IT’S NOT TOO much of an exaggeration to say that 24 February, 2007 was one of the greatest days in Irish sport.

From the moment Rule 42 was abolished, there was an air of expectancy surrounding the first visit of England to Croke Park.

It’s seems strange now, but nobody quite knew how the crowd would react to the playing of God Save The Queen at the same venue where, 87 years previously, British forces had opened fire killing 14 civilians.

While there were a few protesters outside the venue:

Protesters outside Croke Park on the day. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

In the end, there was nothing to worry about:

However, it did provide one of the iconic images of Irish sport as John Hayes struggled to keep his emotions in check:

Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

And was it any wonder Hayes and Ireland were on such an emotional high given this rousing speech from Effin Eddie O’Sullivan:

What followed next was a masterclass from the home side, hammering their opponents 43-13 with tries from Girvan Dempsey, David Wallace, Shane Horgan and Issac Boss all scoring for Ireland.

Relive the game here:

We’ll have an interview with David Wallace about his memories from that game later today on The42.

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