Horan happy to answer Ireland’s call

DON’T underestimate the scale of what Ireland achieved on Saturday, nor the pride taken in that green jersey — that was the message from the top table afterwards, both coach Declan Kidney and team captain Brian O’Driscoll hammering home the achievement list by Ireland.

Beat a team above us for the first time in over two years, check; beat a team we hadn’t beaten in our last three attempts, check; get a win, any kind of win, over Argentina, check; and most critical of all, hold onto our eighth seeding in advance of the 2011 World Cup draw, check.

With all that in mind then, for those Munster men who could only stand back in admiration last Tuesday as their stand-ins won the hearts of the rugby world with a monumental effort against the All-Blacks, this match, this Argy-Bargy, took precedence over everything.