Sigerson Cup Round One: MTU Cork V ATU Donegal – The Irish Examiner – January 11 2025

Posted on January 10, 2025 by admin

First-half burst carries MTU Cork past ATU Donegal

Gabriel Rangers ace Keith O’Driscoll helped himself to a 1-1 salvo as the Leeside college laid down a marker for this year’s competition.
DAIRE WALSH, ABBOTSTOWN

Sigerson Cup: MTU Cork 1-10 ATU Donegal 0-6  

A powerful first-half performance provided the catalyst at the National Games Development Centre in Abbotstown last night as MTU Cork kick-started their Sigerson Cup campaign with an accomplished victory over ATU Donegal.

In addition to Edward Myers and Alan Dunwoody amassing a combined haul of 0-7, Gabriel Rangers ace Keith O’Driscoll helped himself to a 1-1 salvo as the Leeside college laid down a marker for this year’s competition.

After an initially tentative start to the contest, MTU Cork eventually broke the deadlock when centre-forward Myers knocked over a 30-metre free on the stroke of 10 minutes. Playing with the aid of a strong breeze, MTU largely dominated the proceedings in the opening period and established a three-point advantage just past the first-quarter mark courtesy of unanswered points by Connor O’Neill and the industrious Dunwoody.

O’Driscoll also raised a white flag as the action progressed and the lively MTU corner-forward went on to secure the only goal of the game by palming a sweeping move to an empty net in the 21st minute.

While the Donegal side did have a number of scoring chances – both from open play and frees – they were struggling to find their target shooting into the elements.

Although their Cork counterparts also had some wayward efforts, central attackers Myers and Dunwoody added to their personal tallies to ensure MTU brought a commanding 1-6 to 0-0 cushion into the interval.

Despite facing a sizable deficit, the fact that ATU had the wind to their advantage on the resumption offered them hope of forging a dramatic fightback.

After substitute Luke McGlynn finally opened their account with a successful ‘45’ on 34 minutes, wing-forwards Reid Kelly and Daniel Marley contributed quickfire scores to give Maxi Curran’s outfit momentum for the very first time in the action.

MTU Cork didn’t panic, however, and they convincingly reinforced their authority when a Myers free was followed by an excellent point from close-range by their own impact player – Conor O’Hanlon.

Inside the final-quarter in Abbotstown, midfielders Neil Francis Boyle and Oisin Caulfield kicked impressive points either side of a similar score from Fionnan Coyle as ATU – whose Sigerson journey for 2025 isn’t at an end just yet – continued to battle in admirable fashion.

Yet MTU Cork maintained a firm stranglehold on the play and with the dependable duo of Myers and Dunwoody continuing to lead the way, they eased towards a seven-point triumph in the end.

Scorers for MTU Cork: K O’Driscoll 1-1, E Myers 0-4 (2f), A Dunwoody 0-3, C O’Neill, C Hanlon 0-1.

Scorers for ATU Donegal: L McGlynn 0-1 (‘45’), R Kelly, D Marley, NF Boyle, O Caulfield, F Coyle 0-1 each.

MTU Cork: S Kingston; C O’Donoghue, B Thompson, K Murphy; J O’Driscoll, C Deely, S Copps; S Browne, H Murphy; D O’Brien, E Myers, B Comerford; K O’Driscoll, A Dunwoody, C O’Neill.

Subs: C Hanlon for O’Brien (42), P Healy for Copps (47), A Myler for Deely, S Andrews for O’Donoghue (both 55), D Roche for Comerford (57).

ATU Donegal: D McGowan; C Bennett, J Kelly, C Brady; S Breen, C Gallagher, A Reel; NF Boyle, O Caulfield; D Marley, K McGettigan, R Kelly; D Gallagher, J Gallagher, K Feely.

Subs: F Coyle for McGettigan, O O’Connor for Brady, L McGlynn for Feely (all h-t), K Cooper for Marley (51), J Maguire for Kelly (58).

Referee: I Howley (Dublin).

Posted in Colleges GAA | Comments Off on Sigerson Cup Round One: MTU Cork V ATU Donegal – The Irish Examiner – January 11 2025

Sigerson Cup Round One: MTU Cork V ATU Donegal – Independent.ie – January 10 2025

Posted on January 10, 2025 by admin

MTU Cork 1-10

ATU Donegal 0-6

A powerful first-half performance provided the catalyst at the National Games Development Centre in Abbotstown as MTU Cork kick-started their Sigerson Cup campaign with an opening round victory over ATU Donegal.

After an initially tentative start to the contest, MTU Cork eventually broke the deadlock when centre-forward Edward Myers knocked over a 30-metre free on the stroke of 10 minutes. Playing with the aid of a strong breeze, the Leesiders subsequently opened up a three-point advantage courtesy of unanswered points by Connor O’Neill and Alan Dunwoody.

Keith O’Driscoll also raised a white flag, before the lively MTU corner-forward went on to secure the only goal of the game by palming a sweeping move to the net in the 21st minute.

Following this score, Myers and Dunwoody also added to their tallies to ensure MTU Cork brought a commanding 1-6 to 0-0 cushion into the interval.

