Lynagh breaks hearts of a nation

Ireland 18 Australia 19: EDMUND VAN ESBECKreports on "one of the greatest rugby matches ever to take place on this famous old ground"

“OF ALL sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are it might have been.”

With just three minutes to go at Lansdowne Road yesterday, Ireland had defied the odds and stood three points clear of Australia. A place in the World Cup semi-final beckoned and the crowd was in a frenzy. And then, in a dramatic moment that will be etched in memory forever, Australia struck and scored a try to turn their perilous position of a three-point deficit into a precious, one-point lead. That was enough to see them to victory. For Ireland, a glorious dream died.

All around was silent stillness afterwards as one sought to collect one’s thoughts. And, if there could be consolation in a defeat of this nature, and, of course there was in many respects, the primary one was that we had been privileged to witness one of the greatest rugby matches ever to take place on this famous old ground.

A complex analysis is not necessary: in the end, the Australians had the composure and the confidence to get the vital try and it came from a back movement of simplistic beauty.

Australia won the ball wide on the left, it was moved to the right. The Ireland defence was stretched to breaking point, and as the tackle went in on David Campese he laid the ball back and outside half Michael Lynagh got over for a try close to the right corner flag.

His conversion attempt failed narrowly, so there was still hope, tenuous hope, that somehow Ireland might contrive a score in the few meagre minutes that remained.

But it was not to be, and Australia had prevailed as most had expected they would. But surely, few if any could have visualised that it would be such an almighty close-run thing.

As the crowd turned to go their diverse ways in the immediate aftermath of a match that lifted this World Cup to a new level, all around the words were said as one. “We should have won.”

Perhaps, but most certainly we could have won. In the end, victory was denied by our failure to clear our lines after the Australians had been stunned by a great Ireland try, scored with six minutes to go by one of the game’s outstanding players, flanker Gordon Hamilton.

With the game in the 75th minute, Ireland started an attack inside their half. Jim Staples kicked the ball on, Jack Clarke was up to gather it and passed inside to Hamilton charging up in support. He had the pace and the will to make it to the Australian line and to a thunderous roar got a try to set beside some of the best I have seen.

Ralph Keyes took the conversion from wide on the left and, with unerring accuracy, he kicked a magnificent conversion.

Ireland led for the first time in the match, 18-15, and now the ingredients were there to write a story of what would have been unquestionably one of the greatest victories in the history of the game in this land.

Then the Australians struck, and all credit to them for it. Ireland did not lift the pressure after the kick-off. Rob Saunders, the Ireland scrumhalf, failed to get touch with his kick out of defence, the ball was readily dispatched to the Irish right-hand corner and the Australians had got a footing in a key area and at a crucial time.

They won a scrum, and as they had often done throughout the afternoon went into top gear. The Irish defence was in trouble and what would have been one of the greatest of victories was instead turned into the bitter taste of defeat.

There is no doubt Campese had a profound part to play in getting his country to the semi-final, for he scored two tries, both beautiful in creation and telling in execution. The Australians, in fact, scored their tries from set-piece possession and they mingled orthodox attack with shrewd kicking from Lynagh.

It was a match marked by unforgettable moments of dramatic nature. And, we did not have long to wait for the first, an unedifying punch-up in the first minute as fists flew between the forwards after the initial fracas between Philip Matthews and Viliame Ofahengaue.

But that died down, fortunately, and we did not again have anything to soil a marvellous occasion.

Ireland played with the wind in the first half yet for 20 minutes could scarcely get out of their half. But they defended with great resolution and effect until the 16th minute when the dancing master on the Australian right wing Campese waltzed through the defence after Australia won a lineout. Lynagh converted.

Ireland stood six points down now – could they reveal the necessary level of character and application? They answered the call with courage.

The Irish pack set about their opponents. Australia won more possession in the lineout, but Ireland disrupted it very effectively, and when Nick Farr-Jones had to leave the field just after his side’s opening try, his replacement Peter Slattery was set for a torrid time.

All the Irish forwards deserve great credit, but the play of the backrow trio of Matthews, Brian Robinson and Hamilton was awesome in effect. The Irish scrum was rock-solid. In the loose, the Irish revealed a tenacity that had the Australians clearly disconcerted.

Keyes kicked a penalty for Ireland in the 24th minute and then added a second in the 31st minute. Thus it was 6-6 and that was how it stood at the interval.

Lynagh struck the first blow of the second period when he kicked a penalty. But after a great high kick to the Australian posts by Keyes, the Australians had to concede a scrum and Keyes dropped a goal, the ball going in off an upright. Now it was 9-9 and suddenly there was an awareness on the field and off it that here we could be witness to a match of immense proportions.

And so we were.

Then Campese struck again in the 52nd minute. Australia won a scrum on the left; the ball was moved outside, Marty Roebuck came up from fullback, the Irish defence was broken and Campese scored to the right of the posts. Lynagh converted, and so Australia led again by six.

But heads did not drop on the Ireland side. The pack continued to play with heroism and to such effect that they left us under no illusions the match was not over yet.

Now, too, the Irish backs were running at their opponents and, had Clarke not elected to cut inside instead of going for the left corner, Ireland might have scored a try. But Keyes kicked a penalty to leave just three points in it.

Simon Geoghegan came in from the right wing to join in attacks going left. Again the Australian defence was stretched but Clarke could not make it. He just did not have the pace of the man he replaced, Keith Crossan. Those were the kind of chances on which Crossan prospered.

Then, with the match entering its closing phase, came Hamilton’s try and Keyes’ conversion, and all Ireland wished the five minutes that remained could somehow just fly by. To the Australians’ great credit, they kept their composure, and then came the thunderbolt to Ireland’s hopes in the form of Lynagh’s try. A gallant effort had failed, but a team had won a nation’s heart.

Never for a moment did the Irish challenge wilt, and as the drama unfolded one was reminded of those beautiful words that sum up courage and bravery, “to strive, to seek to find and not to yield”.

In the final analysis, Ireland did yield, but the message went out loud and clear that the heart of Irish rugby still has a strong beat.

For the Australians it was a day of some alarm; for the Irish players an effort to be proud of, they left the scene signed with their honour.

IRELAND: J Staples (London Irish); S Geoghegan (London Irish), B Mullin (Blackrock), D Curtis (London Irish), J Clarke (Dolphin); R Keyes (Cork Constitution), R Saunders (London Irish); N Popplewell (Greystones). S Smith (Ballymena), D Fitzgerald (DLSP), D Lenihan (Cork Constitution), N Francis (Blackrock College), P Matthews (capt, Wanderers), B Robinson (Ballymena), G Hamilton (Ballymena).

AUSTRALIA: M Roebuck; D Campese, T Horan, J Little, R Egerton; M Lynagh, N Farr-Jones (capt); A Daly, P Kearns, E McKenzie, R McCall, J Eales, S Poidevin, V Ofahengaue, J Miller. Replacement: P Slattery for Farr-Jones (17 mins).

Referee: J Fleming (Scotland).