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The Wall of Sound
Details
Munster vs Northampton
Thomond Park
Friday January 22nd 2010
Heineken Cup
The Team
Munster: P Warwick; D Howlett, K Earls, J de Villiers, I Dowling; R O’Gara, T O’Leary; W du Preez, D Fogarty, J Hayes, D O’Callaghan, P O’Connell [capt], A Quinlan, N Ronan, D Wallace. Replacements: D Varley for Fogarty, D Ryan for O’Callaghan (both 56 mins), M Horan for du Preez (68 mins), T Buckley for Hayes (71 mins). Not used: J Coughlan, P Stringer, L Mafi, T Gleeson.
Setting the scene
Its round 6 of the Heineken Cup with Munster at home to English opposition needing a win to ensure they top the group and qualify for the knock out stages for a 12th consecutive season. If that doesn't scream old skool pre English interference Heineken Cup then i don't know what does! Northampton had won the first game in the pool at Franklin Gardens 31-27 and their celebrations on the field after the final whistle didn't sit well with the Munster players or fans.
Romain Poite was the referee and he wasn't the most welcome man in the stadium that night given his history with Munster and specifically the game against the All Blacks to officially open Thomond Park.
Northampton arrived as a team with real european ambitions. They had a host of big name players such as Ben Foden, Chris Ashton, Sione Tongauiha, Dylan Hartley, Ewan Murray and Courtney Lawes. They also had Neil Best and James Downey providing an Irish contingent. They would go on to make the Heineken Cup final the following year but be beaten by a superb Leinster second half come back.
The Game
The game itself was far from a free flowing attacking spectacle. The result was decided by defenses and goal kickers with Munster eventually winning 12-9. Ronan O'Gara kicked four penalties for Munster with Northampton getting their nine points from three different kickers. The kicking battle was notable for how England hopeful Shane Geraghty seemed to lose his never from the kicking tee. One effort was scuffed so badly it barely went above head height and just about reached the posts on a still night. Poite was being his usual amicable self and wouldn't engage with the Munster captain on a number of occasions despite the baffling penalty calls.
The Moment
Its the 58th minute, Munster lead 9-6 and are inside their own 22 with possession. Thomas O'Leary's box kick is blocked down by Dylan Hartley and Hartley regathers and trundles towards the Munster try line. O'Leary chases him and tackles him by the legs just at the try line. ROG is on hand to complete the double tackle and knock Hartley back and stop the try from being scored but its a 5 metre scrum to Northampton and Munster are under serious pressure.
The crowd sense the urgency of the situation and shouts of "Munster, Munster" and "Heave" fill the air. The noise level just continues to increase. Munster repel a series of close drives from Northampton as Poite continues to shout "No 'ands". Munster hold the ball up off the ground and Paul O'Connell latches onto it like his life depended on it. Poite shouts ruck after he has done so. A few seconds later Poite blows the whistle and signals a penalty to Munster. The Munster players slap each other on the back and the crowd cheer.
What happens next sends the crowd into a frenzy. O'Connell looks at Poite and he stands close to the sideline. O'Connell is expecting a penalty and clearing kick to touch from O'Gara. O'Connell is beckoned over by Poite. O'Connell is puzzled as to why Poite wants to talk with him. As he walks over Poite reaches into his pocket and produces the yellow card. O'Connell is stunned and asks Poite "Whats that for?". Poite again refuses to engage the Munster captain and O'Connell has to leave the field giving Poite the death stare. The 26,000 fans are incensed. The noise goes level goes up again, in Spinal Tap terms its at 11 now.
Northampton call a scrum and the crowd now feel they have a significant role to play in this game. The symbiotic link between players and crowd is required now more than ever. The crowd raise the noise and energy levels for the players to feed off. Alan Quinlan and Donnacha Ryan form the Munster second row with Doug Howlett packing down at blindside. The steam rises from both packs as they engage. An almighty roar of "Munster, Munster" rolls around the stadium as a series of scrums reset and engage. After a number of resets Poite then gives Northampton a penalty for Tongauiha boring in and whipping the scrum. ROG remonstrates with Poite to no avail and Hartley calls for another scrum.
The stadium is just a wall of sound as they pack down again. No longer can chants be heard. Its just a constant roar, a primal, guttural roar filling the air. Years from now there may well be a computer program that can translate these things and if it is ever developed it will simply decode it as "fuck you Poite".
Tongauhia continues to bore in and his side of the scrum moves forward. However Murray is struggling against Wian Du Preez and Hartley fails to hook the ball back for Northampton as the scrum moves around. The ball comes back into the tunnel and Varley strikes for it. The ball is back at David Wallaces feet as the scrum goes to 90 degrees. Poite waves play on. Dougie Howlett hangs on to the side of the scrum somehow believing he can stop it going past 90. As in a lot of matches around then with Poite, it just turns into a free for all. Jean De Villers races off the try line and picks the ball up from Wallaces feet, while its still in the scrum, and starts charging up the field with Northampton players hanging out of him.
The crowd goes wild. Somehow the noise level increases again. You could barely hear yourself think in the stadium. Everyone is on their feet as Munster clear the ball. The sound level barely dips until O'Connell returns to a hero's welcome.
Watch the videos below to get an idea of the atmosphere that night but its hard to describe it if you weren't in the stadium itself.
Highlights of the game (including the scrum itself)
Full second half