Donal Lenihan
EMOTIONS were running high around Stadium Taranaki on Sunday night long before the minute’s silence for victims of 9/11 was observed
The number of young Irish fans who made the journey to this corner of the world was incredible and a reflection of the state of affairs back home. The majority of those fans were not here by choice but out of economic necessity.
It was quite poignant to see many of them meeting up with friends who are scattered throughout the southern hemisphere with Ireland’s presence at this World Cup the catalyst for bringing them together.
Many I spoke to had emigrated together but were forced to disperse in order to secure employment. Saturday’s game against the Wallabies in Auckland is set to attract even larger numbers of the Irish ex pat community and one hopes the team can produce a performance to make them proud. It is appalling that so many of our bright young talent is forced to move so far from home in order to secure a future for themselves. It is at times like this that you see the benefit of sport as a unifying factor for so many Irish around the world.
New Plymouth itself was a quaint place with the local Taranaki provincial side the centre of their universe.
They are a little paranoid around these parts however and certainly know their rugby. Chatting with a young taxi driver the other day, he asked me where I was from. When I saw Cork didn’t register, I then mentioned Munster.
He immediately went into a tirade and started berating me that Munster had achieved nothing since beating New Zealand about 100 years ago. I wasn’t putting up with that. Having put him straight about recent triumphs in the Heineken Cup and the Magners League, I also set the record straight about the strength of Taranaki rugby.
Visiting the stadium earlier in the day I noticed a big mural on the club house wall depicting the selection of the greatest Taranaki team of all time. Included at tight head prop was one Mike ‘The Bull’ Allen who won 8 caps for the All Blacks in the 1990’s. He is still a hero around these parts and a well known television host. I informed my learned taxi driver how ‘The Bull’ played club rugby in Munster with Shannon when the All Ireland League was at its height.
Shannon, however, had high standards back then and after a few games in the front row, Allen was dropped as his scrummaging was deemed not to be up to the mark. In fact his nickname was transferred to a young up and coming tight head by the name of Hayes who didn’t do too badly after Allen’s departure.
The captain of that select Taranaki combination was one Graham Mourie who some may remember also skippered New Zealand in that fateful game in Thomond Park back in 1978.
Maybe that helps to explain why they are so paranoid about any reference to Munster around these parts.
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/4LBJ8tCijCM/post.aspx
Caribbean Lee Carsley Radio industry Bank of England Argentina Dmitry Medvedev
No comments:
Post a Comment