ROG ends Ireland’s long wait for Slam

Brendan Gallagher delves into some of rugby’s most enduring images, their story and why they are still so impactful

What’s happening here?

It’s March 21, 2009 and the 78th minute of a Six Nations game between Wales and Ireland at the Millennium Stadium. Ireland need to beat Wales to claim the Championship and Grand Slam but they are trailing 15-14 against an obdurate Wales who want to spoil their party. Two minutes earlier the Welsh had taken the lead with a Stephen Jones dropped goal and the Ireland fans in the stadium, and at home, were getting a little frantic. Their side needed to hit back immediately. Time was running out. Up stepped Ronan O’Gara to attempt a drop-goal.

The story behind the picture?

Two story lines running concurrently and then merging. First Ireland, for all the marvellous players they have produced including too many great Lions to mention, had failed to win a Grand Slam since 1948 when Karl Mullen skippered them to glory and Jack Kyle was the hand on the tiller at fly-half. It has been 61 years since the ultimate accolade in northern hemisphere rugby had come their way.

There had been near misses. That immediate postwar period was strong and there were near misses in 1949 and 1951 – titles but not Slams – while perhaps 1972 should have been the year.

They had done the really hard work and beaten France and England away but ‘The Troubles’ saw the cancellation of their home games against Wales and Scotland.

In 1973 all five nations tied for the title and Ireland shared the Championship with France in 1983.

Meanwhile Ireland won the Triple Crown in 1982 and 1985. But no Slam, no ultimate accolade.

Fast forward to the start of the new millennium and Ireland, first under the guidance of Warren Gatland and then Eddie O’Sullivan, are beginning to get their act together. Their historic win in Paris in 2000 was the catalyst for all that was to follow. Ulster, Munster and eventually Leinster all took to European rugby and a younger generation of hungry players eager to make their mark arrived – Brian O’Driscoll, Gordon D’Arcy, Tyonne Howe, Ronan O’Gara, Peter Stringer, David Wallace, John Hayes, Jerry Flannery, Rory Best, Donnacha O’Callaghan, Jamie Heaslip, Rob Kearney, Luke Ftizgerald et al.

Frustratingly they seemed unable to land the biggest prizes of all. In 2003 they had a shot at the Slam at home to England but after a compelling first half collapsed after the break to a supercharged England. There were Triple Crowns in 2004, 2006 and 2007 with the last being particularly galling having lost at the death to Les Bleus at Croke Park first up in a match they dominated.

Then came the mystifying no-show at RWC2007 where they struggled to fire a shot in anger and the knives were out. The ‘golden generation’ was no such thing. When put to the ultimate test they were chokers, or so the accusation went.

“You can see the stress on his face, the bulging eyes. He knows what’s at stake”

What happened next?

This talented group girded their loins and went again, they would make the critics eat their words. By this time however, O’Sullivan had departed, to be replaced by Declan Kidney who had guided Munster to four Heineken Cup finals, including two wins.

It wasn’t a spectacular campaign, the rugby didn’t really match that of the peak O’Sullivan years but there seemed to be more focus than usual. It started with a good 30-21 home win over France followed by a comprehensive 38-9 win over Italy in Rome but thereafter the pressure seemed to crank up. They scraped a 14-13 home win over England in front of 82,000 at Croke Park and then struggled mightily in round four to beat Scotland 22-15 at Murrayfield in a bad-tempered affair with Ronan O’Gara getting his eye in for Cardiff with a timely second-half dropped goal.

As for this game, O’Gara was on target of course and Ireland went into a 17-15 lead with 90 seconds remaining of regular time.

Why is the picture iconic?

It’s one of the sweetest moments of deliverance imaginable, an iconic kick by an iconic player which was launched with the prayers of a nation behind it. O’Gara is all concentration and poise but you can see the stress on his face, the bulging eyes. He knows what’s at stake.

ROG kicked 15 dropped goals in his 128 Ireland internations but there were countless more for Munster, often to clinch a game or move them ahead at a crucial time. This is the moment. If not now, when?

Footnote: The drama was not finished. As the clock clicked into the red, Wales were awarded a penalty by Wayne Barnes some 45 yards out. Look at the video and you will see a very rare occurrence – Stephen Jones appears to move the ball back a yard from where the referee gave the offence, invariably it’s the other way. It was to prove costly.

The Wales fly-half seemed to make the sweetest of contacts and prop Adam Jones behind him was seen waving the ball on triumphantly but mid-flight it started to back spin viciously and fade a little. The 75,000 crowd held their breath, some prayed, and eventually the ball fell to ground underneath the posts, about a yard short. Small margins.