The Speech

Leo gathers all in after training. Just the players and their Masseuses. Massuesi. Massagers. You know what I mean. While we're all getting a rub down he starts reading from a list.

" Lord Wellington.

Oscar Wilde.

Charles Stuart Parnell.

William Butler Yeats.

Jack Butler Yeats.

Bono, the Edge and Larry and... the other guy.

Michael O'Leary, Tony O'Reilly, and Ross O'Carroll Kelly.

What do all these people have in common? "

I was never very good at History, but I do know one thing about Oscar Wilde. Felipe must have been thinking along the same lines.

"Estan maricones, no?" He says, looking confused.

" If that means they are all great men, Felipe, then yes, you're right." Says Leo.

"Errr, I think Maricones means f...." I start to go

" Flippin' great men, that's right, Luke. " says Leo, giving me a glare that shuts me up. " Great men, and great Leinster men. Leaders in their fields be it art, popular music, cut price air travel, or War. And tomorrow, we can join them. We can write our name in the sky higher than any of them, higher even than Michael O'Leary. Do you think its any co-incidence those planes are blue?"

I can see some of the guys nodding.

" It doesn't matter that you weren't born here. It doesn't matter if you don't like Heineken, or want to pay 8 Euro for a sandwich in town, or sit in traffic for 3 hours to get to work. Once you put on the blue, you're Leinster. You're tapping into a history that goes back at least 300 years, to the time of the Pale. A time when everyone hated us, when we stood together against the hordes who would destroy us. The ancestors of the very same people who are shambling onto trains, planes and luxury four by fours with actual mud on them, to come up here and try and destroy us again. Destroy us like they destroyed poor Oscar Wilde, that brave Leinster Hero, because he dared to be flamboyant, to play the game his way, at his pace. Will we let them destroy us, lads? "

"NO !" we all shout as one.

" We're going to play it tomorrow like Oscar would have wanted it lads. With style, with panache, and if necessary, up close and personal and IN THEIR FACE."

" YES !" we shout now.

" For Oscar, and, FOR LEINSTER ! " he goes, pumping his fist in the air.

" LEINSTER LEINSTER LEINSTER !" we're all giving it now.

" VIVA LOS MARICONES !" Shouts Phil, and we all go even crazier.

Bring. It. On.