Kiernan: It’s a whole new ball game from ’87

TWENTY-FOUR years ago Ireland suffered a mortal blow at a Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, losing a pool game to Wales.

This weekend it’s winner-take-all in the tournament quarter-finals, but the stage of the competition isn’t the only difference.

Ask Michael Kiernan, who starred for Ireland in the 1987 tournament.

“The first one was going to be strange anyway,” he recalls.

“It was new for everyone. There were four groups of four, only 16 teams, so there weren’t that many games.

“The way I remember it the tournament was over relatively quickly — we only played three matches and we were gone by the quarter-finals. Donal Lenihan was saying recently that the opening ceremony was groups of schoolchildren walking around holding placards for each country — you compare that to the ceremony they held this year — but I suppose with something that’s starting off, that’s bound to happen.”

Ireland had a good record against Wales at that time.

“We were winning games at home against them and losing them away, that was the way it went, but in 1985 we broke that sequence with an away win, the first win in Cardiff for years.

“We beat them in the 1987 Five Nations as well, (11-15), so we’d have been confident, going to the World Cup and regarded a game against Wales as a 50-50 one.”

Ireland lost to Wales 13-6. Kiernan kicked the Irish points — two penalties — but the game didn’t linger in the memory.

“I don’t remember a whole lot about the game,” says Kiernan. “What I do remember is the wind. It was played in Wellington and the wind ruined the game as a spectacle, it was so strong. There wasn’t more than a few points in it at the end, and we were gone home.”

They brought home a few lessons, though — such as the direction rugby was taking off the field of play.

“We were conscious we were in new territory,” Kiernan says.

“One thing that we took home was that there was a whole other level of professionalism in other countries.

“For instance, you noticed immediately that there were All Black players advertising products on the television — that was unheard of for rugby players back in Ireland at that stage.”

He’s looking forward to this weekend’s clash (6am on Saturday).

“I won’t be heading out to watch it, — I suppose it depends on your age group whether you head out and stay up for it! As for the game itself, I think the momentum is with Ireland. I think the sting of the defeats in those warm-up games probably hasn’t gone, and because of that I doubt that they’ll be losing the run of themselves now.

“I think there’s a good balance there for them, between the dejection of losing those games and the desire to keep the winning feeling going.

“Now obviously Wales are a very formidable outfit and it’s a tough challenge, but I’d be confident enough. “I think we’ll win it.”