Leinster Build-Up To Harlequins Home In European Champions Cup: Robin McBryde – The42.ie – April 1 2025

Posted on April 1, 2025 by admin

Leinster’s McBryde hopes Irish contingent can bring Six Nations lessons into club campaign

No fewer than 21 Leinster players featured for Ireland over the course of this year’s Championship.

WHILE IT WAS a frustrating end to the spring international window for a large bulk of the squad, Leinster assistant coach Robin McBryde is hopeful the province’s Irish contingent can absorb the lessons from their recent Six Nations campaign as they aim to end the club season on a positive note.

In total, no fewer than 21 Leinster players featured for Ireland over the course of this year’s Championship. A Triple Crown had been wrapped up under interim head coach Simon Easterby just three rounds into the 2025 edition of the tournament, but after suffering a comprehensive defeat to France at the Aviva Stadium on 8 March, the three in-a-row chasing Irish finished third in the final standings.

Yet in addition to emphasising that this year’s Six Nations wasn’t all doom and gloom for Ireland, McBryde believes a recent team bonding excursion in Wicklow with former Cork hurler turned performance coach Ronan Conway has Leinster’s returning internationals in the right mindset for the business end of 2024/25.

“From my perspective, you’ve just won a Triple Crown. Okay, maybe it’s not what you wanted to end up with, but sometimes that’s life. You take on board the lessons learnt from that, do you know what I mean? They’ve had an experience that I haven’t had, that’s the question I asked them,” McBryde remarked at a Leinster media briefing in UCD yesterday.

“What’s the experience you’ve had that formed your views that, if I had had that experience, I’d be seeing the world exactly as you do. It’s about encouraging that flow. When they first came in with us, they’d a day with Ronan Conway who we’ve worked with before. He took them to a retreat to allow the players the space to have a chat and reconnect with each other after a week off.

“It’s important, you can’t be too critical of them. The expectation is up there. I get it because they’re professional athletes, but it’s tough. It’s fine margins sometimes, if you’re a little bit off you get caught out. It’s important that we learn those lessons, whatever they may be, and take them into the rest of the season.”

Although Ireland sealed the Triple Crown courtesy of a 27-18 win over Wales in Cardiff on 22 February, it was a much closer contest that some had anticipated. An Irish pack containing six starters from Leinster came under considerable pressure during the course of this game and it is expected the eastern province’s forwards will face a similar challenge from Harlequins in their Champions Cup Round of 16 clash at Croke Park on Saturday afternoon.

Part of Matt Sherratt’s interim coaching set-up for that showdown with Ireland, former Welsh prop Adam Jones has been working with Harlequins as a scrum and transition coach since 2018. McBryde is both a former team-mate and coach of Jones and with Quins head supremo Danny Wilson having spent a large chunk of his post-playing career in Wales, he has an idea of what awaits Leinster in GAA HQ this weekend.

“They’ve got a strong set-piece. They’re vastly experienced and Adam, deservedly so, was given an opportunity to share some of that experience in the Six Nations. I thought he did a great job with the pack.

“Similar to Danny, I know Danny as well, from his time in Wales. He’s got a good eye for detail. His attention to detail in or around the set-piece, from a lineout point of view as well. It’s going to be tough.”

Whilst head coach Leo Cullen remained in South Africa with an experimental squad for their United Rugby Championship duel with the Sharks in Durban on Saturday, McBryde, senior coach Jacques Nienaber and attack specialist Tyler Bleyendaal were putting another group of players (mostly comprising of those who featured extensively for Ireland in the Six Nations) through their paces at Leinster’s training base in UCD last week.

The cohort in the southern hemisphere did their chances of future selection no harm by helping Leinster to claim a 10-7 victory against the Sharks, but McBryde admitted it may be difficult for those players to feature in this weekend’s knockout bout with Harlequins.

“It’s not ideal from a travel point of view, but if someone is good enough then they’re good enough and they’re professional athletes as well. It is tough, but we’ve got to weigh that,” McBryde added.

“We’re taking it one game at a time, but we know that should we win on Saturday, the game the following week [a potential Champions Cup quarter-final] is on a Friday. So there’s a short turnaround there. Maybe that’s the time to change or whatever, but Harlequins first and foremost is on everyone’s mind.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Harlequins Home In European Champions Cup: Robin McBryde – The42.ie – April 1 2025

Women’s Six Nations Championship: Italy V Ireland – The Irish Examiner (Print) – March 31 2025

Posted on March 31, 2025 by admin

Big Irish win has been a long time in the making for Dalton

Following a 27-15 defeat at the hands of France in the opening round of the tournament in Belfast eight days earlier, Ireland were looking to pick up their first points in the 2025 edition of the Women’s Six Nations in Parma. 
DAIRE WALSH
Player of the match Aoife Dalton said that Ireland’s outstanding bonus point triumph over Italy at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi on Sunday afternoon was the culmination of a lot of hard work behind the scenes from players and staff alike.

Following a 27-15 defeat at the hands of France in the opening round of the tournament in Belfast eight days earlier, Ireland were looking to pick up their first points in the 2025 edition of the Women’s Six Nations in Parma. They were also looking to make amends for Championship losses to the Italians in the past two seasons, as well as potentially banishing the demons of their unsuccessful World Cup qualifying campaign at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in 2021.

