The Top 30 Irish Sporting Moments Of 2016: #20-11

Today, we count down from 20 to 11 in the Top 30 Irish Sporting Moments of 2016. You can read 30-21 here and come back tomorrow for the top 10.

#20: Ireland Beat The Spingboks in South Africa

For the first time in a single season, Ireland defeated the southern hemisphere trio of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

The first leg of that came in Cape Town - a 26-20 win against the Springboks. It took place on the second day of Euro 2016 and it seemed the country's attention was elsewhere. After all, Ireland were shorn of some important players - not least Johnny Sexton - and off the back of a poor Six Nations, not much was expected. Adding to this was the emotional loss of South African-born CJ Stander who was sent off after just 23 minutes of the game.

Still, Ireland persevered with a heroic and tense 14 man display, prevailing due to a try from Conor Murray and the boot of Paddy Jackson - it was a game which saw the Ulster out-half come of age.

By the end, our thoughts were not on France and what was to come but on Cape Town and the history being made there.

#19: The Drawn All-Ireland Final

Mayo folk will perhaps comfort themselves with the fact that this game (and the replay) showed how close they were to winning an All-Ireland this year. But the reality is that victory was teetering on the precipice, begging to be grasped. Two own goals by Kevin McLoughlin and Colm Boyle cruelly snatched it away from Mayo’s brave clutches and handed Dublin a lifeline they barely deserved. The Dubs were three points up with two minutes of normal time left but Mayo found courage and belief from some unfathomable place and clawed their way back in time for Cillian O’Connor to equalise from 40 metres with virtually the game's last kick. As much of an unstoppable machine as the Dubs may seem at times, Mayo exposed their cracks - and the memory of that is what will drive Aidan O’Shea et al on through the rigours of winter.

#18: Katie Loses In Rio

In sport, as in life, equalisation is a phenomenon one must simply accept. Tragedy and ecstasy live alongside each other in daily existence, as they do in the world of sport. So while we laughed, cheered and grinned like fools at the O’Donovan brothers and their triumph, our hearts sank for Katie Taylor. Taylor was beaten by Finland’s Mira Potkonen in her first fight at the Rio Olympics, losing on a split decision that was questioned by Ireland head coach Zaur Antia and many other boxing punters in the aftermath. Taylor’s interview after the fight was genuinely hard to watch and it has been great to see a smile back on the Bray woman’s face as her professional career is taking off. If we learnt one thing about her loss in Rio, however, it’s that we’re in this for the long haul with Katie Taylor. Only a few athletes in history are as loved as Taylor on this island and the outpouring of feeling on her behalf in August elucidated that more than anything.

Katie Taylor admits it has been a very difficult year as she reflects on losing Olympic crown https://t.co/mrA7PmWJhl

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) August 15, 2016

#17: Dundalk reach Europa League groups

Back to back league titles and an FAI Cup win had put Dundalk on the verge of entering the conversation for ‘greatest League of Ireland sides ever’. After squeezing past Icelandic opposition FH on away goals, the Lilywhites went through to the 3^rd qualifying round of the Champions League. One more round and they were guaranteed a playoff – and a Europa League group spot.

The reigning 11 time Belorussian champions BATE Borisov stood in their way, and it didn’t look too good after Dundalk lost the first leg 1-0. They had to now get a win in Tallaght Stadium against the side that eliminated them the previous year. Half time and Dundalk are heading out.

And then Stephen Kenny inspired his team to arguably the best second half in Irish football history. Dave McMillan pulled the tie level by opening the scoring in the 46^th minute and added a second 15 minutes later. As BATE ploughed forward, Robbie Benson caught them on the counter.

History for the Lilywhites. Dundalk chalked their name onto the roll of honour by becoming the second Irish club to reach the group stages of a European competition. And they weren’t done there.

#16: Carl Frampton Beats Santa Cruz

Carl Frampton defied the odds and the predictions of the US media with a stunning decision victory over Leo Santa Cruz in August becoming Ireland's second ever two-weight world champion, winning the WBA World featherweight title.

'The Jackal' and 'El Terremoto' combined to produce one of the leading contenders for Fight Of The Year, with the former three-weight world champion Santa Cruz of Mexico forfeiting his own undefeated record to the sensational Northern Irishman, who in 12 rounds became a bona fide star in the USA.

The championship rounds were, considering what had come before, incredible; the final stanza alone saw 200 punches thrown, bringing the fight total to 1,670 shots, with Santa Cruz landing 255 and his Belfast counterpart finding the target on 242 occasions.

This one truly was, with Olé Olé Olé naturally taking the roof off Brooklyn's Barclays Centre as Frampton warred his way back into a round he was initially trailing, eventually taking it on two of the three judges' scorecards.

#15: Tipperary Dismantle Kilkenny:

Tipperary in full cry late in a game are an wonderful sight. Their full-forward line racked up an astonishing 2-21 in a truly great All-Ireland final display.

The Tipp-Kilkenny rivalry has provided us with many great All-Ireland finals and while the drawn 2014 beat the 2016 final for tension, this year's edition conceded nothing in terms of quality.

