The moment 70,000 fans were shocked into silent immobility

THE last time Croke Park witnessed something as suddenly and as shockingly disappointing as this, on as grand a scale, was when Meath defender Kevin Foley came surging upfield to crash a last-minute goal to the Dublin net to tie up a game that had looked all over in their epic Leinster championship encounter of 1991.

Seconds later, with Dublin players and supporters still stunned, Meath added the winning point and for many long minutes after the final whistle the Dubs couldn’t leave the Hill, shocked into silent immobility.

A minute to go in Croke Park yesterday, Ireland just gone into a four-point lead, French winger Vincent Clerc spotted a mismatch, dashed through the heart of the Irish defence, dotted down almost under the posts.