Scott Bemand’s side managed to do just that as winger Anna McGann claimed a hat-trick of tries over the course of a game that saw Ireland crossing the opposition whitewash on no fewer than eight occasions. Although she was quite modest about her own role in the side, Dalton was a worthy recipient of the game’s individual award after she produced an all-action display in both defence and attack.

“I’m definitely not the star in the back line, all the 7s girls are here now! The girls are brilliant and I’ll go back and share this with them. I feel like it was a complete team performance and I’d say there were a good few names up for it,” Dalton acknowledged in a TV interview after the game.

“I think coming on the back of last week, we knew we left a lot out there and our execution just really let us down at times. To come out here today and be able to score 50 points, that’s huge for us. I’m just delighted for the whole squad. All the girls, all our staff, the work they put in this week. So much went into it because we knew we weren’t good enough last week.”

Fittingly, it was Dalton who got the ball rolling for Ireland in their first away game of this year’s tournament. Moments after Italian lock Valeria Fedrighi was yellow carded for making head contact with Irish skipper Edel McMahon, the Offaly native burst over for a second-minute try was supplemented by the first of seven conversions from Dannah O’Brien.

Although it had been revealed to the crowd that Fedrighi’s challenge on McMahon wasn’t going to be upgraded to a red following a bunker review, Ireland added to their tally in advance of her return.

After breaking effortlessly into the Italian half, Eve Higgins passed the ball out to the right-wing for Railway Union’s McGann to race through for her first international 15s try. While the hosts opened their account with a Sofia Stefan five-pointer upon being restored to a full compliment of 15 players, Ireland reinforced their superiority either side of the first-quarter mark.

Higgins was leaving a significant attacking impression on the play and she released Tipperary woman Amee-Leigh Costigan (the starting skipper in the French game) for a third try on the stroke of 20 minutes. Full-back Stacey Flood subsequently turned provider for McGann’s second try at the end of an extended attack, which ensured Ireland were going to come away with at least a bonus point from this tie.

Having endured a difficult day off the kicking tee against France, a fourth successive bonus strike from O’Brien propelled Ireland towards a 28-5 interval lead.

The ever-impressive Aoife Wafer was unfortunate to have a try ruled out on the restart due to Niamh O’Dowd being in front of Fiona Tuite as she gathered a line-out delivery from Neve Jones, but Ireland’s most experienced operator was on hand to increase their buffer in the 54th minute.

Lining out in the green jersey for the 43rd time at Test level, tighthead Linda Djougang added her side’s fifth try with a powerful close-range finish.

Djougang subsequently received a yellow card for a head high tackle on Italian fly-half Emma Stevanin, but in her absence, Tipperary native Dorothy Wall capped a fine performance off the bench with another eye-catching try.

Italy finally disrupted their opponents’ flow courtesy of a seven-point salvo from Beatrice Rigoni, but Wall’s fellow replacement Brittany Hogan cancelled out this effort with a try of her own towards the end of the contest. It was then left for McGann to complete her hat-trick in stoppage-time as Ireland moved up to third in the Six Nations table ahead of their encounter with champions England at Cork’s Virgin Media Park on April 12.

Scorers for Italy: Tries: S Stefan, B Rigoni Cons: B Rigoni

Scorers for Ireland: Tries: A McGann 3, A Dalton, A-L Murphy Crowe, L Djougang, D Wall, B Hogan Cons: D O’Brien 7 

ITALY: F Granzotto; A Muzzo (B Capomaggi 21-30), M Sillari (S Mannini 60), B Rigoni, A D’Inca (B Capomaggi 64); E Stevanin, S Stefan (A Bitonci 60); A Turani (V Zanette 59), V Vecchini (L Gurioli 59), G Maris (S Seye 43); V Fedrighi (A Ranuccini 63), G Duca; S Tounesi, F Sgorbini (B Veronese 56), E Giordano.

IRELAND: S Flood; A McGann, A Dalton, E Higgins (E Breen 59), A-L Corrigan; D O’Brien, A Reilly (E Lane 59); N O’Dowd (S McCarthy 59), N Jones (C Moloney 64), L Djougang (C Haney 67); R Campbell (G Moore 59), F Tuite (D Wall 51); E McMahon (C Haney 59-67), E King, A Wafer (B Hogan 51).

Referee: E Goldsmith (Australia).

Posted in International Rugby, Women's Rugby | Comments Off on Women’s Six Nations Championship: Italy V Ireland – The Irish Examiner (Print) – March 31 2025

Post-Match Reaction: Women’s Six Nations Championship – Ireland V Italy – Scott Bemand – The Irish Examiner – March 31 2025

Posted on March 30, 2025 by admin

‘That matters for this group’ – Bemand’s delight as Ireland exorcise Parma demons

A last-gasp 20-18 defeat to Scotland at the same venue in a qualifying tournament for the 2022 Rugby World Cup was put to bed by Sunday’s Six Nations win
DAIRE WALSH

By defeating Italy with 42 points to spare at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in the second round of the Six Nations Championship on Sunday, Scott Bemand believes the Ireland women’s rugby team managed to exorcise some demons of the past.