Despite facing this sizable deficit, ATU eventually found some momentum on the resumption with substitute Luke McGlynn, Reid Kelly and Daniel Marley all splitting the uprights in quick succession.

MTU Cork didn’t panic, however, and they convincingly reinforced their authority when a Myers free was followed by an excellent point from close-range by their own impact player – Conor Hanlon.

Midfielders Neil Francis Boyle and Oisin Caulfield did kick impressive points for ATU either side of a similar score from Fionnan Coyle inside the final-quarter, but with the dependable duo of Myers and Dunwoody continuing to lead the way, MTU Cork eased towards a seven-point triumph in the end.

Scorers – MTU Cork: K O’Driscoll 1-1, E Myers 0-4 (2f), A Dunwoody 0-3, C O’Neill, C Hanlon 0-1.

ATU Donegal: L McGlynn 0-1 (‘45’), R Kelly, D Marley, NF Boyle, O Caulfield, F Coyle 0-1 each.

MTU Cork: S Kingston; C O’Donoghue, B Thompson, K Murphy; J O’Driscoll, C Deely, S Copps; S Browne, H Murphy; D O’Brien, E Myers, B Comerford; K O’Driscoll, A Dunwoody, C O’Neill. Subs: C Hanlon for O’Brien (42), P Healy for Copps (47), A Myler for Deely, S Andrews for O’Donoghue (both 55), D Roche for Comerford (57).

ATU Donegal: D McGowan; C Bennett, J Kelly, C Brady; S Breen, C Gallagher, A Reel; NF Boyle, O Caulfield; D Marley, K McGettigan, R Kelly; D Gallagher, J Gallagher, K Feely. Subs: F Coyle for McGettigan, O O’Connor for Brady, L McGlynn for Feely (all h-t), K Cooper for Marley (51), J Maguire for Kelly (58).

Referee: I Howley (Dublin).

Posted in Colleges GAA | Comments Off on Sigerson Cup Round One: MTU Cork V ATU Donegal – Independent.ie – January 10 2025

Sigerson Cup Round One: MTU Cork V ATU Donegal – Donegal Live – January 10 2025

Posted on January 10, 2025 by admin

MTU Cork secure dominant victory over ATU Donegal in Sigerson Cup opener

A commanding first-half performance and a crucial O’Driscoll goal guide MTU Cork to a seven-point win, despite a spirited second-half effort from ATU Donegal

By Daire Walsh

MTU Cork 1-10
ATU Donegal 0-6

There was disappointment for ATU Donegal at the National Games Development Centre in Abbotstown on Friday night as the Letterkenny-based side fell to a seven-point defeat against MTU Cork in the opening round of the Sigerson Cup.

After an initially tentative start to the contest, MTU Cork eventually broke the deadlock when centre-forward Edward Myers knocked over a 30-metre free on the stroke of 10 minutes.

Playing with the aid of a strong breeze, MTU largely dominated the proceedings in the opening period and established a three-point advantage just past the first-quarter mark courtesy of unanswered points by Connor O’Neill and the industrious Alan Dunwoody.

Keith O’Driscoll also raised a white flag as the action progressed and the lively MTU corner-forward went on to secure the only goal of the game by palming a sweeping move to an empty net in the 21st minute.

Whereas the Donegal men were struggling to find the target shooting into the elements, central attackers Myers and Dunwoody added to their personal tallies to ensure MTU brought a commanding 1-6 to 0-0 cushion into the interval.

Despite facing a sizable deficit, the fact that ATU had the wind to their advantage on the resumption offered them hope of forging a dramatic fightback.

After substitute Luke McGlynn finally opened their account with a successful ‘45’ on 34 minutes, wing-forwards Reid Kelly and Daniel Marley contributed quickfire scores to give Maxi Curran’s outfit momentum for the very first time in the action.

MTU Cork didn’t panic, however, and they convincingly reinforced their authority when a Myers free was followed by an excellent point from close-range by their own impact player – Conor Hanlon.

Inside the final quarter in Abbotstown, midfielders Neil Francis Boyle and Oisin Caulfield kicked impressive points either side of a similar score from Fionnan Coyle as ATU – whose Sigerson journey for 2025 isn’t at an end just yet – continued to battle in admirable fashion.

Yet MTU Cork maintained a firm stranglehold on the play and with the dependable duo of Myers and Dunwoody continuing to lead the way, they eased towards a seven-point triumph in the end.

Scorers for MTU Cork: Keith O’Driscoll 1-1; Edward Myers 0-4, 2fs; Alan Dunwoody 0-3; Connor O’Neill and Conor Hanlon 0-1 each.

Scorers for ATU Donegal: Luke McGlynn 1‘45’, Reid Kelly, Daniel Marley, Neil Francis Boyle, Oisin Caulfield, and Fionnann Coyle 0-1 each.

MTU Cork: Shane Kingston; Cian O’Donoghue, Brian Thompson, Kane Murphy; Jamie O’Driscoll, Cathal Deely, Sam Copps; Sean Browne, Hugh Murphy; Darragh O’Brien, Edward Myers, Ben Comerford; Keith O’Driscoll, Alan Dunwoody, Connor O’Neill. Subs: ConorHanlon for O’Brien (42), Podge Healy for Copps (47), Adam Myler for Deely, Sean Andrews for O’Donoghue (both 55), Dylan Roche for Comerford (57).

