D Tuesday, November 17, 2009 METROSPORT 21 Sacre bleu! South Africans up in arms over national anthem farce The South African Rugby Union have written to their French counterparts to express their dismay at the rendition of the national anthem prior to last Fridays 20-13 loss to France in Toulouse. Two weeks before the Springboks visit Croke Park to take on Ireland, Durban-born reggae singer Ras Dumisani at times paused and seemed to struggle to remember the words of Nkosi Sikelel iAfrika, which features all 11 of South Africas official languages, prior to Fridays game. As a union we were shocked and horrified by the rendition of the anthem and I contacted the French Federation to express our very grave concerns, SARU president Oregan hoskins said. The performance of the anthem is a treasured part of any rugby international and we take great pains in this country in the selection and rehearsal of artists to ensure that we appropriately honour all anthems. Something went seriously awry in Toulouse and the upshot was that offence has been caused, not just to the Springboks and SARU but to South Africans in general. The players were distracted by the rendition, according to Victor Matfield. It was a joke out there and the guys couldnt even sing [along] and even the crowd was starting to laugh, he said. It was a big disappointment. Struggles: Ras Dumisani All-action Healy has Flannerys backing Jerry Flannery believes Cian Healys impressive Test debut has offered a vital option at prop as Ireland continue their search for precious front-row resources. Irelands lack of depth was ex- posed during Sundays 20-20 draw with australia when John Hayes was forced to play the en- tire match despite having just served a five-week suspension. How much longer Hayes, 36 earlier this month and on course to become the first player to accu- mulate 100 Ireland caps, can go on remains to be seen. But given the lack of alternatives, the dutiful Munster forward must continue strap- ping on the armour until the 2011 World Cup. at least loosehead offers a more encouraging outlook with Healy taking advantage of an injury to Marcus Horan to announce his ar- rival as a genuine Test prospect. One barnstorming run led to Ire- lands first try against the Walla- bies, leaving front row colleague Flannery to predict a bright future for the 22-year-old. Cian did pretty well. He made a great run, was very powerful and showed a great attitude. Hes great to play with, said Flannery. I thought about not having Mar- cus alongside me during the na- tional anthem. But Marcus and John have been playing so long, there needs to be more depth. Cian is young and hes come through quickly when its fair to say there arent a load of props coming through. He got stuck in. Hes not a shy fellow, he didnt seem to be fazed. He was sitting beside me in the dressing room with his music on, bouncing around. Its good to see that, there is no fear in him. The draw her- alded the end of the Wallabies hopes of completing a Grand Slam, but hooker Stephen Moore was impressed with the health of Irish rugby. We can still go through europe undefeated. It was pretty quiet in the sheds after the game, he said. Were not going to hide our dis- appointment with the result but its done now. We move on. I think Ireland are head and shoulders above what Ive seen this year of the Six nations games. The state of their game is pretty good. Ireland name their team today to face Fiji at the rDS on Saturday. Super charger: Healy carried powerfully on his debut Bryan HaBana could miss South africas showdown with Ireland on november 28 after being cited for allegedly kicking an opponent during the Springboks 20-13 Test defeat by France in Toulouse. Flying winger Habana, 26, is due to appear before an IrB disciplinary hearing tomorrow. The minimum recommended entry level punishment for kicking an opponent is four weeks. The world champions face Italy on Saturday and then arrive in Dublin for a highly anticipated Croke Park clash between the top sides in the Six nations and Tri-nations. Habana could miss Ireland showdown Cited: Habana By joHn Donnelly People power: Forde believes crowd demand will mean Dublin will play Wexford at Croke Park Forde fears the Dubs will take clash to Croker WexFOrD have no chance of hosting Dublin in next summers leinster football quarter-final glamour clash, according to star Wexford forward Matty Forde. Wexford officials want to host the game at Wexford Park, which was recently redeveloped and can now accommodate a crowd of 30,000. In reply, Dublin chairman Gerry Harrington claimed Croke Park is the only option as between 50,000 and 60,000 will want to see the game, and Forde is adamant Dublin will end up getting their way. The leinster Council will meet next Monday to finalise its entire fixture schedule for 2010. More people can watch it at Croke Park and thatll be the bottom line, Id nearly guarantee the game will be at Croke Park, said Forde. The pitch in Wexford Park and the facilities are very good. youd have a rare full house if Dublin came and it would be a great boost to football here. But I think the chances of that happening are very slim. In a further boost to Dublins hopes of a winning start, Forde may not even be available next season. The 2004 allStar missed this years Championship and has not even trained since undergoing back surgery in May. asked about the prospect of facing Dublin, he said: Its all down to what I can and cant do. everyone wants to play in the big games but its whether you can do it or not. Honestly, the Dublin game is not something Ive thought too much about. GPA must help out clubs, says Boylan MeaTH legend Sean Boylan claims he will not support the Gaelic Players association until they cater for all players. The GPa is celebrating ten years in existence and hope to shortly tie up a deal for formal recognition with the Gaa. But in a rare outspoken attack, four-times all-Ireland winner Boylan (pictured) claimed the GPa should cater for club players, not just inter-county men. Until they treat every player in the country county and club the same, they cannot claim to represent players, said Boylan. after all, club and county players are equal in my opinion. He added: Players need to have a voice but that means all players. The day they back every player is the day the GPa will get my support. UCD host Sigerson 100 UnIverSITy College Dublin has been pencilled in to host the Sigerson Cup finals weekend in its centenary year of 2011. next springs football finals weekend will take place in nUI Maynooth. From then on, the countdown will begin to the anniversary celebration in 2011. UCD will stage the semi-finals on their south-side campus and given the occasion may consider switching the final to Croke Park. nUI Galway will host the 2012 finals weekend. rugby inteRnationalS gAA Picture:Getty Cian showed a great attitude, hes great to play with index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html