Moving swiftly along ... to England

THERE are rare occasions in sport when even the result is dwarfed by the occasion. Croke Park yesterday was one of those special days.

The raw emotion in the stadium when Paul O’Connell led an Irish rugby team onto the field for the first time could only be fully appreciated by those fortunate enough to be there.

The adrenalin rush was seismic and manifested itself in the singing of the National Anthem. Never before has it been heard with such gusto at a rugby international.

However, the sight of a French team doing a lap of honour on the hallowed GAA turf was not something we had bargained for in advance. It said everything about what this victory meant to Bernard Laporte’s men.

Given the circumstances of the victory you could understand how they felt. Not since Michael Lynagh scored in the corner in the final moments of the 1991 World Cup have I felt so devastated after a game. One can only imagine how the players felt.

Given the magnitude of the occasion, we should have anticipated drama. Three times in the last four minutes the direction of this classic lurched from side to side. When substitute Lionel Beauxis hit the post with a drop goal with minutes remaining you felt certain it was Ireland’s day. The ensuing line-out maul, which the Irish pack drove 35 metres, yielded what one felt was the match-clinching penalty for Ronan O’Gara. He duly obliged.

However, the momentary lapse in concentration which produced French ball at the restart offered the visitors one last glimmer of hope. It fell to Toulouse winger Vincent Clerc. Opposed in midfield by two forwards in John Hayes and Neil Best his dancing feet proved too much and his try cemented a victory which should now launch a French assault on another grand slam.

When Ireland look back on this game they will rue their inability to cope with the French challenge in the opening quarter. The hosts never got out of the blocks and seemed overwhelmed by the significance of the occasion. Nowhere is this more evident than in the set piece, with Imanol Harinordoquy succeeded in robbing Ireland’s first line-out throw. This was followed up by a ball against the head in the first scrum.

The French dominance in the first period enabled them to race into a 13-3 lead which proved decisive in the end.

It says everything about Ireland’s fighting qualities and resilience that the French failed to score again until the last act in the drama.

In a game where Ireland defended stoutly throughout, Geordan Murphy will have nightmares about the manner in which he allowed French captain Raphael Ibanez to step inside him and score France’s opening try.

For Ireland to close the margin by two points at the break as a result of an outstanding Ronan O’Gara try was incredible in the circumstances. The quality of the off load from Shane Horgan and David Wallace in the build up to that score was reminiscent of the skill levels so prevalent in the autumn internationals.

The half time break allowed Eddie O’Sullivan to initiate a tactical adjustment which saw Ireland keep the ball in hand more and carry the game to the French. This had the desired effect and suddenly the likes of Gordon D’Arcy and Denis Hickie were breaching a hitherto impregnable French defensive line.

One also suspected that Ireland possessed the mental toughness to sink the French. On so many occasions in the past this French team have a tendency to implode. When Ronan O’Gara converted a penalty to give Ireland the lead for the very first time in the 56th minute, the pendulum had swung very much in Ireland’s favour.

Ireland’s discipline under pressure after half time was remarkable and incredibly France were never afforded a kickable penalty in the entire second half.

In fact, had Ireland being more ruthless when awarded penalties in the opposition 22 in the last 10 minutes they could have won the game. On both occasions referee Steve Walsh played the advantage which Ireland failed to take. In such circumstances there is merit in just knocking on in order to go back and take the penalty. In the end they paid the ultimate price when Clerc scored.

The handicap of playing without both Brian O’Driscoll and Peter Stringer proved too much. In games as tight as this one the additional five% that their experience would have brought to bear could have made all the difference.

So the dream of the much coveted Grand Slam has gone for another year but there is still much to play for. The Triple Crown and potential Championship success are still very much in the melting pot. France, on the other hand, have secured a vital psychological advantage of winning five games in a row against Ireland before the sides meet again in Paris in the World Cup next September.

For Ireland, when the initial disappointment fades there is the prospect of reliving the whole Croke Park experience against England in two weeks time.

Despite the result those fortunate to be there were presented with one of the greatest occasions in Irish sport. Rugby in this country owes a sincere and heartfelt thank you to our GAA colleagues.

Maybe irony dictates that the first international rugby success at Croke Park should be against England.

REMAINING FIXTURES

Feb 24th: Scotland v Italy, Murrayfield, 3pm; Ireland v England, Croke Park, 5.30pm; France v Wales, Stade de France, 8pm.

March 10th: Scotland v Ireland Murrayfield, 1.30pm; Italy v Wales, Stadio Flaminio, 3.30pm.

March 11th: England v France, Twickenham, 3pm.

March 17th: Italy v Ireland, Stadio Flaminio, 1.30pm; France v Scotland, Stade de France, 3.30pm; Wales v England, Millennium Stadium, 5.30pm.