ATU Donegal: Damien McGowan; Charlie Bennett, Jake Kelly, Cormac Brady; Sean Breen, Cormac Gallagher, Aaron Reel; Neil Francis Boyle, Oisin Caulfield; Daniel Marley, Kevin McGettigan, Reid Kelly; Daire Gallagher, Jack Gallagher, Keith Feely. Subs: Fionnan Coyle for McGettigan, Odhran O’Connor for Brady, Luke McGlynn for Feely (all h-t), Kian Cooper for Marley (51), James Maguire for Kelly (58).

Referee: Ian Howley (Dublin).

Posted in Colleges GAA | Comments Off on Sigerson Cup Round One: MTU Cork V ATU Donegal – Donegal Live – January 10 2025

The Big Interview: Michelle Guckian (Leitrim/Kiltubrid) – Media West Ireland – January 4 2025

Posted on January 4, 2025 by admin

‘I never thought I’d play in Croke Park’ – Leitrim captain Michelle Guckian on a memorable year

Daire Walsh

Despite already having the forthcoming inter-county season near the forefront of their minds, last Sunday week saw Michelle Guckian and her Leitrim team-mates being transported back to last August 4 and their date with destiny in Croke Park.

The Leitrim women, 17 years on from winning the competition in the same venue, held off a gallant fightback from Tyrone to win the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate football championship final on a score of 3-11 to 3-10. Such was the quality of the spectacle on show that TG4 opted to include this epic affair in their Cluichí na Bliana series on December 22, 2024.

After completing a training session as part of their preparations for the 2025 edition of the Lidl National Football League, the Leitrim panel sat down to relive a day that will be etched in their memories for years to come.

“We were actually together there after training and we saw the game coming on. Everyone still remembers it and just to see things that you don’t see yourself on the day.

“You can see the crowds and the excitement that was there for everyone, it was a brilliant game to watch back,” Guckian said.

“Just to see everything happening after you knew the result, but it was just unbelievable. We let it come down to the wire at the end, but it made that final buzzer just an unbelievable memory for us.

“It was such a great experience. Never had I ever thought that I’d be playing in Croke Park. I’m 31 now and I thought my chances of playing in Croke Park had probably gone. Winning the Mary Quinn Cup after 17 years and standing up there with all the girls, I think that definitely will be a memory that will live on for the rest of all our lives.”

​Although veteran duo Charlene Tyrrell and Clare Owens made their adult inter-county debuts in 2003 and 2006 respectively, Guckian is nevertheless one of the most experienced playing members in the current Leitrim set-up.

A part of the Leitrim panel since 2009, she initially made her breakthrough onto the starting line-up as a goalkeeper before subsequently being used as an outfield player.

It is from midfield that Guckian captained the team for last year’s successful championship campaign and suffice to say, climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand in GAA HQ to lift the All-Ireland intermediate title was a dream come true for the Moyne Community School teacher. To top things off, the Kiltubrid ace was also a popular choice for the TG4 Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year award for 2024.

“It was a great year and it was topped off with winning the Intermediate Players’ Player of the Year. I have to say, the fourth of August in Croke Park was definitely the pinnacle of the year.

“It has been a long, long time coming and as I said, I never thought that I’d get the opportunity to play in Croke Park. It would have definitely been a dream of mine to do it, but to be captain up there and to lift the cup on behalf of Leitrim definitely has been unbelievable. It definitely was worth the last, whatever, 15 years. It was worth it.”

When Leitrim last competed in a TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship game, Tyrone also provided the opposition in a first-round encounter held in Blacklion on August 1, 2010. Guckian appeared as a 34th minute substitute in this fixture, which ended in a 6-22 to 2-9 defeat for her side.

Just under 15 years later, Leitrim will find themselves back in the top-tier of ladies football when the race for the Brendan Martin Cup gets underway on June 7 of this year.

Additionally – 12 months on from winning a provincial intermediate crown with an impressive final win over Roscommon – Jonny Garrity’s charges are also set to square off against Galway and Mayo in the TG4 Connacht Senior Football Championship. While it could prove to be a tough transition, Guckian and her Leitrim colleagues are looking forward to locking horns with the very best teams in the country.

“It’s going to be a very tough challenge, playing senior teams this year, but a challenge we’re relishing. We want to be playing the best teams out there.

“We want to be competing with them and putting it up to them as much as we can. It will help us develop as players as well and it’s where we’d love to see Leitrim remaining, in senior level.

“Pushing on to get that little bit better and hopefully we push on in the Connacht championship first. Galway and Mayo, they’re going to be two very tough challenges.

“We want to aim for the Connacht championship first in the summer and then push on into the All-Ireland series after that.”

Before emerging victorious in last year’s Connacht and All-Ireland intermediate championships, Leitrim suffered disappointment in the form of a Lidl NFL Division 4 semi-final reversal to Limerick back in March.

