Ireland (National Football)

With Giovani Trappatoni worrying over the fitness of Shay Given and Aiden McGeady ahead of Ireland's crucial World Cup Qualifiers against Bulgaria and Italy he was hit with the hammer blow news that Dimitar Berbatov has pulled out of the Bulgaria squad.

The Manchester United striker has failed to deliver on his £30m stg price tag this season and his last few performances in the famous red shirt of United have been abject at best.

Phone in shows have been inundated with irate callers who are calling on Alex Ferguson to axe the Bulgarian hitman and revert to the forward line of Rooney, Tevez, and Ronaldo that terrorised defences all over Europe last season.

With Berbatov in the team, players like Ronaldo, Carrick, Anderson and Rooney have all seen a drop in form as the percieved notion is that the Bulgarian has to be "carried."

Against Fulham last weekend, the striker was anonymous. He never tried an inch throughout the game, and despite picking up the injury that sees him sit out his countries crucial qualifiers, it came as no surprise to see him being removed from action at half time.

With Ireland's next World Cup Qualifier on Saturday being against Bulgaria. And with the nation still on the crest of a wave following the countries Rugby team winning the Six-Nations Rugby tournament and Bernard Dunne winning the WBC Bantam weight world title it was hoped that the striker would have some part to play in Croke Park.

Before the move to Old Trafford Berbatov had scored 41 goals in 67 matches for Bulgaria and in 102 games for Tottenham Hotspur he scored 46 times.

However, since the move his scoring ratio has dropped from 1:2 to 1:3, and whilst his form in Europe has seen him score four times in four games it is his league form that has suffered most.

Red Devils fans have only seen glimpses of his undoubted ability this season most notably a superb turn against West Ham but the fact that such instances have to be dredged up is a sure sign that the Bulgarian is not firing on all cylinders.

Against Italy earlier this year Berbatov was decried by his own supporters after he put in another listless performance and with the Irish riding high in the qualification table many in Ireland had hoped that the ex-Spurs man would play, as he would not have liked the close attendance of Richard Dunne and his team mate at United, John O'Shea.

O'Shea in comparison has grown into one of Manchester United's most dependable characters. After playing in various positions across the back four and midfield the Irishman has become the player that Ferguson turns to to fill the gaps every time.

Since breaking into the United first team in 2001, O'Shea has gone on to register 234 appearances for the Red Devils and now guarantees himself around 30 games a season at Old Trafford every year.

While O'Shea might be happy to stay at Old Trafford when he could move to almost any other Premiership team, he is not the type to sit on his laurels. Besides why should he take the relative drop in standards.

And when many newspapers wondered why he was even at Old Trafford, he knuckled down at proved his worth.

John O'Shea is a United boy, brought up through the ranks. He has seen many world class players come and go at the club, usually it is their attitude that seals their fate.

Is Dimitar Berbatov the next in a long line of high profile players who have found the shadow of Old Trafford and the weight of expectation at the club too heavy a burden?

Only he can answer that.

It had to happen.  Without opening with negative vernacular, if this gifted generation of Irish rugby players did not win a major championship, they would have failed to live up to years of expectation.

Ironically, now that it has happened, can one imagine the pressure that will be on this Irish team when they host the superpowers of the South?  And again in 12 months time, where they will bid to become only the second team in Irish rugby to defend a European title since Jack Kyle’s fabled team.

It was not the prettiest championship, with Ireland displaying a heady display of steel willed pragmatism to win the title.  It was this impressive mental fortitude that saw Brian O’Driscoll’s men; with Coach Declan Kidney’s quiet influence, fulfil the promise of the last decade.

Five Six Nations runners up positions since 2001, three triple crowns since 2004, victories over the Wallabies in 2002 and 2006, the Springboks in 2004 and 2006.  This Ireland team had the results and the personal to hoist a championship title.

With no disrespect to Eddie O’Sullivan, who won 50 matches while in charge of Ireland (over 78 matches), there was a psychological aspect missing.

Ireland’s once in a generation players no doubt had the ability, but their lack of the final pieces of their team achievements was a disease.  This was the difference between people referring to this as a good Irish team, as opposed to a great Ireland side.

Kidney, the two times Heineken Cup winning coach of Munster, never has re-invented the wheel with his teams, and so it was with his transformation of the national team.

Of course, the quiet man from Cork tries to play down his own role in the makings of this now Grand Slamming Irish side, and does so almost contradictory.

The genesis of the transformation came in December, in a training camp in Galway.  There, the team had just come away from a mixed series of autumn internationals.  Two victories against Canada and Argentina did nothing to take away from the disappointment of being overrun 22-3 by the All Blacks.

Kidney has repeated stated that he was surprised by the lack of evident self belief.

He believed though—somewhat incongruously—that this was what enabled the players to come through and come back 0-6 down against a very good Welsh team.

But the reality is that it was this old lack of conviction that was conquered, by Kidney, who instilled the right principles and mindsets to his team. 

A team that had tasted success at the highest stage through representation of Munster, so it was almost as simple as having the Irish players feel the passion in the green of Ireland as they would in the red of the famous province.

This is a lesson that this Irish side will do well to heed, for it is the only thing that has prevented them from being labelled as greats.  Now the challenge will be to sustain and recall the feelings of euphoria and relief that permeated the Ireland dressing room after the match.

