This past week saw everyone on TV and radio reminiscing about Italia 90. Draws with England and Egypt had people questioning Jack Charlton and his tactics but that was all about to change with another draw with Holland so after 2 goals and 3 games, Ireland booked a quarter final spot and they would play Romania in Genoa on June 25^th.

 This was Ireland’s first time on the grandest stage of them all. Yes they went to Euro 88 but this was their first World Cup appearance. From what I have seen , read and been told this was the biggest party this country had seen. The author of this piece was a month old and I spent Italia 90 in Tralee General Hospital.

This was a really special time to be in Ireland because everyone was united by Jack Charlton and his band of merry men. Each game was a huge occasion and families got together and as communities they watched Ireland’s maiden voyage.  

Having spoken to a number of people Tarbert was like every other small community and everyone gathered in The Lanterns on the coast road to watch Ireland face Romania. No goals were scored over the 120 minutes and so they would have to go to penalties to decide who would face hosts Italy in Rome.

So Ireland had to brace themselves for the lottery that is penalties , Cascarino , Sheedy , Houghtan , Townsend and Dave O Leary were the men intrusted with taking Ireland’s penalties.

 All of Ireland’s penalties were converted and then Daniel Timofte took Romania’s 4^th penalty that was saved, to leave Dave O Leary with a shot at Irish sporting history.

He lashed the penalty into the net and cue pandemonium in the stands and at home.

The biggest party this country had ever seen was to continue for another week and who knows had Toto Schlillaci not scored for Italy in Rome maybe the biggest party in Ireland’s sporting history may have continued.

Since Japan and Korea in 2002, Ireland haven’t made it to another World Cup, They did make it to Euro 2012, under the guidance of Giovanni Trapattoni. On this occasion there was to be no big party. They didn’t reach the second round, although they did score 2 consolation goals against Croatia and Spain.

As we head to the business end of another qualifying campaign after defeat to Scotland at home may have signalled the end of another major tournament, maybe just maybe the spirit of Italia 90 might be needed to breathe life into an ailing campaign. Here’s Hoping…

By

Cian Mc Gibney – 27-06-2015.

A Magnificent Rugby Weekend

The weekend of March 21^st and 22^nd 2015 will live long in the memory of Irish sports fans because on the weekend the Irish men and women completed a double with two Six Nations titles on their way back to Ireland. Ireland men beat Scotland at Murrayfield by 40-10 and then today Ireland women beat Scotland by 73-3. Not a bad sporting weekend at all. For so long Ireland have been the bridesmaids and seen others go up to collect the prize after coming up agonizingly short. But for the 2^nd time in three seasons that was not the case for both sides.

The men led by Paul O Connell put in a strong clinical performance to see Scotland off and secure the required points difference required to win a Championship that may have looked beyond them after Wales put 60 on Italy. As so often in this championship they tore up the script and played from the front led by a refreshed Sean O Brien and Peter O Mahony , they went after the Scots at the breakdown and also at scrum time and this dominance saw them go in at the break 17 points up and on the way to surpassing required 21 points to win the title.

They were again clinical in the second 40 that saw Jared Payne cross for his first try in the green of Ireland. He along with Robbie Henshaw have provided a solid platform from centre , although not spectacular it has been very effective in defence and when chances have appeared they made the most of them.

 Ireland may have lost the chance to win the Grand Slam with defeat to Wales but they were still in with a shout of Championship glory but they would have to wait until Wales set them a target to see what they would require to put themselves in with a chance of back to back titles for the first time since 48,49. They won and set England a 26 point target which they came within 6 of overturning but alas it was not to be for England and in the Darkness of Murrayfield they collected their prize for the 2^nd time in three years Ireland were Six Nations winners.

Attention then moved to Clyde FC where Niamh Briggs and her charges went into battle knowing they needed to win by 27 clear points to secure the Six Nations crown for the second time in three seasons and from minute one they chased down that points total and they led 37-3 at the break with Skipper Niamh Briggs on the occasion of her 50^th cap leading her team from the front.

This game was won by an impressive set of forwards that did all the basics very well. They had an impressive scrum , maul and line out that yielded dividends on nearly every occasion that they made it into the Scottish 22. Sophie Spence was immense , Excuse the pun !! She along with Claire Molloy , Paula Fitzpatrick and others were a sight to behold as they mauled the weary Scots all over the pitch.

They came out in the second half and again moved  the ball around and scored a flurry of late tries that saw them push even further clear that saw them eventually put 73 points the Scots to seal a great triumph for Tom Tierney and his squad that may have lost experience since the World Cup last August but still has some experience to call on. They along with the men have made this weekend truly special.