Gaining promotion to Division 3 of the league has been a long-held ambition for the county and their latest quest to move up the NFL ranks begins with a home showdown against 2024 TG4 All-Ireland junior football championship winners Fermanagh on Sunday, January 19.

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Michelle Guckian (Leitrim/Kiltubrid) – Media West Ireland – January 4 2025

The Big Interview: Carol Bateman (Limerick/Mungret St Paul’s/Rosscarbery) – Media West Ireland – December 28 2024

Posted on December 28, 2024 by admin

How blow-ins have moulded the Mungret bond

A native of West Cork, Mungret hero Carol Bateman previously lined out at underage level for Rosscarbery in the Rebel County.
DAIRE WALSH

Several years after first joining forces with Mungret St Paul’s, goalkeeper Carol Bateman was thrilled to achieve All-Ireland success with her ‘home from home’ at Parnell Park last Sunday week.

A native of West Cork, Bateman previously lined out at underage level for Rosscarbery in the Rebel County. She subsequently took a break from ladies’ football, before eventually returning to the sport in the colours of Mungret upon moving to Limerick for work in 2017.

There are many others within their current squad who ended up at the club under similar circumstances, and Bateman believes this has helped the Mungret players to form a unique bond in recent years.

This was evident at Parnell Park a few weeks ago when the Treaty women claimed the AIB All-Ireland JFC club title with a 0-12 to 0-4 final victory over Na Dúnaibh of Donegal.

“I grew up down there [West Cork] and just moved to Limerick for work. I decided that I would just join the local club and that was the best decision I’ve ever made, to be honest. I’ve made friends here for life now at this stage,” Bateman said.

“I know most club teams are girls that have grown up with each other from day dot. Gone to school together, played since U-12. There is a core group of girls in Mungret that are local and they’ve played since they were U-12 together. A unique part of Mungret and I think it still bonds us together, but in a slightly different way, is that there is an awful lot of ‘blow-ins’.

“I think there are five girls on the team from Cork alone. There are three from West Cork and there are two from the northern side of Cork city. There are girls from Kerry, girls from Kildare, Monaghan. There’s a girl from Down, Derry, all over. It definitely bonds us in a different way, but we’re still all one big family and it definitely is home from home for a lot of people now.”

While their Munster and All-Ireland triumphs came in the junior grade, Mungret’s first significant title of 2024 was a level above in the Limerick intermediate championship – a tense 0-10 to 0-9 win at the expense of Knockainey at Cappamore in October, ensuring that John Horgan’s charges came away with the second-tier county title.

Considering their All-Ireland final opponents Na Dúnaibh initially came from the Donegal junior championship before adding a provincial crown to their list of honours, Bateman feels operating at a higher grade throughout 2024 stood to Mungret during their showpiece clash in Parnell Park.

“Even when we were playing league at the start of the year, we actually played Division 1 senior league in Limerick. We would have been coming up against senior teams in Limerick and I think the only team we lost to this year was actually the team that ended up winning the senior championship, St Ailbe’s.

“That hardened us from the start, being able to play higher opponents, higher-level opponents.”

During her childhood, Bateman made a number of trips to Dublin to see a local hero donning the red of Cork with great distinction.

Rosscarbery’s Laura MacMahon was a part of the Rebelettes panel from 2007 to 2012 and left a strong impression on Bateman as she helped her county to win five All-Ireland SFC wins in this period.

The idea of one day togging out at Croke Park is something that appealed to Bateman and last year’s All-Ireland finals day saw this becoming a reality for the biomedical engineer. Having joined the Limerick panel at the beginning of the previous season, she was between the sticks for her adopted county as they faced Down in the All-Ireland JFC decider of 2023.

An Orla Swail goal ultimately propelled their Ulster counterparts towards a 1-7 to 0-8 success, but Bateman nevertheless reflects fondly on playing for the Treaty County in GAA HQ.

“I think it’s only sinking in this year when you look back and you can say that you actually got to walk out in Croke Park with your family and friends all supporting you. I think there was a bus-load of supporters came up from Mungret. They were behind one of the goals that I was standing in, I think in the second half, and I could hear them throughout the game.

“I’ve gone up to a couple of the ladies’ finals and it’s almost like a full-circle moment. Being there as a little supporter, watching your idols on the pitch. Now I walk down into the club and there’s little girls coming up to me and they’re like, ‘oh, I want to be a goalie when I grow up’. It’s amazing. It’s so cool to help inspire the next generation as well.”

Although their latest quest for All-Ireland junior glory ended in a semi-final defeat to eventual champions Fermanagh in July, this year saw Limerick earn promotion to Division 3 of the Lidl NFL for 2025.

This will be their first time competing at this tier of the NFL since 2017 and with five of their seven opponents set to feature at intermediate level, Bateman is convinced being in Division 3 will stand them in good stead come next summer’s championship.

“It’s going to be a huge asset to us as well in the championship, I think. You’re battle-hardened, you’re coming up against hard teams, you have to be ready to go. I think it will stand to us starting the league now,” Bateman added.

