CLASH OF THE DAY

Steve Coogan and Eanna Hardwicke star in a new film about Ireland captain Roy Keane and manager Mick McCarthy's 2002 World Cup fallout. By LYNN RUSK

- LYNN RUSK

THE summer of 2002 conjures many memories, but in Ireland it will always be remembered as the moment Roy Keane pulled out of the FIFA World Cup as the team prepared in Saipan.

The country was left deeply divided following Keane's clash with Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy in the buildup to the tournament.

The team captain ultimately left the Ireland camp before the World Cup began in Japan and South Korea after a very public falling-out with McCarthy, leaving the manager to hold together a crumbling situation without his talisman, amid intense negativity from both the press and fans.

A new film starring Eanna Hardwicke as Keane and Steve Coogan as McCarthy explores the intense and complex rivalry between captain and manager.

Directed by Glenn Leyburn and Lisa Barros D'Sa, Saipan recounts one of the most fractious fallouts in the history of sport.

Eanna, who starred in Normal People and is currently appearing in The Playboy of the Western World at the National Theatre, says he admires Keane's relentless drive.

"The kind of self-discipline you need to be an athlete is something I admire and don't have," he says. He adds: "I did try to channel that, because I think one of his most admirable qualities is that absolute, relentless drive. So I tried to take it to maybe 80%. "

The film portrays both men's perspectives, celebrating their distinct styles of leadership.