Back on September 25, 2021, Ireland suffered a last-gasp 20-18 defeat to Scotland at the same Parma venue in a qualifying tournament for the following year’s Rugby World Cup. Having already lost out to Spain in the first of three games in northern Italy – they did get the better of the Italians in between these losses – the Irish ultimately missed out on a place at the delayed 2022 edition of the RWC in New Zealand.

While Bemand was part of the England set-up back then, the current Ireland head coach is well aware of how difficult a defeat that was for women’s rugby on these shores. Their most recent visit to Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in April 2023 had ended in a 24-7 reversal, but with Anna McGann bagging a hat-trick of tries, Sunday’s latest trip to Parma produced an emphatic 54-12 success.

“A couple of years ago there was a result here that meant quite a lot to the Irish people and we didn’t end up qualifying for the World Cup. To come back here and put 50 points on what I think is a good, combative Italy team, I think that matters for this group and for people that have been here longer than me,” Bemand remarked in the aftermath of Sunday’s game.

When you consider they lost out to Italy at the RDS Arena in Dublin at the same stage of last year’s Championship, Sunday’s result suggests Ireland are making significant progress under Bemand. A third-place finish in the 2024 Six Nations ensured the Irish will return to the World Cup finals in England later on this year, where there is every possibility they could meet France in the knockout stages of the tournament.

There were encouraging signs in their opening round bout with the French in Belfast last Saturday week, but Bemand and his players were ultimately disappointed to kick-start their 2025 Championship campaign with a 27-15 defeat.

Their second round meeting away to the Italians presented them with an ideal opportunity to work on some of the areas that fell short in the France game and Bemand feels they managed to do that over the course of a clinical display.

“We said we were moving in the right direction and we couldn’t prove that last week with a win. It was really important to go back to the training ground and tidy up some of those pieces. I think probably some of the scores today, we’ve taken from last week and put right this week,” Bemand added.

Posted in International Rugby, Women's Rugby | Comments Off on Post-Match Reaction: Women’s Six Nations Championship – Ireland V Italy – Scott Bemand – The Irish Examiner – March 31 2025

Women’s Six Nations Championship: Italy V Ireland – The Irish Examiner (Online) – March 30 2025

Posted on March 30, 2025 by admin

McGann hat-trick helps irresistible Ireland serve up Parma hammering 

Scott Bemand’s team turn on the attacking style in an ultra-impressive display to grab first win of Six Nations campaign
DAIRE WALSH

Women’s Six Nations: Italy 12 Ireland 54

Anna McGann grabbed a hat-trick of tries at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma on Sunday afternoon as Ireland got off the mark in the Women’s Six Nations Championship with a superb bonus-point triumph over Italy.

Seeking a response to their 27-15 opening-round defeat to France in Belfast eight days earlier, Ireland received an immediate boost inside the opening 60 seconds of this contest as Italian lock Valeria Fedrighi was sin-binned for making contact with returning skipper Edel McMahon.

A bunker review determined her challenge on the Clare native wasn’t dangerous enough to be upgraded to a red card, but Ireland nevertheless took control during her brief absence from the action.

Having found themselves within inches of the whitewash from a line-out maul, the ball was moved towards the right-flank for outside centre Aoife Dalton to break over for a second-minute try. Dannah O’Brien supplied the extras to this score and she did likewise after Eve Higgins released McGann for her first try in 15s international rugby on eight minutes.

While an Italian side restored to their full compliment opened their account with a five-pointer from Sofia Stefan in the 14th minute, Ireland confidently secured a bonus point by bagging further tries either side of the first-quarter mark.

Higgins passed out wide for Tipperary’s Amee-Leigh Costigan to cross over in clinical fashion with just under 20 minutes on the clock and it was then left for full-back Stacey Flood to become the provider for McGann’s second try off an extended attack.

O’Brien knocked over her fourth successful conversion in the wake of this latest effort and even though Italy piled on attacking pressure during the closing stages of the opening period, Ireland brought a 28-5 cushion into the dressing room at the break.

While the ever-impressive Aoife Wafer had a try ruled out on the resumption due to Niamh O’Dowd being in front of Fiona Tuite as she rose to claim a line-out delivery from Neve Jones, a fifth Irish try inevitably arrived in the 54th minute.

Linda Djougang was Ireland’s most experienced player coming into this tie with 42 international caps and she marked her 43rd international outing with a powerful close-range finish.

O’Brien subsequently maintained her 100% record off the kicking tee, but Ireland were seemingly under the cosh when Djougang was yellow carded for a head-high tackle on Italian fly-half Emma Stevanin.

Yet thanks to their strong reserve options, Ireland continued to prosper in spite of their numerical disadvantage. A strong carry from Brittany Hogan helped them to create attacking momentum inside the final-quarter and her fellow replacement Dorothy Wall was then on hand to drive over the whitewash in ruthless fashion.

Italy finally disrupted their opponents’ flow courtesy of a seven-point salvo from centre Beatrice Rigoni on 67 minutes, but Ireland were determined to have the final say in Parma. After Hogan capitalised on a defensive lapse by the Italians for her side’s seventh try, McGann completed her hat-trick in stoppage-time off another intricate attacking move.