“Personally, I’ll be like, ‘we have something to prove’. I’m sure it will stand to us hopefully when it comes to championship as well, when we have played Division 3 league for the start of the season.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Carol Bateman (Limerick/Mungret St Paul’s/Rosscarbery) – Media West Ireland – December 28 2024

Leinster Build-Up To Munster Away In United Rugby Championship: Robin McBryde – The42.ie – December 27 2024

Posted on December 27, 2024 by admin

‘Are we trying to force it a little bit?’ – Leinster target lineout improvement

Assistant coach Robin McBryde says province are seeking consistency in second half of the season.

IT IS AN area of their game that has come under scrutiny in recent weeks and assistant coach Robin McBryde is looking for consistency from the Leinster lineout moving into the second half of the season.

They ultimately emerged from the game with a 15-7 victory, yet Leinster won just nine of their 16 lineouts in a European Champions Cup Pool 2 clash against Clermont at the Aviva Stadium on 14 December. Connacht also caused problems for the eastern province in this department during their URC encounter in the same venue last Saturday.

It is expected their pack will continue to be challenged heading into 2025 with a new law that comes into effect from 1 January determining that lineouts must be formed within 30 seconds of a mark being made.

The province’s senior coach Jacques Nienaber suggested last week that an attempt to prepare themselves for this law change may have contributed to the issues they experienced in the Clermont game and McBryde – who oversees the Leinster lineout – acknowledged he has possibly been trying to force things during recent games.

“For me personally, obviously we’ve had a couple of poor lineout performances recently. That’s down to the opposition, with what they’ve done. I thought Josh Murphy did well for Connacht at the weekend. When he was here, I enjoyed working with Josh. He’s a great lad,” McBryde said at a Leinster media briefing earlier this week.

“Consistency would be the one thing I am looking for. Maybe I am trying to stretch the boys a bit too far, but the boys are great to work with. They need to be stretched, we need to make a few subtle changes here and there. Whether this is the right time to do it, I don’t know. That’s on me.

“I thought Clermont arrived with a good plan. The important thing is when you make a mistake or lose a lineout, you learn from it quickly and we didn’t do that against Clermont. We kept going to the same area. It was a positive against Connacht because we didn’t lose a lineout in the second half. Are we trying to force it a little bit? There are a lot of things in there.”

Yet despite having this scope for improvement in a major facet of the game, Leinster currently hold a six-point lead over defending champions Glasgow Warriors at the summit of the United Rugby Championship table and are marginally behind Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle on score difference in the Champions Cup Pool 2 standings.

The Connacht game represented their 10th win from as many fixtures in the current season and it was achieved without a whole host of big-name players who will feature against arch rivals Munster in their latest interprovincial URC bout at Thomond Park this evening. Their resources were also stretched over the course of last Saturday’s contest on Lansdowne Road and McBryde was encouraged by how Leinster managed to overcome these issues – and eventually come on the right side of the result.

“You look at the bump in the road we had against Connacht. We lost Jack Conan pretty early, Max Deegan [Conan’s replacement] went off early. All of a sudden you have Alex Soroka playing his first game since I don’t know when and he’s got to scrummage at 8. Then we’ve got somebody [Lee Barron] in the bin and you’ve got Scott Penny throwing in the lineout.

“You’ve got all those things and you come out the other side and you think ‘we must be doing something right’. That cohesion, even with the chopping and the changing that’s been going on in the festive period, we still came through it. That, to me, speaks volumes.”

Whereas Leinster held off a second half surge from Connacht to earn a 20-12 win in the Aviva last Saturday, Munster moved into the URC play-off spots by defeating Ulster in Ravenhill on the previous night.

The hosts had looked set to triumph in the latter game despite losing Ireland international Tom O’Toole to a red card in the opening period, but Tom Farrell had other ideas as he completed his hat-trick of tries in the dying moments to earn Munster a 22-19 victory.

Even though it was a game that struggled to catch fire for large spells, McBryde’s past experiences in both Ireland and his native Wales tells him that this is quite often the case for derby encounters. It would come as little surprise if tonight’s showdown in Limerick also turned into an arm wrestle and McBryde certainly isn’t expecting anything easy in a packed out Thomond Park.

“Local derbies, in my experience anyway, not a lot of rugby does get played because there’s a little bit more blood and guts about a local derby. The physical nature of it and the will and the want to get one over your closest rival. Sometimes that can cloud your mind a little bit, but it was good. There will be 27,000 there on Friday, so that will be a great atmosphere to go into,” McBryde added.

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Munster Away In United Rugby Championship: Robin McBryde – The42.ie – December 27 2024

Leinster Build-Up To Munster Away In United Rugby Championship: Robbie Henshaw – The42.ie – December 24 2024

Posted on December 24, 2024 by admin

‘I have a lot more to give’ – Robbie Henshaw says ambition is driving force behind new IRFU deal

The 31-year-old Leinster star has signed a contract until the 2027/28 season.

ROBBIE HENSHAW SAYS a desire to continue lining out for both Ireland and Leinster were key factors behind his decision to sign a new contract extension with the IRFU.

An international debutant against USA in June 2013, the 31-year-old has won five Six Nations Championships in the green of Ireland – including the Grand Slam triumphs of 2018 and 2023.

