Lion-hearted Rebels with a cause

For more reasons than one, Dublin was the place to be last weekend, writes Donal Lenihan

Lion-hearted Rebels with a cause

For more reasons than one, Dublin was the place to be last weekend, writes Donal Lenihan

Within a riveting 24 hour period, I was fortunate to witness two stellar performances, delivered by two of our own, from the best seats in the house.

First, let me apologise in advance to those out there fed up to the teeth with Cork men preaching about the qualities that attach to natives of the Rebel county.

After all, if the great Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh is of the belief that “a Kerry man with an inferiority complex is one who thinks he’s only as good as everyone else”, then why not allow a little self-indulgence.

Saturday evening will live long in the memory of everyone lucky enough to have secured the golden ticket in advance of the clash of world rugby titans. The buzz just before kick-off, and indeed in the hours leading up to the game in and around Ballsbridge, was special.

Was it any wonder that the gracious New Zealand coach Steve Hansen declared, in what must have been an uncomfortable press conference early on Sunday morning, that Ireland is a special place and Lansdowne Road a pretty special rugby arena.

What a pity our Celtic brethren in Scotland and Wales didn’t recognise that by voting for us to host the 2023 World Cup.

What an advertisement and endorsement last Saturday would have provided had that been the case.

Right now, that’s water under the bridge with all eyes beginning to focus on the event in Japan next year and the possibilities it might throw up from our perspective. Best of luck to Joe Schmidt in attempting to put a dampener on that as the target on our back has grown even bigger for all our opponents in the forthcoming Six Nations championship.

But there is plenty time to look forward to that event.

As I write this piece, my thoughts keep reverting to the qualities and traits two special men brought to bear on my weekend of activity.

Donncha O’Callaghan and Peter O’Mahony are chips off the same block. Hard as nails but generous to a fault.

Totally committed to everything they do, neither willing to take a backward step.

After 20 years as a professional rugby player, Donncha finally hung up his boots after finishing out his last few seasons in the relative obscurity - at least from an Irish perspective - of Worcester Warriors. The fact that he was appointed club captain speaks volumes for the impact he made there in a relatively short period of time.

That however pales in comparison to the clear impact he has made over the course of ten years as an ambassador for UNICEF. Some accept these positions and do what they can. Donncha clearly took it on and applied himself with all the zeal and enthusiasm that marked his career as a top drawer international second row.

Last Friday night in Dublin’s InterContinental Hotel, fittingly within a stone’s throw of the Aviva Stadium, Donncha delivered perhaps his most impressive and impactful performance on an international weekend.

And given his many achievements, that’s saying something.

A fully deserved testimonial dinner, hosted in his honour by UNICEF, was organised not only to mark his amazing sporting career but to recognize the contribution he has made to that organisation in improving the lives of so many kids in less fortunate situations around the world.

I was privileged to be asked to say a few words on a character I have observed and admired since, as a bouncing brute of a young fellow, he started to emerge as a player of real substance with CBC in the Munster Schools Cup, having learned the basics of the game at underage level in Highfield.

Right through his subsequent career with Cork Constitution, Munster, Ireland and the Lions we kept in touch. Always engaging, the unbridled energy he brought to each and every training session and game was obviously transferred with equal commitment to his selfless work with UNICEF.

The video projected on the night of his heart rending visits to such far-flung places as Lebanon, Jordon, Syria, Haiti, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, South Sudan and Nigeria had even the most hardened and grizzled of his former international colleagues present - whisper it but I’m almost certain I saw a tear in Paul O’Connell’s eye, ya big softie - slip a hand in their pocket for a tissue.

Of even more significance was the fact that the entire proceeds raised on the night went to UNICEF and their efforts in improving the quality of life for so many of those kids worldwide.

Last Friday night Donncha, right, with his wife Jennifer at his Testimonial Gala Ball in aid of UNICEF, delivered perhaps his most impressive and impactful performance on an international weekend.
Last Friday night Donncha, right, with his wife Jennifer at his Testimonial Gala Ball in aid of UNICEF, delivered perhaps his most impressive and impactful performance on an international weekend.

Who would ever have thought that, when Donncha ran around the back pitch of Cardiff’s iconic Arms Park in his tight fitting pair of red underpants that young boys and girls in some of the world’s most poverty stricken regions would be the ultimate beneficiaries.

The following night, one of Donncha’s former teammates on the club and international stage was one of 23 heroes who lit up the Aviva with a performance that defined what giving everything to the cause actually means.

Peter O’Mahony could barely walk when last Saturday night’s epic encounter entered the crucial final quarter. New Zealand, having spent the vast majority of the game on the back foot, finally began to get a foothold in the Irish twenty two and were pressing for the try what might eventually serve to turn the tide.

Exhausted but unbowed, O’Mahony refused to yield and made two crucial interventions that, in all probability, saved the day. Right on that hour mark he somehow plucked Beauden Barrett’s deft grubber kick out of thin air just before it was about to be gobbled up by Ben Smith in what was sure to result in a try for the visitors. Had New Zealand scored at that stage, who knows what might have happened.

Two minutes later in practically the exact same patch of grass and despite being out on his feet, the inspirational Munster captain pounced again to manufacture a clinically executed, textbook poach and turnover that helped to keep the visitors at bay.

With nothing left to give, Schmidt was left with no option but to withdraw him from the field of battle. That was the point when the fully engaged and committed army of Irish supporters rose as one to acknowledge the spectacular contribution which O’Mahony had made to the Irish cause.

Selecting man of the match was part of my brief from RTÉ’s commentary box and, as I said at the time, such was the performance I could have put all the Irish names into a hat and just picked one out.

Nobody would have complained as each and every player, from the starting XV to the bench, rose above and beyond the call of duty.

When it came to making that call however, no player encapsulated the attributes that served to make it such a special night more than Ireland’s ultimate warrior from Cork. A hero amongst heroes. In that he was following in the footsteps of his former teammate who delivered an impact of a different but equally impressive kind on the previous evening.

When Donncha was called upon to bring proceedings to a close on Friday night, you could hear a pin drop in the room as he stood up to speak.

He barely mentioned his playing days, focusing instead on what he had experienced on the road over the last decade on those many overseas forays on behalf of UNICEF.

He had the room in the palm of his hand to such an extent that when a few special items went up for auction, many of the individuals and companies represented felt compelled to donate. Those famous red trunks from that Heineken Cup win over Cardiff Blues back in December 2006 had been tastefully framed and put up for auction on the night.

A captive audience were stunned and thrilled in equal measure when they raised an astonishing €15,000.

The rapturous response from the room was every bit as boisterous as the one that O’Mahony received when called to shore on the following evening.

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