Scorers for Italy: Tries: S Stefan, B Rigoni Cons: B Rigoni

Scorers for Ireland: Tries: A McGann 3, A Dalton, A-L Murphy Crowe, L Djougang, D Wall, B Hogan Cons: D O’Brien 7

ITALY: F Granzotto; A Muzzo (B Capomaggi 21-30), M Sillari (S Mannini 60), B Rigoni, A D’Inca (B Capomaggi 64); E Stevanin, S Stefan (A Bitonci 60); A Turani (V Zanette 59), V Vecchini (L Gurioli 59), G Maris (S Seye 43); V Fedrighi (A Ranuccini 63), G Duca; S Tounesi, F Sgorbini (B Veronese 56), E Giordano.

IRELAND: S Flood; A McGann, A Dalton, E Higgins (E Breen 59), A-L Corrigan; D O’Brien, A Reilly (E Lane 59); N O’Dowd (S McCarthy 59), N Jones (C Moloney 64), L Djougang (C Haney 67); R Campbell (G Moore 59), F Tuite (D Wall 51); E McMahon (C Haney 59-67), E King, A Wafer (B Hogan 51).

Referee: E Goldsmith (Australia).

Posted in International Rugby, Women's Rugby | Comments Off on Women’s Six Nations Championship: Italy V Ireland – The Irish Examiner (Online) – March 30 2025

The Big Interview: Bronagh Devlin (Antrim/St Ergnat’s Moneyglass) – Media West Ireland – March 29 2025

Posted on March 30, 2025 by admin

Devlin relishing her Saffron return but insists there’s more work to be done

The Antrim captain is savouring a new lease of life as she focuses in on Sunday’s duel with Leitrim in a tantalising Division 4 semi-final
DAIRE WALSH

After previously spending a year away from the inter-county game to focus on being a dual club player, Bronagh Devlin is enjoying a new lease of life as the captain of the Antrim football team in 2025.

When they were coming through the underage ranks in the Saffron County, both Devlin and her twin sister Aine regularly lined out for Antrim in both ladies football and camogie. While a decision was eventually made to concentrate on the big ball code at an elite level, Devlin continued to represent Tír Na NÓg Randalstown in camogie as well as her LGFA club, St Ergnat’s, Moneyglass.

Combining her commitments to both of these sides with the life of an inter-county footballer wasn’t always easy, but Devlin nevertheless jumped at the opportunity to get back involved with Antrim for 2025. Selected by the new joint-management team of Michael Devlin (no relation) and Chris Scullion as the skipper of the side, she has played a huge role in helping the Saffrons to finish at the summit of the Lidl National Football League Division 4 table with seven straight wins.

“I didn’t play last year. I took a step back to focus on playing club. It’s kind of hard to juggle a bit of everything, but I’m more than happy to be back on the panel this year. It was a bit strange last year not playing games in January when you’re starting the league. It’s nice to get back out this year and be playing that time of year,” Devlin acknowledged. But she said she was surprised to be named captain.

“I won’t lie, it was a massive shock to me whenever it was announced. There are a few new girls in the panel this year, but there are other ones there that I have played with for years.

“We all kind of know each other and stuff like that. It’s no different than just being a player on the panel. Everybody is a different leader in their own way on the team. It’s much the same as everybody else with us this year.”

 When Devlin first joined the Antrim senior panel as a teenager back in 2016, she counted Emma Kelly as one of her team-mates. The St Paul’s stalwart took over as Saffrons boss five years later and went on to enjoy a successful stint at the helm of the side.

In addition to guiding Antrim to Ulster titles in the intermediate and junior grades, Kelly was also in charge for their triumph in the 2022 edition of the TG4 All-Ireland junior football championship before steering the ship for a successful journey through Division 4 of the Lidl NFL a year later.

She ultimately stepped down last August following a difficult season that saw the Saffrons suffering relegation from both the All-Ireland intermediate championship and NFL Division 3. The aforementioned duo of Michael Devlin and Chris Scullion were ultimately drafted in as her replacement two months later and Bronagh has been impressed with the way they have built on the foundations that were laid by Kelly during her four-year tenure.

“They have a great CV behind them and they definitely have made us their whole life this year. It’s all they ever talk about and all they ever want to do. They definitely took it in their stride and they’re doing very, very well. The passion is hanging out of them!

“They’re managing us very well and keeping up with us. There’s a few times they’re ready to not listen to us, but they’re definitely doing great this year. Along with all the background staff that they’ve brought in.”

Although their win over Derry in Owenbeg on March 9 saw them finishing three points clear of Fermanagh at the top of the fourth-tier table, there is still some work to be done by Devlin and her Antrim colleagues in their bid to secure an automatic return to Division 3 for 2026.

Tomorrow afternoon sees the Saffrons travelling to O’Raghallaigh Park in Kingscourt, Co. Cavan to face last year’s TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football champions Leitrim in a tantalising Division 4 semi-final.

The winners of this game – which will be the second meeting of the two sides in this year’s league – are guaranteed to secure promotion out of the division along with the victors of the second semi-final between Fermanagh and Sligo.

“With this weekend especially, if you win you’re guaranteed promotion. Which obviously makes this game probably that tiny bit more like a mental game. I think we’ll just treat it as every other game, you take it as it comes.

