Heineken Cup at Sandymount Hotel

Guest Post from our Resident Rugby Fan, Eoin

The Heineken Cup knockout stage weekends are among the most eagerly anticipated dates in the rugby fan’s diary. Last weekend was no exception. The pick of the ties on this blockbuster weekend was the Anglo-Irish clash between Leinster and Leicester Tigers at the Aviva Stadium; a replay of the 2005 competition’s quarter-final which took place in the same venue, albeit then trading as Lansdowne Road.

The Aviva Stadium isn’t the only establishment in the vicinity welcoming old friends under a new moniker; only a stone’s throw away, the Sandymount Hotel, which rugby fans from these shores and beyond will recognise as the Mount Herbert Hotel, a focal point for rugby fans on match day, was gearing up for it’s first quarter final weekend since rebranding.

Rugby fans from all over the world agree that there’s no place like Dublin on game day. On Saturday afternoon I, along with many supporters, began the day in the shadow of the Aviva Stadium’s South Terrace - in the Sandymount Hotel. The place was bustling with fans from both sides of the Irish Sea, grabbing a pint and a burger, and whetting their appetite for the afternoon ahead by taking in the action between Perpignan and Toulon in the bar. With the pre-match atmosphere soaked up and only a short stroll down Herbert Road ahead of them to the stadium, the anticipation of this eagerly awaited clash began to build. The stadium came alive at 5pm, easily the most fire-up crowd I’ve experienced since the stadium reopened its doors.

If the crowd was fired up, the players were at fever pitch. An open, expansive game of rugby this was never destined to be, but what it lacked in width, it more than compensated for in physicality. It was a cagey but bruising affair and no quarter was asked nor given by either side. Shades of the 2009 final were appearing and the Tigers, while clearly lacking the creative spark of times gone by, proved they had the character and work ethic to push a more talented Leinster side all the way. You got the feeling that one try would do it for either team, and it did. We had to wait 46 minutes but it was worth the wait. A poor clearance from Ben Youngs gave Leinster the chance to counter attack. These days every time Isa Nacewa gets the ball you expect something special and when Shane Horgan fed him the ball he duly delivered. A breathtaking solo effort deserving of the decisive score, it ultimately gave Leinster the breathing space they needed to get them home, in spite of a late Tigers onslaught.

Back in the courtyard of the hotel, under the gaze of the “Sandymount Lineout”, supporters from both sides reminisced on the evening’s result into the small hours. We watched Rory McIllroy extend his lead in the US Masters - the harsh reality of his final round at that stage still 12 hours away.

Leinster fans will now be looking ahead to the visit of Toulouse in two weeks time, another huge day for Leinster rugby and another mouth-watering weekend of Heineken Cup rugby in Dublin.