Time for Ireland to stand up and be counted

MUCH and all as it might pain some of us to accept it (and yes, I’m one of the disappointed), Amhrán na bhFiann is not the national anthem of everyone on this island.

Those of us in the 26-county republic, yes, the nationalists (of all creeds and none) in six of the constitutionally-conceded counties of Ulster, yes, “sinne Fianna Fáil, atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn.” But our Orange brethren in those same six counties, well, they have their own loyalties, different loyalties, and for as long as they constitute the majority in that statelet, well they’re entitled to them.

So, when rugby’s powers-that-be decided that the Irish team needed an anthem that would reflect this reality, that would be inclusive, could be sung with passion, with sincerity, with feeling, by everyone on the island, I thought, fine.

For the last several years now, we’ve watched as the cameras have closed up on individual members of the Irish rugby team, and there they are, belting out the words; “Come the day and come the hour,” they sing, in perfect unison if not in perfect voice, “Ireland, Ireland, together standing tall; shoulder to shoulder, we’ll answer Ireland’s Call.”

Well lads, the day has come, the hour has come, and I’m telling ye now, Brian O’Driscoll and company, this Saturday, we want that answer.

No more second best, no more forelock-tugging, no more losers. I’m sick of it, I’m tired of it. A Cork hurling team will go out in the morning and expect to beat anyone in the game, as will Kilkenny, Clare, Limerick, Waterford, Galway (when the mood is on them), Wexford, Offaly, even Tipperary (sorry Denis, Alan, couldn’t resist!); Kerry footballers bend the knee to no-one, same can be said for any Ulster side you care to mention, several from Leinster, Connacht, from Cork again. In club rugby, Shannon, Garryowen, Clontarf, Buccaneers, Cork Con, they all have their own arrogance.

SO WHERE does this loser’s collective come from, this national imperative to talk ourselves down? And do you know something, it’s only the bloody men who have it. Sonia O’Sullivan didn’t have it, nor did Caitriona McKiernan, nor do our women’s international hockey side.

And definitely, Derval O’Rourke doesn’t suffer from it. The girls take what talent they have it and maximise it. Us? I’ve been saying this all season long; we have the best team, the best individual players, in this 6-Nations. We should have beaten France, instead beat ourselves; should have hockeyed understrength Wales, especially after a quality out-half, Jones, was replaced by a styled mannequin; even with an outrageous refereeing performance by Dickinson (no offside in Australia), we should have beaten Scotland by a lot more.

Paradoxically, the performance I have least criticism of is the one for which Ireland got panned the most, the win over Italy. Again, I said it at the time; this is a seriously improved Italian team, it was the season opener, Italy were at their strongest, Ireland at their most vulnerable. In light of subsequent events, Italy’s improvement across the board, not bad at all, by Ireland.

But this is the one. I know it’s Twickenham, I don’t give a damn. Home venue for England, home crowd, possibly homer ref, doesn’t matter. On paper, on all known form, on any intelligent objective position-by-position analysis (which rules out Mr Jones of the Sunday Times, Stringer and Hayes again rated 4 out of 10 last weekend), we are patently the better team.

Ireland MUST win this game. Eddie O’Sullivan has a job to do to get the selection right (got away with it last weekend but what the hell was he thinking, no specialist back-row on the bench in those conditions?), he must also get their heads right, but this is all about the players. It’s time they stood up, stood out, took control of their destiny. And I’m telling ye now, get this one right, and the destiny of this team doesn’t stop at the 6-Nations.

But this is about more than rugby destiny. This is about the destiny of a nation. It’s time we got up off our knees. For how long more do we watch as an Irish team puts itself into a winning position, then implodes?

Time after time, Olympic hopes, European hopes, World Cup hopes, golf major hopes, dashed. Enough. Pardon the low language, but it’s time now for this group of players to shit or get off the pot. WE know they have the talent, the ability; do they know it themselves, do they believe? Saturday afternoon, we’ll all know.