To say that the lads were inspired today is an understatement! We found the Irish pot of gold and stole five coins which takes us to the top of the 6N table with an incredible points difference and an impressive number of tries.
Having endured a first 15-20 minutes of barrage from the leprachauns, we all held our breath when Toto went off in pain after a controversial “rugby incident” which resulted from Tadhg Beirne falling on his knee, I am sure that most of the Aviva stadium thought this would cause us to implode, but it actually had the opposite effect.
I am told he was heard to scream in pain, sometime which is rare for any rugby player, let alone him – I am glad I didn’t hear it, because I would have cried even more than I did. Enter Lucu who went on to play what I think is his best match at national level that I have ever seen. Maybe coming on so early means he needed to impose his own stamp on the match rather than follow in Toto’s footsteps, so what we saw today was the high class player that he is.
I commented in the group that the team would play for Toto which I don’t think people quite understand; with so many of ST players forming the backbone of the national team, there is a huge family spirit that perhaps can only be experienced when you go there. There had been a few cynical tackles prior and as many people have commented, one player in particular in the Irish team seems to get away with barging tackles…
To hear both Francois and Peato speak about winning the game for Toto confirmed to others what I was trying to explain; we are a family and today we played so very well. It was a masterclass in power and physicality with a touch of French flair. Very happy for LBB to have got a double and our family did good, real good!
Bravo Les Bleus !! ♥
Photo by Ash _ Ismail
