In perfect silence, Tom Kiernan delivered his strongest message ever 

Donal Lenihan recalled one of the many legends that emerged from Munster's famous win over the All Blacks in 1978, when the late Tom Kiernan was Munster coach

DEADLY DENNISON: Munster's pocket rocket centre, Seamus Dennison of Garryowen, on the move at a captivated Thomond Park on October 31st 1978 when Munster defesated the All Blacks 12-0.

After such a heroic and spirited stand against a New Zealand side that went unbeaten on the remainder of their 18-match tour, much focus turned on Munster’s coach Tom Kiernan and the role he played in fashioning that memorable victory. 

Tommy played for and captained Munster twice against the All Blacks, a 3-6 defeat in 1963 and the gut-wrenching 3-3 draw in Musgrave Park in 1973.

Having led both Ireland and the Lions on their tour of South Africa in 1968, Kiernan was renowned as a highly intelligent and passionate leader with some of his pre-match speeches entering rugby folklore. 

So much so that rumours began to emerge in the months following the game of the rousing send-off Kiernan delivered in the team room at the new Jurys Hotel on the Ennis Road, prior to boarding the coach for the short journey to Thomond Park.

The reality could not have been more different. The players were nervous enough as it was when they arrived with their gear bags into the meeting and took their seats in preparation for what Kiernan was about to unleash.

They sat, heads bowed and waited. The silence was eerie, broken only by the noise of a wedding party entering the hotel foyer at that time. They waited for Kiernan to address them, to tell them what he expected of each and every player.

The minutes ticked by, yet, nothing but silence. The vacuum made some players uncomfortable but helped others to concentrate on the task at hand and focus the mind. What is he going to say?

They sat there for all of 15 minutes but Kiernan never uttered a word before finally declaring that they were ready to make history. He stood up and led them out of the room.

In the years that followed, I was party to several similar experiences when subsequent coaches attempted to replicate Kiernan’s approach that day but somehow, it didn’t have the same effect. 

In perfect silence, Kiernan delivered his strongest message ever.

First published in the Irish Examiner October 31, 2018