“We’re looking forward to it and I think we’ll just do what we have been doing this year. There is no point in changing anything now if it has been working for us.” Whereas Bronagh finds herself in a familiar attacking position this year – she lined out at right corner-forward when Antrim won the TG4 All-Ireland junior football championship three years ago in a final replay against Fermanagh – her sister Aine has taken on a new role for the Saffrons this year.

Previously deployed as an outfield player at all levels of football, last year saw Aine Devlin being used as a goalkeeper by her club St Ergnat’s, Moneyglass. She has also been selected between the sticks for Antrim thus far in 2025 and although it is a dramatic change for her twin sibling, Bronagh believes Aine has the necessary attributes to become a top class inter-county netminder.

“She is taking it in her stride, to be honest. It was a bit of a shock to everybody how good she is at it. Her ability at reading the game is next to none. She can pick out a kick pass from a kick out to anybody. It’s definitely a bit of a game changer with her there. I’m happy to see it,” Devlin added.

“She was naturally an outfielder until last year, but she was struggling with a bit of an injury last year. She’s the kind of player you need on the pitch no matter what. I think it was the best thing to happen to our team and for her even, confidence wise and all too. She’s doing very, very well.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Bronagh Devlin (Antrim/St Ergnat’s Moneyglass) – Media West Ireland – March 29 2025

Leinster Build-Up To Sharks Away In United Rugby Championship: Will Connors – The42.ie – March 28 2025

Posted on March 28, 2025 by admin

‘I just hope we can finish off strong for him – and bring home two trophies’

Arrival of Cian Healy a ‘huge lift’ for Leinster squad in South Africa, says Will Connors.

AS THEY LOOK to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, Will Connors has said the arrival of Cian Healy in South Africa earlier this week served as a ‘huge lift’ for the Leinster squad.

While the vast majority of the province’s Irish contingent from the Six Nations are back in their UCD base focusing on an upcoming Champions Cup Round of 16 bout against Harlequins in Croke Park on 5 April, Healy is currently in the southern hemisphere to aid their preparations for a United Rugby Championship encounter with the Sharks in Durban tomorrow.

The record Leinster and Ireland caps holder has played for both sides in South Africa within the past 12 months and the Clontarf native (who is set to retire from professional rugby at the end of the current campaign) is expected to feature at some point for a Blues side that are seeking an immediate response to their last-gasp reversal against the Bulls in Pretoria last weekend.

“I was only sitting there today watching him lace up his boots and I was just thinking, ‘How many times has he done that?’ It is an incredible testament to him as a player and I’m delighted that the IRFU got to send him off with making the announcement and everything like that,” Connors remarked in a media call from Durban on Monday.

“I just hope now with Leinster that we can finish off strong for him. If we could bring home two trophies, I think that would be hugely deserving for a player of the kind of standard that he is. Not even just his style of play and what he has done on the pitch, but the style of man he is. How he leads and just his general craic around the place.

“For him to come into a group like this, even among young lads. It’s not like he’s an old man that doesn’t associate himself with young lads. He’s there having the craic with the lads like Fintan Gunne. That’s just the kind of lad he is. To bring him over here now for this week is a huge lift for us.”

Having featured in some big games for Leinster towards the business end of last season – he received the nod to start over Josh van der Flier for last May’s Champions Cup final defeat to Toulouse in London – Connors is looking to use Leinster’s current mini tour of South Africa as an opportunity to keep himself in the frame for the knockout phases of the URC and Europe’s top-tier.

His player of the match display in a 21-20 loss to the Bulls last Saturday will certainly have boosted his prospects for future selection, but the openside flanker recognises he needs to perform on a consistent basis if he is to become a permanent fixture in the Leinster back-row over the next few weeks.

“I was happy with my game and I think it’s just something I want to grow on again this week. If I get another chance this weekend to just keep building on that kind of performance. Doing a one-off game well is not as effective as being able to do it consistently on the bounce. That is what I’m going to try and follow up with.”

Although head coach Leo Cullen is still with the squad of players that are over in South Africa, senior coach Jacques Nienaber and attack specialist Tyler Bleyendaal have returned to Ireland and oversaw training with a separate group on Tuesday.

In their absences, the likes of Aaron Dundon and Kieran Hallett – who are employed by the province as elite player development officers – have been lending a hand to Cullen in the build-up to their meeting with the Sharks.

Whereas former Leinster hooker Dundon previously served as an assistant coach for Ulster and the Ireland U20s, Hallett was part of the Ireland senior women’s coaching set-up in the past and more recently had a stint in Super Rugby with Melbourne Rebels.

Hallett also spent time with the Leinster squad during their visit to South Africa in April of last year for regular season URC bouts against the Lions and the Stormers, and Connors is pleased to have gotten a chance to work with him and Dundon over in the southern hemisphere.

“I think we’re very fortunate to have the calibre of coaches like that available to us. The two of them, they’ve coached abroad [Dundon had spells in France with Grenoble and La Rochelle]. They’ve had a huge amount of experience in the coaching world.

“For them to take up a bigger role this week, we’re very familiar with their coaching style and their messaging. They’re two great coaches and they’re leading the week really well this week. Delighted to have them on board,” Connors added.