After so few tries through out the Championship it was great to see all six teams shake off the shackles and go and run the ball instead of kicking the ball each time. Huge congrats to both squads and coaches Joe Schmidt and Tom Tierney.

From a personal point of view , it was a remarkable weekend and it was really special to see Ireland show the world what they are capable of. Who knows what is ahead for both of these squads with a World Cup and also the thought of the Womens World Cup being given to Ireland in 2017. Thought provoking times ahead for Irish Rugby.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

22-03-2015.

Kerry win All Ireland Number 37 !!

Kerry win a 37^th All Ireland title with a 2-09 to 12 points win over Donegal at Croke Park. This will be known as the day that Eamonn Fitzmaurice and his Kerry team beat “the system”. Yes Kerry did get sucked into the same type of game and played with 12 men behind the ball but they also used the ball in the correct manner and took the chances when they arose. In the first minute of the game Paul Geaney and not Kieran Donaghy popped up to fire Kerry in front with a wonderfully taken goal. Throughout the first half Kerry kept Paul Geaney in the full forward line and put James O Donaghue in the centre forward position to direct operations now as it turned out he was forced to defend for the most of the first half and was also forced to shoot from 50 yards out.

 Donegal concentrated on their kick out and seemed happy for Kerry to have possession of the football and to their great credit they had great success in sniffing out most of Kerry’s attacks. But Kerry who went man for man and copied the Donegal “system “  to the letter of the law were far better at picking off scores at crucial moments throughout the game. Michael Murphy was played at midfield and seemed out of the game for large parts. The Kerry midfield of Maher and Moran did well around the middle even if Paul Durcan kept them out of the game in the first half with his short kick outs. It was 1-03 to 6 points at half time, no classic but enthralling from minute one.

Also at half time, It seemed that Donegal like in the semi-final would bide their time and use there high intensity game to repel Kerry and after 10 forgettable minutes at the start of the second half where both teams seemed to treat it as a training session with poor shot selection being to the fore.

Eamonn Fitzmaurice and his backroom staff deserve huge credit for putting a plan in place and then going out and executing it to the letter of the law. Contrary to popular opinion I doubt very much whether todays performance will mark the end of Kerry playing the catch and kick game and now they might just reshape the game for the better into the future.  

Go back to the Munster final where they played some of their best football of the year and where they also deployed Declan O Sullivan in a quarter back type role where he orchestrated the game and put players into scoring positions. That was a sight to behold. Then today , yes Kerry forgot about the kick and catch game, but they dug in and as they say they cut a cloth to fit the pattern of play that was to frustrate Donegal and by god did it work , Yes it did.

Will anyone have any stand out memories from the All Ireland final 2014 , I doubt it but maybe the one abiding memory will be Kieran Donaghy collecting a Paul Durcan kick out and slamming it into the net. Today’s final as they say wasn’t one for the purist but it was an advertisement for heart , guts and determination from both teams might I add.

Jim Mc Guinness will go back and will assess what happened today and will come back next year with a new plan or new “ system” to conquer what Kerry did today but my feeling is that today was a watershed moment for football , The “ system “ was defeated even if Kerry used the” system” to out muscle and out think Donegal.

To the local man in the Kerry panel , Shane Enright I congratulate you and salute your marvellous achievement , well done !! You have done yourself , your Mam Stella , Dad Tom and brother Kevin and Sister Maria proud. Well done today Shane , You left here yesterday dreaming of All Ireland glory and you will arrive back in the parish the proud owner of a much sought after commodity an All Ireland winners medal…

By

Cian Mc Gibney

21-09-2014.

Women In Sport

Women in sport is probably the hottest topic in sport at the moment. After Katie Taylor in 2012 and the Irish women’s rugby team success in 2013. Ireland has always had a habit of producing top quality Female sports stars, Sonia O Sullivan, Katharina Mc Kiernan to name just two. Along with that Ireland has produced some top notch Football stars as well namely Emma Byrne and Ciara Grant.

In the last number of weeks numerous people have questioned whether the recent success by the Women’s rugby team in France at the World Cup will be capitalised on or will it just be another flash in the pan!!  Again a number of people have said that the following for women’s sports will fall away after the hype has died down. This can not be helped if it does happen, but having spent a week at the recent World Cup I can appreciate the work that goes into this event. Most of the teams at the World Cup were not professional. This makes any on field achievements all the better.

Since England won the World Cup by beating Canada 21-9 in the final, members of the winning squad have been awarded professional contracts. So for the first in the history of rugby in England Women will be paid to play the game they love. This is a huge step forward in the fight to get this sport recognised and the respect it needs in certain section of society. People, both men and women still feel there is no place for women to play rugby and also these battles are similar to the battles that Katie Taylor faced in her quest to get boxing recognised enough to get it into the 2012 Olympics. We now know that she won Gold at London 2012 and this began to turn the tide for female participation in sport. Nobody ever questioned female athletes who ran or swam.

