Pride in victory, and grace in defeat

Sir — Last week’s rugby game at the Aviva had everything, intensity, ferocity and sublime skill. The early exchanges resembled a scene from Mash; Henshaw, Sexton and Stander gone before the Fat Lady cleared her throat. A fantastic Irish performance only bettered by Kiwi black magic, with a defensive wall that Donald Trump would be proud of.

Unfortunately, many journalists and pundits concentrated on the hard luck stories, poor refereeing and TV Match Official (TMO) decisions.

Your own deserving Sports Writer of the Year (Neil Francis, Sport, Sunday Independent, November 20) led the pack, calling it a resounding win for cynicism. He tells us how Sam Cane should have been redcarded after his shoulder charge made contact with Henshaw’s face. In a ferociously competitive game, a last-minute change of direction by the ball carrier would obviously change the intended target for the tackler. A penalty definitely, a yellow card maybe, but surely not red.

I agree the tackle on Zebo by Fekitoas was fortunate not to have earned him a red card. Neil also highlights the cynicism of Liam Squire as he falls into the scrum, preventing a concession of seven points, as only a penalty was awarded instead of a possible penalty try.

Mr Francis tells us they get the breaks, they have the Man Utd factor. Neil, it seems, has no need for Specsavers in the near future as he writes “his eyes could see Sexton’s hand under the ball” while the TMO clearly saw Barrett place the ball on the grass. I wonder if Neil was checking his notes while Johnny Sexton was executing his high tackle on Barrett that surely if attempted on the 22 could have led to a penalty try.

He also must have been AWOL when Trimble was left alone with his thumb in the dam, and God forgive us he had to indulge in an act of cynicism to keep us from being flooded. We got a break, no penalty try, scrum to the All Blacks. Maybe New Zealand playing for 20 minutes with 14 men was a break or when Jackson was relieved of the ball in contact on the 22 another Man United moment. When Stander deliberately blocked an Auckland resident wishing to engage with Conor Murray before he crossed the try line in Chicago — was that a break or just Irish cynicism?

When this super battle ended, the All Blacks knew it was not sombrero-wearing Mexicans trying to penetrate their wall but the sometimes cynical Fighting Irish. It is important to learn how to win, but we must be gracious in defeat. And when we do get glasses, make sure they are not tinted. Kieran Faherty, Barna, Co Galway