Irish Rugby
URC Rugby
Sean O’Donnell
On Sunday March 30th 2003, just over 21 years ago, Ireland welcomed England to Lansdowne Road for a Grand Slam shootout. We had emerged from the dark shadows of the 1990s, a win famine for Irish Rugby, and were still squinting in the new dawn. Warren Gatland had turned the ship around at the turn of the century bringing in new caps Shane Horgan, Ronan O Gara, Peter Stringer, John Hayes and Simon Easterby for the match against Scotland in 2000 and a scintillating 44-22 win was achieved, the first win over the Scots since 1998. A first win in Paris in 28 years followed and in 2001 Ireland finished runners up in the 6 Nations Championship, the best finish since 1985.
It was also England’s golden era and in 2003 they came into the match against Ireland having looked like world beaters and were heavy favourites although we were by no means written off. It was a fine afternoon and the build up took place in a carnival atmosphere, marked by the good humoured rivalry that normally attends this fixture. However, the mood was disrupted by the boorish and petulant behaviour of England captain Martin Johnson. His team found themselves on the wrong side of the red carpet for the pre match formalities. He obdurately instructed his team to refuse to move, thereby obliging our President to walk on the grass and embarrassing her-not a good look.
The match kicked off in a poor atmosphere and early on Ireland looked out of sorts. Whether this was the result of Johnson’s shenanigans is hard to say but England drew first blood with a Laurence Dalagllio try. They were on the front foot from that point on and the second half was a one way procession to the Irish line, England notching 5 tries and winning 42-6. They were a superb side and it was a pity that appreciation of their quality was impeded by the pre match antics. That Grand Slam was a staging post en route to a deserved World Cup triumph in Australia later in the year. It made it all the sweeter when Ireland secured an unlikely victory in Twickenham the following year but that is a story for another day.
For Ireland it was a hiccup in a golden decade culminating in an historic Grand Slam in 2009.
On Saturday March 30th 1985 an earlier historic encounter with England produced a happier outcome. Ireland had won the Championship and Triple Crown ( the higher profile achievement for supporters in that era), the latter for the first time since 1949. The following year we shared the Championship with France before the team nicknamed “Dad’s Army” imploded in 1984. A new coach in Mick Doyle and a new generation of players saw Ireland explode out of the traps in 1985, the new look team seeming to gel from the outset.
Mick Doyle’s coaching methods were naive to the point of being quaint by the standards of the professional era but as a leader of men in terms of motivation and building team spirit he was right up there. The match with England was originally scheduled to be the first of the season but snow in Dublin on the weekend of January 19th saw the match postponed until March 30th. Ireland’s opener was now in Murrayfield on February 2nd but “Doyler” had psyched the team up so much for the original date that he had to find a way of bottling that. He did so in a way that might raise some eyebrows today. On the eve of the original date of the England match, he brought them to O Donoghue’s pub in Merrion Row for a bonding session.
Mick had announced that Ireland were going to “give it a lash” i.e.play entertaining as well as winning Rugby. They were going to play an open game. England coach Dick Greenwood (father of Will) responded by wondering aloud if you could give a nation a “brain transplant”. Mick had factored that in as a motivational tool.
Ireland did as they promised and Scotland were duly despatched 18-15 with a brace of Trevor Ringland tries. A bad tempered 15-15 draw with France ensued at Lansdowne Road (which was ultimately to cost us a Grand Slam). A first win in Cardiff in 18 years by 21-9 set the scene for the showdown with England. In the lead up worries were expressed as to whether the free flowing Ireland would be a match for the bigger and heavier England pack-some things never change.
England’s full back-one Howell Davies- was getting his first cap that day and the first thing he did ensured that it would be his last. He telegraphed a clearance kick which was gratefully read by Brendan Mullen who charged it down, gathered and ran in for the try. It was the first of Mullen’s 17 tries for his country but he never got an easier one.
It was a tight game and a try by Rory Underwood shortly afterwards meant that there were never more than a few points in it. Later in the second half the big English pack began to tighten the screw and after they edged ahead 10-7 things were beginning to look ominous. Captain Ciaran Fitzgerald, a veteran of the 82 and 83 sides, which he also captained, was picked up on a touchline mic uttering the immortal “Where’s yer f…n pride?” which galvanised the Irish pack particularly Donal Lenihan although there is no suggestion that he was the intended target. They surged forward in the dying moments with the score at 10-10. The ball was played out to inside centre Michael Kiernan who had Mullen and Ringland outside him. However with 3 points all that was necessary, Kiernan took the responsibility on himself. With a straight path to goal he lined up the drop. It went sweetly between the sticks and glory beckoned. Cue the shrill blast and euphoria!
A lash had been given and the Crown secured for the second time in four championships. It was the last piece of glory before the dark 90s and until the golden era of the 00s and 10s and the platinum one of today.