After helping Connacht to win an historic Pro12 title in 2016, the Westmeath native subsequently moved to Leinster and has won five major pieces of silverware across 95 appearances for the eastern province.

In addition to spending his entire career to date as a professional rugby player on these shores, Henshaw is surrounded by his family and this also had a part to play in him extending his IRFU deal until the 2027/28 season.

“Probably a process of staying at home, staying around my family. I’m very close with my family. Staying here and playing for Ireland was a huge thing. I feel like I have a lot more to give. That was obviously top of the list for me and staying in Dublin, playing for Leinster,” Henshaw explained at a media briefing in UCD ahead of Leinster’s United Rugby Championship duel with Munster on Friday.

“The system they have here, they have the right balance in terms of player management and player load, the high performance aspect. Everything is aligned for me to prefer staying here. I’ve never moved too far from home, so it wouldn’t have been top of the list. I’m a home bird and I like being close to my family as well.”

While there is a lot of rugby to be played before then, this new deal ensures that Henshaw will still be contracted to the IRFU when the next Rugby World Cup takes place in Australia three years from now.

Having been part of Ireland squads that exited the RWC at the quarter-final stage in 2015, 2019 and 2023 – albeit he didn’t feature in last year’s knockout reversal against New Zealand due to injury – Henshaw acknowledged there is a sense of ‘unfinished business’ on the international stage.

The past three seasons has also seen Henshaw and Leinster falling short at the business end of both the United Rugby Championship and the European Champions Cup, and this is something he is eager to rectify in the near future.

“Hopefully coming into that season [2027], depending on how good the body is and what my form is like, it is definitely on my goals list to give it one more crack. Because definitely I haven’t got the best out of myself in the last two World Cups I’ve been at [because of injury]. It’s been turbulent for me and it’s definitely one that feels like it is a bit of unfinished business.

“Our north star this year in Leinster is chasing the fifth star and also the URC. We’re desperately close the last couple of years, but it’s driving us on even more to just keep going and keep going for it.

“The group is good and we know we’ve a bit to grow. We’ve a bit more to do in terms of our performances. We need to tidy up a few bits, but to have a good winning streak from the start of the season as well and to show that we haven’t hit 100% yet is positive.”

Interestingly, Henshaw stated that he might have potentially looked at a move abroad if he found himself on the verge of being out of the picture with Ireland. Yet considering he started 10 of the 11 games that Andy Farrell’s side played in 2024, this doesn’t look like being the case any time soon for a man who maintains a great passion for Irish traditional music.

“You probably don’t realise how good it is until you leave. For me, if I was at that stage where things were dropping off for me and I was playing more regularly here [Leinster] and not as much in green, then potentially that could have been an option,” Henshaw added.

“It would be hard to find a trad session in France or Japan! That would be a big factor! Some players have had a great experience, who have played abroad. It’s down to the individual’s personality and what you want.

“From most players I’ve heard, not many have gone, but most guys have enjoyed their experience of having a different challenge in a different country.”

Posted in European Rugby, International Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Munster Away In United Rugby Championship: Robbie Henshaw – The42.ie – December 24 2024

The Big Interview: Olivia Divilly (Galway/Kilkerrin-Clonberne) – Media West Ireland – December 21 2024

Posted on December 21, 2024 by admin

‘It’s just phenomenal. I think we have 145 members in the club’ – Olivia Divilly on Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s success

Daire Walsh

They may have achieved a level of success that is unprecedented for a club team from Galway, but Olivia Divilly doesn’t take anything about Kilkerrin-Clonberne’s remarkable run of recent years for granted.

In Croke Park last Saturday evening, the Tribeswomen held off a strong challenge from Kilmacud Crokes to secure the AIB All-Ireland senior club championship title for the fourth time in succession.

Galway Gaels, the 1982 winners, had been the only side from the county to win the competition, but thanks to their exploits in the modern era, Kilkerrin-Clonberne are now only behind Ballymacarbry (10), Carnacon (6) and Donaghmoyne (5) in the top-tier roll of honour. Yet while the Father Stephen’s Park outfit have also reigned supreme in the Galway and Connacht senior championships since 2013 and 2018 respectively, Divilly can recall a time when they weren’t such a dominant force in ladies club football.

In 2012, at just 16 years of age, she contributed three points as Kilkerrin-Clonberne defeated Claregalway to claim the Galway intermediate club crown.

“Growing up, we were a junior club. I would have thought if we got to play senior football in Galway, it would have been an amazing achievement. Let alone to win 12 county titles and to have won seven Connacht titles and now a fourth All-Ireland,” Divilly acknowledged.

“It’s just phenomenal. I think we have 145 members in the club from a very small population base. It’s not even something that would have crossed my mind as a child. It’s stuff you dream of, but it wouldn’t have seemed like a reality. We would have been struggling as a junior club, maybe 15 years ago.”

However, following that county success in 2012, Kilkerrin-Clonberne took to senior football in Galway like a duck to water. They did suffer a heartbreaking one-point reversal to Mourneabbey in their maiden All-Ireland senior club final appearance in 2019, but their record in Dolores Tyrrell Memorial Cup showpieces since then has been flawless.