The game will be remembered as Seamus Callanan's masterpiece, but for those at it, the memorable sight of Patrick 'Bonner' Maher picking a ball from the sky, looping around and hoisting over the final score won't be erased from the mind. Looking down from his perch in the Hogan Stand, Balls can still see an entire row of Tipperary fists all punching the air in perfect unison. The perfect end for Tipp fans, for whom Bonner has long been a cult hero.

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The ancillaries and the hoopla surrounding the game were pretty good too. Marty Morrissey stirred the soul with his emotive introduction. And Paul Kimmage's Woody Allen themed paean to this great game was pretty perfect too.

#14: Tom Barr Runs The Race Of His Life:

The majority of people were presumably in bed when one of the most memorable Irish sporting events of the year was played out. The RTE panelists were telling us Tom Barr had a real chance of making the Olympic final. He was not pegged as the favourites but Jerry Kiernan and co insisted that this was a great opportunity. Sure enough, not only did Barr qualify but he powered to victory in the semi-final, eating up the ground on the competition in the final stretch.

But Barr would save his best run for the final. He ran a new Irish record and the first Irish 400m hurdler to run under 48 seconds. His time was the joint 40th fastest 400m hurdles ever run and would have been good enough for a medal place in London 2012, Beijing 2008 and Athens 2004.

He was squeezed into 4th place in an uncommonly quick race. He almost made it to the medal places. As in the semi-final, he came in screaming into contention in the final straight, in this instance falling a whisker short of the top three. The crowds in Waterford and Limerick and all around Ireland oohed and aahed and hollored at the screen. So close. But what a memorable effort.

Our favourite part was probably the reaction of Tom's sister Jessie, who was working as an analyst in the RTE studio. Here she is watching her little brother come within inches of an Olympic medal. What a moment!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0y3z2Rz9kw

#13: Conor McGregor Defeats Nate Diaz At UFC 202

UFC 196 was a sobering experience, both for Conor McGregor and the nation itself. The man that seemed unstoppable suddenly appeared mortal as he lay there in his own blood.

It was not the sight that many had anticipated to see on the back pages of newspapers around the world. However, the then featherweight champion returned to SBG with gritty determination vowing to put the gym before his media obligations.

After suffering defeat inside the octagon for the first time via rear naked choke, McGregor flew to Iceland to hone his bjj skills with one of the finest around, Gunnar Nelson.

In the press conference preceding the event, the Dubliner declared,

"I’m going to do what I always do. I’m going to press forward, have that man backed up. Similar to how I did in the first fight. One thing I underestimated was his durability and his experience. I will not make that mistake again”.

McGregor held true to his word when UFC 202 rolled around.

The fight commenced with the Irishman dominating the early exchanges – dropping Diaz inside the opening round with a stiff left hand. The process was repeated twice before the midway point but as always Diaz recovered well.

Momentum swung in the third round as Diaz remarkably got himself back into the fight, while failing to lay down in the fourth and final stages. Both men stood inside the octagon, haggard, waiting in anticipation. The crowd subdued before the result was announced.

Finally, John McCarthy raised Conor McGregor’s hand to the Vegas sky as the arena erupts. A huge statement by the the SBG fighter but the best was yet to come…

#12: Wes Hoolahan Scores V Sweden

Moments before kick-off in the Ireland-Sweden match, Balls was seized by the fear that we were in for another Croatia experience. A first game so deflating that it nearly killed any interest in the tournament stone dead.

It was night and day in that respect. For the first time in an eternity, Ireland enjoyed most of the play against a team of equivalent standard. That was the real joy of the Ireland-Sweden game. This was no backs-to-the-wall effort of the type which sunk Germany (admittedly a much better team than Sweden).

On top of that, Ireland's goal was a beaut. Seamus Coleman and Wes Hoolahan, two darlings of Irish domestic football, linked up to smash home Ireland's first goal of the campaign and one of the finest we've ever scored in a major competition. High up in the Irish end of the Stade de France, there was carnage.

#11: Connacht Win The Pro 12

This was the ultimate underdog story.

It was a miserable start to the year for Irish rugby with us weakly defending our Six Nations title and Leinster, Munster and Ulster making the Champions Cup quarter finals. The one hope on the horizon was the incredible early season form of the traditional whipping boys of Irish rugby, Connacht.

Connacht had no history of success in the amateur era and their fortunes hadn't improved since the advent of professionalism. Their previous eleven seasons in the Pro12 had not even yielded a top six finish. In that time, (many of which were played with fewer than 12 teams) they finished tenth on seven occasions,, 9th once, eighth twice and their highest position had been seventh last season.

Even after topping the Pro12 table early on, most people expected them to drop off and make way for the heavyweights like Leinster, Munster and champions Glasgow. But then they won in Thomond. Then away at the Dragons and Edinburgh. They beat Leinster and Munster in the Sportsground.

Suddenly they were in the top four and the semi finals. AJ MacGinty kicked them past Glasgow into the final. Leinster were waiting for them but were no match for a much better team on the day and indeed throughout the season. Pat Lam wrote his name into folklore, Bundee Aki rose to cult hero status and Connacht arrived on the major stage.

Irish rugby ended the 2015/16 season with a positive outlook and it's kicked off an incredble first half of the following season. That's all down to Connacht.