Irish rugby standing tall, says Horan
Tue, 04 May 2010 13:56
Down, but not defeated: Marcus Horan is defending Irish rugby
Munster prop Marcus Horan has defended the health of Irish rugby in the wake of a triple blow of losses to French opposition, denying that the game in the country is 'on the way down.'
Horan was part of the winning team which saw Munster crowned Europeans champions in 2006, ironically defeating Biarritz in the final.
The French Top 14 outfit got their revenge on Sunday though, as they beat Munster 18-7 in San Sebastian to reach the final.
The 32 year-old also played an integral part in Munster's second Heineken Cup triumph two years later at the Millennium Stadium, when they defeated Toulouse 16-13 in the final.
Toulouse will face Biarritz after defeating defending champions Leinster in the other semifinal, while another Irish team, Connacht, went down to Toulon in the Amlin Challenge Cup final four.
Even though all three Irish sides went down to French opposition, Horan said it would be unfair to link
the results to the overall state of the Irish game.
"What can you read into these results when the draws were so tough with both Munster and Leinster coming to France?
"We both acquitted ourselves really well and both teams can be very proud of what they did."
"It was always going to be a tough test for us," he continued, speaking to Press Association Sport.
"After a quarterfinal at home we knew we'd have to go to France twice and win both times if we were to win the competition.
"That would be a huge test for any team but to say that it means Irish rugby is on the way down is unfair."
The lack of Irish teams in the European finals is further indication that France has overtaken Ireland as the pre-eminent force in the Northern Hemisphere, after the national team surrendered their Grand Slam to Les Bleus only two months ago.
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