Leinster LGFA Intermediate Club Championship Final: Bennekerry/Tinryland (Carlow) V Dee Rangers (Meath) – Ladiesgaelic.ie – November 9 2024

Posted on November 9, 2024 by admin

Ní Shé leads the way as Bennekerry/Tinryland claim AIB Leinster Intermediate title

AIB LEINSTER LGFA INTERMEDIATE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Bennekerry/Tinryland (Carlow) 3-11

Dee Rangers (Meath) 0-12

By Daire Walsh 

Cliodhna Ní Shé, Lauren Dwyer and Maeve O’Neill all struck goals at Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA on Saturday as Carlow’s Bennekerry/Tinryland overcame Dee Rangers of Meath to claim the AIB Leinster LGFA Intermediate Club Championship crown.

Supplementing Ní Shé’s impressive final tally of 1-6, Dwyer and O’Neill both rattled the net off the bench to ensure Bennekerry/Tinryland became the first team from the O’Hanrahan County to triumph at this grade since St Fortchern’s defeated tomorrow’s senior finalists Eadestown in a 2007 intermediate decider.

While Dee Rangers twice held slender leads during the early exchanges courtesy of points from Meena McConnell and Eva McConnell, Bennekerry/Tinryland were presented with a golden opportunity to edge in front when they were awarded a penalty on six minutes for a foul on Ní Shé. The reliable inter-county star subsequently drilled home from the spot herself and immediately followed up with a pointed free to offer her side a strong platform.

Sinead Hayden and Dee Rangers full-forward Briona Rowe proceeded to trade points, before Bennekerry/Tinryland moved five points clear with unanswered scores from attacking duo Ní Shé and Hayden. The influential Ní Shé knocked over another free before the end of the opening half, but with Eva McConnell, Grace Durnin and Rowe all finding the range, Dee Rangers were just three adrift (1-6 to 0-6) at the interval.

The Meath side had a former inter-county stalwart of their own in the form of Orlaith Duff (a two-time TG4 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winner with the Royal County) and she was driving Rangers forward at every available opportunity.

A brave of successful frees from Rowe on the resumption left the bare minimum between the teams and it was back at this deficit when centre-forwards Lisa Young and Ní Shé swapped scores in a lively third-quarter.

However, in between two more points from Ní Shé, substitute Dwyer turned sharply before hammering a low shot to the bottom left-hand corner of the net in the 43rd minute.

Further contributions from Meena McConnell and Young initially kept Dee Rangers in the reckoning, but Bennekerry/Tinryland were not to be denied. After Dwyer added a 0-2 salvo to her personal haul, O’Neill fired beyond the reach of Sinead Carolan in stoppage-time to propel the Carlow women over the line.

Scorers –Bennekerry/Tinryland: C Ní Shé 1-6 (1-0 pen, 0-5f), L Dwyer 1-2, M O’Neill 1-0, S Hayden 0-3. Dee Rangers: B Rowe 0-4 (3f), L Young 0-3 (3f), E McConnell, M McConnell 0-2 each, G Durnin 0-1.

BENNEKERRY/TINRYLAND: S Cotter; C Mahon, L Corcoran, L Mullins; R Bermingham, N Mohan, M Cranny; L Lowry, E Ware; A Webb, C Ní Shé, K Bullen; O Woods, S Nolan, S Hayden. Subs: L Dwyer for Bullen (h-t), M O’Neill for Nolan (46), D Tomlinson for Lowry (63).

DEE RANGERS: S Carolan; A Myles, O Duff, E Cassidy; E Carolan, A Reilly, A McNulty; O Sheehy, L O’Neill; E McConnell, L Young, E Halpenny; M McConnell, B Rowe, G Durnin. Subs: N Byrne for Halpenny (45), K Farrelly for E McConnell (50), A Curran for E Carolan (57).

Referee: Kevin Phelan (Laois).

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on Leinster LGFA Intermediate Club Championship Final: Bennekerry/Tinryland (Carlow) V Dee Rangers (Meath) – Ladiesgaelic.ie – November 9 2024

Leinster LGFA Junior Club Championship Final: Kilcock (Kildare) V Baile Dubh Tire (Wexford) – Ladiesgaelic.ie – November 9 2024

Posted on November 9, 2024 by admin

White to the fore as Kilcock secure AIB Leinster Junior club honours

AIB LEINSTER LGFA JUNIOR CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Kilcock (Kildare) 0-15

Baile Dubh Tire (Wexford) 1-9

By Daire Walsh

Grace White kicked six points at Coralstown/Kinnegad GAA on Saturday as Kilcock produced a strong second half performance to secure the AIB Leinster LGFA Junior Championship title at the expense of Baile Dubh Tire.

Despite being inseparable at the midway stage in the action, the Kildare champions outscored their Wexford opponents 0-11 to 1-5 on the restart to both claim the silverware on offer and also advance to a forthcoming AIB All-Ireland Junior Football Championship semi-final.

A star on the inter-county scene with both Kerry and Wexford in the past, the vastly-experienced Bernie Breen got Dubh Tire up and running in this contest with a pointed free in the third minute. Yet Emma Robinson swiftly responded for Kilcock at the opposite end of the pitch and while Leah Roban restored Dubh Tire’s one-point advantage, a fine effort by full-forward White had their Kildare counterparts back on level terms by the 10-minute mark.

