“NO PROBLEM!” SAYS Shane Horgan with an (only slightly) embarrassed laugh when TheScore.ie asks him to dine out one more time on the try which stands out in the lengthy show-reel of his crucial scores for Ireland.
It’s the day after St Patrick’s Day in 2006, and Ireland have a Triple Crown in their sights.
It will be the first time a trophy is awarded for the title, but tries from Steve Borthwick and Jamie Noon, together with 14 points from the boot of Andy Goode have put Ireland on the back foot and deep in their own territory.
Two minutes and 20 seconds to go, Ireland have a scrum…
Step 1: The scrum is solid, the plan is already in motion.
“I’ll tell you what I remember most about it, really,” says the winger. “The original genesis of that try was back at a scrum in our own 22. We had three minutes left and the option was called to take it on and try to chip over.
“It was a call from Ronan and Brian. And myself and Strings agreed to run that call.”
Step 2: O’Gara’s kick is deft, O’Driscoll is accelerating.
3. But which way is the bounce going?
4. No. Effin. Way! It’s right into the hands of BOD!
Every green shirt, takes a breath and powers forward. The brave call is already vindicated.
“That really set everything else up and gave us the potential to score that try,” said the man in space on the right wing.
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5. O’Driscoll takes Ireland into enemy territory and gets a pass off to Horgan, still powering up the right.
6. ROG is in support, but Lewis Moody has the angle.
“It’s about pace,” is Ryle Nugent’s curse from the commentary box.
7. Moody makes it. He’s not the tackler you want to meet in that situation.
8: So, so close. But how about that ruck job from O’Gara!
9: Stringer retrieves the ball from the part-time groundhog, ROG, as O’Driscoll seamlessly slots in to play first receiver.
But the centre is cordoned off and has to take the ball into contact. However there’s a penalty in the offing for offside, and Ireland are all but guaranteed a draw now…
10. Draws don’t win you Triple Crowns.
“Luckily then,” Horgan says, “Peter threw a great pass to me and gave me another great chance of putting it down.”
Stringer had reached the base of yet another ruck and moved laterally back towards the right, floating a beautiful arced pass to the edge.
11. Horgan has it, but there’s Moody again…
12. It’s all too much for the flanker!
Just look at what can change in 30 seconds. The earlier chase has taken its toll on the flanker and Horgan appears to have broken the brunt of the tackle, but where’s that leg going?
13. Horgan makes one desperate spring, his entire body weight is forced down into the toes of his right foot.
14. Added to the right boot is a big left hand, keeping the wing steady enough to maybe, just maybe…
The TMO is called for, but Nigel Owens (perfectly placed as you can see in pic 14) confirms that the grounding was 100% secure.
“Those guys called that move,” says the man who made the decisive carries to help Ireland claim the first ever Triple Crown trophy. “But then the execution of it as well, I thought that was really brave.
“It showed a lot about that team at the time and those players, in particular Ronan and Brian. That for me was the genesis, it came from their bravery and probably then my lack of pace to finish it off in the first place.”
It’s also worth noting, that this was Horgan’s second try of the game, meaning he was responsible for 14 of Ireland’s 28 points. Maybe that’s a story for another day.
15 steps to a wonder-try: Shane Horgan's last-gasp winner v England, 2006
“NO PROBLEM!” SAYS Shane Horgan with an (only slightly) embarrassed laugh when TheScore.ie asks him to dine out one more time on the try which stands out in the lengthy show-reel of his crucial scores for Ireland.
It’s the day after St Patrick’s Day in 2006, and Ireland have a Triple Crown in their sights.
It will be the first time a trophy is awarded for the title, but tries from Steve Borthwick and Jamie Noon, together with 14 points from the boot of Andy Goode have put Ireland on the back foot and deep in their own territory.
Two minutes and 20 seconds to go, Ireland have a scrum…
Step 1: The scrum is solid, the plan is already in motion.
“I’ll tell you what I remember most about it, really,” says the winger. “The original genesis of that try was back at a scrum in our own 22. We had three minutes left and the option was called to take it on and try to chip over.
“It was a call from Ronan and Brian. And myself and Strings agreed to run that call.”
Step 2: O’Gara’s kick is deft, O’Driscoll is accelerating.
Every green shirt, takes a breath and powers forward. The brave call is already vindicated.
“That really set everything else up and gave us the potential to score that try,” said the man in space on the right wing.
“It’s about pace,” is Ryle Nugent’s curse from the commentary box.
8: So, so close. But how about that ruck job from O’Gara!
But the centre is cordoned off and has to take the ball into contact. However there’s a penalty in the offing for offside, and Ireland are all but guaranteed a draw now…
“Luckily then,” Horgan says, “Peter threw a great pass to me and gave me another great chance of putting it down.”
Stringer had reached the base of yet another ruck and moved laterally back towards the right, floating a beautiful arced pass to the edge.
Just look at what can change in 30 seconds. The earlier chase has taken its toll on the flanker and Horgan appears to have broken the brunt of the tackle, but where’s that leg going?
The TMO is called for, but Nigel Owens (perfectly placed as you can see in pic 14) confirms that the grounding was 100% secure.
“Those guys called that move,” says the man who made the decisive carries to help Ireland claim the first ever Triple Crown trophy. “But then the execution of it as well, I thought that was really brave.
Here’s how it looks when a plan comes together.
YouTube credit: Conor Ryan
It’s also worth noting, that this was Horgan’s second try of the game, meaning he was responsible for 14 of Ireland’s 28 points. Maybe that’s a story for another day.
YouTube credit: Conor Ryan
Here’s hoping for more magic moments like this when RTÉ Sport broadcast coverage of this year’s RBS 6 Nations meeting with England in HD this Sunday.
IRFU double down with November deals for RTÉ and Sky
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