Tries by Lyttle and the Blucher Doran but hard luck on the Taffies

Ireland's Triple Crowns /' The 1890s: In the first of a three-part series, John O'Sullivan details the events of the first brace of titles.

It may not have been pleasing to the eye, but readers of The Irish Times were treated to comprehensive coverage of Ireland's Triple Crown successes in 1894, the first of two the country enjoyed that decade.

Monday's edition on February 5th, 1894, celebrated Ireland's 7-5 victory - one dropped goal (4 points) and one try (3 points) to one goal (a converted try) - over England at Blackheath, their opening game in that year's championship. The page of the newspaper, a mass of type devoid of a single photograph, included such diverse notaries as "Training Intelligence", a report on the schooling of horses at the Curragh, on to the "Lloyd's Mail News", which chronicled the departure and arrival of the world's ocean liners.

Ensconced in the middle, down two wide, single columns, were a match report, teams, match notes and what must have passed for the equivalent of a colour piece offering an overview of the match in question. The headline read "BRILLIANT VICTORY FOR IRELAND", and in brackets underneath "From Our Correspondent". Much of the colour piece was given to describing the weather, the arrival of a crowd of about 24,000 and the wonderfully innocent observation: "Punctually to the time the teams turned out, the Irishmen looking neat and formidable in their green jerseys and white knickers."

The detail with which the game is reported is little short of staggering. One passage notes a try scored by Ireland's John Lyttle: "Gardiner returned the ball and a series of brilliant rushes by O'Conor, Walmsley and Rooke, ended in John Lyttle grounding the ball over the line, with three opponents on top of him. England appealed strongly against the point but the referee was firm and allowed it."

Modern day players might care to note the criticism levelled at the unfortunate H Wells, "when the ball was brought out for the place kick". Our correspondent proclaimed: "This was taken by H Wells and, although the angle was a comparatively easy one, the Bective Rangers' man made a very feeble attempt, and missed badly, to the great disappointment of thousands of his fellow countrymen who surrounded the ropes."

Ireland next faced the Scots (February 24th, 1894) and prevailed with a try three minutes from time by the same Wells. The euphoria was described thus: "The excitement was at fever heat towards the close, as it seemed certain that last year's draw would be repeated, but when Wells got over and literally snatched victory out of the fire, it was not surprising to find the feeling of the spectators get the better of their heads, and they became simply frantic with joy. Everyone shook everyone else by the hand, hats, sticks, umbrellas and handkerchiefs were waved in the air."

There was an amusing footnote to the game recorded under the heading "Depature of Scotch Team". It read: "Last night the members of the Scotch team left Kingstown for Holyhead on board the Royal Mail steamer, Munster. They were accompanied to the Carlisle Pier by several members of the Irish team. As the mail boat cast off, cheers were raised on the packet pier and lustily responded to by the Scotch men."

The final game against Wales on March 10th was played at the Ulster Cricket Club, Ormeau, with Ireland winning by a goal to nil. The Welsh were unhappy with the size of the pitch, shorter than the requisite, and by the fact that it was a quagmire because of flooding. The Irish were fortuitous that day. The report noted: "Saturday's win can not be considered anything but a lucky one, for it will be admitted on all hands that to be beaten, as Wales were, by a penalty goal, was very tantalising to the Taffies, who on the day's play were slightly superior to Ireland."

Ireland's second Triple Crown was achieved in 1899 and not once was the Irish line crossed during the three victories. Ireland beat England at Lansdowne Road and Scotland at Edinburgh before travelling to Cardiff and a clash with Wales on March 18th. Ireland won 3-0 (they had never previously won in the Principality) with a try from the "Blucher Doran". There were several pitch invasions during the game, but the pre-match kerfuffle was beautifully captured in the prose of Our Special Correspondent. "Then an untoward event occurred, as on the popular, or river side, the palisade gave way owing to the weight of the crowd, and five or six hundred spectators rushed like a swarm of locusts through the breach, and, to continue the simile, effectively destroyed everything they touched.

"In a thrice the reserve seats inside the palings were appropriated; next the Pressmen from all parts of the Three Kingdoms had to fly for their lives from fear of the terrible crush, and, finally, the people in the enclosure in front of the grand stand, finding their view obstructed by the ever-increasing multitude inside the palings, swarmed over the railings demolishing the press tables, reserved chairs and every bit of woodwork that lay about."

Triple Crowns didn't come easily, even then.