The silver-red lining....
When the disapointment of another loss subsided on Saturday evening, it was replaced with a feeling of happiness that illustrates the power of sport in general and rugby in particular.
Where Ireland failed, Wales have succeeded. Congratulations to them. They have shown that passion remains a key element of success in professional sport, an element you can't replace with text book training or scientific analysis. In the parlance of 1990's Irish football, Wales gave it a lash and they deserve the plaudits. Their grand slam was deserved if only because they had the courage of their convictions.
Wales don't have the best individuals, but they clearly have amazing self-belief and an unbreakable team spirit. For my money France are the "best" team in the championship, but when the chips were down the Welsh belief brushed them aside. It's a fantastic advertisement for the importance of passion. As it is, there are still very few of that Welsh side I'd select for Ireland, France or even England. But it doesn't matter.
As for Ireland. Well great thanks is due to these players, to Eddie O'Sullivan (and Warren Gatland) who have brought credibility back to Irish rugby after nearly fifteen years of mediocrity. That progress shouldn't be underestimated. But the grand slam talk was ridiculous. We haven't played well all year. We struggled in the Autumn internationals and struggled in all the six nations games - including a poor thirty minutes against Scotland.
The fact is, in my humble opinion, the Irish rugby team still plays as though we're trying to keep the score down. We're conservative and predictable. The loss of D'Arcy and Horgan was a major loss, but the fact is we never gave it a lash. It might be worthwhile for Fast Eddie to put down the "playbook" for a little while and think about mixing things up a little. For god's sake stop telling the backs to kick the bloody ball back to the opposition for a start.
So well done Wales, you are the deserving winners of the 2005 Championship. Thank you for reminding us all that the beauty of rugby is that it's not just about the best fifteen players, it's about the best team. It's about passion and the will to win. You have all those attributes. I salute you.
posted by Tom Murphy @ 8:10 AM
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