Wonderful Wales send Ireland packing
The former Irish coach masterminded a tactically perfect eighty minutes as up to 12,000 Irish fans were left beaten and bewildered at the famed Cake Tin in New Zealand’s capital.
And for some of Ireland’s Grand Slam heroes of 2009, it was possibly a sad farewell to outstanding rugby careers as the Welsh ran out 22-10 victors. Acknowledging this, the Blarney Army rose in unison to salute the men in green who have given them so much to cheer about in the last decade.
However, the players themselves acknowledged afterwards that they had let slip a glorious opportunity to go all the way to a first World Cup final. Wales targeted Ronan O’Gara, and back rows Sean O’Brien and Stephen Ferris from the start and had a Shane Williams try on the board inside three minutes.
But the thousands of Irish supporters - who had succeeded in swapping tickets with Wallaby fans to ensure they were at Saturday and not Sunday quarter finals - made themselves heard when Keith Earls went over for an equalising try after half time.
Brian O'Driscoll said after the defeat: “We got outplayed. It was a great opportunity for us. They are worthy semi-finalists and good luck to them.”
Before the country’s hopes were dashed this morning, the general consensus before the tournament was that the Irish would finish second in their pool while Robbie Deans’ troops would top the standings. But Ireland’s shock 15-6 win in Auckland threw the predicted schedule out the window with Irish and Aussie fans swapping tickets in the city centre in order to attend their preferred quarter-final clash.
One such fan was Mick Casey, originally from the Curragh, but who has been living in Canada for the past 20 years. The former resident of St Lukes in the Rebel county was brandishing a self-made sign trying to swap his tickets for the Australia clash with the Springboks, in a bid to get to the Irish game.
From ‘The Green Man’ bar on Willeston street near the harbour, to ‘Mollie Malones’ just off Taranaki Street’ to ‘James J Murphys’ bar on Cuba street, the Irish fans were in full voice ahead of the big match.
The theme of last weekend’s game in Dunedin was of the Irish army of travelling support getting about by campervan, but today seemed to be all about the Irish ex-pats who have chosen New Zealand as their new adopted home.
Two such characters were Donagh O’Sullivan from Kerry and his friend John Roche. The pair immigrated to Auckland last year, and have been following the fortunes of Brian O’Driscoll et al from their base in the Kiwi metropolis.
“I just started sheep farming during the week,” said Donagh on financing his trip. “This World Cup is expensive!”
Cork native Roche gave an insight into how emigrants are hearing about matters back in Ireland: “While we’ve been away, it’s become harder and harder to find an excuse to go home. People are telling us back home, don’t come back, there’s not much going on at the moment. It’s not nice to hear, but we’re enjoying Auckland all the same.”
Kevin Collins from Blarney in Cork has married a Kiwi and doesn’t envisage returning to Ireland any time soon and his friend Sean Kavanagh from Dublin, who has travelled down for the rugby, has been blown away by the sheer Irish presence at the tournament.
“I arrived over for the Italian game and the atmosphere was exceptional,” said Sean. “It really has reminded me of the Jack Charlton days in the 1990s. I was in Italy in 1990, America in 2004 and South Korea in 2002. I was in Giants Stadium when we beat the Italians and I’d compare the atmosphere in Dunedin to that. It was incredible.”
Capamore man Dónal Blackwell, who went to secondary school with Munster legend John Hayes, has been living in Auckland for the past 12 years working in the dairy industry.
“We got as far as the leaving cert and he went one way, and I went the other,” said Dónal on the prop known as ‘the Bull’ who won 100 caps representing his country.
“John didn’t turn a rugby ball until he was 18. He did a few years down here in the Marist club in Invercargill, so it would have been great if John made it down here.”
Former captain and institution of the Reds Mick Galway was shooting the breeze in the ‘Green Man’ bar in the build-up to the game, and Gaillimh was full of praise for this current Irish side and fans alike.
“It’s been fantastic and the support has been amazing,” said Galway. “The amount of people that have come from Ireland, Australia and other places has been phenomenal.
“Irrespective of what happened, the team has done us proud.”
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