But Ireland was certainly not sparkling.  This was a grinding Ireland team that only opened up the game if the hard work was already achieved.

Still, the manner in which they came out and blasted Wales away in the opening minutes of the second half effectively won them the Slam.

But it could be considered negative on the game in general if we think along these lines.  Despite plenty of tries still being scored, rugby is a game that is won by attitude, precision and defence.

To avoid a cliché, it was their belief and guts that won them the championship and the standing up of Ireland’s senior men—who had plenty of the above mentioned traits.

O’Driscoll was inspirational, but it was the work of the forwards, led by the tireless John Hayes, Ireland’s most capped player and Munster’s hard-nosed open side David Wallace.  With Paul O’Connell confirming himself as arguably the world’s best lock forward, it will no doubt be a heavily green tinged Lions pack that arrives in South Africa.

Player of the series: Ronan O’Gara.  Maligned for being the weak link in the Irish team (“shut down O’Gara and you shut down Ireland”), he stood up despite not having the natural pedigree of his decorated captain playing outside of him. 

Targeted by the Welsh flankers, one must admire how he kept his nerve and guided his team in a performance that sealed the Irish glory.

Ireland: Played five, won five, (points for 121, points against 73)

 

Ireland 30 – 21 France (Man-of-the-match: Jamie Heaslip)

Italy 9 – 38 Ireland (Luke Fitzgerald)

Ireland 14 – 13 England(Brian O’Driscoll)

Scotland 15 – 22 Ireland (Peter Stringer)

Wales 15 – 17 Ireland (Brian O’Driscoll)

 

Tries scored: 12 (third best)

Tries conceded: 3 (best in competition)

Upcoming for Ireland:

 

27 March – Munster vs Glasgow

29 March – Leinster vs Ulster

23 May – Canada vs Ireland

31 May – United States vs Ireland

Likely Irish Lions?

Guaranteed:

Paul O’Connell, Brian O’Driscoll, John Hayes, Tommy Bowe, David Wallace, Ronan O’Gara

Probable’s:

Luke Fitzgerald, Rob Kearney, Peter Stringer, Donncha O’Callaghan, Jamie Heaslip, Stephen Ferris, Jerry Flannery, Gordon D’acry

After what was in my mind, and in doubt every rugby fan's mind, an enthralling RBS Six Nations, the focus switches next to the British and Irish Lions' tour of South Africa in the summer, and it is now the job of head coach Ian McGeechan to pick a finely balanced squad with enough world-class talent, whilst having to sacrifice some other world-class talents in their place. It's not an easy job.

Especially when there were so many class performances out there amongst the home nations during the Six Nations. The Irish blossomed, England were resurgent, Wales were still there and Scotland showed promise but failed to ultimately deliver. And it wasn't just the teams, but individual players themselves who delivered inspirational performances.

In terms of the forwards...in my view, they pick themselves because of their influential performances week in week out:

1. Gethin Jenkins (Wales)   

2. Ross Ford (Scotland)   

3. Euan Murray (Scotland)

4. Paul O'Connell (Ireland)                 

5. Alan Wyn Jones (Wales)

6. David Wallace (Ireland)  

7. Martyn Williams (Wales)

8. Jamie Heaslip (Ireland)

Although honorable mentions must go to Phil Vickery and Lee Mears (both England), Jerry Flannery (Ireland), Tom Croft (England), Andy Powell (Wales) and Denis Leamy (Ireland)

But I believe where places will be most hotly contested is in the remaining seven places in the backs. So many stood out in every position that it is hard to pick a definite for them. So instead of doing that, each position will be thoroughly examined, as will the likely players, and a decision will most likely come from that.

Scrum-half (No. 9)

To my mind, not many scrum-halves truly stood out in the Six Nations. Scotland's Mike Blair had another chance to impress on the international stage, but flopped. England's Harry Ellis and Danny Care both gave good performances, although Care's sin-bin against Ireland was a bit petulant on his part.

Ireland's Tomas O'Leary also showed good tactical awareness, and Wales' Mike Phillips, although not back to his ultimate best, gave a good account of himself in the Wales shirt. It's hard to pick a definite BUT if I was really pushed...

Verdict: MIKE PHILLIPS (Wales)

Fly-half (No.10)

Another difficult position to fill, as you want a consistent performer who will always hit the target with penalties and coversions yet is good in open play too. There were, again, not many who really stood out. Ronan O'Gara of Ireland wasn't consistent enough through the tournament (although credit to him that was a cool head he kept when slotting the final drop-goal). Stephen Jones also impressed for Wales, as did Toby Flood for England.

But the biggest headache is of course Jonny Wilkinson. If he can regain his fitness for the Lions' tour, then there is every possibility he could play. This is a hard one so I'm going for two possibilities...

Verdict: JONNY WILKINSON (England)...and if Wilkinson isn't fit, then RONAN O'GARA (Ireland)...becuase I believe he can give a performance when its due.

Left wing (No.11)

This one could have been easy, but over the Six Nations, it became slightly more complicated as the premium number 11 in the world, Wales' Shane Williams, didn't impress as much as in 2008, and this has allowed other names to creep in, such as England's Mark Cueto and Ugo Monye, Ireland's Tommy Bowe and Scotland's Thom Evans. But overall, on his day, little Shane can destroy teams so...

