Passion restored to Irish rugby

We're a gas race, and there's no doubt about it. A few short weeks after those who know their rugby were prophesying doom and gloom and all kinds of ills about the native game, along come a bunch of lads who rely on passion and a place kicker who's a bit special and suddenly things aren't so bleak and dark any more.

In fact, you almost expected the sun to rise out of the night sky at Donnybrook on Friday, a "crisp one," as Network 2's Jim Sherwin constantly reminded us couch potatoes. Not that sort of miracle, but one of a different kind: a big win for Irish rugby and it was all grins and smiles out on the pitch after Leinster's unlikely success over the Leicester tigers. A performance that was back to what Jim Glennon (who'd been there, done that) reminded us were "all the traditional Irish values, creating organised chaos."

Maybe it's to do with the fact that there aren't as many Wallabies or Kiwis or Springboks involved in this competition - one that is just a rung below Super 12, we were told - but, certainly, Irish teams (should that be provinces?) don't seem as intimidated as the national team. "It's the pulse beat of the modern game," presenter Tom McGuirk told us, and, for a change, it was nice to hear a visiting coach talk about the passion that Irish rugby can generate, even if it sounded a mite condescending at the time.

Dean Richards was making all the right noises in the pre-match conversation with McGuirk, although, at the time, you felt that the presence of Leinster's Mike Ruddock on his shoulder had a little to do with it as he informed us that "coming to Ireland, coming to Leinster, all the form, all the stars, all the caps that you have go out the wind. Unless you match these boys with passion and fire . . . . it's going to be a very difficult game indeed." We didn't know whether to really believe him or not.

In fairness, Ruddock was bullish. "We need to step up a number of levels," admitted the man who knew that his team had only qualified for the European Cup by virtue of a third place finish (out of four teams) in the Interprovincial championship. Leicester, we were told, had won the English Premiership.

Tony Ward, Sherwin's co-commentator, made the point early on that two of the Leinster players had progressed to this stage from non-rugby playing schools, which is a mighty impressive thing to do given the grip that these traditional schools have on the sport here. And the two, Mark McHugh and Shane Horgan, both from Drogheda, were indeed like a breath of fresh, or even crisp, air on the night. The atmosphere, Ward informed us, was "like Thomond Park on a touring day," but much of the focus centred on the French referee as much as the game itself as half-time approached and it looked as if Leicester were on their way to a comfortable enough win.

Jean-Christophe Gastou had a command of English that seemed limited to no more that a few words, mainly "no", "up" and "wait", which at least brought us some parallels with the recent World Cup where refereeing standards were some way behind the actual playing levels.

As the end of the first half approach, even the RTE duo were reduced to observing that it was "disappointing" fare, until McHugh brought a bit of magic to it all with a drop goal. "Really flash, terrific," observed Sherwin. But, at half-time, analyst Glennon was complaining that the referee had "destroyed it as a spectacle" and you wondered was there much point in watching any further?

We did, and you just knew that the match meant something to the players when a good old brawl duly arrived in the second half. "There's a few fellas there not wanting to let go of each other," said Sherwin, adding: "at least nobody stood on the two fellas' heads when they were on the ground." And you just wondered what parents from the non-rugby schools were thinking about it all.

Still, it was a terrific win by Leinster and, when he was interviewed, the freshness of McHugh, with his dyed hair and resembling nothing like the stage Irish rugby player at all, gave as much hope for the future as the actual match. "What about that drop goals?" he was asked. "The ones that went over? I just saw 17 of them coming at me and I kicked," he explained. Simple, really, isn't it?

Earlier in the week, the Turks won more than a trip to the low countries. They also won the off-field negotiations with Irish broadcasters and, so, it was left to the second part of the so-called `Battle of Britain' - and a few hopeful switches over to Eurosport where two teams were playing snowball - to provide the footballing fix.

A match that nobody except the Scots expected the visitors to win actually provided some terrific viewing. There is something about the English soccer team struggling and, for all their millions, playing like a group of Sunday morning footballers in the Phoenix Park, that makes for compulsive television.

Sky Sports commentator Martin Tyler couldn't wait to inform his fellow-commentator and Scot Andy Gray that Scotland had managed just five wins in 54 previous visits to Wembley. There wasn't much gloating from the man born in Chester - "like Michael Owen," he insisted on telling us - after that as Scotland destroyed the home side.

"We're very lop-sided," observed former English boss Bobby Robson at the break, "good down the right but not so good down the left. Kevin Keegan is not stupid, he knows he has to do something." Problem is, Keegan didn't - or couldn't, with his limited back-up - do anything and, instead, England lived on a knife-edge until the referee's final whistle rescued them from their plight.

"The best team of the two ties is going out," remarked Gray, and there wasn't a hint of Scottish bias in his assessment.

Tyler could afford to be smug again. "The plaudits to Scotland, the prize to England," he interjected. "The war was won by the side from south of the divide," which seemed like a tasteless thing to say. Des Lynam would never say anything like that, would he?

Wrong. Over on UTV, suave Des was echoing Tyler's words. "Scotland won the battle, but lost the war," Lynam was informing us. It's only a game of football, lads!