A number of people have told me that no matter what happens, women’s sport will never be as popular as male sports. This may be the case but lets be honest how many people did not get sucked into the hype of the Women’s World Cup in France. I would like to state in this article that anyone that says that the women do not hit as hard or have the same skill level as the men , are completely wrong , call me biased or whatever but some of the skills I saw at the World Cup were of the highest quality and if a male player did anything like that they would get praise from every corner.

People also questioned the level of criticism that the team shipped after their heavy defeat to England and subsequent defeat to France in the 3^rd/4^th place play off. They said that if the Irish men’s team were beaten in two World Cup games that we, the public would be calling for players and coaches heads to role. This was nullified by the fact that Phillip Doyle had already announced he was to quit his role as Irish women’s head coach.

The biggest question now is for Women’s rugby will be who will be the new head coach and also will it be a full time or part time role?? Over to the IRFU !!

By

Cian Mc Gibney

27/08/2014.

My Paris Adventure

My Paris adventure began last Tuesday week, which saw this author travel to Paris for the World Cup semi-final between Ireland and England. The excitement of traveling to Paris for this particular World Cup meant so much to this author because I have grown close to a number of the players in the current Irish squad which made my trip that little bit more special. So off I went with real hope in my heart that Ireland could progress to a first ever World Cup final.

Alas this was not to be and Ireland were ruthlessly dispatched by an England team full of purpose and driven by three previous World Cup final defeats. They put Ireland under severe pressure at scrum time and also in the line out. Even though Ireland took a 7-0 lead after 15 minutes they failed to capitalise on the early pressure and went in 18-7 down at the break. Emily Scarrett the England inside centre led from the front and kicked the crucial score just before half time that saw England stretch their lead from 15-7 to 18-7, a lead that Ireland could not encroach upon and they went on to be beaten by 40-7.

While this was not the result the Irish team or support wanted, they still had to try and prepare for a 3^rd/4^th place play off against hosts France who were beaten by Canada in the 2^nd semi-final. So I had a few days to kill before Ireland would return to battle against France at The Stade Jean Bouin the home of Stade Francais.

 What would an Irish man do to pass away a few hours, I travelled down the Champs Elysees and also saw the Eiffel Tower which in my opinion looks far more impressive than the Spire that we have in Dublin!! I was also on a number of occasions mistaken for a British person, which on the first occasion is ok but around the 5^th or 6^th time begins to ware on you.

One of the most interesting conversations I had on the whole trip actually took place in the line waiting to board the plane to Paris. I as I usually do struck up a conversation with the woman standing in front of me in the queue and as we got talking she informed me that she was indeed travelling the same way as yours truly and going to see could Ireland create history and make a first ever World Cup final.

 This lady’s name is Jackie O Brien an ex Irish International in two codes. She has 13 caps for Ireland in both Rugby and Football. Not a bad achievement at a time when the rugby team had to pay their own way. It could cost up to €4000 to get yourself sorted for one season. That money paid for gear like socks, shorts, boots and jerseys.

Can you imagine asking some of our finest athletes like Roy Keane and Brian O Driscoll to pay for their own gear, I doubt you can!! The reason I took an interest in the story is the fact that while Jackie has a cap to commemorate her 13 caps in football, she does not have the same in rugby. This led me to stand there dumbstruck to be honest with you that someone that has been capped 13 times would have to pay for the honour to get her hands on a cap. That in my humble opinion is really wrong.

 I don’t care where you come down in this particular argument, If you get capped in any sport the least you deserve in recognition for that honour is a cap that you should not have to pay for. I have promised Jackie I will get her that cap at some stage in the future.

So after all that, it was onto the rugby again, a game against France to be played for either 3^rd or 4^th place at a World Cup not to be sneezed at. They went into this game sort on confidence after the 40-7 defeat against England. But they did not show any fear and led at half time 15-12, thanks to tries from Niamh Briggs and a great solo effort from Grace Davitt. Unfortunately they could not sustain this and again the scrum faltered when they needed it most. They were beaten 25-18.

They can be proud of their achievement and their 4^th place finish. Phillip Doyle and his coaching staff have brought this side from nowhere to 4^th place at the 2014 World Cup. A great achievement. To Fiona Coughlan who retired after 85 caps , Gemma Crowley who saved my bacon on the day before the semi final with a ticket that I will forever treasure. Also to Maz Reilly ,  Niamh Briggs and Siobhan Fleming , I salute you and your amazing achievement. Thank You All for making this young  journalist a happy man.

By

Cian Mc Gibney.

21/08/2014.