LEINSTER…24
MUNSTER…18
With regard to certain aspects of life, often feelings wash over the occupant of this seat, ruefully regretting not being slightly older than is actually the case. Mostly around farming and not being that bit more independent and in control of my own destiny at a time when agricultural activity and other country customs like hunting and fishing were at their peak in this locality.
Conversely, however, from a sporting perspective, certainly from a Meath GAA perspective, much of the 70s and early 80s were – to quote the name of a grand old song – better best forgotten. Yes, there was a run to the All Ireland SFC Final in 1970 and the legendary league title success of ’75.
But other than that, in terms of clashes with Dublin, it wasn’t so much a rivalry as Dublin with a stranglehold not only over Meath but the entire game of Gaelic football. In Leinster at least.
Back then at least, Kerry gave them more competition than anyone was able to do between 2013 and 2020. And, though the concept of moral victories is abhorrent to anyone with even a scintilla of pride, in the latter named tranche of years listed above, the notion of moral victories wasn’t even available against Dublin such was the chasm between them and the rest.
***
Reason for mentioning all of the above is because as with any rivalry there have been times when the dynamic between Leinster and Munster has been painfully lopsided to the betterment of one side or the other.
When the Heineken Cup – as it was then and should still be – was still in its embryonic stage, Munster’s struggles to get over the line was one of the most emotionally charged stories anywhere in sport. The thing is, though, that while Munster were considerably stronger than the blue province for a while, where their superiority at the time was fodder in some quarters for some frankly distasteful derision of the boys in blue.
Mind you, the difference between how the ebb and flow between the two rivals is perceived by others from a Munster perspective is striking. Whereas the go to thing was to make little of Leinster when Munster were on top, now that the boot is firmly laced up on the other side, the standard response has been to almost take pity on the Thomond Park tribe.
Neither are fair correct. If you have been ingesting rugby related content in this space for any length of time you’ll know that there’s always been an especial connection on the Munster side for numerous reasons. Not least the fact that Thomond Park has the best disabled viewing facilities I have ever seen at any venue. And I include Old Trafford in that.
Now, there are those who would seek to paint the fondness for the red corner in this seat as being anti the blue. Not so at all and even less fair to think as such. Look, there was a time when the D4 gooooys element of their trappings made them extremely difficult to stomach, but whether the following is illusory or not, it definitely doesn’t feel as pronounced as it once was.
Part of that is that the days of rugby being the preserve of the fee paying schools – in any of the provinces are now long gone. The oval ball code is mainstream now. With clubs popping up in places where once anything other than the thought of a pub, a church and a GAA club would have been considered heinous.
In contrast, now there are rugby clubs in every art and part of the country. Including the birthplace of the GAA itself – Thurles. You know, it’s one of the strange curiosities that for a place the size of Dunboyne hasn’t had the inception of an oval ball entity. Yet.
The thing about that is, too, that what you might call the ‘fear’ of GAA being swamped or usurped by an oval ball entity simply hasn’t happened. If you ever wanted concrete evidence to endorse that fact, look no further than the fact that Donaghmore/Ashbourne and Ratoath remain two of the biggest and most successful clubs in the Royal County whilst alongside reside clubs of the other 15-a-side variety which have also thrived.
***
Anyway, after that diversion, back to the matter at hand, the latest instalment of one of the great rivalries anywhere in sport. For a bit of context, even though Munster had triumphed over their old adversaries in the Dublin clash last year – actually in Croke Park – Leo Cullen’s team were understandably a warm order ahead of Saturday’s latest reunion at the Aviva Stadium.
Mind you, a large percentage of that was down to who Clayton McMillan didn’t have available in the other dressing room. Including but not limited to Jack Crowley, Tom Aherne, Calvin Nash, Mike Haley, John Hodnett, Jeremy Loughman and Edwin Udogbo.
Of course, misfortune for one means opportunity to another and on that score the likes of Shane Daly, Shay McCarthy and the other Udogbo brother, Sean, more than staked their claim for higher billing in the pecking order. Albeit that the first name on the above list very worryingly left the field on a stretcher and with a neck brace fitted
Others to step up to the plate in a meaningful way in the ultimate acid test included the Wycherley brothers – Josh and Fineen – Marnus van der Merwe, Kieran Brookes and prodigiously promising fly half Charlie O’Shea. A word too for the rapidly improving Ben O’Connor at full back.
