Calm after the storm

Rugby Under-21 World Cup final countdownIt was surprising to note the quiet satisfaction that quickly superseded what had been in the immediate aftermath of Ireland's 26-13 victory over Australia in the under-21 World Cup semi-final at Hughenden on Wednesday, a raucous celebration on the sodden turf.

A spirited rendition of The Fields of Athenry by green-clad participant and spectator alike; the players filtered back to the dressing-room, the parents and supporters fast-tracked to the bar. The expectation of being greeted by scenes of unfettered delight after one of the great victories in Irish rugby wasn't fulfilled.

Instead the players sucked on bottles (isotonic beverages, now that you ask) and munched Kit Kats, the continued sense of purpose almost palpable. Not content to simply reach a semi-final, they look like they don't consider Sunday's final and a tilt at the defending champions, New Zealand, beyond their compass.

Last night was the first time the players and management came together as a group following the victory over Australia and that was to head out for a meal at a Glasgow restaurant. It is a pattern they have followed assiduously after each of their four games to date.

There were no beers after this Aussie game; the only refreshments to look forward to on returning to their hotel were ice-cold baths. In between they had managed to grab a bite to eat at the ground, where they were to have been joined by their Australian opponents.

But the Aussies never showed, probably still a little numbed by their defeat. It was a case of "you can run but can't hide" as the Australians and Ireland share the same hotel, along with Wales. Yesterday morning the junior Wallabies seemed better able to deal with the traumas of the previous evening.

Davy Haslett, Ireland's team manager, admitted it had been an interesting 36 hours, primarily attributable to the hum of the fax machine. "We have received so many messages both before and after the game; it was really uplifting for all concerned.

"It's been fairly quiet since the match, everyone settling down within an hour after the finish of the game. I think it's only when we went out for dinner as a group that it began to sink in, what we had achieved.

"The players were given a lie-in yesterday morning and then set about the recovery work, massages, pool work while the management started on breaking down and analysing the video of our own performance and that of New Zealand's.

"We'll see this morning how the players are fixed before deciding on when to take to the training pitch again but the likelihood is that it won't be before tomorrow, when it'll be a captain's run."

The Ireland side for the final will be confirmed later today. One person who'd love to attend is Seánie O'Leary, the Cork hurling selector whose son Tomás will line out at scrumhalf for Ireland. Unfortunately Seánie will be otherwise occupied at Cork's Munster Hurling final clash with Waterford on Sunday.

The Ireland-New Zealand game will be shown live on both TG4 and Eurosport, both transmissions to start at 4 p.m. The final kicks off at 4.15 p.m.