “davey keogh says hello” are ubiquitous at Ireland soccer matches. Also, can I ask what the name of the bar is? You can PM me if you don’t want to advertise it here…

Its called The Taphouse Mick. I am looking at promoting at Ravenhill but i havent found the means yet. Its a good idea

Lads

I love the prediction league idea!

red_stag wrote:I'm trying to think if I would pay it. Stand - I'm actually thinking for the sheer craic to land into your place for Ireland v Australia. 606 meetup anyone?!!

Count me in!

roddersm wrote:

red_stag wrote:I'm trying to think if I would pay it. Stand - I'm actually thinking for the sheer craic to land into your place for Ireland v Australia. 606 meetup anyone?!!

Count me in!

You lot arent a demanding bunch are ya because i will have to be workin

An interesting approach. Targetting the away fans and slowly working your way in. Might be easier than cracking the UB.

We'll gauge who's interested. MrsP, Rava, Rodders and Notch will go. As will you no doubt. MickyT will surely come and Mickado and me.

Standulstermen wrote:

roddersm wrote:

red_stag wrote:I'm trying to think if I would pay it. Stand - I'm actually thinking for the sheer craic to land into your place for Ireland v Australia. 606 meetup anyone?!!

Count me in!

You lot arent a demanding bunch are ya because i will have to be workin

If you want to trust me to get my own pints during the game then on your tab be it!

I'm a coeliac, lactose intolerant, agrophobic, obsessive compulsive whinge bag. Best customer ever!

As long as you serve a good pint of that will do me

Have you looked at advertising in the matchday programs?

Ok, here’s the best idea I’ve ever had (bar none).

The pub is called The Taphouse yeah?

So instead of happy hour, have….

A Quick Tap.

Ok, you’re welcome.

roddersm wrote:As long as you serve a good pint of that will do me

Have you looked at advertising in the matchday programs?

Awaiting response Rodders. I should add the is surprisingly good. I didnt expect it to be when i moved here but there you go.

Mickado

Is that all. You'll be one of the easier ones then.

Cheers for the help guys. I especially love the prediction league idea.
Stag

Trying to target those not closely affiliated with Rugby clubs. They are out there its just a case of getting them interested.

Thats Genious Mikado. A quick tap indeed

Will make a point of visiting the taphouse next time I'm in Belfast. A few of the clubs have fb pages stand you could post on there for feedback, if you haven't already.

Cheers all

I may even shout you all a pint when you're up for the ideas.

Im offski but will be back on later for the U20's. Later folks

Hey anyone have any idea why there's so few of the English posters on here from the old site?

It's a bit strange isn't it Rodders? I think a lot of them have just settled onto that 606 facebook page.

It's a shame though, it would help balance things up a lot more if there were more of them on here.

I wonder the same thing Rodders. The place is devoid of them. Its made people like greyghost a lot more ineffective.

Yeah its a pity. This place is a wee bit to amicable for my liking. We're missing a good old heated debate and GreyGhosts wind ups are just going to waste!

well there's a few of them but they're mostly pub regs.

I'm sure when the world cup starts we'll get more of them in here.

Just been looking on the poll for the who do you support and why thread. Scarlets and Leinster are the only teams up to double figures

If we are talking about congregating to watch Ireland play in the Taphouse in Belfast (on TV, few bars have the capability to stage a live rugby game indoors), I'm basically all over that.

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

red_stag wrote:Genuine question. Is it possible to have one of your staff dressed as Sparky . . .

Why would anyone want to go as a mangy cat that gets duffed up a lot?

:run2:

How dare you! It's a mangy bear that gets duffed up a lot.

It sounds good Notch but it depends on the schedule. Mid week games would be out for me but if there's a few heading for a big game on a saturday then I'd try and make it for sure. Have the fixtures been released yet?

Notch wrote:

AsLongAsBut100ofUs wrote:

red_stag wrote:Genuine question. Is it possible to have one of your staff dressed as Sparky . . .

Why would anyone want to go as a mangy cat that gets duffed up a lot?

:run2:

How dare you! It's a mangy bear that gets duffed up a lot.

I do miss MrsP - she'd have had my guts for that

Rodds the one in question is one a Saturday. Ire v Aus

Here’s our schedule lads, all times are Irish:

September 11th (Sunday) 7am – USA
September 17th (Saturday) 9.30am – Aus
September 25th (Sunday) 6am – Russia
October 2nd (Sunday) 8.30am – Italy

Think all QF’s etc are on at the weekend too so happy days all round.

Ahhh... well I could get it off work!

Afternoon all, quick before I return to the madness.

Asbo, me too 10 minutes on the naughty step for you in her honour I reckon. Are you in touch with her at all as you're not involved in the work?

Glorious day here, same again a week on Saturday please. Thank you.