JACK KYLE ON IRELAND'S 1948 GRAND SLAM AND THE MODERN GAME:"THEN, WITH a dip of his hip, an electric change of gear, he left the floundering cover as rooted as trees and glistened pitter-pat over the mud 35 yards, the sodden turf ringing as he scored almost apologetically under the posts."
Frank Keating in his book The Great Number Tens describes a try by Jack Kyle. It carries a resonance that intensifies with every passing year.
Ireland's 1948 Grand Slam represents the pinnacle of national achievement in the rugby test arena, a solitary, incandescent torch of excellence.
Yesterday, 60 years ago, March 13th, 1948, Ireland beat Wales 6-3 at Ravenhill, thereby winning their fourth successive match in the Five Nations Championship and earning an unparalleled record. It remains a success punctuated by a full stop rather than the comma or commas craved by Irish supporters in the interim.
On a handful of occasions Irish teams have threatened to emulate the class of '48 but none have succeeded. Yesterday six of the seven surviving members of that great team were honoured at a lunch in the Europa Hotel in Belfast under the auspices of the Irish wing of the Wooden Spoon charity.
Last Saturday they attended the international against Wales at Croke Park, feted by the IRFU at the interval on a big screen offering snippets of Pathe newsreel that captured them in their pomp. Karl Mullen, a fearless and innovative hooker, captained Ireland to that triumph but it was their incomparable outhalf Jack Kyle who defined that golden era in Irish rugby.
Now aged 82, the retired doctor is a captivating raconteur whose stories, though fastidiously self-deprecating, offer an engaging insight into a singular triumph.
"No one at the time would have imagined that we would still be dining out on that 1948 Grand Slam. There have been a few occasions since then when I thought we would become a footnote in Irish rugby history but it just hasn't panned out."
The team of 1972 won both their away matches only for Scotland and Wales not to travel to Dublin. They would surely have won a Grand Slam. Another team, led by Ciarán Fitzgerald, drew with France (second match, 1985) and were so denied a clean sweep.
"There is an unknown factor that occasionally creeps into sport, making a mockery of expectation," says Kyle. "The recent World Cup is a classic example: just contrast the early experiences of New Zealand and England in the tournament and then reflect on the conclusion."
The build-up to Irish rugby's greatest season offered an inkling of what was to come. In the 1947 Five Nations Championship Ireland lost to France (12-8), thrashed England (22-0) and edged past Scotland at Murrayfield (3-0) before Wales denied them a first Irish Triple Crown since 1899 by winning 6-0 in Swansea.
Ireland were hammered 16-3 by Australia at Lansdowne Road and as 1947 came to a close, headed for Paris to play the French. Kyle's recollections of the trip offered a wonderful sense of the prevailing rugby climate at that time.
"We assembled in Dublin, took the boat from Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead and the train to London, where we stayed overnight. We then boarded a train for Dover, took the ferry to Calais and another train to Gare du Nord in Paris. It was late Tuesday night, December 30th, 1947, when we arrived in the French capital.
"The following day we were taken by car for a tour of Paris and had lunch in the hotel Lutetia and that night at 7.30 were guests at a show in the Casino de Paris from which we returned at about 11pm.
"It certainly wouldn't be considered the ideal preparation these days on the night before an international. In those days though it was all very relaxed and we hardly talked about a game outside the team meeting.
"Even that get-together consisted of the captain sitting at the front of a room and saying something like, 'Okay, chaps, has anyone any ideas for tomorrow?'"
Ireland played France at the Stade de Colombes on New Year's Day, 1948, winning 13-6 and the following morning set off on the protracted journey home, which included a second overnight in London so they could take in Australia beating England 11-0 at Twickenham.
The latter assignment was by way of homework as Ireland faced the English at the same venue in their next outing. Kyle omits to mention he was one of three Irish try scorers in an 11-10 win, instead focusing on a personal error.
"My abiding memory is of throwing an intercept, gratefully accepted by the wonderful Dickie Guest, ensuring that a game we were winning handsomely became one of the most exciting. The final whistle was one of the great reliefs of my career."
Ireland accounted for Scotland (6-0) at Lansdowne Road and then faced their nemesis Wales, on this occasion at Ravenhill. Tries from Barney Mullan and JC (Jack) Daly eked out a momentous 6-3 victory.
Kyle recalls: "Wales had a very strong pack and as a team were always difficult to play against, and while it wasn't our best performance it was good enough.
"After the game myself and a few other players including Karl Mullen got our picture taken with a chap called (William) Byron, who was quite the celebrity having been on the last Ireland team to win a Triple Crown, in 1899.
"I remember the old alickadoos used to drone on about the value of the friendships the game of rugby would offer and as young players we never dwelled on that concept. It's only when you get older you truly appreciate those words.
"I have stayed with Jim McCarthy and played golf in Lahinch; Karl and Doreen Mullen came out to Africa for a fortnight: these are just examples of the friendships forged. That camaraderie underpinned what was a fine group of players. We had a great pack, fast and mobile, who excelled at the forward rush and gave us backs a real platform.
"In those days the back play was pretty orthodox, the ball going from outhalf through the centres to the wings, via the fullback. It was often a one-on-one duel whereas today the proliferation of forwards among the backs makes it very hard for the three-quarter line. I certainly wouldn't have relished those conditions.
"In Ireland's last few games I have seen the forwards keeping possession and driving to force their way over repeatedly from close range. In our day we (the backs) would have demanded possession. I think they need to look at one or two laws to try and ensure there's a little more space, thereby facilitating a more entertaining spectacle. Rugby is a running game and that's where we need to get back to, whether it's carried out by forwards or backs."
Finally would he be prepared to relinquish his position of pre-eminence in Irish rugby in terms of achievement? Kyle laughs:
"I was sitting alongside Karl Mullen at the French match in Croke Park last year when they scored that last-minute try. He turned to me in what was kind of a lament asking, 'Is no one going to take this Grand Slam away from us?' We have had our day, many of them. It's long overdue for someone to take over."
Jack Kyle Factfile
Born: February 10th, 1926, Belfast.
Education: Belfast Royal Academy, Queen's University, Belfast.
Occupation: Retired surgeon.
Ireland caps: 46.
Debut: v France, Jan 25th, 1947.
Last cap: v Scotland, March 1st, 1958.
Points: 24 (7 tries, 1 drop goal). Lions Tours: 1950 (6 tests).
