Colourful players from a black and white college

Even before the dawn of the 20th century, rugby was played in Presentation College Cork. And the college can reflect on having attained great success in the game, on having sent out a succession of great players and on an immense contribution to Munster and Ireland.

When the Munster team runs on to the field at Twickenham this afternoon to face Northampton, both on the field and in the coaching sphere, the Presentation involvement will yet again be of major dimension.

The success enjoyed by the college in the competitive arena is illustrated by the schools' great record in the Munster Senior and Junior Cups. The half-century mark has been reached in the combined victories of the senior and junior cup teams and no school in the province can match that.

The game was been played in the college since before the 20th century. Indeed, before the Munster Schools Senior Cup was inaugurated in 1909, Presentation and their great rivals Christian Brothers College had contested the Cork Senior Schools Cup. The rivalry has not diminished through the years.

Were one handed the task of selecting a team from players who have represented Ireland and who learned their rugby in Presentation College Cork, then not alone would the choice be wide, especially in the back line, but it would be a very formidable Ireland team indeed.

It would include the man who captained Ireland on 24 occasions, more than any other player in history, and who also led the Lions, Tom Kiernan; and another former Ireland captain Michael Bradley, Ireland's most capped scrumhalf.

And what a choice one would have in the composition of the back line from those who wore the famous back and white jersey. There is Tom Kiernan, Moss Finn, Michael Kiernan, Ireland's leading points scorer in international rugby; Jerry Walsh, Jimmy Bowen, Grand Slam wing Bertie O'Hanlon, who attended Presentation College Cork before he went to Rockwell.

Then what a choice at outhalf - Barry McGann, Ralph Keyes, and the current incumbent on the national team, Ronan O'Gara. There are no fewer than five in the running for the scrumhalf position - Bradley, Donal Canniffe, Brian O'Meara and the player who has and continues to contribute so much this season to Ireland and Munster, Peter Stringer.

One can add in the late Eddie O'Mullane. He played for Ireland against the British Army in 1945 when, of course, there were no official internationals.

Moving into the pack, there was prop Jimmy Corcoran, another man who shared in the Grand Slam of 1948 having played against France; a superb hooker in the late Charlie Teehan, capped before the second world war and deprived of many caps because of it; and the late Derry "Starry "Crowley, who toured Argentina with Ireland in 1952.

Then we had props Paul McCarthy and Michael O'Callaghan, second rows Archie O'Leary and Tom Nesdale both wore the green, and in the back row, Ken O'Connell, and Marney Cunningham, a brilliant flanker, whose international career was cut short when he went to study for the priesthood.

Another great forward was Jack Guiney, a Senior Cup winner with Presentation in 1935. He too played against the British Army and played for Ireland in "the victory" internationals against France and England in 1946.

One can add in a few other players who would not have been unworthy of international honours in Ray Hennessy, Jerry Murray and Liam Coughlan - final trialists all - and most unfortunate not to have been capped.

Tommy Moroney was a great outhalf, whose involvement in rugby was terminated when he became a professional soccer player and who had a distinguished career with Ireland and West Ham United. Another former pupil was Brian Walsh, who toured Australia with Ireland in 1994.

It was into an environment of singular achievement and a great rugby tradition, that a young Declan Kidney took his first formative steps in the game. He is what one might term a "Pres Boy" in every sense of the word, one we are very proud to call "one of our own".

He won a senior cup medal with the College in 1978 and then, after graduating from UCC, went back to Presentation to teach. And what a fortunate disposition of circumstance that proved to be.

It was in Presentation College Cork that his outstanding coaching skills came to fruition. He coached the college to four Munster Junior Cup successes and, with Pat Attridge as his assistant, he coached them to four more victories in the senior cup.

His qualities were recognised when he coached the Munster schools and then for four years the Ireland schools, whom he led to Triple Crown success in 1993 and then the Ireland under-19 team to World Cup victory in 1998, the Ireland A team to Triple Crown and championship success this season and today let us hope further lustre will be added to that magnificent record.

It was under Declan's guidance at Presentation that three men who will be wearing the Munster jersey this afternoon, wing Anthony Horgan and the half backs Ronan O'Gara and Peter Stringer, blossomed.

So too did hooker Frankie Sheahan, who sat on the bench for Ireland throughout this season's Six Nations series and who played so well when he came on as a second-half replacement for the injured Keith Wood against Toulouse.

But the Presentation connections run even deeper than that in the Munster squad. No fewer than eight of the 30-man Munster panel nominated for the European Cup are former pupils.

In addition to Horgan, O'Gara, Stringer and Sheahan, there are Brian O'Meara, Mick O'Driscoll, Jerry Murray, son of a distinguished father who is currently vice-president of the Munster Branch, and Ken O'Connell.

Some of that Munster team today did not attend rugby playing schools such as John Kelly, Mick Galwey, John Hayes and Eddie Halvey. Three more came from south of the equator, Jason Holland, John Langford and Mike Mullins.

But in his capacity as coach in the college, Declan Kidney has long been familiar with the abilities of Dominic Crotty (CBC Cork), Peter Clohessy (Crescent), David Wallace (Crescent), Anthony Foley and Keith Wood (St Munchin's) who in their schooldays would have been on "the other side " in many a hectic battle. Today all are united in a common cause.

But the school on The Mardyke by the banks of the lovely Lee has reason to be proud of what its former pupils have given to Munster and to Ireland. Twickenham this afternoon could see another glorious chapter in the celebrated sporting history of Presentation College Cork.