U-19 World Championship: In 1998 an Irish rugby team reached a rare pinnacle. Gavin Cummiskey talks to some of the principals in the drama.

The mentality of success is a difficult component to discover. While ability is an obvious requirement, luck also plays its part. Yet, time and time again Irish sides have crashed against the rock of belief.

In 1998, Declan Kidney combined all three components in coaching the under-19 international side to the World Championship crown.

The disbandment of the A side and imminent return to provincial club leagues means the value of the underage system (known as the Academy) becomes more important than ever before.

Kidney, along with Bart Fannin and manager Harry McKibbin, led a band of raw talent to France for the whirlwind tournament that included victories over the USA, South Africa (albeit by default), Argentina (the defending champions) and an 18-0 whitewash of France in the final at Stade Toulousain on April 12th.

So how did they do it?

By looking at the fruits of the individual success on the senior stage the side's undoubted talent can be seen. Regarding the luck element, well, great teams just seem to be blessed with it.

The squad has produced two current senior internationals, Brian O'Driscoll and Donncha O'Callaghan, who are joined in the professional ranks by Aidan Kearney (Leinster), Shane Moore (Connacht), Paddy Wallace and Kieran Campbell (both Ulster), while hooker Adrian Flavin plies his trade with London Irish.

Several others continue to play as amateurs in the AIL League, with Chris McCarey (Belfast Harlequins) and Frankie Roche (Shannon) on the periphery of the Ulster and Munster squads.

The belief? To a man, the team points to the influence of Kidney.

"Once Irish fellows get the confidence, they can win. It's all about getting it into these guys' heads," Kidney explains.

"We don't think like that often enough and it gives other sides a three- to six-point advantage. This generation is more used to winning so it's a case of just getting them to believe.

"The following year the team got to the semi-finals, when they were beaten by New Zealand. They had Johnny O'Connor, Gordon D'Arcy and Jeremy Staunton. But again, it was two-thirds of the way through the match before they realised that they could actually win it. In the end, they lost by just six points.

"The '98 crowd played South Africa, Argentina and France - in France - in just one week. The myth of the southern hemisphere sides was largely dissipated.

"They realised, with the ball in their hands, they are no better and no worse. I told them this countless times."

Some 25 minutes into their quarter-final against South Africa they got the message. Unfortunately, by that stage they trailed by 17 points. An insurmountable deficit for Irish sides in the past.

"When we first went out on to the pitch, I was gobsmacked," said second row Damien Broughall. "Even just to look at their green jerseys made you take two steps backwards. They scored two early tries, but when we had a certain try (by Adrian Flavin) disallowed we began to realise that we could win it. We had shown them too much respect."

In the second half, the South Africans didn't know what hit them. Paddy Wallace (who had a superb tournament) crossed for the first try, before flanker Chris McCarey went over late on in the corner. O'Driscoll, more renowned for his defensive attributes and kicking ability back then, tied the match with a long-range conversion in the final minute. It was practically the last action of the match. The Springboks had got out of jail.

The bizarre rules of the tournament dictated the result was to be decided by a penalty shoot-out. No side can expect to have any more than two or, at a push, three capable place-kickers on the field at any one time - five were required.

After a fine kicking display all afternoon, O'Driscoll stepped forward to take his penalty from in front of the posts.

"I was up first," he explained "I was the kicker for the team and had gone well all game, but I yanked it. The ball just shaved the post as it went wide. It was heartbreaking."

Winger Matthew Cupitt also missed his penalty and Ireland were out. At this point, however, the tale took a twist. One of the South African kickers hadn't been on the pitch when the game ended: a clear breach of the rules.

Manager Harry McKibbin made a formal protest, much to the chagrin of the tournament organisers. The South Africans didn't take too kindly to it either.

With New Zealand, Australia and England all absent, their targets were firmly set on a date with the hosts in the final. Intimidation became the order of the day. Yet, McKibbin (a judge by profession) wasn't for bending.

"Paddy Wallace's father, Paul, and Eddie Wigglesworth (Director of Rugby Development) noticed that their centre had been taken off," said McKibbin.

"The South Africans pleaded ignorance, but the rule had been clearly laid out at two separate meetings prior to the tournament, while on the day the referee had also referred to it.

"There was a fair amount of pressure," continued McKibbin, "but after discussing it with Noel Murphy (IRFU vice-president) we decided to proceed. Meanwhile, Declan and Bart did a great job focusing the boys so they didn't dwell on the situation."

Enter FIRA vice-president Jose-Maria Epalza with the final decision.

"When we arrived in our hotel, he (Epalza) pulled Noel Murphy and myself aside and told us that there had been a finding in the case, but before he announced it would we be willing to have another kick-out with South Africa? Our answer was a firm no.

"He immediately told us South Africa had forfeited and the match had been awarded to Ireland."

The relations between the unions soured for a time. Considering there was a senior tour to South Africa that summer, it was a brave stand to take.

In the semi-finals, the sight of a massive Argentinian pack did little to intimate them, whereas the wet conditions were welcomed.Ireland prevailed 18-3 with a superbtry from Campbell finally breaking the back of the Pumas. On to the final, and France.

The French crowds turned out in force for the victory parade in Toulouse. The band played loudly from the outset. What they didn't know was the momentum of the Irish had become unstoppable.

"They never got a sniff. We tore them apart," O'Driscoll recalled. "Their outhalf, François Gelez (a current French international), became temperamental when a few things began to go wrong; also he had his knee heavily strapped."

They failed to cope with the intensity of the Irish and by the time winger Darragh Holt scampered over late on, the drums had long ceased to beat.

Looking back, Kidney's painstaking preparation and the squad's strength in depth were the key elements. When they lost influential openside Neil Coughlan to injury early in the final, Conor Fitzpatrick came in to good effect. Broughall, O'Callaghan, McCarey and Kearney all guaranteed lineout ball and also brought some serious brawn to the table.

Campbell and Wallace dictated affairs at half back. Outside, they had the airtight centre pairing of Moore and O'Driscoll. Full back Donovan Rossi was supposed to be one of the players whose star would continue to rise, but several knee injuries slowed his progress thereafter.

Damien Broughall suffered similar misfortune. In his competitive debut for Terenure, in the AIL against St Mary's two years ago, his troublesome back gave out, a combination of three collapsed discs and a fractured facet joint.

The Kildare garda walked away from the game and returned to his roots, winning a Kildare county championship medal with Round Towers GAA club last year.

Never has the sum of the parts been as effective as the Irish under-19 squad of 1998. However, Kidney noted that they were not far superior to the teams that came before and since.

"That year, the return was about right; just look at the previous year when Geordan Murphy, Bob Casey and Leo Cullen all came through."

The Under-19 World Cup begins in Durban, South Africa tomorrow. Ireland are in a group with New Zealand, England and Japan.