Verdict: SHANE WILLIAMS (Wales)

Inside centre (No.12)

How on earth can you pick an inside centre from the ones who were on show at the Six Nations? Gavin Henson and Jamie Roberts of Wales both gave good accounts of themselves when they played. England's Riki Flutely was a rising star and impressed one and all, and Ireland's Gordon D'Arcy also impressed.

Picking a number 12 from these talents is going to be hard for McGeechan and co, but if I was pressed, then...

Verdict: RIKI FLUTELY (England)...for me he really impressed during the tournament and deserves a Lions' berth.

Outside centre (No.13)

No contest. The easiest position to fill on the park. Mike Tindall and Matthew Tait of England, plus tom Shanklin of Wales, both gave good performances during the tournament, but in the end, this position can only really be filled by one man, who was the star of Six Nations 2009...

Verdict: BRIAN O'DRISCOLL (Ireland)...need I say any more?

Right wing (No.14)

Since little Shane Williams is still the best left-wing in the world, the contest for right-wing now hots up. Paul Sackey and Mark Cueto (again) gave good performances in this position for England, as did Leigh Halfpenny and and Mark Jones of Wales, and Tommy Bowe (again) of Ireland. Not an easy choice to fill on this one, but if I had to plump for one...I can't even plump for one so its a choice of two here, two players who I think can make the number 14 shirt...

Verdict: TOMMY BOWE (Ireland) or LEIGH HALFPENNY (Wales)

Full back (No.15)

Almost as easy to fill outside centre. Delon Armitage of England really impressed for England during the Six Nations, and is really one for the future. But in the end, whilst Armitage was impressive, there was one number 15 out there consistently better...

Verdict: LEE BYRNE (Wales).

So if I were the Lions' boss, this would be the team I would field in the first game:

1. Gethin Jenkins, 2. Ross Ford, 3. Euan Murray, 4. Paul O'Connell, 5. Alan Wyn Jones, 6. David Wallace, 7. Martyn Williams, 8. Jamie Heaslip, 9. Mike Phillips, 10. Jonny Wilkinson/Ronan O'Gara (if JW wasn't fit), 11. Shane Williams, 12. Riki Flutely, 13. Brain O'Driscoll, 14. Tommy Bowe, 15. Lee Byrne.

Captain: Hard one but Brian O'Driscoll would get the nod for me.

It should be an exciting tour for the Lions, against the world champions. Who will be the first XV? Only time will tell.

Irishman Bernard Dunne became the WBA Super Bantamweight champion last Saturday by knocking out Panama's Ricardo Cordoba in one of the greatest fights ever held on Irish soil.

In what can only be described as an explosive battle of will and skill, Dunne (28-1) knocked down Cordoba (34-2-2) in the third round, with the Dubliner succumbing to the canvas himself twice in the fifth.

The contest was finally halted in Round 11 by referee Hubert Earle, when Dunne floored Cordoba three times, sending the 24-year-old out on a stretcher and handing Ireland its first world title belt in 13 years.

"This is a fight that will long be remembered," chimed commentator Jimmy Magee, each word uttered without an ounce of hyperbole.

Cordoba, who was favoured to win the fight, recovered in the hospital but was released two days later, suffering only from exhaustion and dehydration.

An exultant Dunne announced afterwards, "This is for all of us," as crowds celebrated a doubly fine day for Irish sport—the Irish rugby team winning their first Six Nations Grand Slam in 61 years that very evening.

Few believed Dunne could overcome the champion, particularly after his devastating first round loss to Spaniard Kiko Martinez in 2007. But since his promoter Brian Peters—rumoured to have pumped millions of Euro into this bout—announced the world title challenge in the new year, the Dubliner insisted he would capture the belt.

"It was a lot of hard work, by me, my team and my family. A lot of sacrifices went into getting this title but they’ve all paid off,” the 29-year-old told the press afterwards.

Working with trainer Harry Hawkins and, perhaps most notably, conditioning expert Mike McGurn, Dunne looked to have transformed himself into a world class fighter on Saturday night. If the talent that Freddie Roach had discerned years earlier had always been there, it was now refined into something ferocious.

The pace was set well by the Panamanian champion from the opening bell, with Dunne taking his time to accustom himself to the awkward southpaw. But in what was to be a trademark of the fight, the Dubliner ended the round with a swift combination led by crisp left hooks.

The second opened in much the same way, with Cordoba whipping out a sharp defensive jab and weighty rights. But Dunne kept a tight defense, his left kept high, opening the champion up with accurate three- and four-punch combinations.

Three saw Cordoba mounting pressure on the Dubliner, pushing Dunne back onto the ropes. But in an impressive display of counter-punching, he used his deadly left hook to send the champion stumbling the width of the ring, before coming down hard on the canvas.

The Panamanian, however, displayed a tenacity that would serve him well throughout the 11 long rounds, weathering Dunne's assaults with his long jab.

Using his break effectively, Cordoba opened up a deep gash over Dunne's right eye with a clash of heads in the fourth.

In the fifth, the champion regained the upper hand by sending Dunne crashing down twice within short succession. Dunne's vision was clearly blurred and his legs shaken, but he exhibited his experience by holding on well.

Matching the great reserve displayed earlier by his opponent, Dunne recovered admirably between the rounds and gradually reasserted himself throughout the sixth and seventh.

