Is anyone else feeling confused after the dramatic end of yesterdays Ireland V France rugby match? I'm still certain that I watched Ronan O'Gara kick a match securing penalty. Surely the game was over, the Croke Park dream complete, the other games just a formality before the Grand Slam.
I looked away from the TV for a second, distracted by someone coming into the room asking what the score was. Glancing back I saw a replay of France scoring a try. Highlights from some other game or a replay of the first half try? Surely it was a replay? After all we had won the game just 5 seconds earlier. Ok, so it's not a replay but the referee must have blown his whistle before the try was scored because the Irish players aren't tackling the French player.
But we have still won, havent we? 1 point behind, O'Gara will just score a drop kick and everything will be ok again. Huh? The French just scored a conversion? Did they change their kicker, the last guy couldnt hit the stands in Croke Park never mind get the ball between the posts. Ok, it's just 3 points. Worst possible case is that we just draw the game with the up coming drop kick, though it's more likely that an Irish player will run in for the last minute match winning try.
80:05? What? That cant be right. The clock on the TV must be wrong. The ball is still in play and the teams are mauling. Ok here comes the turn over and the Irish sprint to the line. Hang on, he cant just kick the ball out like that, can he? Thats not in the script. Come on ref, that cant be legal, blow for a penalty or something. Final whistle, what the hell? France have won?
No, no, no, that cant be right. We won! We did! I saw it! I don't know where the last 2 minutes came from but it wasn't the 2007 Six Nations game. It was highlights from some other game, not todays game. We won.... I'm sure we did..... didn't we....? Nooooooo!
I looked away from the TV for a second, distracted by someone coming into the room asking what the score was. Glancing back I saw a replay of France scoring a try. Highlights from some other game or a replay of the first half try? Surely it was a replay? After all we had won the game just 5 seconds earlier. Ok, so it's not a replay but the referee must have blown his whistle before the try was scored because the Irish players aren't tackling the French player.
But we have still won, havent we? 1 point behind, O'Gara will just score a drop kick and everything will be ok again. Huh? The French just scored a conversion? Did they change their kicker, the last guy couldnt hit the stands in Croke Park never mind get the ball between the posts. Ok, it's just 3 points. Worst possible case is that we just draw the game with the up coming drop kick, though it's more likely that an Irish player will run in for the last minute match winning try.
80:05? What? That cant be right. The clock on the TV must be wrong. The ball is still in play and the teams are mauling. Ok here comes the turn over and the Irish sprint to the line. Hang on, he cant just kick the ball out like that, can he? Thats not in the script. Come on ref, that cant be legal, blow for a penalty or something. Final whistle, what the hell? France have won?
No, no, no, that cant be right. We won! We did! I saw it! I don't know where the last 2 minutes came from but it wasn't the 2007 Six Nations game. It was highlights from some other game, not todays game. We won.... I'm sure we did..... didn't we....? Nooooooo!
1 comment:
Declan.. nothing is a formality in sport. Years of practice has thought me that!
Your thinking, at the time of O'Garas conversion, must have rubbed off on the players!
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