Time: 20:00
Its Saturday so its time for a Rugby World Cup blog update. I had great intentions of writing this blog much sooner in the week in wake of Irelands epic victory over the Wallabies last weekend, however each time I attempted to string a few sentences together about it I found myself at a loss for words to adequately describe it - such is its magnitude! Instead I have spent the week immersing my self in its aftermath and enjoying the post match Celtic atmosphere that has over run Auckland for the past seven days.
From the time the team was announced last Friday you could feel the anticipation building within the city. By Friday night every, "Mick", "Paddy" and leprechaun in the Southern hemisphere had descended upon Auckland and a party of "Itlaia 90" proportions was in full swing. Maybe its a testament to my age but one of the funniest things I saw in the pub on Friday night was a group of lads wearing t-shirts that said "F@%K Scalaci" on them.... a classic reference to the man who knocked us out of the soccer World Cup in way back in 1990. Saturday morning and afternoon in the build up to the game were no different with all 15 Irish pubs in Auckland being over capacity by midday! In some cases the police had to come to temporarily clear out the over crowded bars but there was no trouble and no arrests just a good hearted atmosphere and even the Wallabies were getting in on the act and drinking in the Irish bars with the Irish. My mate Des had flown back from Sydney for the game and although we both had tickets I managed to do a bit of "blagging" with an Ozzy lady and ended up getting 2 Category B $600 tickets for $200.... bullshit is a virtue.... and I guess one ive perfected and so I got to sell the original tickets to two other friends who had never been to a rugby game before.... not a bad one to start at!
Irelands Call being sung at Ire V Aus RWC2011.
This was the view from my "blagged" $600 (I paid $200) seats!
Yes its only a rugby game but it brings people together with a common goal and common appreciation for its spectacle. The sea of green that covered Eden Park was a sight to behold. The game had barely seen its first tackle before chants of 'Ole Ole Ole' erupted and resounded around the stadium. Eden park was alive and it was green and it was undoubtedly Irish. Yes the Ozzies tried there best, indeed Matilda was waltzing alright but she was at the wrong dance! for we were a nightclub in Ibiza and Healy, O'Connel, Driscol, Bowe and O'Gara were mixing the tunes in the DJ booth, Ferris and O'Brien were the man mountain bouncers whom no Ozzie was passing and Kidney the manager with the midas touch looked down from his glass incased "VIP" booth and commanded all he surveyed. Yes we controlled the dance floor that was the Eden park grass and nothing not even divine intervention could have stopped it from being an Irish night. The noise level was constant and even rose briefly when 58,000 Irish screamed at Johhny Sexton to "Give it to ROG" after he had missed some crucial kicks.... yep im sure even Antarctic penguins heard that one!, but we forgive you Johnny... you kept us on the edge of our seats!
I tweeted right after the game that "there are moments in life that define the appreciation of our existence and I had just witnessed one tonight in Eden Park". It was the best way I could come up with to describe the joy and exiliration of having been there to witness one of our nations greatest sporting acheivments. The courage the heart, the conviction to the cause, the relentlessness of effort, the passion displayed were second to none. Sport is the only activity on the planet where every emotion known to man is contrived to seek a victory over another and in doing so it brings out the best in us all. Its a temporary microcosm of war but where personal excellence and achievement is the goal rather than sacrifice of another. We play and watch sport to appreciate the accomplishment of the quest, to see the impossible become the possible and to enjoy the exaltation of the triumph. In Irelands case on Saturday night we saw years of heartache being banished by the grit, determination and belief of a chosen few to overcome the challenge and realize that this day victory would be there's. In the years to come I hope to witness and experience many many wonderful things but I will always remember that faithful night in strange city in a strange little country on the far side of the world where for the briefest of moments the world stood still and I along with the other 58,000 Irish souls in the stadium and millions watching around the world had our breath taken away........ and after all those are the moments we really live for.
The Celebration in Auckland continued until at least Tuesday and everyone was in on it, even Sonya O'Sullivan whom I met on Queen St in the small hours of Sunday morning!
Sonya O'Sullivan with myself and Des.
All week the Kiwi media has been lording our performance and talking us up as potential final opponents for their beloved All Blacks. As things work out thats not now beyond the realms of possibility! We are certainly in the favored side of the draw with the 6 nations teams we are used to playing and beating and with a little luck we just might be in Eden park again for a semi-final or final but that is in the future next up we off on pilgrimage in the morning to Rortoura to play the Russians. We have a much changed team but none the less a very experienced one and we shouldn't have any difficulty in recording another win and cementing out position at the top of Pool C.
Its a great time to be Irish and to be lucky enough to be out here to witness it first hand is only akin to being alive during these times at all...... long may it continue and sure as God himself (Declin Kidney) says in his quaint Cork accent "Sure we will enjoy each day as it comes"......,
Until next time....