Eight and nine saw Cordoba upping the pressure, but Dunne fought well on the back foot, both fighters openly warring as the intensity of the feud rose to boiling point.

Round 10 served merely to further mount the tension, the fighters trading power punches over every inch of the ring. Every time the Panamanian pinned Dunne to the ropes, body shots raining in, the Irishman would weave and unload with his ferocious left hooks.

Round 11 roared forward, both men now visibly exhausted but battling onwards, until, with a mere minute to go, a right sent the champion crashing to the canvas.

The stadium erupted, but Dunne, knowing the deed was not yet complete, calmly faced his rising opponent.

It would take a left hook to send him down the second time. Rising perhaps too quickly but with great bravery, Cordoba was backed onto the ropes and collapsed under a devastating left-right combination for the third and final time.

With only a second remaining in the round, the referee waved his arms and the crowd of 9,000 strong, all of them standing, were swept up into a sea of elation.

Bernard Dunne, new champion of the world, collapsed onto the canvas before being picked up into the arms of Brian Peters. The manager embraced his champion.

“It’s been an incredible ride to get here," Dunne explained afterwards.

"It’s been a long road, the eight years I’ve been pro, the ten years as an amateur. I’ve been in boxing since I was five years old!"

Fight of the year? For Bernard, his team, his family, and his country people, it certainly was.

As the dust settled on one of Ireland's most historic sporting achievements, the Grand Slam and Six Nations win at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium yesterday, I sat back, Bulmer's in hand, to reflect on the journey Declan Kidney's new Ireland setup had taken.

With success in the bag so early, surely any doubts or uncertainty about last year's appointment of the greatest Irish born rugby union coach of the last decade have been vanquished.

So what did I reflect on? There, are firstly, some obvious things that any observer of Ireland's rugby team can conclude:

O'Driscoll and D'Arcy Are Back

Following an horrendous injury set-back with a broken arm during last year's disappointing Six Nations, Gordon D'Arcy has ousted Paddy Wallace, the initial experiment as first choice, at inside centre.

His try against France, after coming off the bench, seemed to be exactly what was needed to reaffirm what a great player he is, not just to Ireland's supporters, but perhaps to the man himself, after spending so long on the sidelines.

Likewise, Brian O'Driscoll seems like a man reborn, turning in his best Six Nations performance, certainly since 2007, and possibly ever.

Ireland's captain scored four tries in five games and even converted a drop goal against perennial rivals England, in what rugby pundit George Hook described as "the best performance by an Irish captain in living memory."

Declan Kidney Has Made The Difference

Declan Kidney, a humble man by nature will probably put the Grand Slam down to the cliches of hard work, "110% effort," yadda-yadda-yadda.

Undoubtedly the addition of Jon Smit, as forwards coach, and Alan Gaffney, as backs coach, has been a welcome change from the previously stale regime, but it is no coincidence Ireland have come up with a Grand Slam in Kidney's first attempt.

The squad itself hasn't changed much in terms of personnel. In fact, appearance records were broken under his reign, showing his faith in many of the old guard, and, of course, his Munster proteges.

That said, Kidney has turned a wonderful team on paper into a team capable of putting in consistently strong performances which live up to the players club and previous international reputations.

The Future of Ireland Looks Bright

Stephen Ferris, Rob Kearney, and Jamie Heaslip, among others, all cemented their places in the team while, like fine wines, David Wallace, Peter Stringer, Paul O'Connell, Jerry Flannery, and others already established in the team, seem to have become more pivotal to Ireland's fortunes.

Together with a great coach, and the aforementioned star pairing of D'Arcy and O'Driscoll at centre, Ireland should hopefully push on and dominate the Northern Hemisphere. We should now look to realistically become the fourth best team in the world within the coming months, and one of the strongest contenders for the next world cup.

Now, while both of the above, and of course, the historical significance of the Grand Slam itself are obvious to all, here are some more interesting caveats that not all may agree on, but I think are worth pointing out.

Ronan O'Gara is Overrated/We Need A Replacement

The man can hardly tackle. Horror show against England aside (we all have bad days at the office), O'Gara is somewhat of an enigma to me.

From open play, O'Gara as a passer, ball carrier, and tackler, doesn't seem to be able to carry his weight. Inevitably, whenever Ireland lose possession, we can trace it to hopeful grubber kicking from O'Gara or box kicking from his Munster partner in crime, Tomas O'Leary.

Under Eddie O'Sullivan, Ireland relied far too much on O'Gara's kicking to play the territorial game (to our detriment), and against the All Blacks in the autumn, O'Gara may as well have been doing the Hakka for the amount of ball he gave to them.

I know he has recently broken the all time Six Nations points record, but at the least I'm sure everyone can agree Ireland need a viable alternative option at fly-half.

Gallows humour suggests that if O'Gara was to break his leg, Ireland's next best option would be to play O'Gara—with a broken leg. The horrible thing about that is it's probably not too far off.

Tomas O'Leary < Eoin Reddan < Peter Stringer

O'Leary's box kicking really gets to me. I don't know why, but I think it might be down to it being awful.

It's unfair to lambast the guy in his debut Six Nations as first choice scrum half, but when I seen the effect Stringer has had coming off the bench, notably his line break against England and his ability to pass the ball without taking out binoculars, I have to question what O'Leary brings to the table.

