Gerry Thornley: A damned good season for Irish rugby was just one point short of perfection via IrishTimesSport
Partly for that reason, it always felt that even the 2008-09 season was eclipsed by 2017-18, when Ireland’s Grand Slam was augmented by Leinster completing a Champions Cup/Pro14 double, as they’d done five seasons previously. Furthermore, of course, Ireland completed their calendar year by beating the All Blacks on home soil for the first time ever.
Yet each season every player in the squad redoubled their efforts and vowed to go again, to do justice to the famous crest and red jersey, to create their own history and pictures for the walls in their HPC. It certainly eclipses Munster’s Celtic League triumph in 2003, and Magners League wins of 2009 and 2011.
Even their joyously celebrated 19-9 win in the 2011 final over Leinster came a week after the latter’s memorable Heineken Cup final win over Northampton, and besides, no one foresaw 11 trophyless seasons. Munster’s unexpected but thrilling triumph has added another to the growing list of new rivalries and, at a stroke, made winning the competition next season far more coveted. Imagine, for starters, how Leinster might approach another semi-final against Munster next season were it to transpire.
Ronan O’Gara having needlessly highlighted Leinster’s mental baggage from previous final defeats, it may have felt to some as if Munster’s win was further rubbing their noses in it.
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