In advance of their triumph over Kilmacud last weekend, Kilkerrin-Clonberne completed a magnificent three-in-a-row of All-Ireland senior titles with convincing victories over Mourneabbey, Donaghmoyne and Ballymacarbry.

Before having the measure of the latter side in last year’s decider, Willie Ward’s all-conquering charges came through an epic semi-final clash with Kilmacud that went to extra-time.

Although she felt Crokes ensured they had to dig deep for their fourth All-Ireland victory on the bounce, Divilly also believes Kilkerrin-Clonberne were able to absorb some lessons from their previous meeting with the Dublin and Leinster champions.

“I think what made winning so special was, we knew how good Kilmacud were. We were just really proud that we were able to overcome a team with such talent all over the pitch. They really put it up to us and we were expecting that. I felt like we were in control, but at the same time it would have taken one or two mistakes for them to get back into it.

“Last year, it was our first time playing them. We weren’t really sure what to expect. This year, we had a chance to do our homework. We knew that they were going to kick a lot of ball into the full-forward line, that they were going to be very direct.

“I think last year we lost our forward shape for large parts of the game. They were the kind of things that we were preparing for ourselves, but then just focusing very much on our own game and getting a good performance in Croke Park.”

It was a family affair for Divilly in GAA HQ last Saturday as she found herself lining up alongside her sisters Siobhán and Niamh. Additionally, their father Michael remains a pivotal member of the team’s management set-up and has been a ubiquitous presence on practically every team Divilly has played on in the club.

“Willie Ward and Dad would have managed us when we would have been U-10 and U-12, and U-14, U-16, all the way up. They’ve really been on the journey alongside us.”

“Gerry Noone is a selector as well and he’s got three girls playing. Hannah, Eva and Lynsey. John Boyle has a daughter Annie, so all of the management have very close involvement.”

A few months prior to climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand with their club, Olivia and Niamh represented the Divilly clan as part of the Galway side that faced Kerry in this year’s TG4 All-Ireland SFC final in Croke Park.

Although the game ended in a disappointing loss for the Tribeswomen, a host of impressive displays during the summer helped Olivia to pick up her first TG4 All-Star last month – on the same night that her club-mate Nicola Ward was named TG4 Senior Players’ Player of the Year.

“The year with Galway, looking back on it, it was a great achievement to get to an All-Ireland final. It was our first All-Ireland in five years. It was really disappointing at the time and we felt like we underperformed on the day,” Divilly said.

“Getting the All-Star was nice. It was nice recognition to finish off the inter-county season and then to have been there with Nicola Ward, who would have been one of my best friends since we’d have been four or five years old, and she to get crowned player of the year was so special.”

This year also saw Galway suffering relegation to Division 2 of the Lidl National Football League, and Daniel Moynihan’s side will begin their bid to gain automatic promotion back to the NFL top tier with an away fixture against Tipperary on January 26.

Even though Divilly – who is now working as a community occupational therapist after previously being based out of University Hospital Galway – is unlikely to be back in the inter-county fold straight away in 2025, it is expected she will return to the maroon and white jersey sooner rather than later.

“I’d say over the coming days I’ll probably have a chat with Daniel. See what the plan is and what they want from us. I’m hoping to get away for a little while myself. Then come back and see where things are at for the league,” Divilly added.​

 

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Olivia Divilly (Galway/Kilkerrin-Clonberne) – Media West Ireland – December 21 2024

Leinster Build-Up To Connacht Home In United Rugby Championship: Tommy O’Brien – The42.ie – December 20 2024

Posted on December 20, 2024 by admin

Leinster’s Tommy O’Brien hopes to have finally put injury woes behind him

The player was close to making it back for Leinster’s European Champions Cup clash with Clermont in the Aviva last weekend

FOLLOWING ANOTHER frustrating spell on the sidelines earlier this season, Tommy O’Brien is now hopeful of getting an extended run of games in a Leinster jersey.

After missing the majority of the 2022-23 campaign with an ACL injury — his first appearance of the term was against Emirates Lions in round 17 of the United Rugby Championship — O’Brien initially hit the ground running last season with three tries in as many games.

However, an ankle issue subsequently brought the versatile back’s fourth outing of the season against Dragons to a premature end and while he eventually regained full fitness, he subsequently missed several additional fixtures owing to a hamstring problem.

He had a recurrence of the latter injury in the act of scoring a try away to Edinburgh in the opening round of this season’s URC and it ultimately ruled him out of the Emerging Ireland Tour of South Africa in October.

Yet O’Brien was close to making it back for Leinster’s European Champions Cup clash with Clermont in the Aviva last weekend and is now finally set to return against Connacht at the same venue in the URC tomorrow evening.

“Can’t wait for it, a good Interpro game. I was hoping to maybe get involved last week, but the physio said to get another week of training under the belt. When you’re so close and you have the chance of a European game you’re like, ‘I’ll be fine’, but maybe better these decisions are taken out of your hand,” O’Brien said at a Leinster media briefing earlier this week.

“Definitely my patience has been tested the most in Irish rugby, I reckon. It’s been a rough few years. I get a chance, get a run and I feel like I’m going well and then just get blighted with injuries. Fingers crossed, I’ve got my injury out of the way for the year early and get a good run at it now for the next six months.”