Defensive qualities aside, I'm just not convinced Stringer is inferior to O'Leary. In the long run I hope Stringer wins back his place after originally losing Eoin Reddan, another superior competitor to O'Leary.

International Rugby Union Is (Sadly) All About Discipline

This is just a general quib about why rugby can't beat football for me.

Penalties count for too much in rugby union. When you consider that a try is far harder to score than a penalty, and there is only a two point difference (excluding a conversion), it's amazing.

Wales never really got close to landing a try and yet lost by literally one kick from the half way line.

Experimental Law Variations were brought in to try counter that, but there needs to be further tweaking to make sure open play counts for more, and games are not decided by how fussy refs are. This is a debate for another day, but I think tries should count for seven points given the amount of penalties and the level of fly-halves in the modern game.

Well, there you have it. I'm sure there are a lot more positives to take from a great few weeks for Irish rugby, but what I'm really looking forward to now is seeing either Brian O'Driscoll or Paul O'Connell lead the Lions out for a successful tour of South Africa this summer.

Both are tremendous players in their own right, but if I'm to be honest, it won't really matter too much as long as both are involved. There's also the Heineken Cup to look forward to in regards to Leinster and Munster, so let's hope some of the international success rubs off on the provincial sides.

More importantly, here's hoping for more Grand Slams!

They do say that sport is not for the faint hearted as yesterday's thrilling RBS Six Nations showdown between Wales and Ireland at Cardiff's Millennium showed exactly why the weak at heart shouldn't watch.

After beating France, Italy, England, and Scotland, the Irish Rugby team were just one game away from immortality and a historic Grand Slam, their first since 1948.

The hero of '48 Jack Kyle watched from the stands as truly world class players in the shape of Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Callaghan, Ronan O'Gara, and John Hayes among others took to the pitch in an attempt to write themselves into the annals of rugby history.

The first half was a tight affair. 

Ireland had the majority of territory, but with nothing on the scoreboard to show for their efforts as Ronan O'Gara sent a penalty effort wide of the post.

It was Wales who went in at the interval 6-0 ahead thanks to two converted penalties from the boot of Stephen Jones.

Ireland were under pressure, but by no means out of it. The plan was the same just to add the end product.

Within minutes of the restart, the end product arrived and how.

The Irish pack kept territory within the Welsh twenty two and eeked ever closer to the try line. However, the Welsh were strong in defence and held the Irish back.

It was left to captain fantastic Brian O'Driscoll to find space where there was none and it squeaked over. The French video referee confirmed it was a try.

O'Gara converted with ease.

Ireland were ahead by a point, but 60 seconds later Ireland added another seven points to widen the gap.

O'Gara nipped a lovely ball over the Welsh defence that popped up with perfection for the on-rushing Tommy Bowe who sped away from the Welsh to score Ireland's second try of the afternoon.

Once again O'Gara converted to put the Irish fans into dreamland.

The scoreline now read Ireland 14 Wales 6.

However, the Welsh kept plugging away and bad mistakes from Ireland gave the hosts an opportunity to tighten the gap from unforced penalties.

Stephen Jones duly obliged to convert two more and bring the score back to 14-12.

Going into the last few minutes, it was nervous for Ireland and their fans. We all knew one score from Wales and a day of history may be lost.

Gavin Henson had the opportunity from far out to put Wales ahead, but his penalty came up short.

Ireland breathed a sigh of relief.

That was until there was but three minutes left on the clock.

Wales made some in-roads in the Irish twenty-two and forced some breaks in the defensive line. Some great work by the Welsh forwards opened up a chance for Jones to drop at goal.

The Welshman obliged with aplomb and Wales went ahead 15-14 with barely two and a half minutes on the clock.

From the resulting kick-off, O'Gara booted the ball deep into Welsh territory. Once again Ireland won a Welsh line-out and worked the ball across the front of the Welsh.

The Irish forwards were giving it their all to work an opening for an O'Gara drop goal.

It came. It was not pretty, but not a single soul in Ireland cared. We were leading 17-15 with just over a minute and a half on the clock.

Now we just needed to hang on. Bodies were bravely flung at the Welsh to pin them back. Unfortunately, Paddy Wallace put his body where it shouldn't have been and Wales got a penalty kick.

Had we thrown it all away, after all the hard work was the Grand Slam dream over?

Stephen Jones could dash the dreams of a nation with the last kick from the last penalty of the last game from the 2009 Six Nations.

The penalty was far out, but directly in front of the posts and more importantly within Jones' radar. His kicking had been impeccable all day and Irish faces hid behind frightened hands.

Jones kicked cleanly through the ball as it soared towards the posts. That's it dream over.

But wait....

Its dropping.....

Its bloody dropping...

Its not going to make...

Jones penalty had come up short. Ireland had done it, the pinnacle of European rugby, the Grand Slam.

Cue one joint mass eruption of relief and joy from the Irish in Cardiff and the pubs and homes throughout Ireland.

61 years on we could rejoice once again.

Each and every player throughout the Six Nations campaign had been immense for Ireland.

Those that stood out were Munster's John Hayes and Paul O'Connell, who put their bodies on the line each and every game.

There were scrum-halves Tomas O'Leary and Peter Stringer, who offered something different and equally valuable each time.

