Enjoying a little bit of Red heaven

EUROPEAN champions, genuine European champions — bask in that for a few months.

Manchester United won the European Cup last week, but I’m not from Manchester, and any happiness I gain is purely vicarious, much as it is when a neighbour’s child wins something big. Now that you asked, it happened a couple of weekends ago when young Jonathon McCarthy, son of John and Mags from up the boreen here (along with two other Ballyhea lads, Patrick O’Callaghan and Dean Copps, scorer of the winning goal — note the names), was part of the Charleville side that won the All-Ireland U-13 soccer title.

But, I am from Munster, I am part of this family; in this feeling I can luxuriate, in this feeling I can revel.

Like many of the travelling fans last weekend, I had a bit of an adventure. Left Charleville at 2.30am on Friday morning with a busload from the Response Group, Mary Greensmith (mother of Munster and Irish rugby star Amanda) doing the organising, Kevin Griffin of Griffin Coaches in Ardpatrick doing the driving.

A 15-hour journey later, via Dublin Port/Holyhead and a twisting, turning trip diagonally across the whole of Wales, we landed in Cardiff.

The return leg was supposed to be shorter, leave Cardiff at 10pm on Saturday evening, ferry from Pembroke to Rosslare, home in time for the breakfast. Didn’t turn out like that, with 50-knot broadside winds preventing our ferry from docking in its normal slot, forcing the ship’s captain — a genial take-charge Scot — to eventually settle for a rival ferry-company’s berth.

This caused further complications in the disembarkation process, the eventual upshot of which was that we hit dry land at 1.25pm, seven hours later than expected, didn’t get home until 5pm, all told a 17-hour trip. Worth it? Oh yes. We knew, we all knew, we had witnessed something special.

Part of the ritual after all these games is to read the papers, get the reaction of the vanquished, the summaries of the experts. Not for the first time, I feel Munster are not getting the recognition they deserve. Boring rugby, it says, ugly rugby, limited rugby; Toulouse the aristocrats, Toulouse the artistes, denied the opportunity to express their grace and genius by the big, bad bullies from Munster. Such a view betrays a remarkable ignorance of what really happened.

Toulouse came out and played for the first 20 minutes, played their best, but at the end of that period, what had they got to show for their efforts? Three points, a drop-goal by the pouty Elissalde. Why? Because Munster defended like demons, showed tremendous discipline and concentration, refused to let them through. Is that not rugby? Then, in attack, Munster scored one try, had two others disallowed, came within inches of adding at least two more. Is that not rugby? Apart from a try which featured three fortunate bounces of the ball, what did Toulouse create?

AUSSIE Tony McGahan is the Munster defence skills and backs coach, but even he accepts what this team has is something else, something that can’t be coached.

“Their honesty, their trust in each other, their belief that keeps just getting them through that work-rate every single time.” This, he agrees, is why they put their bodies on the line in every game, this is why they put in hits that are bigger than their actual size, this is why they willingly suffer punishment, all of which combines to demoralise the best of opposition.

“They’re a tremendous group of players, they have a huge honesty and a huge work ethic, they just keep coming up with those efforts time after time. You can’t coach that, it’s inside the guys, it’s where they’re brought up, it’s where they live, it’s the whole community focus. They’re just an outstanding group of young lads that continue to defy the odds to get what they’re looking for.”

By the way, coy and all as he was when I asked, I have a feeling in my bones this man will be the next Munster number one. “I understand there’s a process in place and yes, I am part of it, but time will tell whether that goes forward.”

Great days, heady days, days to be savoured. Is this the pinnacle? No; when an Irishman, such as Padraig Harrington, or an Irishwoman, such as Sonia O’Sullivan, wins on the international stage, we can all get feel that lift; if Ballyhea ever come back to win a Cork county senior championship, then a club All-Ireland, I don’t know what I’ll do.

But it’s good, this is good — soak it up for as long as you can. Thank you, to all those involved.