Planet Rugby: Tomorrow in Marlay Park Terenure College Junior School take on St Olaf's National School, Balally, in the Primary Touch Six South League Final, the former's first foray into Cumann na mBunscol Átha Cliath's Primary Touch Football.
The young Terenure team under the captaincy of Stephen Caffrey (nephew of Dublin manager Paul) came together for the first time in September and have put together a run of six successful matches placing the school joint top of the league with St Olaf's. Terenure hope Paul Caffrey will be present to witness some fine football, acknowledge the young footballers and present medals.
Gaelic Games appears to be making inroads into Terenure College this year.
Over in the senior school they are involved in the Coca Cola Leinster Schools GAA competitions, under the direction of Philip Wallace, the Wexford intercounty player and former Vodafone player of the month.
The primary school sibling will be involved in junior B football and juvenile and junior hurling competitions. It offers pupils an alterative to rugby, the traditional sport of the college. Conal Keaney is a past pupil and a member of the current Dublin team, while Cillian Byrne, Cathal Morley, Shane Durkin and Shane McCann were part of the Dublin minor football and hurling squads last year.
While the current involvement in competitive Gaelic Games is a departure for Terenure College, the school has a long history of close connection with the GAA. Terenure was one of the first schools affiliated to the newly-founded organisation in 1885. According to the official history of the Dublin GAA : "It is 120 years since Terenure College first became affiliated to the GAA - Dublin City and County. In 1885 it was the only school affiliated along with six clubs: Faughs, Davitts, Metropolitans, Dunleary, Dalkey and the All-Ireland Hurling Club."
O'Brien on 'that' tackle
This column promises faithfully this will be last time it will refer to the Brian O'Driscoll spear tackle incident in the first Test between New Zealand and the Lions. The latest take is provided by the International Rugby Board's (IRB) recent appointment as referee manager Invercargill's own former whistler Paddy O'Brien.
In an interview with rugby writer Gregor Paul of the New Zealand Herald on Sunday, O'Brien decided to add his tuppence worth with regard to the infamous tackle. He has an "interesting" take on the subject to say the least.
"No one would condone what happened to Brian O'Driscoll. At the IRB medical conference new footage became available and what was agreed there - when we had another view of it - was, yes, we do know that was nasty and we want that out of the game. Now someone has used underhand tactics to make sure this was available to the media the day the book got released. It's very sad that O'Driscoll is now seen in the light he is because no one condones what happened. But bringing it up again to try and get the whole thing about Tana Umaga and Keven Mealamu being the villains was disgraceful.
"I was disappointed New Zealand ended up apologising because everyone will have to apologise for acts of foul play. O'Driscoll is no bigger than anyone else in the game. None of us are proud of the incident. We have to remember we are the IRB, not the Irish Rugby Board. Hopefully it's been put to bed now."
This is of course the same Paddy O'Brien, having critiqued his employers, who in his new role will no doubt be having a chat with South African referee Jonathan Kaplan and asking him why there wasn't a card in sight when New Zealand centre Ma'a Nonu speared Gordon D'Arcy at Lansdowne Road on Saturday or penalised Shane Horgan for a less dangerous, more clumsy version of the lift and drop. It comes just weeks after the IRB's dictum on harshly penalising anyone guilty of the offence. It seems there are quite a few people not doing their job.
Wood hits the fairways
It's good to see Keith Wood is keeping himself gainfully employed now that his playing career is over. The former Ireland and Lions hooker runs a number of successful business ventures quite apart from his role as a television rugby analyst for the BBC.It doesn't stop him from hitting the fairways of Sunningdale Golf Club where he can be found at least once a week. Currently playing off a nine handicap - he shot 80 and 81 gross over St Andrews and Kingsbarns Golf Clubs during the recent Dunhill Links Championship - he is determined to lower his handicap to a more representative figure of about six.
Counting the cost
Underlining the esprit de corps of this newspaper, we received an e-mail from the author of Planet Football (thanks Mary) about the number of tickets that were on sale on eBay. There were plenty listed but we concentrated on the North Terrace, following Friday evening's disastrous fire that closed the Havelock Square end of Lansdowne Road and prevented about 7,500 tickets holders from attending the Ireland-New Zealand Test match.
Below is the full list of North Terrace tickets sold on eBay. Stretching our Leaving Cert pass maths to their limits, this column totted up the total money spent and arrived at a figure of £2,725 (€4,045) for 30 North Terrace tickets. That works at out €134 and change for each ticket that cost €25 at face value.
The IRFU will decide on how they will compensate those who missed out on the game, but for those who paid the exorbitant prices it won't go anywhere near to reimbursing them.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £185.00 (€275), Nov 11th, 20:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand £230.00, Nov 11th, 19:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £220.00, Nov 11th, 17:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £160.00, Nov 11th, 16:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £160.00, Nov 10th, 21:15.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £160.00, Nov 10th, 20:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £160.00, Nov 10th, 19:15.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £165.00, Nov 10th, 18:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £205.00, Nov 10th, 17:25.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £195.00, Nov 9th, 19:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £205.00, Nov 9th, 16:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £205.00, Nov 9th, 13:00.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £175.00, Nov 8th, 10:36.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £150.00, Nov 5th, 10:35.
2 x North Terrace Tickets, Ireland v New Zealand, £150.00, Nov 5th, 10:34.
