Pluck of the Irish

Leinster completed a fantastic year for Irish rugby by beating Leicester 19-16 in a thrilling Heineken Cup final. Although there was about as little difference between the teams’ performances as there is between their respective spellings, Leinster were marginally more aggressive and composed throughout. They conceded 10 points at the end of the first half while their prop was incarcerated in the sin bin, before overturning the deficit, clinching the lead with a penalty, and finally holding out for a deserved victory.

The win puts the clover on the cake for the Irish, after Munster topped the Magners League and the national team were unbeaten in the Six Nations, and such a resurgence from a country that has underperformed in recent years will do wonders for its grass roots. If the Irish contingent on the Lions tour can inspire triumph in South Africa, they will surely go down as the greatest players the Emerald Isle has ever produced, even if they will be wearing red when they do it.

I’ll spare you a commentary on today’s game, but a few things to say:

For all the Irish pluck, Leinster couldn’t have won today without the man-of-the-match contribution from one giant Australian. Rocky Elsom punched his way through the Leicester defence like his pugilistic cinematic namesake, at one point even flooring the Tigers winger Alesana Tuilagi like he’d just found Ivan Drago in bed with Adriannnnnnnnnnn.

I used to rant about Dan Hipkiss whenever I was given the opportunity, sometimes even when I wasn’t. “He’s absolutely and unequivocally the most overrated player in the Premiership,” I would cry, while repeatedly ringing my bell so that all the local townsfolk would hear. His last few performances for Leicester have been admirable however, and today was the best I have seen the man play. He is henceforth promoted to “formerly the most overrated player in the Premiership”.

Leinster's fly half Jonathan Sexton is one to watch out for in the future. Any guy who can handle the pressure of being thrown into the final of the best club competition in the world having previously been Felipe Contepomi's understudy is praiseworthy enough, but Sexton showed more composure than a Trappist Monk, and even had the nerve to casually knock over a drop goal from his own half-way line. As you do.

Brian O’Driscoll didn’t get injured. Huzzah.