We set
off for Dublin at 8:30am on New Years Eve leaving a windy but dry
Larne behind as we cruised towards Belfast. We were practically
the only car on the road this holiday weekend until we hit the outskirts
of Belfast where we picked up more and more traffic heading in our
direction.
A quick glance across to the other cars and there
was an Ulster shirt, and there another one. As we passed Lisburn
and made our way towards the border it appeared that every other
car was full of fellow supporters making their way down for the
big match.
The journey was uneventful and we arrived at our
hotel on the Stillorgan Road at 11:15am and then the heavens opened.
We threw off our bags and with taxi's in short supply we decided
to get the bus into town to meet up with the rest of the Larne crowd.
Then disaster struck. On going to a garage to get change for the
bus Mrs Dewi slipped on the wet forecourt and split her knee open
requiring hospital treatment.
Two and a half hours and four stitches later, thanks
to the staff at St Vincents University Hospital, I'm dropping Mrs
Dewi off back at the hotel and trying to get a taxi to Lansdowne
Road. At 2:30pm I'm the only person walking down Ballsbridge Road
towards the ground as the strains of "Stand Up
For The Ulster Men" waft over the rooftops. Ten
minutes later I'm taking my seat just in time to see Hickey go over
for Leinster's first try. However just as my friends are calling
me a scud, Paddy drops a goal to take the halftime score to 5 -
12.
The second half was hard to watch as Ulster struggled
to find continuity and every decision and bounce seemed to go Leinster's
way. A couple of mistakes with a missed touch and a charge down
and its 8 - 12. Ulster break and Hickie lies on the ball. Ulster
have a good position in the Leinster 22 with Leinster down to 14
men. Ulster should have taken the scrum, but opt for the penalty
which is missed in difficult conditions.
The rest of the game belongs to Leinster as they
pressurise Ulster into mistakes. Leinster score two more tries to
win 20 - 12 and "The Last Stand" is over.
From what I saw it was a tremendous occasion, however
it was somewhat spoiled by the incompetent refereeing of Clancy
who was well out of his depth and was somewhat intimidated by O'Driscoll
and Horgan who appeared to be tag teaming their whinging at every
decision.
I'm finding it increasingly hard to like O'Driscoll.
The Magners League is going to find it hard to establish its credibility
while it continues to allow this continual abuse of its referees.
Perhaps it's time that Magners took up Ulster's suggestion to appoint
a core of professional referees who will have the ability to stamp
out this unsavoury behaviour. |