Wednesday, November 19, 2008
THIS was supposed to be more about the occasion than the game. Yet what transpired was a contest that nobody could have anticipated.
The sight of the New Zealand players staying on the field to acknowledge the Munster mad crowd at the final whistle said everything about their admiration for what they had just experienced.
For those who feared the famed Thomond atmosphere would be diluted in the new stadium, think again.
With just six of their first choice side available against an New Zealand team with 13 full internationals, Munster had a mountain to climb.
To put it into context, all eight of Munster’s starting pack has played All-Ireland League or Cup this season. Yet the performance up front must have brought tears to the watching Moss Keane, Brendan Foley, Colm Tucker and company.
For those who question the value of the old style tours please think again. It was fantastic to see an international side parade their skills outside of the formal test arena, a feature that has almost become the exclusive preserve of the British and Irish Lions in the professional age.
Graham Henry’s young charges will benefit hugely from a contest of this nature. In the old days this is what it was like for the Lions as they faced up to provincial sides from all corners of New Zealand who rose like men possessed to the challenge. They got a taste of their own medicine last night.
On the field, the drama started ever before a ball was kicked. The sight of Munster’s New Zealand contingent throwing down the gauntlet by performing the Haka was not only unprecedented but was done in a way the visitors respected.
While Thomond is famous for the silence that accompanies every place kick, never before have the All Blacks performed their Haka in total silence. If anything it unnerved them.
Once again despite the complexity of the modern game, Munster showed there is no substitute for raw commitment and courage. It will unsettle even the very best. At half time with Tony McGahan’s side leading 16-10 the All Black players in the dressing room must have been looking at each other and wondering what had hit them. Munster’s proficiency in the set piece offered a sufficient platform for their outstanding back line to ask serious questions of the visitor’s defence. Paul Warwick ran the show and varied the game to such a degree that the men in black looked mesmerised at times.
However in defence Munster were incredible with every single man committing body and soul as if there was no tomorrow. You just wondered how long they could last as player after player went down with cramp. In the end something had to give and there was a strange irony in the fact that it was a missed tackle by Doug Howlett on his long time wing partner Joe Rokocoko with just two minutes on the clock that decided the game. It was a shame as Howlett, Mafi and Tipoki could not have given more to down the colours of their country men.
The magnificent contribution from the unsung heroes who train every day with Paul O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara and the other internationals, should be recognised.
Timmy Ryan, James Coughlan, Niall Ronan and Billy Holland were simply immense. They couldn’t have given any more. When people wonder what it is about Munster that differentiates them from other sides, the answer was there for all to see at the famed ground last night.
The presence of the Munster team of 1978 added greatly to what was an unforgettable night for rugby in this province as the new stadium was officially opened by An Taoiseach Brian Cowen.
In time the defeat may come as some consolation to the Munster branch as had the province managed to repeat the success of 30 years ago, funding a reunion of a home side with four New Zealanders, an Australian and an Argentinean who has played for Italy would offer some challenge.
That said, this particular Munster display will be remembered with pride for a long, long time.
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