THERE have been some dramatic happenings in Wembley Stadium since first it was opened in 1923, teams coming from behind when all seemed lost to fashion famous victories. In that regard I suppose the Blackpool-Bolton Wanderers FA Cup final of 1953 will always take pride of place. That was the Stanley Matthews final. Blackpool looked down and out and then enter Matthews and a 3-1 deficit was turned into a glorious 4-3 triumph in the closing minutes of the match.
I personally have vivid memories of the 1979 final when Arsenal played Manchester United off the park and led by 2-0 with a few minutes to go and, to my horror and consternation, the lead was erased. But all ended well, thanks to the magic of Liam Brady and the finishing touch of Alan Sunderland.
By coincidence last Saturday I sat in a seat in an almost identical position to the one I occupied that glorious May day 20 years ago. With 10 minutes to go and with Wales having cut a 26-6 deficit to 26-23 memories drifted back to that afternoon in 1979. Surely Ireland could not lose this match. Surely not another case of hard luck and of Ireland losing a match that should have been won. France a few weeks ago, France, Wales and Scotland last year.
Well, all ended well and it was extremely heartening to see the way Ireland closed the Welsh down in the final 10 minutes and when David Humphreys made it 29-23 it helped ease if not altogether dispel the anxiety.
That win last Saturday by Ireland is invaluable both in tangible and psychological terms. The team badly needed a victory and deserved one. This is not an Ireland team of all the talents, but is one moving in the right direction. After the loss and the manner of it against France there was a danger that the morale would be badly damaged. One was haunted by that thought with 10 minutes to go last Saturday in Wembley. Could this be the old losing habit, letting the initiative slip away? But the Ireland side showed great character and resilience. I honestly think that in the not so long ago Ireland would have lost in similar circumstances.
The Ireland management trio of Donal Lenihan, Warren Gatland and Philip Danaher deserve considerable credit for the manner in which they have, to use an in term, bonded this side. After the defeat against France it was not easy to lift the team again: to the credit of all concerned that has happened.
During the course of the week I spoke to three of the senior members of the team and all three emphasised the spirit and attitude in the squad and the confidence there is in the management from within the squad. That is of crucial importance. The confidence they have in and the respect they have for the management is considerable. That is a very happy situation. I would suggest were it not otherwise it probably would not have been possible to get that frustrating defeat by France out of the system.
That win in Wembley will have sent a little shudder through the England team and management and they will not relish coming here next week. The incentive for the Ireland side is now huge with a Triple Crown chance very much alive. There are shades of 1993 about the match tomorrow week. That year Ireland ended a long barren spell by beating Wales in Cardiff and England came to Dublin a fortnight later odds on to not alone to win but to do so comprehensively. The rest is history: 17-3 to Ireland and England shellshocked.
Earlier this season Keith Wood adopted an ill-advised attitude to signing his contract and made some injudicious statements. But to his great credit he has put that all behind him. His attitude and commitment on the field have been exemplary. I thought his performance last Saturday was superb. It was the best all-round display I have ever seen from a hooker at international level.
If we must have a "man of the match" and I have doubts about that concept in a team game, Wood was my man of the match. The whole team deserves commendation and David Humphreys showed the depth of his character after his experience against France.
He went into the match against France cold as a place kicker and it showed. He had not been kicking all season. Last Saturday, he struck the ball with much greater assurance and confidence. His experience against France and the fact that he had obviously worked very hard in the intervening period were very evident. An accurate place kicker is an essential at this and indeed every level and always will be.
AND now for a little levity. Last week I asked who was the last Ireland rugby international to play in a match at Wembley Stadium. It certainly exercised the minds of a large number of readers, for the response was quite staggering. Some of the answers, too, were a real shot in the dark.
Among the names offered were Kevin O'Flanagan, Sean Quinlan, Ned Byrne, Mick Galwey, Tony Ward, Moss Keane, Ken Goodall, Robin Thompson, Simon Geoghegan to mention just a few. Surprisingly, no one gave the names of two very famous Ireland rugby internationals who did play at Wembley, Paddy Reid and JC Daly. They were both members of Ireland's only Grand Slam team of 1948. Both played in the final of the Rugby League Cup at Wembley.
But, in fact, no one got the right answer. The man concerned is Fergus Slattery, who played there for Blackrock College in 1979 in the Bass Charrington challenge tournament matches. Willie Duggan and Ned Byrne, two other Blackrock College internationals of that era, did not play for Blackrock in Wembley.
The nearest to a correct answer came from a man who played for Blackrock with Slattery at Wembley 20 years ago, former scrum-half Declan Molloy. Declan is now president of the Blackrock College club. He was a very fine player in his day. He won a Leinster Schools' Senior Cup medal with Belvedere in 1968 and subsequently played for UCD and Blackrock and for Leinster. He is a keen student of and extremely knowledgeable about rugby. A chat with Declan is never less than entertaining and informative.
Declan suggested that it was Moss Keane on the basis that Lansdowne played in the Bass Charrington matches the following season. But, rather unkindly, I did not tell Declan that, in fact, Lansdowne played in Twickenham which was the venue in 1980, a fact confirmed for me by a man who played that afternoon for Lansdowne, another former international, Donal Spring. I think Declan deserves eight out of 10, the rest I am afraid get no marks.
The Wembley experience last Saturday is something the Ireland players will always remember and for all the right reasons. The Irish support was tremendous there too. Let us hope it will be even more vociferous tomorrow week at Lansdowne Road.