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Sharks Away In United Rugby Championship: Will Connors – The42.ie – March 28 2025

Leinster Build-Up To Sharks Away In United Rugby Championship: Will Connors – The Irish Examiner – March 28 2025

Posted on March 28, 2025 by admin

‘Huge lift’ for Leinster with Healy’s arrival in South Africa

“I just hope now with Leinster that we can finish off strong for him. If we could bring home two trophies, I think that would be hugely deserving for a player of the kind of standard that he is.”
DAIRE WALSH

As they look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, Will Connors has said the arrival of Cian Healy in South Africa earlier this week served as a ‘huge lift’ for the Leinster squad.

While the vast majority of the province’s Irish contingent from the Six Nations are back in their UCD base focusing on an upcoming Champions Cup Round of 16 bout against Harlequins in Croke Park on April 5. Healy is currently in the southern hemisphere to aid their preparations for a United Rugby Championship encounter with the Sharks in Durban tomorrow.

The record Leinster and Ireland caps holder has played for both sides in South Africa within the past 12 months and the Clontarf native (who is set to retire from professional rugby at the end of the current campaign) is expected to feature at some point for a Blues side that are seeking an immediate response to their last-gasp reversal against the Bulls in Pretoria last weekend.

“I was only sitting there today watching him lace up his boots and I was just thinking ‘how many times has he done that?’ It is an incredible testament to him as a player and I’m delighted that the IRFU got to send him off with making the announcement and everything like that,” Connors remarked in a media call on Monday.

“I just hope now with Leinster that we can finish off strong for him. If we could bring home two trophies, I think that would be hugely deserving for a player of the kind of standard that he is.

“Not even just his style of play and what he has done on the pitch, but the style of man he is. He has always been a bubbly character, fits into any group. To bring him over here now for this week is a huge lift for us.”

Having featured in some big games for Leinster towards the business end of last season – he received the nod to start over Josh van der Flier for last May’s Champions Cup final defeat to Toulouse in London – Connors is looking to use Leinster’s current mini tour of South Africa as an opportunity to keep himself in the frame for the knockout phases of the URC and Europe’s top-tier.

His player of the match display in a 21-20 loss to the Bulls last Saturday will certainly have boosted his prospects for future selection, but the openside flanker recognises he needs to perform on a consistent basis if he is to become a permanent fixture in the Leinster back-row over the next few weeks.

“I was happy with my game and I think it’s just something I want to grow on again this week. If I get another chance this weekend to just keep building on that kind of performance. Doing a one-off game well is not as effective as being able to do it consistently on the bounce. That is what I’m going to try and follow up with,” Connors added.

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Sharks Away In United Rugby Championship: Will Connors – The Irish Examiner – March 28 2025

AYA Brand Ambassador Extension: Robbie Henshaw – The Irish Examiner – March 27 2025

Posted on March 27, 2025 by admin

Henshaw ‘head down’ to make Lions impression

Robbie Henshaw has clear aspirations of making the cut for Farrell’s squad – he started all three Tests against South Africa four years ago.
DAIRE WALSH

Robbie Henshaw has offered his backing to the Ireland heavy coaching team that is set to steer the British & Irish Lions ship for their tour of Australia later on this summer.

Following intense speculation in recent weeks, it was officially revealed yesterday that Andy Farrell will be joined in the Lions camp by his Irish assistant coaches Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty. While England’s Richard Wigglesworth and John Dalziel of Scotland are part of the coaching ticket, Vinny Hammond (head of analysis) and Aled Walters (head of athletic performance) are also on board from the wider Irish backroom set-up.

Henshaw has clear aspirations of making the cut for Farrell’s squad – he started all three Tests against South Africa four years ago – but recognises this will only be possible if he is in good form for Leinster in the United Rugby Championship and the European Champions Cup.

“I think the coaches he has picked will do a great job. They’re great personalities, they’re great people and they’re great coaches. The challenge for the Lions is bringing everyone together quickly and bringing a good environment together. The guys he has picked, from what I know of them, they’ll do a great job,” Henshaw remarked.

“It’s just head down, try and stay performing for Leinster. Put in some good shifts there. I know there will be games that the coaches will be looking at. There’ll be good head to heads, good teams playing in big games. There’ll still be coaches watching. For me, just stay fit, stay healthy and keep playing. Keep trying to play good rugby from now until the end [of the season].”

Henshaw was speaking at The Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin, where it was announced he has extended a three-year brand ambassador partnership with AYA – a leading name in the health and wellness supplement space.

A day earlier, he had been part of a Leinster training session that was overseen by senior coach Jacques Nienaber and attack specialist Tyler Bleyendaal while head coach Leo Cullen remained in South Africa for the province’s URC showdown with the Sharks in Durban this Saturday.

Whereas the group in the southern hemisphere have their sights set on bouncing back from a last-gasp defeat to the Bulls last weekend, Henshaw and his fellow home-based crew (which includes those who featured prominently for Ireland in the Six Nations) are focusing on a European Champions Cup Round of 16 duel with Harlequins in Croke Park on Saturday week.

Having lined out at the venue in a Champions Cup semi-final win over Northampton Saints a little under 12 months ago – he missed out on the interprovincial triumph against Munster last October – Henshaw is excited by the prospect of a return to GAA HQ.

“Playing there last year was one of the highlights of the season for me. I had never played there before. To hopefully play there again next week, it will be special again. Growing up I watched Westmeath play Gaelic football there and I’ve been to some great days. To be able to play in such an historic ground and stadium is special.”

