Jack Leahy
@Jack_Leahy
And so, another year draws to a close and we have the opportunity to reflect onthe truly important things in our lives, how we have changed and grown over the course of the last twelve months, and make concrete resolutions as to how we are to better our own lives and those of our loved ones in the new year.
If any one the above applies to you, you’ve clearly never been involved in sports writing, a profession whose only end-of-year reflective activity is the production of countless perfunctionary articles positing X number of highlights of the sporting year. Sometimes, if you’re lucky, there’ll be a few half-joking predictions as to a few comical occurances that might take place in the following year. Sadly, those predicitons almost never make it to the end-of-year reflective blogs.
The University Times has never been one to disrespect the traditions of its longer-living peers, so here’s our version of the above:
5 Best Sporting Moments of 2011:
5. Ireland thwart England’s Grand Slam celebrations
Murphy’s Law famously asserts that ‘anything that can go wrong, will go wrong’. One’s chances of falling victim to life’s greatest truth can only be increased by hedging one’s bets, a lesson learned in the hardest of all possible ways by Martin Johnson’s England rugby side in March of this year. England went into the final round of the Six Nations with the title all but assured, and victory over Ireland in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium would guarantee a first Grand Slam since 2003. The England management team therefore decided to record a ceremonial video celebrating the inevitable triumph of the red rose and a much delayed reassertion of England’s Northern Hemisphere supremacy. Ireland won 24-8 and hardly gave England a sniff. Awkward.
4. Ireland beat Australia at the 2011 Rugby World Cup
Ireland’s greatest ever World Cup victory was secured with a 15-6 win over Australia in September that saw litres of blood, sweat, and tears left behind on the Eden Park playing surface. Johnny Sexton and Ronan O’Gara kicked Ireland to victory when James O’Connor had threatened to do so for the Wallabies, who finished second in the group stage of the competition for the first time in its 24-year history. Ireland, on the other hand, blew the knockout-round draw wide open with their triumph, topping the pool stages for the first time by securing their first even win over a Southern Hemisphere team at a major tournament. The game had a dramatic end, with Tommy Bowe’s length-of-the-pitch effort stopped agonisingly short by O’Connor in a phase that all but secured victory by moving the ball out of irish territory. Our own live update page shows just how frenzied the last few minutes were…
3. Stephen Cluxton gives Dublin the All-Ireland
In Gaelic games at least, there can be no greater pressure than being handed the ball with seconds remaining and being asked to score the point that gives your county their first All-Ireland Football Championship title in 16 years. That’s exactly the fate that befell brave Dublin goalie Stephen Cluxton who, much to the delight of the Dublin-heavy Croke park crowd, slotted home to seal the Sam Maguire. Coppers was the place to be for the ensuing month as Dublin celebrated like it was 1995.
2. Ireland beat England at the 2011 Cricket World Cup
As the events of Croke Park 2007 have shown, there’s an added significance to the sporting encounter when England are the opponents. This extra spice is exacerbated by cricket being the discipline of competition, given the game’s rich tradition in England compared to its minority status in Ireland. The two sides clashed in what was very much a David v Goliath encounter in India in the pool stages of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, with England setting 328 as a victory target. The ship was rocking until that man Kevin O’Brien took to the crease, smashing a century off just 50 balls to send Ireland ahead of the run rate before the tail mopped up to take victory. Muscular, mesmeric, and monumetal, O’Brien’s innings is forever enshrined in Irish sporting legend.
1. Republic of Ireland Qualify for Euro 2012
Nine long, long years had passed since the Republic of Ireland last competed at a major football tournament. In that time, we’ve been passed by by Portugal 2004, out-gunned by Germany 2006, swatted away by Switzerland-Austria 2008 and smacked (literally) away by South Africa 2010.
In November 2011, the wait was finally over: Ireland beat Estonia 5-1 on aggregate in a play-off and Ryanair flight charges skyrocketed in celebration of what has been a long time coming. The tie was effectively won in Talinn, where Giovannia Trappatoni’s men seized the opportunites afforded to them by nine-man Estonia and romped home in a most unfamiliar fashion. We’ve chosen this as our number one for the huge boost that qualification has offered our stricken nation, and we’re hoping that the boys bring us much more happiness in June. Poland and Ukraine, here we come!
Just missed out: Leinster’s Heineken Cup win, Shamrock Rovers in the Europa League.