There were relative newcomers Rob Kearney and Tommy Bowe, who at times played like seasoned veterans.

However, the player of the tournament had to be Leinster's Brian O'Driscoll. They say "Cometh the hour, Cometh the man", well cometh the Six Nations, cometh the BOD.

It would have been a huge injustice were O'Driscoll never to win a Six Nations championship. Now he has a Grand Slam.

Huge credit must go to Declan Kidney. He has transformed an Ireland team that has underperformed since the 2007 Rugby World Cup into World Beaters.

This unassuming man who places credit on everyone else's shoulders but his own has transplanted the belief he instilled in the Munster squad into the Irish one.

Since 2006, this man has taken Munster to two Heinkenen Cup Wins and Ireland to a historic Grans Slam. His stock is as rare as Ireland Grand Slams.

Ireland no longer needs to trace through the history books for our greatest rugby success. Now we need only look to yesterday, Saturday March 21st 2009.

Glory, Glory Ireland.

A sensational RBS Six Nations tournament came to a thrilling climax today as Ireland and Wales battled for Northern Hemisphere supremacy.

When all was said and done, it was Ireland who walked away with the Triple Crown, the Six Nations trophy and the Grand Slam.

From Mauro Bergamasco's first misplaced pass for Italy against England on the opening weekend to Stephen Jones' final penalty kick in the last second of the last match, this year's Six Nations tournament has kept rugby fans from all over the world captivated.

And we couldn't have asked for a better final day.

It was delicately poised in all three matches before the first ball was even kicked today. France travelled to Rome to take on an Italy side trying desperately to avoid the wooden spoon.

The Italians would have fancied their chances however, having seen France put in a woeful performance against England last week. Unfortunately for them, the mercurial French side decided to have one of their good days, as they swept Italy aside.

Great tries from Sebastian Chabal and Francois Trinh-Duc gave the French a platform which they built on to great effect. Maxime Meydard (2), Cedric Heymans, Thomas Domingo, and Julien Malzieu all ran in tries as well, while three conversions and three penalties from Morgan Parra helped France hit the 50 point mark.

Italy could only manage eight points in reply, with Andrea Marcato kicking a penalty and Sergio Parisse scoring a thoroughly deserved try, Italy's first in over five hours of competition.

The next match of the day saw England take on Scotland in the Calcutta Cup. Both teams had been relatively poor throughout the tournament, but things looked promising for England at least, after their magnificent performance against France last week.

Scotland were the holders of the Calcutta Cup after defeating England last year, and Chris Patterson looked to repeat that feat, giving Scotland the lead with an early penalty.

It wasn't long before England started banging on Scotland's door, however, and tries from Riki Flutey and Ugo Monye gave Martin Johnson's men a comfortable lead. Matthew Tait added another late on which, coupled with the efforts of the kickers, gave England a 26-12 win.

Despite their poor start to the tournament, the results of the final day saw England finish as runners-up for a second consecutive year.

While these two matches were entertaining in their own right, there was an air of understanding that they were merely a warm-up for the final fixture of the 2009 RBS Six Nations.

Wales met Ireland with both sides still capable of winning the tournament. Wales needed to win by 13 points, while Ireland were chasing the Grand Slam, awarded for winning every game in the tournament. Attacking rugby was guaranteed.

Ireland hadn't won that illusive honour since 1948, and the likes of Ronan O'Gara and Brian O'Driscoll were looking to put their names alongside the great Jackie Kyle and his team-mates of '48.

The atmosphere before the game was palpable as these two rugby-mad nations went head to head in perhaps the greatest rugby stadium of them all—The Millenium Stadium.

The match itself swung from side to side as both teams took it in turns to take the initiative. Wales went into half-time 6-0 up, but just a few minutes into the second half they found themselves 14-6 down after two quick-fire Irish tries.

Kicks from Stephen Jones kept Wales in touch before he dropped a goal with just minutes remaining. It would have meant the Triple Crown for Wales and heart-break for Ireland.

Then, with just two minutes left, Ronan O'Gara returned the favour with an almost identical drop-goal, giving Ireland the 17-15 lead.

The championship was out of Wales' reach, but the match wasn't as they were awarded a penalty on the half-way line. If they successfully kicked it, Wales had won the Triple Crown, if they missed, Ireland had won the Championship.

For reasons unbeknownst to me, Gavin Henson didn't take the kick, despite him easily having the distance. Instead, it was Stephen Jones who stepped up and struck it.

For one fleeting moment the Millenium Stadium fell silent as everyone watched the ball gliding towards the posts. Then, as the clock turned red, the Irish contingent in attendance rose to their feet as the kick fell agonisingly short.

Ireland had done it! They had won the Grand Slam for the first time in 61 years, and only the second time in their history.

The celebrations began and, if any Irish folk were still recovering from St. Patrick's Day, they would have to do it all over again.

It was perhaps the best finish to perhaps the best Six Nations campaign ever, but in the end it was the Irish eyes that were smiling.

It’s mid-March, which basically means three acts of Awesomeness are about to occur: (1) the NCAA Tournament, (2) St. Patrick’s Day, and (3) Opening Day for Major League Baseball. 

I don’t think I need to elaborate on HOW or WHY these phenomena get filed under “Awesome,” but, for sure, there are those people who may only get super-psyched for one or two of these March goodies.

Fortunately, I’m not one of those guys.