Even though it has been more than two months since he featured in a competitive outing for Leinster – a Champions Cup pool stage game against Bath on January 18 – Henshaw was a regular fixture for Ireland in this year’s Six Nations.

After coming off the bench in an opening round victory over England, the 31-year-old centre started the remaining four rounds of the Championship.

Despite finishing the campaign with a third Triple Crown in four seasons, Ireland had to be content with third place in the final Six Nations standings – thanks in no small part to a 42-27 defeat to France in the Aviva Stadium on March 8.

“It was definitely a disappointing finish for us. Not what we set out to do in terms of obviously we wanted to win it,” Henshaw said of their Six Nations campaign for 2025.

“A bit of inaccuracy in our play and not being clinical enough in some of our plays kind of cost us in the end. Loads to work on in terms of how to get better and how to right the wrongs in the performance.”

Posted in European Rugby, International Rugby | Comments Off on AYA Brand Ambassador Extension: Robbie Henshaw – The Irish Examiner – March 27 2025

Updated National Football League Odds Piece: Gambling.com – March 25 2025

Posted on March 25, 2025 by admin

GAA Betting: Kerry Favourites For National League Glory

By Daire Walsh

The regular phase of the competition is at an end, and with the identity of the finalists now known, the best betting sites have been forced to rethink their odds for the National Football League.

Heading into the seventh and final round of the NFL, pace-setters Galway were seen as the frontrunners for the 2025 title.

A draw or a narrow defeat might have secured them a spot in this weekend’s Division One decider, but the Tribesmen ultimately came up short against Kerry in Pearse Stadium on Sunday.

Dramatic Final Round

Despite Rob Finnerty and Matthew Tierney bagging goals in either half, three-pointers from Gavin White, Dylan Geaney and Damien Bourke propelled Kerry to a 3-24 to 2-19 victory.

Throughout their meeting with Donegal at MacHale Park in Castlebar, the live table saw Mayo move regularly between first and seventh place in the top-tier table.

This meant there was an equal chance they would reach the league final or be relegated to Division Two for 2026.

In the end, the scoring hauls of Ryan O’Donoghue (0-6), Jack Carney (1-3) and Matthew Ruane (0-3) helped them to record a 1-18 to 1-16 win on their home patch.

At Healy Park in Omagh on Sunday, there was a strong possibility that a positive result for Dublin against Tyrone would book them into a Division One showpiece for the second year in succession.

Their opponents badly needed a win to give themselves a shot at retaining their top-flight status.

Still, even though goals from Darragh Canavan and Michael McKernan paved the way for a 2-20 to 1-16 victory, the Red Hand suffered relegation to Division Two.

At the Athletic Grounds, current All-Ireland champions Armagh were looking to remain in Division One for another year when they met the already-relegated Derry in an all-Ulster clash.

Thanks to a plethora of second-half goals – including efforts from Barry McCambridge and Conor Turbitt – Kieran McGeeney’s men did just that by cruising to a 4-24 to 1-18 triumph.

Kerry And Mayo Book Final Spots

All the above means that, while 2024 winners Derry were joined by Tyrone in dropping down to next year’s Division Two, Kerry and Mayo are left to duke it out for the right to be crowned the new NFL champions.

They previously met in the 2019 and 2022 league deciders, and with one win each across those two finals, there is a certain level of intrigue surrounding their duel in Croke Park this Sunday.

Given how close the start of the championship is to the NFL showpieces in Divisions One, Two, Three and Four, there has been a question mark over how much desire some counties had to reach this stage of the competition.

Yet, now that Kerry and Mayo have advanced this far, you can expect they will both want to get one over on the other in this weekend’s game.

Suffice to say that just a couple of weeks ago, betting apps thought it unlikely that these two teams would be the last ones standing.

Division One Finalists Previously Seen As Rank Outsiders

After three defeats in their opening five league games, the Kingdom were an astonishing 50/1 with some GAA betting sites to win this year’s NFL top-tier.

While a good run of form did see their odds shorten coming into last weekend, back-to-back reversals to Dublin and Galway at the beginning of their campaign also saw Mayo being rated as 50/1 long shots to win a second football league title in just three years.

However, that has all changed, and the incredibly tight nature of Division One has made this all possible.

Just two points separated a table-topping Mayo and a second-from-bottom Tyrone in the final top-tier standings, with the latter becoming the first county under the current format to be relegated to Division Two after accumulating seven points.

Kerry’s eight-point victory over Galway was vital to their finishing ahead of them, Donegal and Dublin on score difference.

This is despite them losing out to the latter duo in the group stages.

Kerry Favourites For The Final

Now that they have reached the final, Kerry are viewed as the favourites for NFL glory, which would see them extend their current record haul of 23 titles in the competition.

Since the most recent adjustments to the new playing rules for Gaelic football were made, the Kingdom have been playing with an attacking freedom that has seen them rack up big tallies against both Armagh and Galway.

This bodes well for the months to come, and with Jack O’Connor having won league crowns in the four years that he has guided his native county to an All-Ireland title, he might see an NFL success as a positive omen.

A few days out from their league final clash with Mayo, Kerry are rated at 3/10 with William Hill to pick up silverware in GAA HQ this weekend.

