Irish solution to no Irish problems

A good year by and large, as well as a decidedly odd year. Barring a European Cup win by Munster and a Grand Slam by Ireland, from a purely green-tinged perspective, it couldn't have been a whole lot better on the pitch, which makes it still odd to think that a six-man committee decided to sack the coach. Only in Ireland?

Reviewing the last 12 months in the context of a calendar year, as opposed to a 12-month season, is particularly fitting with regard to Irish rugby, given the disruptions caused by the foot-and-mouth epidemic in Britain. As a result, much of the 2000-01 season was carried over until the first half of this season.

On the international front, Ireland started 2001 with an official world ranking of eighth and finished it ranked sixth, effectively the best of the rest behind the big three Southern Hemisphere sides, France and England.

For once the ranking was pretty much on the money. Which, of course, made beating both France and England in the same campaign for the first time in 18 years all the more commendable.

The Six Nations - and the year - was kicked off by a trip to Rome and a rusty (so beginning a pattern) first-up performance without Brian O'Driscoll and Denis Hickie, followed by the former's "try" to complete the first back-to-back wins over the French since 1973.

Amid the continuing reference's to O'Driscoll's disputed score that day, to some degree it's been forgotten how much Ireland deserved to win and how well they did to close out the game when France came storming back to within six points.

Having thrown the kitchen sink at the French for an hour or so, in years previously Ireland wouldn't have had the energy left to do the dishes by the time it came to the endgame, so ensuring another heroic defeat.

It was at this point that the year ground to a virtual halt. It's hardly worth speculating whether it may or may not have helped Ireland's championship challenge (besides which, it paled by comparison to the thousands of livelihoods at stake in the farming community and beyond), but it most likely cost Ireland more places on the original Lions' party to tour Australia: John Hayes, Denis Hickie (whose omission in preference for Dafydd James and Ben Cohen seems even more scandalous now) David Wallace and, perhaps, Peter Clohessy.

Succeeding a triumvirate of Lions legends in Ian McGeechan, Jim Telfer and Fran Cohen was always going to be a tough act to follow. The impression left was that the sizeable management ticket didn't quite gel and nor did the entire party, with mutinous revolts amongst over-flogged players barely concealed in what was something of a soulless tour.

Still, the Test series was of epic proportions and did go down to the very last play. Running on empty after an 11-month season, whatever else nobody could doubt that the Test-match Lions dug as deep as was humanly possible. But the annoying thing was that Australia were beatable.

O'Driscoll made an indelible impression and confirmation of sorts that he had joined Keith Wood as a truly world-class player came with the pair's inclusion in two six-man shortlists for player of the year awards (one of which Wood won, the other being won by George Gregan). The emergence of Rob Henderson as a world-class player finally gave the lie to the notion that he was a one-trick buffalo on stampede.

Caught cold on their return to the international front on the faintly plausible date of September 22nd, Ireland's poorly prepared, limp defeat to Scotland at Murrayfield would have far-reaching repercussions, regardless of ensuing performances.

The record win over Wales thus counted for little in some eyes, and similarly England had the excuse of no preparatory game when losing a third Grand Slam on the bounce at Lansdowne Road in October.

Yet little such allowance was made for Ireland's performance in Edinburgh, nor for the fact that whereas Scotland could swing from the hip in a one-off game against an Irish side that still had notions of the championship, the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam, similarly all the pressure was on England in Dublin.

Even so, that memorable 20-14 win over England constitutes the latter's only defeat in their last 16 matches. Then the effort of an unprecedented 14-week barrage of first-class rugby told in Ireland's epic 40-29 defeat to an All Blacks side rejuvenated by John Mitchell's first game in charge. So the six wise men of Eddie Coleman, Syd Millar, Noel Murphy, John Lyons, Eddie Wigglesworth and Philip Browne decided to dispense with Warren Gatland. You know it makes sense.

The foot-and-mouth break undoubtedly hit Munster hard, rustiness accounting for a below-par Heineken Cup semi-final performance against Stade Francais, though they were still robbed of a legitimate try by John O'Neill.

Nevertheless, the provinces have since collectively moved up another notch. They dominated the Celtic League, culminating in a remarkable advert for the game here with Leinster's thrilling win over Munster in the inaugural final, and at the turn of the year there's real hope of Leinster, Munster and Ulster all making the European Cup quarter-finals.

Matt Williams cites the lay-off caused by foot-and-mouth as one of the factors in Leinster's development, giving them ample time to improve their conditioning and ball skills away from competitive action.

As an aside, it also ensured the spotlight shone on last season's AIB League run-in, with all the provincial players available to their clubs.

No one benefited more than the star-studded Dungannon side which took the trophy to Ulster for the first time.

Alas, for the AIL, that was assuredly something of a last hurrah.