Minister’s dismay at Easter Sunday rugby
@Press Eye Ltd Northern Ireland -26th January 2012 Mandatory Credit - Picture by Brian Little/Presseye.com Ulster Rugby fan, Very Rev Dr Stafford Carson from First Presbyterian Church Portadown, will be unable to 'Stand Up for The Ulster Men' at Thomond Park as Ulster play Munster in the quarter final of the Heineken Cup,. Sky Sports has scheduled the match for Easter Sunday.
A FORMER moderator of the Presbyterian Church will not travel to support his beloved Ulster rugby team in the Heineken Cup as the game is being played on Easter Sunday.
The Rev Dr Stafford Carson says that he and a number of fellow Christian supporters of the high-flying Ulster team will attend their churches on the “most important day in the religious calendar” and miss the hotly anticipated clash with Munster in Limerick.
His comments come after a request from the Ulster Rugby Football Union to have the April 8 fixture moved to another date was turned down by the Dublin-based governing body of European Club Rugby (ERC).
In his online blog, the Portadown minister said he was “grieved” by the decision to schedule the game on Easter Sunday but stressed that his comments were not part of a more general campaign against sport on a Sunday.
“It is very disappointing, to say the least, that the European Rugby decision-makers have decided that Ulster’s quarter-final match against Munster will be played at 1.45pm on Easter Sunday,” he said.
“Given the Christian commitment of so many Ulster supporters, as well as the players, it is worse than unfortunate that the ERC authorities have in effect denied Christian supporters of Ulster the opportunity of supporting their team in this important match.”
Dr Carson said he “loved” Ulster Rugby and has been a season ticket holder at Ravenhill for the last number of years.
He continued: “Friday nights at Ravenhill are great events, and have been enjoyed by many Christian youth groups as a good social outing. But my commitment to Jesus Christ takes precedence over anything else and on the most important day in the Christian calendar I plan to be with my fellow Christians worshipping and praising my Risen Saviour.
“I am grieved that I cannot travel to Thomond Park to stand up for the Ulstermen. I imagine that a significant number of my fellow supporters will also be very disappointed and will feel that their ‘right’ to support their team has been taken away from them.”
The former church leader stressed that it was not his intention for “everyone to conform to a strict Sabbatarian position with regard to sport”.
“But for those of us who are committed to our local church each Sunday, and especially on Easter Sunday, this decision means that we are unable to follow our team to Limerick.
“I hope that the reaction of Ulster supporters puts some pressure on the ERC to rethink this bad decision.”
Speaking to the News Letter, Dr Carson accepted that it was unlikely that the game would be rescheduled.
“I believe it is important that we register our concerns but also acknowledge that there are other factors which the organisers have to deal with,” he said.
“It looks like I will have to record the game and get a chance to sit down and watch it later on.”
Ulster Rugby’s press officer Lyndsey Irwin confirmed to the News Letter that the club had made a request to the ERC, which was rejected.
“The situation has not changed, and we have accepted the decision,” she said.
“We made a request for a change of date, given that the fixture was on a Sunday. There are those among our supporters who are Sunday observers and it is unfortunate for them.
“But we fully expect to use all the tickets for the game against Munster and all of our players will be available to play.”
It was reported on the Irish Times website that “Ulster, conscious of the strong Christian commitments of players such as Irish international Andrew Trimble, captain Johann Muller, and scrumhalf Ruan Pienaar, had asked the ERC to have the game on a day other than a Sunday”.
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Tuesday 29 May 2012
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