In an interview not so long ago, the latter admitted that it had been an agonising choice between staying within Cork hurling or switching codes. Those who missed out – like so many others within the GAA at present – can only look on and wish they had more tangible ways of keeping their top talents. They know full well what the solution is but unlike rugby they haven’t the balls to go for it.
Moving on before my long suffering blood pressure erupts any further, it should be pointed out that Leinster too had slightly rejigged their forces. Though in one sense not to the same extent as their opponents. The big, jaw dropping alteration being the intriguing switch of team captain Dan Sheehan from the front row to the back row.
For those not au fait with the rudiments of rugby, in context, that would be the equivalent of a GAA team switching a widely recognised corner forward to somewhere like wing back. Ironically, you’d nearly think Cullen et al had visited this space last week regarding how Sheehan reminded this writer intrinsically of Keith Wood.
In that they are both wholly unorthodox exponents of the craft of hooking. In Sheehan’s case, that manifests as him being one of the most mobile and highest scoring front row forwards in the game. In a sense, it could be said that he was too good of a footballer in the rugby sense to be ‘wasted’ in the front row.
Woody went even further in his time, also being an astute kicker of the oval ball. An intricate skill in itself. The Garryowen man mastered it though, to the extent that the Killaloe native scored at least one drop goal for the nation from the No. 2 jersey.
***
So to the action itself. As Ryle Nugent rightly pointed out prior to kick off, when these two lock horns, it’s very much a case of throw the form book in the furnace and forget about even trying to write a script. As if to underline that very fact, fly half O’Shea made light of swirling winds to nail a penalty in the sixth minute and open the scoring.
What nobody could’ve foreseen was that being the beginning of a spell of complete dominance for McMillan’s men. Manifesting as O’Shea tacking on another penalty and converting an absolutely brilliant try by Daly. All of which combined to leave the scoreboard reading 0-13 after a half hour.
If you want to talk about try scoring brilliance, though, even Daly’s delectable dish was only an aperitif compared to the gourmet cuisine that turned out to be Leinster’s first score. I will openly admit that Jamieson Gibson-Park took a while to grow on me as a scrum half, but that was on me, not him. There’s no doubt now that he’s the best of those type of half backs on the planet.
One of the things which intrigues me most about rugby is the manner in which players – some of whom who, with the best will in the world aren’t built for mobility, can pass the odd shaped ball with such speed and accuracy. Especially whilst retaining cognisance of the fact that the pigskin must only be propelled backwards.
Thus, one could only marvel at Gibson-Park’s gargantuan skip pass – which took about three players from either side out of the equation – to leave Tommy O’Brien to waltz and did down his team’s first score seven minutes from the break.
They hadn’t gone away, you know. However, to their due credit, the reds managed to maintain their barricades for fifteen minutes into the second half when a blue battering ram in the shape of Ryan Baird. Hardly surprisingly given the expended in holding firm up to that point, Jamie Osborne galloped like a thoroughbred to the Munster line and, realistically, finally ended the affair as a contest.
That said, the Tadhg Beirne-captained outfit maintained all the hunger and endurance one would only expect and, to that end, a losing bonus point was the least they deserved. And to that end, their persistence paid off when the aforementioned O’Connor increased their tally by five a minute into injury time.
It could be said that, even at this formative stage of his career, Charlie O’Shea’s importance to this Munster side was underscored by the fact that his replacement as place kicker, JJ Hanrahan, missed the conversion of the O’Connor try. No, it would not have altered the overall outcome but with margins generally finite between the two great rivals, points difference could yet come into calculations before season’s end.
Still, the feeling that the eventual outcome if NOT the result was harsh on Munster was inescapable. I wouldn’t even centre that view on the players they were missing. It’s 15 professionals aside and they should be as good as each other. But, where Munster could feel aggrieved was:
(a): Leinster being awarded 17 penalties to their 12 in a game there was scarcely a bad stroke in.
(b): Alex Nankivell being the one who ended up carrying the can even though the persistent fouling was widespread.
(c): Losing Shane Daly as he was the only one causing genuine havoc for the Leinster defence.
(d): Failing to take advantage of the stats which they did boss – effecting 10 turnovers to Leinster’s 2; Winning one scrum against the head; Having more line breaks and 65% possession in the last ten minutes.
As referred to match earlier in this piece, yours truly is loathe to go down the road of moral victories, but for once there’s deserved comfort in the MV category. Counting the dicey refereeing decisions that went against them, those who were absent, but, even more so, how well those who were drafted in to audition acquitted themselves in the most bubbling of cauldrons.
To be continued!
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