Pedants were not slow to point out that all four have not been amassed in the same calendar year. Two and a half hours later the 21-year-old American was smelling the roses as her self-styled Serena Slam came to pass with a fourth consecutive victory over her older sister, Venus, in a Grand Slam final, 7-6 3-6 6-4.
Now Serena owns all of the sport’s major titles. As she made her way on to court for the Australian Open women’s final Serena Williams sniffed the huge bouquet that had been placed, traditionally, in her arms. “Ronan’s being criticised for losing his cool under pressure and maybe that was his way of dealing with it,” Gaffney said “I think he knew he had to kick that goal.”. The dead silence for goalkickers doesn’t happen anywhere else in the world.”Ronan O’Gara, whose conversion of the last-minute try was crucial, said he didn’t realise the importance of the kick. The Perpignan scrum defied belief and we lost more line-outs against them than we have all season.”There was, of course, another factor in Munster’s resurrection of Thomond Park, a ground which makes the Colosseum look like a kindergarten “I’ve never experienced anything like it,” Gaffney said “It’s a natural wonder.
“We’d worked on our set piece and took Gloucester on in the scrum and line-out,” Gaffney said “A lot of people thought we were crazy to do that. Our players didn’t know about it and I can honestly say it didn’t mean anything to me.”In any case Gloucester’s genuflection was not the result of inside knowledge but the faith placed in Munster’s pack, the same pack that had been pulped in Perpignan. It contained generalities of the kind that any coach would tell a player. “I saw the document 15 minutes before our final team talk,” Gaffney said, “and I read it in a matter of seconds. He belittled the discovery of Gloucester’s game plan, a copy of which was found on the floor of his cab by a Limerick taxi driver and forwarded too Munster at their team hotel.
“We needed all hands on the deck against Gloucester,” Gaffney explained. Look on the all black strip with the white Maltese Cross and weep.Munster neglected to send a fifth columnist to Welford Road last weekend when intelligence could have been gathered on both Leicester and Neath who met in the Heineken Cup. We’re going to do a lot of homework.”Under the latest restructure in Wales – the premier clubs merged into four regional franchises, a move that will be debated at an EGM next month – Neath could be making their last appearance at the Millennium Stadium as a professional club. “After that the boys won’t get together again until the first week in April.”Neath have beaten Munster once and drawn with them but earlier in the season conceded four tries at the Gnoll “We were slightly fortunate,” Gaffney said “It could have been a lot closer Neath are a handy side with a strong pack. “We rate the Celtic League and it’s something we very much want to win,” Gaffney said.
When Declan Kidney was promoted to the national cause, Gaffney was transplanted from Leinster to Munster. Last year Munster were beaten in the final at Lansdowne Road by Leinster, for whom Gaffney was then assistant coach. Last year he came on early in the second half of the Heineken Cup final against Leicester in Cardiff where a Healey try and Neil Back’s larceny condemned Munster to a bitter defeat.The two meet again, in the quarter- finals at Welford Road in April, but first the Celtic League climax. They’d probably be prepared to offer him the emerald from the Emerald Isle.With Mick Galwey edging towards retirement, Williams, as captain, was asked to follow a very tough act.