As well as a physical challenge, dealing with lengthy injury lay-offs can present a mental obstacle to players in the professional game. Despite acknowledging the difficulties that come with being on the treatment table, O’Brien is grateful that he has a good support network around him when he does find himself out of action.

“I live with my girlfriend. She’s very good and then obviously my family is rugby-mad as well, but they also know that they’re there to talk whenever I want to talk about it. Then sometimes I just need to be distracted and do something else.

“Generally, when something happens to me I give myself two or three days just to be annoyed and then after that, I get moving on things. I’m a lot better once I have a plan. When I’m just sitting there in limbo and I don’t really know what’s happening, I hate that.

“Once you get an idea whether this is going to be six to eight weeks, ‘this is what we’re going to do, we think this is why it happened, we can mitigate that risk by finding a few little different things here’, then I’m always a lot better.”

When he has been available to him in the past, O’Brien has proven to be a valuable asset to Leinster head coach Leo Cullen — amassing a tally of 11 tries from 36 appearances for the eastern province to date.

He has been noted for his athleticism as well as his finishing ability and this comes as no surprise given he was quite a gifted hurdler during his school days at Blackrock College (he was also a member of the Blackrock and Dundrum South Dublin athletics clubs when he was younger).

Additionally, his sisters Robyn and Emma were also distinguished athletes who often found themselves in direct competition with future Olympian Rhasidat Adeleke.

“They would have been the age above and the age below Rhasidat. They were always racing for second in that. That is their claim to fame! Running against her and being up on the podiums in Leinsters with her. She was always special,” O’Brien added.

“Back in school, I did a good bit of athletics. I did the 110-metre hurdles and the 400-metre hurdles. 400-metre hurdles is no fun, but I did quite well in that. I don’t know was that just because no one else wanted to run the race.

“I ran about second in Leinster and then into the All-Irelands. Floored myself on the first hurdle in the 400 metre hurdles, which was no fun! It’s a bit of a regret and then got back up and ended up coming fourth. Athletics always kind of transferred over a little bit. I always enjoyed it, but I definitely love the team sport element of rugby.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Connacht Home In United Rugby Championship: Tommy O’Brien – The42.ie – December 20 2024

Leinster Build-Up To Connacht Home In United Rugby Championship: Tommy O’Brien – The Irish Examiner – December 20 2024

Posted on December 20, 2024 by admin

Tommy O’Brien: ‘Definitely my patience has been tested the most in Irish rugby’

“Fingers crossed, I’ve got my injury out of the way for the year early and get a good run at it now for the next six months.” 
DAIRE WALSH

Following another frustrating spell on the sidelines earlier this season, Leinster’s Tommy O’Brien is hopeful his injury woes are now very much in the past.

After missing the majority of the 2022/23 campaign because of a knee issue – his first appearance of the term was against Emirates Lions in round 17 of the United Rugby Championship – O’Brien initially hit the ground running last season with three tries in as many games.

However, the versatile back subsequently picked up an ankle injury in his fourth outing of the term and while he eventually regained full fitness, he subsequently missed a number of additional fixtures owing to a hamstring problem.

He had a recurrence of the latter injury in the act of scoring a try away to Edinburgh in the opening round of this season’s URC and this ultimately ruled him out of the Emerging Ireland Tour of South Africa in October. Yet O’Brien was close to making it back for Leinster’s European Champions Cup clash with Clermont in the Aviva last weekend and is now finally set to return against Connacht at the same venue in the URC tomorrow evening.

“Can’t wait for it, a good Interpro game. I was hoping to maybe get involved last week, but the physio said get another week of training under the belt. When you’re so close and you have the chance of a European game you’re like, ‘I’ll be fine’, but maybe better these decisions are taken out of your hand,” O’Brien remarked earlier this week.

“Definitely my patience has been tested the most in Irish rugby, I reckon. It’s been a rough few years. I get a chance, get a run and I feel like I’m going well and then just get blighted with injuries. Fingers crossed, I’ve got my injury out of the way for the year early and get a good run at it now for the next six months.”

Whereas the majority of the Leinster squad have been getting used to the Aviva being their temporary home while the RDS is being redeveloped, playing in Irish Rugby HQ will be something new for O’Brien in the current season. Nevertheless, the former Blackrock College student has played there before and also has a sense of familiarity with a Connacht side that earned a brace of bonus point victories in the EPCR Challenge Cup over the past fortnight.

“They’re flying. I think they have 10 points in their last two weeks, so I think they will come in high on confidence. They’ve rotated their team the last few weeks, so there will be players coming in fresh and gunning for us,” O’Brien added.

“I’ve played Connacht a few times now, but I think this is my third time playing in the Aviva. It’s not a novelty, but it’s such a cool atmosphere and it’s a cool stadium. I think they’re saying ticket sales are going to be good, coming around to Christmas time and it’s an Interpro. Hopefully we get a good crowd and it will be a quality atmosphere.”

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Build-Up To Connacht Home In United Rugby Championship: Tommy O’Brien – The Irish Examiner – December 20 2024