It was weird travelling from Limerick to Tipperary for the Republic of Ireland training camp during the second half of the All-Ireland Hurling final. Tipp was traffic free as everyone who wasn’t in Croke Park was gathered around a television set or a radio as the men from the Premier tried to wrest immortality from the Kilkenny Cats.
Some might say that the better team didn’t win on Sunday. But in a year from now as Kilkenny go for their historic five in a row all that will matter about 2009 is that final scoreline. Brian Cody knows this to be the essential truth about sport. He could be related to Giovanni Trapattoni.
The match was the talk of the Ireland camp based again in Tipperary ahead of the game against South Africa, even Trapattoni enthralled by hurling’s grace. 'It was like a war,' he said. 'A great show!' Which is more than can be said of the Republic of Ireland’s performances throughout most of Group 8.
It really is a terrific position to be in with just two home matches to go in the qualifying campaign. But if we’re to be really honest, it’s a tough watch, isn’t it?
Perhaps the end justifies the means and achieving qualification is the only goal. However, I was reminded there is another way when reading some of the Greatest Sporting Quotes on RTÉ.ie.
It was a line from the great Spurs captain Danny Blanchflower when he suggested that the game is not all about winning.
'The game is about glory, it is about doing things in style and with a flourish, about going out and beating the other lot, not waiting for them to die of boredom.'
I swear there were times as I sat on the sideline in Cyprus on Saturday night when I nearly nodded off. There were occasions when I had to agree with my Cypriot friend alongside me that indeed that did look like a penalty to the home side or that at least two Irish players had appeared to take a dive.
What are we about here? There is much made of the amount of people playing the game in this country, the biggest participation sport we’re told. There have been huge strides made in the technical development of the game here with more qualified coaches and better facilities at all levels from grassroots through to the senior set-up.
But what message are we sending out to all the people who play and watch the game, people who love football? Play to your strengths? Eliminate mistakes? Hit it long and hope?
You need to have confidence in the quality of your players, in their technical ability to allow them the freedom to play. It appears that Trapattoni doesn’t have that confidence.
He now seems to want to bypass the beleaguered Irish midfield and their job is not about what they do when they are on the ball but rather the work they can do to maintain ‘shape’ and close down when, inevitably, the opposition win it back.
Marco Tardelli thought Glenn Whelan was the Irish Man of the Match on Saturday and the Stoke City player put in another honest shift. What was encouraging was his own growing confidence in getting forward. His first half shot on the volley was brilliant and should have resulted in another goal for Ireland and it was great to see him moving the ball quickly for the build-up to Robbie Keane’s wonderful winner.
As Van Morrison once put it 'Wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time'.
The game against South Africa, despite the lower ticket prices than the Australia friendly last month, could be one of the smallest attendances at a ‘home’ international in years. And the attendance will not be helped by the absence from the squad of the marquee names with Shay Given, Richard Dunne, Kevin Kilbane, Stephen Hunt and Robbie Keane all allowed leave the camp.
Only Celtic’s Darren O’Dea, who recently signed a three-year contract with The Bhoys and then went on loan to Reading, has been added to the squad and here again is an opportunity lost.
Even if only for 48 hours a call-up for the likes of Keith Fahey or Chris McCann would have meant a lot and sent a signal that there is a chance for other players to fight their way into contention for a ticket to South Africa.
Seeing the South Africa team and their supporters in Thomond will only tease us as to what it might be like should we make it to the Biggest Show on Earth next summer.
Here's hoping we meet again in the very near future.
TONY O’DONOGHUE IS THE RTÉ SOCCER CORRESPONDENT
