20,000 fans hoping for a slam dunk
Thousands of Irish rugby supporters are ready to cheer their heroes on to Grand Slam triumph
MORE than 20,000 Irish rugby fans have invaded London today as our rugby heroes aim for their third Grand Slam.
Ireland has already won the Six Nations – their third in five years – with a game to spare but are now hoping to record a clean sweep by putting the English to the sword.
Ryanair told the Irish Daily Mail that it would be taking over 9,000 people to London between yesterday and today. But fans’ excitement could be tempered by snow and temperatures dropping to as low as -1C during the game, with snowfall expected.
While Twickenham’s under-soil heating should ensure the game isn’t affected, it will make for tough conditions in the stands.
The emergence this week of a video in which English boss Mike Jones refers to the ‘scummy Irish’ has also led to some frosty relations. However, no-one was complaining about the cold or Jones’s comments yesterday, as a party atmosphere began to grow among the Irish fans.
Colin Taylor, 68, owner of The Toucan pub in Soho, said: ‘We’ve been preparing for it all week. We’re looking forward to it.
‘We’ve got about 70 kegs ready for the weekend actually.’
Sandra Truesdale, 36, from Roscrea in Co. Tipperary, was having an early tipple in The Toucan yesterday to kick off the weekend.
Ms Truesdale, who lives and works in London, said she had ‘googled opening hours’, and also that she had dreamed of this outcome ahead of the tournament.
‘I did think, “Imagine if it came down to the Grand Slam that it was Ireland versus England, and that it was played on Paddy’s Day, in London”. I thought I was only joking, but it came true,’ she said.
Her friend Martha Farrell, 29, from Roscommon, said she is watching the match with a few English people – ‘which is going to make it even more entertaining’.
While then-president Mary McAleese and Prince William were both present when Ireland last won a Grand Slam in Cardiff in 2009, there will be a notable lack of dignitaries at today’s game. No royals are expected, while President Michael D Higgins will be attending the GAA club finals in Croke Park.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, a rugby fan, will be attending the St Patrick’s Day parade in New York.
Nor will the trophy presentation take place in the Royal Box. When the match finishes at around 4.40pm, a stage will be constructed on the pitch and a special light show will be prepared. If Ireland have won the match, captain Rory Best will receive the Triple Crown first, followed by the Six Nations trophy and winners’ medals. The England team will not be invited on to the stage before or after their opponents; instead they will watch from the pitch.
Back in The Toucan, Kevin McCabe, 31, from Knockcroghery in Co. Roscommon, said he was over for the weekend to join his cousin Alex McCabe for the celebrations.
‘It will be great for the country. It will be brilliant. It will be great to see Ireland win it. They’ve come this far, and to beat the English... it will be brilliant,’ he said.
His cousin Mr McCabe, 29, lives in Slough, but his roots mean he is hoping for an Irish triumph.
‘In my house it was never about England anyway because both my parents are Irish, so it’s always been Ireland for me,’ he said.
Mr McCabe said he is aware of tickets going for up to £15,000 (€17,000). ‘That’s a lot of shilling,’ he said. Cormac Donegan, 27, from Moynalty in Co. Meath, said he has no worries about who will win. Mr Donegan, who plays rugby in the Leinster league, said: ‘I would have no qualms about the English side.’
Jim Irwin, 58, and Stephen Revels, 63, both from Newry, Co. Down, flew into Heathrow Airport yesterday morning with two other friends.
The group, who were enjoying pints in the pub Waxy O’Connor’s, do not have tickets but said they will have a great day today regardless. Mr Revels’s confidence of an Irish win is sky high, and he said: ‘It’s a done deal.’
Mr Irwin said they had taken the day off work for the festivities, adding: ‘There will be nothing to match it. It will be brilliant.’
Suzie Crawford, 28, from Holywood, Co. Down, said she is looking forward to the atmosphere.
Ms Crawford, who lives and works in London, said: ‘I think the fact it’s St Patrick’s Day and the fact Ireland are playing so well... It will be exciting to see it all play out.’
‘We’ve got about 70 kegs ready’
AS we celebrate our national day, the entire country will come together as one this afternoon as Ireland take to the turf against England at Twickenham in a bid to win the Triple Crown and the Grand Slam in rugby’s Six Nations. So, in the name of St Patrick, come on, you boys in green!