Upon progressing to the final, coach Graham Shaw mentioned he'd been "asking the Dutch for three years for a bloody game and they won't bloody play us, so they don't have a choice now!"

It's in sharp contrast to the dull, give-nothing-away mentality we see too much of in modern sport. These people aren't media trained, their delight is raw and their bandwagon is all the better for it.

A fairy tale continues for the Irish ... a delightful entrance into a final of a World Cup. Silver is shining as gold for the women of Ireland!

○ Incredible ambassadors for Irish hockey and for women's sport. And they're just getting started
○ Silver lining for Irish heroes despite orange crush in decider

'Sapere aude'