WHEN QUEEN Elizabeth II met members of Ireland’s Grand Slam-winning rugby team at an official reception at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down, the most eye-catching thing was the dramatic difference in their height.
The strapping players, sleek in their matching suits, towered over the small, stately figure of the British queen, as she congratulated them on their achievement.
Still, size isn’t everything: 6ft 6in Donncha O’Callaghan admitted he was nervous about the meeting.
In contrast, Ronan O’Gara was the picture of relaxation, and chatted to the queen with his hands in his pockets.
The flyhalf remarked that he had met her grandson William on two previous Lions tours and that he found him “a lovely young man”.
Coinciding with the 30th anniversary celebrations of Co-operation Ireland, this was Northern Ireland’s official recognition of the joy and pride that erupted on both sides of the Border when Ireland clinched that thrilling sporting win.
Afterwards, as the players tucked into chocolate-dipped strawberries, captain Brian O’Driscoll, with a real shiner of a black eye, said players from the Republic understood the importance of the event to their Northern team-mates.
Besides, he added, “it’s another opportunity to be patted on the back, and that can’t be a bad thing”.
The one unspoken question was whether the queen might at last visit the Republic. Perhaps yesterday’s party brings that day a little closer.