If the events referred to in the next few lines are not all from the same season, apologies in advance. At best, they were from a time when I wasn’t properly attuned to rugby. Or at worse it refers to a period when my ar*e was the size of a shirt button!
So here goes. One need only look at the manic celebrations which followed tries by Ginger McLoughlin and Trevor Ringland and the now iconic drop goal from Michael Kiernan to decipher just how much of a big deal winning the Triple Crown on two occasions in the 1980s was.
It can only be assumed – and if the following is incorrect please advise – that Irish rugby had been in the doldrums for a while beforehand.
If that was the case, the irony is that, after those triumphs of 1982 and 1985, our fortunes returned to ignominy until the day Brian O’Driscoll bagged that hat trick in Paris.
There were occasional ripples, such as when we could, maybe should, have beaten Australia in the 1991 World Cup and when Simon Geoghegan slalomed in for a memorable try against England at Twickenham, but it wasn’t until the day of the BOD triumvirate, followed by the re-arranged Foot And Mouth clash with England that there was genuine belief behind inclinations that a period of betterment may be afoot.
That said, it wasn’t until they took a trouncing off somebody that either Eddie O’Sullivan or Declan Kidney, I honestly can’t recall which, decided to get rid of some deadwood and brought in a raft of new lads including but not limited to John Hayes, Peter Stringer and Ronan O’Gara. From there emerged the Triple Crown of 2004 and what, in all fairness to O’Sullivan, Kidney, Joe Schmidt and Andy Farrell has been Ireland being ranked among and playing like on of the top handful of teams in world.
A lifetime of everything revolving around sport has informed that there’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. And, if any of the latter had seeped into the Irish psyche, it was well and truly shaken out of them on a rainy night in Paris not all that long ago.
A win against Italy that inspired about as much confidence as the notion of Mr Bean being the director of an art gallery did nothing to indicate redemption of their season was still possible.
However, it’s probable that taking on England came at the best possible time for Farrell’s team. No more than a Meath footballer going out to face Dublin, there are days when there’s no motivation required.
Something which became obvious very quickly when Jamison Gibson-Park went over after three minutes. Which was the touch paper that ignited a wonderful display by Tadhg Beirne and his troops.
The oxygen gained from same fuelling rejuvenated performances against Wales and Scotland which bagged another Triple Crown title. Thus, newly generated optimism replaced the dispondent defeatism.
If there were slight reservations, there may be some who might have decried the inclusion of Stuart McCloskey and/or Jacob Stockdale. On the grounds that it constituted misguided loyalty to well travelled warriors.
However, there were no such worries and anybody concerned by that possibility proved to be as far out as whoever thought it was a good idea for Heather Humphries to run for President.
In fact, as if to underline as such, McCloskey was very much the Irish player of the tournament and would have been well entitled to the overall award had France not stolen victory against England which left Louie Bielle-Barrie a shoo-in for the accolade.
Now, I don’t think there’s an award for best newcomer or breakthrough player, but if there was Tommie O’Brien and Robert Balacoun would have to be front and centre among the contenders.
You do wonder why it took so long for the former to be ‘discovered’.
Conversely, though, to employ a bit of racing parlance, the fact that he is so ‘lightly raced’ should mean he has plenty of years service ahead of him. Comments which can also be affixed to Balacoun and Joe McCarthy – and his brother Paddy – and Craig Casey and Jack Crowley and Nick Timoney and Darragh Murray. The bones of a fine team there already.
Now add to that Ireland’s younger oval ball stars adding another Triple Crown at U-20 almost 24 hours exactly after the seniors had also seen off Scotland.
Being a sentimental sop, it will hardly shock anybody that Tom Wood was one young man who stood out with yours truly. His, along with Ben Blaney, Noah Byrne and Robert Carney are among the names to watch out for going forward.
Quite the 24 hours for Irish rugby, a Triple Crown double and the conveyor belt of talent topped up for the hat-trick!
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