Soaring to new heights

TO the brave and faithful, nothing is impossible.

So read the motto on one of the many red banners decorating Lansdowne Road yesterday and how well they described the heart and soul of this Munster team. As coach Declan Kidney and his players readily agreed, a 30-6 scoreline offered a grossly distorted picture of the Heineken Cup semi-final but it is equally true to say that anything other than a decisive victory for Munster would have done a disservice to their dominance.

From the first exchange, when Malcolm O’Kelly spilled Ronan O’Gara’s kick-off, the Munster forwards tore into the opposition with unrelenting ferocity. Paul O’Connell was again an inspirational figure and while there will be many who felt the man of the match award should have gone to Ronan O’Gara, the manner in which the great second-row drove forward in possession, knocked players back in the tackle and ruled the line-out with an iron fist was awesome to behold. The red hordes, who seemed to take over the stands and terraces very much as their team did on the pitch, adore this man and his attitude.