Although Mayo’s most recent championship campaigns have been somewhat mixed, they have remained extremely competitive in the National Football League.

Having won the competition as recently as 2019 and 2023, they will believe that another Division One crown is within their grasp on Sunday.

They look like a much better side now that some of their top performers are back in harness, and a round five victory at home to Kerry at the start of March will also give them confidence ahead of a trip to Croke Park.

Nevertheless, with the Kingdom available at almost unbackable odds, it comes as little surprise that Kevin McStay’s charges are 5/2 with BoyleSports.

However, when you consider that the Connacht outfit have defied the odds by making it to a league final, it would be foolish to completely dismiss their chances of success.

McStay has already guided them to a league title during his tenure, so he will be eager to add a second crown to his list of achievements.

Posted in Gaelic Football, Gaelic Games | Comments Off on Updated National Football League Odds Piece: Gambling.com – March 25 2025

Updated National Hurling League Odds Piece: Gambling.com – March 25 2025

Posted on March 25, 2025 by admin

GAA Betting: Cork Tipped To Land National Hurling League Title

By Daire Walsh

The Division 1A Hurling League final will see the two most consistent teams of 2025 face off in an intriguing battle, and betting sites have odds on who will win the decider.

Guaranteed a place in the Division 1A final after claiming four wins from their opening five games of the season, Tipperary faced 2024 winners Clare at Semple Stadium in Thurles last Saturday.

Their opponents were already resigned to relegation from the top flight, and despite Mark Rodgers and Tony Kelly picking off some nice scores over the course of the contest, a nine-point haul from Jason Forde helped Tipp claim a 0-22 to 1-18 victory.

It was also known that Wexford would join Clare in Division 1B for 2026, and Saturday evening saw the Slaneysiders face a Limerick team who were neither in contention for a league final place nor relegation.

It was difficult to know how much you could read into the game, but Kevin Foley’s tally of 1-2 ensured Wexford’s morale-boosting 1-19 to 1-12 triumph.

Cork And Tipp Will Meet In The Final

Undoubtedly, last Saturday’s most intriguing game on paper was the clash between Cork and Galway at Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

This was a de facto league semi-final, with the winner of the game assured a spot in the Division 1A showpiece alongside Tipperary.

It was pretty even during the early stages of the action, but after Brian Hayes and Darragh Fitzgibbon rattled the opposition net, Cork found themselves in the driving seat.

Cathal Mannion did his best to lead a potential Galway revival, only for their opponents to add further three-pointers through Tim O’Mahony and Patrick Horgan – propelling them to a 4-22 to 0-22 success.

Although the game had a winner-takes-all element, Cork were comprehensive victors in the end. There were some speed bumps along the way, but both themselves and Tipperary have been the best sides in this year’s Division 1A.

While their ambitions for 2025 extend beyond the NHL, both sides will have an opportunity to end a barren spell when they meet in a league final on April 6.

Winners Will Bridge Considerable Gap

You have to go back to 1998 for the last time Cork won a top-tier hurling league title. Current manager Pat Ryan was playing then, and he scored a brace of points when the Rebels beat provincial rivals Waterford 27 years ago.

There isn’t as long a gap between their last league success, but Tipperary’s most recent NHL triumph was in 2008, at the expense of Galway.

Even though both counties have claimed three All-Ireland senior hurling championship titles apiece since their last league successes, there is still something for either of them to gain from victory in the upcoming final.

It is two decades since Cork last won a national title – namely, the All-Ireland SHC final of 2005.

It might be only six years since Tipperary got their hands on the Liam MacCarthy Cup, but following a difficult period of form in recent times, Liam Cahill’s charges will be looking for a confidence boost ahead of a crucial Munster senior hurling championship.

Cahill guided Waterford to a league title in 2022 and may believe that his current squad can replicate this feat.

They are 3/1 with betting apps to get the better of their Munster rivals in the final.

Cork Favourites For Hurling League Glory

Once Limerick were officially out of the running for a league title – thanks to a defeat to Kilkenny in a rearranged fixture last Saturday week – Cork were installed as the new favourites with GAA betting sites for the NHL.

Considering how ruthless they were in overcoming the challenge of Galway, it comes as little surprise that they remain the frontrunners for a league title at the beginning of next month.

At the time of writing, BoyleSports are offering odds of 2/7 on Cork claiming the 15th NHL crown of their long and varied history in the sport.

Last weekend’s game against Galway was notable for ace attacker Patrick Horgan, who became the National Hurling League’s all-time top scorer.

An All-Ireland senior title continues to elude the Glen Rovers star, but he will have another shot at a piece of national silverware on Sunday week.

Tipperary Underdogs Despite Earlier Win Over Rivals

Tipperary will be a tough nut to crack, however, and in prodigious youngster Darragh McCarthy, they have the main marksman in this year’s league.

He amassed 10 points (evenly spread between frees and open play) when his team defeated Cork in round four of the league in Thurles on February 22.

This will leave them with a spring in their step ahead of their latest battle with Cork, but they are the underdogs for a 2025 league title.

BoyleSports are also offering odds of 12/1 on the game ending in a draw.

When you recall some of the battles these two counties have had over the years, this scenario could play itself out.

Posted in Gaelic Games, Hurling | Comments Off on Updated National Hurling League Odds Piece: Gambling.com – March 25 2025