Dare to Believe

The air buzzed with electricity, anticipation and expectation. The Munster supporters had waited a long time to have another go at the much vaunted All Blacks. Even the dogs on the street knew about the game in 1978, such was the coverage given to last night’s game over the past month. And last night gave us a reminder of just what it is that Munster rugby stands for. Dare to believe.

The famed Limerick ground could not have been officially opened by a more exciting edge-of-your-seat thriller. This was pure Munster.

For everything that has been said about Ireland last Saturday – lack of pressure on the opposition, lack of control, poor kicking, poor first up tackling, lack of ambition from deep, poor execution of chances – read the opposite for Munster last night.

This was old school. Pull on the red of Munster and play for yourself, your team members, the squad and for all who were there to watch you play. This game could easily have been played in the amateur era; such was the pride and veracity with which every tackle was made by each and every Munster player.

It might not have been the most experienced team, but this Munster team did not let the emotion of the occasion get to them. Even when the four kiwi squad members – Doug Howlett, Rua Tipoki, Lifemi Mafi and Jeremy Manning – performed the Haka before the All Blacks. Not just any team is allowed to do that.


In the first half, Niall Ronan, captain Mick O’Driscoll and Frankie O’Driscoll appeared everywhere on the pitch, wilfully taking the ball into contact – importantly retaining it – as well as in defence where they were asked to tackle their noticeably larger opposition time and again. Each time they dusted themselves down and threw their bodies on the line

Such was the pride and raw aggression shown in the first half by Munster that the debate at half-time was how long could it last.

The All Blacks had an inexperienced line-up and that showed when none of their key players took full control of the game or their possession. They sought to finish off the game before they had even managed to score.

Munster took the lead in the first half through a Paul Warwick penalty, followed by a sublime opportunist drop-goal from outside the 10 yard line. The lead did not last long. Stephen Donald, who had a poor overall game on the night, kicked a successful penalty once the All Blacks returned immediately up the pitch. But Munster still believed.

However, they began to take too much out of the ball and ran from too deep. And they were punished. Three minutes after his penalty, Donald, taking one of his team’s first chances, broke through the Munster defence to score under the posts. But the All Blacks could still not properly wrest control of the game away from the inspired Irish province and only looked likely to score on the break.

Munster persevered and from a five yard scrum, Peter Stringer broke to the blind side to find himself inexplicably with a two-on-one and he successfully put Barry Murphy away, while shipping a heavy challenge, for their first try.

13-10 at half-time. But with so many of their players apparently out on their feet, the test of nerves in the second half was sure to test even the hardiest of supporters. But then this is Munster we are talking about. Expect the unexpected. Dare to believe. As their sponsors so often say, Impossible is Nothing.

And for thirty four minutes of the second half, every Munster supporter in the sold out crowd dared to believe. Munster repelled attack after attack. Then with the ball in hand ran directly at the All Blacks with a conviction that was sorely missed in Croke Park last Saturday.

All Blacks coach started to make changes after only ten minutes of the second half, but he only sent on the less experienced substitutes. But the sign that world’s best team was worried came on seventy minutes when Mils Muliana and Brad Thorn were sent on to add some experience to the team.

Earlier, Warwick was successful with another penalty, which was cancelled out by Donald. However, it only took Muliana four minutes to make an impact. The sign of the world’s top teams is that they can control enough of the game to create the chance to win.

The All Blacks rarely created cohesive attacks, possibly only two in each half. But most importantly they scored from one in each half. Stringing a number of powerful runners from the base of rucks, Number eight Liam Messam one of the few shining lights, Muliana received a pass which took out one too many Munster defenders and he was able to release Joe Rokocoko who beat Howlett on his inside shoulder. Donald failed with the conversion and with only four minutes on the clock Munster still believed. But this time is wasn’t to be.

When the final whistle went, almost all the Munster team were frozen to the spot, with barely an ounce of energy to move. Many were tears. This game meant that much to them.

The All Blacks only beat the European Champions by two points. It should never have been that close. All logical pointed to a facile victory to the World’s number one team having sustained an initial spirited front up attack. But then again this is Munster we’re talking about. They don’t believe in logic. They dare to believe.

Bright lights offer hope

Munster paraded the Heineken Cup through the streets of Cork City last night when more than 30,000 fans turned out to welcome their rugby heroes. At the same time Ireland were playing a one-sided game against The Barbarians.

While the Baa-baa’s match could be labelled a largely meaningless game, and the team facing Ireland lacked the cavalier skills to rightly carry off the illustrious team name, there are a number of positives that can be taken from the game. Most notably the continuing form of some young lights, which could show that the future of Irish rugby is not as bleak as many had expected.

For such a game, the choice of Luke Fitzgerald at centre allowed the young Leinster player to get his hands on the ball and demonstrate his undoubted talent. And now with two years of professional rugby under his belt, his confidence in both attack and defence bodes well for the Irish midfield in years to come. While he has the potential to be heir apparent to his cousin, Brian O’Driscoll, centre might not be the position to unleash his pace, step and aggression.

While full-back may provide another outlet for Fitzgerald’s talents, there is quite a queue building up to take over from Girvan Dempsey. Geordan Murphy still has a year or two, but the emergence of Rob Kearney during the Six Nations and the more recent form of Munster’s Denis Hurley have provided, initially Michael Bradley and then Declan Kidney with a bit of a selection conundrum.

Another area of over-supply is in the back-row. Jamie Heaslip, for one, again demonstrated his excellent footballing ability and with the Munster back-row joining up with the squad in the next 48 hours, Bradley will again have some tough decisions to make down under. The enthusiasm of the squad will come as welcome relief to all following the dismal World Cup and Six Nations endured in the last year.

Indeed Ireland’s ‘blip’ lasted a bit more than the IRFU and the rugby supporting public expected, and O’Sullivan, correctly, paid for the blip with his job. But he did not leave the squad in good shape, mentally or physically.

However, following Munster and Leinster’s wins in the Heineken Cup and Magners League respectively, and the continued emergence of a group of bright young prospects, the squad Kidney inherits might not be in as bad a shape as expected.

Kidney takes top spot

So the IRFU have finally made a decision, the best one from both a PR and a sporting perspective, to make Declan Kidney the new Irish head coach.

The process to find a replacement for Eddie O'Sullivan had become increasingly drawn out, not quite on an FAI scale, but nonetheless increasingly tedious. Calls were made for updates to be provided from Lansdowne Road, but none were forthcoming.

In defense of the FAI, at least they provided information to the media about the process as it became increasingly protracted. In contrast the IRFU circled the wagons, much like the reporting of the Genesis Report, for fear that any journalist may hear anything positive on the grapevine.

Kidney was always the best man for the job. Having coached at all levels, it was only right that he be allowed an opportunity to coach the top team. There have been dissenting voices about his possible promotion to the post but it is now the Cork man's job to silence his critics.

While it has been known for more than a week that all that remained for Kidney to do was sign the dotted line, it has come to fruition that a number of final issues need to be ironed out.

The IRFU must be commended for confirming his appointment, but equally Kidney must be commended for standing his ground and insisting he appoints his backroom staff. Having been an ill-made IRFU appointment under Eddie O'Sullivan, the Munster coach is only too aware of such pitfalls.

Kidney will not take charge of the Irish team until after the summer tour, thereby providing him with enough time to properly put his back-room team together. From an IRFU, a player and a Kidney perspective, this can only be taken as a positive for the four years ahead.

The Munster man is carefully putting his team together and it may take some time to bed in. We as supporters must allow Kidney and his team time to put their systems in place and not be too quick to judge. To do so would only be to the detriment of the team and the sport as a whole.