Here’s hoping we see another drop of magic
IT'S Northampton against Munster in Europe today and for me that can only mean one thing, revisiting one more time that incredible drop goal from Ronan O'Gara nearly four minutes into added time to win an extraordinary Pool at Thomond Park 13 years ago.
The 41 phases that preceded the coup de grace have gone down in Munster folklore but remain a festering wound for Saints supporters, with very good reason when you revisit the footage.
That's not to say Munster weren't incredibly disciplined, focused, patient and skilled as they inched their way up field into a strong wind to get near enough for ROG to kick for glory. And indeed Saints were equally disciplined and focused in the tackle and, save for once occasion, observing the offside line. It seemed then, and time has only strengthened my conviction, nearly six minutes of continuous textbook rugby under the most intense pressure and scrutiny.
It all started with 77.03 on the match clock with a Munster scrum about 45 yards out. The men in red had only ever lost once at home in Europe at this stage, against Leicester, but time was running out with them trailing 21-20 against an in-form Saints.
Tomas O'Leary fed the ball into the second row causing co commentator Dewi Morris to have a minor sense of humour failure. To paraphrase: That was bloody ridiculous and if you were that crooked with a lineout throw it would automatically be blown. But no it was a reset, not a penalty. Having not pinged crooked feeds all night, referee Nigel Owens wasn't suddenly going to have a Damascus moment with less than three minutes left. Fair enough. You set the gold standard early in the game and don't deviate. Consistency is what players crave.
But then came the reset and a monumental, brutal, brilliant, synchronised, shunt for the ages from the formidable Saints eight which cracked the Munster front row like dropped porcelain, sent hooker Damien Varley into orbit and had Munster wheeling around out of control. Routed, defeated, humiliated.
I have yet to meet a Munster fan who could mount a coherent defence for their side getting away with that shambles. It was the most obvious scrum penalty of the decade. Ryan Lamb should have been pumping the ball down into the corner for a lineout and the game would have taken on a very different look.
But no. Munster were allowed to play away from the rubble that was their shattered scrum and at 77.57 we were up and running.
Initially, Munster made no ground whatsoever as they went through endless phases for the first three minutes or so, in fact they were driven back into their own half at one stage. A couple of things to note. Under this intense pressure, the quality and legality of the tackling and clearouts – the latter in their infancy compared with now – was exceptional. Tackles were low and safe with the tackler rolling away, Munster were clean and precise in their clearouts, keeping away from opposition heads and staying onside. At one stage replacement Donncha O'Callaghan shaped up for an early version of the crocodile roll but thought better of it and rolled away from temptation.
The play and demeanour of both sides was pluperfect. Neither side could afford a penalty and for the umpteenth time it demonstrated the old truism, namely there is nothing really wrong with the laws if players abide by them. Rugby disintegrates as a game and spectacle when players, for whatever reason, feel they have licence to break the law.
When the stakes are so high, that licence no longer exists and the game soars.
Four minutes in and the tackles were still flying as the Saints defensive line, marshalled by Tom Wood, stood firm but inevitably it was beginning to creak a little. Lifeimi Mafi and Doug Howlett made little half-breaks; at one stage the Saints midfield looked like it might have strayed a couple of feet offside although frankly if crooked feeds were to be allowed all night, that was a similarly minor offence.
At last, at 82.53m after four minutes and 56 seconds of continuous play, ROG went back in the pocket and shaped for the drop goal. Except it didn't come back as quickly and acutely as he wanted and he aborted and off we went again.
Munster had now secured the field position though, for an into-the-wind drop goal attempt, it was just a case of whether Saints could disrupt them. Or if Munster lost concentration. Surely somebody was due to fumble the ball?
Finally, at 83.38, the ball is arrowed back to ROG for a second attempt, midfield 30 metres out. It was on and he drilled it with his right foot between the posts. Thomond roared like never before. Cue a huge night in Limerick.
Saints were left cursing, scratching their heads, the normally gracious Jim Mallinder muttered darkly about the officiating. They deserved better. In their previous Heineken Cup game, the final earlier that year, they had been dramatically reeled in by Leinster and now this from Munster.
But back then when you played Munster miracles of one sort or another were always happening. The men in red were a glorious soap opera of a team with all kinds of unlikely scenarios regularly playing out.
Looking back it still gives you goose bumps though and inspires, not least the power of positive thought.
How often do we see something similar? When the gloves really come off, when it's down to the last play the mind goes up two or three gears and the body responds to that stimulus. Concentration levels go through the roof – there must be something chemical, quantifiable, happening in your brain. Passes are delivered better, catches are cleaner, tackles are beyond reproach. Rugby looks an entirely different game, almost devoid of error, and often you are left wondering what the bloody hell you had been watching for the previous 78 minutes or so. If only coaches and players could bottle that.
This was actually a high-quality match from the off but I recall another miracle “Hail Mary” play from a few years earlier – Nick Evans' injury time drop goal for Harlequins to beat Stade Francais after 28 phases and over five minutes continuous rugby – and the quality of Quins dramatic denouement was at massive odds to the pretty ordinary fare they offered up to that point. We haven't had anything comparable for a while. What odds this afternoon?