I love all three, but since the NCAA Tourney is about to grab the undivided attention of everyone and their moms, I’m choosing to focus on the latter two: The Irish Day of Debauchery and the best damn day of Spring.

Specifically, in light of what Americans call the “Holiest of Irish holidays,” I thought it would be a great opportunity to pay homage to our professional baseball ancestors of Irish origin.

Now, as far as parallels between baseball and the Irish go, look no further than the category: Drink - Most Associated With.

Who’s kidding who here? For baseball fans, what’s a better way to spend a day at the ballpark than with a tall, cold beer, right? For Irish folk, what better way to spend...any moment of any day or night?  You get the point.

I focused my research using two main criteria: (1) the player must have been born in Ireland, and (2) the player must have a kick-ass Irish name.

So without further ado, here is a list of some of the few Irish-born former professional baseball players with the most kick-ass Irish names.

1)      Irish McIlveen

Too obvious?  Well, “Irish” was Henry Cooke McIlveen’s nickname given because he was born in Belfast, Ireland. Real creative, guys.  Good ‘ol Irish played from 1906-1909 for the Pittsburgh Pirates and the New York Highlanders and had a lifetime average of .215 with eight RBI over his 53 game career.  I guess Irish lacked the “Luck of the” commonly associated with his native people.  Hmm… maybe his nickname negated the whole thing.  Poor guy.

2)      Jack Doyle

OK, so Jack Doyle would make a lot of belligerent Irish guys pretty proud nowadays. He played from 1889-1905 for 10 teams and finished his career with a respectable .299 batting average, 968 RBI, and 516 stolen bases.  I’m Irish and sure, that’s a pretty nice career stat sheet for a homeland guy, but that’s not why he was awesome. Doyle was dubbed the name “Dirty Jack” for his, let’s call it “ill tempered,” style of play. During a game in 1900, he punched out an umpire after being called out on a steal attempt.  Doyle Rules!

3)      Charles Joseph “Curry” Foley

Curry Foley of Milltown, Ireland was a left-handed pitcher, outfielder, and first basemen who played for the Boston Red Caps and Buffalo Bisons during his four year career from 1879-1883. Although his career was rather short, Foley ingrained himself in the baseball record books by becoming the first player to hit for the cycle on May 25, 1882. I’ll drink to that!

4)      Joe “Fire” Cleary

Joe Cleary was the last native of Ireland to play in a Major League game, and it was probably for the best. Born in Cork, Ireland in 1918, Fire pitched in only one inning in his one inning-long career in 1945. The Washington Senators thought it would be a good idea to bring Cleary into the game on one fateful August afternoon only to yank him after retiring one batter. During his third of an inning of work (which turned out to be his playing career’s entire body of work), Fire Cleary managed to allow seven earned runs on five hits and three walks.  Currently, Cleary holds the major league record for highest ERA for a pitcher who recorded an out, with a 189.00 ERA. I wonder if “Fire” Cleary’s nickname was given to him before or after that game? Follow-up rhetorical question: I wonder if Cleary celebrated St Paddy’s Day a little late that year?

5)      John McGuinness

Mmmm… Guinness…

Our boy Johnny McGuinness played in three seasons, spread out between 1876 and 1884. He played for the New York Mutuals, the Syracuse Stars, and the Philadelphia Keystones. Born in Ireland in 1857, McGuinness mostly played first base.  Kind of light on the information for Johnny, but his name is too perfect to leave out of this piece. And now I’m thirsty.

Some other Celts with noteworthy names of kick-ass nature followed by their completely fabricated nickname and actual professional baseball term:

Patsy “Don’t call me that or else” Donovan (1890-1907);

Jocko “Oh the irony” Fields (1887-1892);

Reddy “Guess my hair color” Mack (1885-1890);

Barney “After a few I’ll definitely be” McLaughlin (1884-1890);

Paddy “It’s always sunny in Philly” O’Connor (1908-1918);

Sleeper “If only fantasy baseball existed in the late 1800’s” Sullivan (1881-1884);

and last but gosh-darned certainly not least:

Cyclone “I will fight you like a Cyclone” Ryan (1887-1891).

While these former Irish-American baseball players may not garner the same household recognition as Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth do, I urge you all to raise your glasses this St. Patrick’s Day and salute them. 

Because if they were alive and gearing up towards Opening Day like we all are, they’d be raising them to us as well.

Cheers.

Shamrock Rovers beat Sligo 2-1 tonight in Tallaght and made a little bit of history while they were at it.

Michael O'Neill's men overcame the "Bit O'Red" on a brutal wintry night that heralded the opening home game of the coming summer soccer season.

With only one side of the ground complete, the wind swept through the pitch making the conditions hard for either team to get the ball down and play it.

The heavy rain also made it a tough night for the players to master; the mere weather was never going to be the deciding factor that would undo Rovers on this historic night.

Rovers started the match like their lives depended on it. Man-of-the-match and Rovers' captain Shane Robinson burst through a static Sligo midfield after two minutes and played in ex-Derby player Gary Twigg who slotted the ball home, but he was correctly ruled offside and the goal did not stand.

The Hoops continued to push Sligo and had the match been in a boxing ring the referee might have called it early, Sligo completely unable to get out of their own box.

