THE VAST MAJORITY of Irish people appear to think that Ireland's rugby team was right in not taking the knee prior to their Six Nations tie against Wales.
After running a poll via the Irish Post Twitter account, we found that a whopping 84.9% of respondents said they believed the players did the right thing.
Meanwhile, 15.1% of people said it was the wrong decision, and believed they should have knelt.
The general consensus online though seems to be that people are tired of the moral posturing of the gesture, with one user commenting: "Respect. Now we need the footballers to grow a spine"
Another said: "They're Irish, they're done bending the knee."
As both Ireland and Wales lined up ahead of their Six Nations opener on Sunday, an 'anti-racism' message range out over the Tannoy system at the stadium in Cardiff.
Was the Ireland rugby team right to not take the knee against Wales in the Six Nations? #SixNations #SixNationsRugby https://t.co/jzUcNF21aR
— The Irish Post (@theirishpost) February 10, 2021
However, during a 'moment of reflection' before the game that had been used as an opportunity to 'take the knee' in support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement, every single Irish player and every single Welsh player remained standing.
It wasn't the only time this happened during the opening round of the tournament either.
14 of the 30 players involved in the Six Nations clash between England and Scotland at Twickenham refused to take the knee ahead of kick off, while no players kneeled before Italy v France.
Ever since the BLM movement erupted into the mainstream following the death of George Floyd at the hands of American police officers in May 2020, sportsmen and women around the world have been 'taking the knee' prior to kick off to show support for the fight against racism.
The practice has become especially commonplace in the Premier League and in football across England. In one instance, fans of Millwall football club garnered criticism for booing the action.
Some however deem the gesture of kneeling to be an endorsement of the left-wing values promoted by the Black Lives Matter (BLM) political group, rather than simply of the values of anti-racism, and as such, the practice has become extremely divisive.
