Sean O’Donnell
There are certain dates which have a special resonance in Irish Rugby because, on them, significant matches have taken place which evoke bittersweet memories. Below I set out three such matches, which, in the recent past, can be filed under one of the above headings.
THE MIGHT HAVE BEENS: October 20th 1991 saw Ireland take part in our second World Cup Quarter Final. Such occassions have not been the happiest for us but this was one which with a few tweaks could have had a much more positive outcome. It was our only home Quarter Final in dear old rickety Lansdowne Road and we faced Australia, one of the favourites to lift the Webb Ellis. We were into the dismal 90s and Ireland were not given a ghost of a chance. Despite that, a capacity crowd in good voice turned up full of good cheer for a Sunday lunchtime kick off.
The team were up for it and a full scale free-for-all in the opening minute underlined their intent. However a moment of magic from the great David Campese saw him finish off an early score. In spite of this setback Ireland dug in and the Wallabies knew they were in a match. They did not score again in the first half whereas Ralph Keyes slotted two penalties to put Ireland level at half time. In the second half Ireland put together some lovely backline moves but the wily Aussies took their chances and a penalty by Michel Lynagh and a second try by Campese put them 15-6 up. Ireland who were missing our stat turn Simon Geoghegan came again and a drop goal and a penalty by Keyes reduced the deficit to 3.
Then came the moment which, until Ireland win a Quarter final, will be etched into the memory tinged with regret. Stand in wing Jack Clarke who, until then, had not had the best of outings, got hands to an awkward ball and in the same movement offloaded it into the grasp of our oncoming 7, Gordon Hamilton, Ulster’s finest who found himself with a clear run to the line. Who can forget the boyish smile as he squeezed into the corner by the West Stand at the Havelock Square end. Keyes converted and we were 18-15 up and minutes away from World Cup Semi Final at the second time of asking.
What happened next played out as tragedy in the final minutes as the stars and technical naivety aligned to save theAustralians. Ireland secured possession from the restart and young scrum half Rob Saunders ,instead of putting the ball into the back of the upper level of the East Stand, tried to play it. A turnover ensued resulting in a scrum from which the ball came back cleanly and was moved methodically across the line with eventually Lynagh getting in at the corner. They were home by the minimum margin, Lynagh having the luxury of missing the conversion.
We sloped away shell shocked but with the smattering of pride which would be unthinkable today when we don’t do “gallant losers” anymore. The sense of “might have been” was reinforced back in Lansdowne Road the following weekend when Australia unfussily dismissed the reigning champions, the All Blacks. A 5 Nations whitewash and a record 11 try thrashing in New Zealand underlined the decade of misery which lay ahead.
THE BAD: October 20th 1999, eight years later, we were battered, bruised and more streetwise following a decade of unrelenting Rugby misery. In the 1999 World Cup, because of the way the competition was configured the pool runners up had to play off for a Quarter Final place along with the best third place finishers. These were Argentina and Ireland were drawn to play off against them. We arrived in a the Godforsaken outpost of Lens in Northern France on a cold Wednesday night, a place we could not previously have found on a map.
We knew Argentina could be tricky but did not countenance the prospect of anything other than getting past them. They were an inconvenient stepping stone to a much anticipated home Quarter Final with France. The first three quarters were a nondescript affair with David Humphries and Argentina fly half Gonzalo Quesdada exchanging pots from the tee. Ireland had edged into a 21-9 lead and we were beginning to look forward to Sunday at Lansdowne Road even as Argentina began to bridge the gap. Both sides had been content not to trouble the line until the South Americans went for broke and moved the ball wide. Ireland were like a rabbit caught in headlights as they took the lead. The sudden realisation of what was staring us in the face completely spooked the team and the kitchen sink was ripped from its moorings and flung about in naked panic as the unforgiving clock ticked ominously. Even the 13 man lineout which coach Warren Gatland had unleashed in his time at Connacht was employed. The decapitated chickens lashed out despairingly and chaotically until the shrill blast brought the cataclysmic finish. Twenty five years ago today, Ireland Rugby , after a decade of falling, finally reached the bottom. Yet, in a strange way it was that humiliation which facilitated the very rapid turnaround that was only months away and which placed our team on an upward trajectory on which it has continued until the present day with only a few minor missteps. Things really had to hit rock bottom in order to begin the long climb to where we are today.
THE GOOD: October 20th 2001, just 2 years later but Lens might as well have been a century ago. In 2000 Warren Gatland had brought about a new era, coinciding with the new millennium. A new team with 5 new caps resulted in Scotland being blown away. A first win in Paris in 28 years followed and a respectable third place finish in the inaugural 6 Nations.
We had made a good start to the 2001 6 nations with a win on our first trip to Rome and another at home to France. Then for the first time since 1972 external events conspired to derail the tournament but not fatally in this case. An epidemic of Foot and Mouth disease in the UK, which did eventually spread to Ireland led the Irish Government to request the IRFU to postpone the three remaining matches against Wales at the new Millenium Stadium in Cardiff, Scotland at Murrayfield and England at Lansdowne Road. These matches were re-fixed for September and October albeit played in a different order. First up very early in the new season were Scotland and just as the dismal 90s produced some false dawns, so the new era had a few false dusks. Such was this occasion, a miserable afternoon as Scotland thrashed us 32-10. That was put to bed in October as we introduced ourselves to the new stadium in Cardiff with a scintillating 36-6 win. That set up a home finale with England. England had, before the hiatus, secured the title with 3 big wins in Twickenham but were preparing to round it off with a Grand Slam in Dublin.
Years of hurt in this fixture and the big win in Cardiff had inspired Ireland to psyche themselves up for this game and a traditional “boot, b…ck and bite” start had rocked England back on their heels rudely upsetting their fluency. Our gold label hooker and captain Keith Wood threw to a lineout near England’s line in the first half. He called it on himself, looped around and collected the deflection for a score that left the opposition flat-footed. It was the only try of the match as Ireland put up the shutters in the second half and bravely repelled the onslaught, bodies being put on the line without a second thought. One recalls Peter Stringer’s deft hand trip on an already gloating Austin Healey heading for the line rehearsing his try celebration in his head. England were in flat mood as they received the 6 Nations trophy after the match but without the icing of a Grand Slam. Ireland finished runner-up, our best finish since winning the 5 Nations and Triple Crown 16 years previously.
It was still another 8 years until Ireland won a championship and indeed a Grand Slam and 15 until our first win against the All Blacks and first away win against South Africa but this day 23 years ago was an important building block. There is still another well documented nut to crack and this will be achieved. All that is required is continual improvement and patience. We need to get rid of a lot of bathwater but not, as some would contend, the baby with it.