Rovers adjusted to the weather and the massive pitch far quicker than Sligo. After a number of close shaves, it came as no surprise to see the Hoops go one up after a well worked free kick.

Stephen Bradley's deep free kick was headed back across the goal by Stephen Rice to Twigg, who rolled the defender superbly before volleying into the top corner of the far post.

Fitting that the first goal to be scored at the new stadium was a great goal by a Shamrock Rovers' player.

Twigg then had another goal over-ruled by the referee, after he was harshly adjudged to have pushed Danny Ventre in the 26th minute.

By this stage, Sligo was being overrun; Rovers were playing some beautiful football and was spreading the Sligo team across the vast pitch.

One-on-one situations were being created at every chance, the intelligent runs of Dessie Baker, now a veteran of the league, pulled an already threadbare defence asunder. Ollie Cahill's powerful runs down the left had Jason Noctor scrambling for cover at every chance.

It became only a matter of when would Rovers score next.

Sligo made it to halftime only one down, and Paul Cook had some serious surgery to perform, if they were to get anything from this game.

Rovers started the second half in the same vein, unfortunately for Sligo, so did they.

The onslaught continued, Rovers inching closer to a second by the minute. Eventually, Robinson found Cahill in space; he beat two players and carried the ball to the backline, where he cut it back for Baker who had the simple task of scoring from six yards.

Rovers was two up.

Cook then decided to wield the axe and made three substitutions, and their effect was immediate. Sligo began to edge back into the game, exertions of the past hour beginning to take their toll on Rovers.

However, O'Neill countered by changing the set up of the Rovers' team and normal programming resumed. Robinson going close from fully 40 yards with a rasping shot, before Twigg's beautifully curled shot from the edge of the box took the paintwork off the far post.

With the game running down, Sligo broke away and Gavin Peer scored a lovely header, after great work from Owen Morrison and Benin international Romuald Boco. But it was too little, too late.

An elated O'Neill took to the pitch on the final whistle with the Rovers faithful at full voice. The players were given a standing ovation from the crowd, grown men wept with joy as the Hoops recorded their first home win in 22 years.

A night to remember.

To read my article about Rovers' struggles over the years, click here.

This night took 22 years to make. The most storied, celebrated, and successful team in Irish soccer have finally come home.

Just over two decades ago, Shamrock Rovers had Glenmalure Park sold from under them, in the intervening time frame they have travelled the length and breadth of the country to play their home matches.

Sharing grounds with rival clubs all over Dublin and even as far as Cork, Rovers had become somewhat of a joke within sporting circles in Ireland. With no ground to speak of, successive boards poured all their money into the team, paying mad wages and eventually running the club into the ground.

Their proposed stadium in Tallaght (pronounced Tala) was put on hold amid objections from rival sporting federations and a lack of funding. It came as no surprise to anyone involved in football to see Rovers go into administration and face extinction.

This situation was untenable for the fans of the club, and in late 2005 the "400 Club" was born.

A group of fans came together and bought the club with their own money. And each week, they put their own money into the club to pay the players wages.

A club run by fans for fans.

It is somewhat ironic in this age of an economic downturn where Ireland's economy has become a world wide laughing stock and the funding in the League of Ireland has hit an all-time low. Clubs are facing extinction by the season's end through a lack of money that Shamrock Rovers, through the 400 Club, are now hailed as the model on how to properly run a club.

After being relegated for the first time in the club's 105-year history in 2006, Rovers bounced back up at the first attempt and tonight, March 13, 2009 signalled the beginning of a new era in Irish football.

Shamrock Rovers played their first home game in Tallaght tonight. They entertained Sligo Rovers in front of a crowd that had travelled not only from near and far in Ireland, but from America, Canada, England, Belgium, Australia, and France to name but a few.

For tonight's opening match, the stadium could only hold 3,500 fans of its proposed 7,000 capacity. In trying to get the stadium ready for tonight SDCC (South Dublin County Council) finished one half of the ground with their own money and will complete the stadium by the year's end.

2,000 season tickets were sold within days, prompting Rovers to suspend their sales for the time being, demand being so great that only season-ticket holders would have access to home matches.

The match was an instant sell out.

Sligo Rovers came to upset the apple cart but a rampant Shamrock Rovers should have been home and dry by halftime, instead they had to make do with a slender 1-0 lead.

Home and dry being only a phrase as the weather on the night was anything but. It was always going to be a night to remember, a night to tell your children about.

The wind howled and the rain fell in every direction it possibly could, but nothing could dampen the home fans spirit on a night like this.

The second half continued in the same manner of the first with Rovers on the offensive and Sligo trying in vain to hold off the onslaught. The Hoops scored their second through local old boy Dessie Baker and the scene was set for a famous win.

Sligo scored a late consolation goal but nothing was going to deny Michael O'Neill's team on this historic night, and the fans went away happy with a 2-1 win.

It was an incredible night for fans of Irish football. A night that we had all hoped we would see but never thought would happen. A night that will stay in the memory long after other moments are forgotten.

Football has finally found a home. And the 400 Club—whoever they may be—should stand tall and be proud of what they have achieved. But the journey has only started and the road from Damascus is long and hard.

Shamrock Rovers are home...it sounds nice when you say it aloud.

To read my article of the day from November '08 on the brief history of Rovers struggles over the years, click here.

To read a review of the Shamrock Rovers v. Sligo match, click here.