In sport, as in life, the highs can only truly be experienced once you have seen the lows, but rarely have I watched the rapid climb from one to the other in just 16 minutes, and never have I actually been there to experience it.
But last Saturday, my brother, my best friend and I ventured to the Millennium stadium in Cardiff to watch Leinster play Northampton in this year's Heineken Cup Final. I've been to close games in the past but not until Saturday had I experienced the feeling of watching my team creep towards half time with the scoreboard so clearly not in our favour, and with little hope of a turnaround.
Some Rugby Matches I've been to have been remembered for the wrong reason. Leinster's quarter final win at Harlequins in the 2009 Heineken Cup will be remembered by most not for being a close thriller of a game, but as the game where the 'Bloodgate' scandal occurred. But Saturday's final will be remembered for one reason only, not that Leinster won, but the stunning manner of their second half comeback.
;)
Conor, Stuart and Barry celebrating Leinster's stunning Heineken Cup victoryTo quote those more eloquent than myself;
Leinster were crowned European champions for the second time in three years after the greatest comeback in Heineken Cup final history at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
news.bbc.co.uk
a tremendous, absolutely captivating Heineken Cup final, one of the best there has ever been
New Zealand Herald
Even by the standards of this ridiculously exhilarating tournament, this Heineken Cup final was a match for the ages.
Bryn Palmer - BBC
It all made for the most memorable of Heineken Cup finals, perhaps even shading the epic, sun-splashed Leicester v Stade Français match in Paris a decade ago
www.guardian.co.uk
I was in Murrayfield to see Leinster raise the Heineken Cup for the first time in 2009, but this year's victory clearly ranks amongst the greatest games ever, and I was there. For me, this will probably go down as my most memorable sporting moment.
It is difficult to fully explain the emotional swing between wanting to leave at half time and the elation of watching the greatest comeback in Heineken Cup history just 16 minutes later. The photos don't show it, but I suspect some of the phone calls I made on the way back home probably did