Kilcock subsequently edged in front when Sarah Lavin split the posts at the end of a fine team move, but the Lilywhite outfit breathed a sigh of relief when a goal bound strike from Baile Dubh Tire midfielder Orlagh Kehoe rattled the woodwork on its way over the bar.

Robinson and Breen then proceeded to double their tallies inside the second-quarter and this ensured the sides were deadlocked at 0-4 apiece at the end of a lively opening period.

Kilcock did create daylight on the resumption when Aisling O’Connor (two), Eve Powderly and White all registered fine points, but after Leah Roban added to an earlier Lauren Roban single with a superb goal on the stroke of 40 minutes, parity was once again restored to the contest.

Even though further scores from White (two), player of the match Lavin and wing-back Rianna Cribbin helped Kilcock to reinforce their authority, Ciara Roban, Breen and Leah Roban all found the target during this busy juncture to leave Dubh Tire a single point adrift six minutes from the end of normal time.

However, Kilcock kept their composure and unanswered points by Lavin and White (two) meant that Breen’s stoppage-time free only served as a late consolation for the Slaneysiders.

Scorers – Kilcock: G White 0-6 (1f), S Lavin 0-3, E Robinson, A O’Connor 0-2 each, R Cribbin, E Powderly 0-1 each. Baile Dubh Tire: Leah Roban 1-2, B Breen 0-4 (4f), O Kehoe, C Roban, Lauren Roban 0-1 each.

KILCOCK: E Kelly; L Gibbons, A McGrath, A Morrow; R Cribbin, E Maguire, T McGonagle; S Byrne, S O’Sullivan; E Robinson, A O’Connor, S Lavin; E Powderly, G White, S Nolan.

BAILE DUBH TIRE: A Dunne; L O’Neill, GR O’Connor, K Doyle; H Lawless, L Fitzhenry, H Lee; O Kehoe, A O’Connor; Leah Roban, B Breen, C Fitzhenry; C Roban, Lauren Roban, A Morris. Subs: K Bowe for GR O’Connor (43), E Roban for Lauren Roban (45), E Kelly for A O’Connor (52), D Byrne for O’Neill (59).

Referee: Ian Culbert (Wicklow).

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on Leinster LGFA Junior Club Championship Final: Kilcock (Kildare) V Baile Dubh Tire (Wexford) – Ladiesgaelic.ie – November 9 2024

The Big Interview: Ruth Sargent (Kildare/Eadestown) – Media West Ireland – November 9 2024

Posted on November 9, 2024 by admin

‘It would definitely top the achievements because Eadestown is where I’ve grown up’ – Ruth Sargent hoping to lay down the law

Daire Walsh

When Eadestown’s Ruth Sargent made her Kildare senior debut in a Lidl NFL Division 3 game against Down at St Conleth’s Park, Newbridge last January, she became the latest member of her family to represent the Lilywhites in the adult ranks of inter-county football.

In addition to her father Seán lining out in goal for the county in the 1980s and the early part of the following decade, Ruth’s mother Barbara was the first captain of the Kildare ladies football team when they entered competitive action in 1993.

Twelve months before Ruth made a breakthrough, her brother Jack also made his competitive bow as a Kildare senior footballer in a league opener against Kerry in Newbridge. The latter might well be joined by another member of the Sargent clan in future years as younger sibling Daniel was player of the match when the Kildare U-16s captured the Gerry Reilly Cup earlier this year.

“My mum Barbara, she has actually been my coach since U-6s in the club and she’s part of our management with the Eadestown ladies as well. She has been my coach the whole way up, so I wouldn’t really know football without her. I can’t leave the house without getting advice off Mum and Dad, which is great because they’ve been through it,” acknowledged Sargent, whose sister Emma has also donned the Kildare jersey in the past.

“It runs in the family, which is nice. We have a competitive environment, but I like that. Jack would have joined Kildare and in his first year probably wouldn’t have been starting. He was coming on, but it was great to see over the years how he is very committed to it. Then getting his starting position in last year and having a great year playing with Kildare.”

While Gaelic football is very much in their blood, Ruth and Jack both took an active part in a multi-discipline sport during their formative years as teenagers in Eadestown.

Comprising running, swimming, horse riding and shooting, tetrathlon is a team competition that is primarily organised by pony clubs for its members.

It is through the Kildare Hunt Pony Club that Sargent was introduced to that and having previously competed in national showjumping events, she took to this new sporting pursuit with considerable aplomb.

“Jack would have done it before me and I joined when I would have been in primary school at the age of 11 or 12. Then I would have competed with that both in Ireland and in England as well. We would have had a trip over to England every June bank holiday in the summer to compete against the teams in England, Wales, Scotland.

“I would have been big into the tetrathlon and then I think I stopped tetrathlon at 17 or 18. Then I just decided to focus on football. I thought it was the sport for me and I probably didn’t really have enough time to carry on doing them all. I picked football and stuck with that.”

Electing to focus solely on Gaelic football has certainly paid dividends for Sargent, given the level of success she has enjoyed with her club, county and college teams in the past few years. Since breaking onto the Kildare panel at the beginning of 2023, she has garnered Division 2 and Division 3 titles in the Lidl National Football League, a TG4 Leinster Intermediate Football Championship and – most crucially of all – a TG4 All-Ireland Intermediate Football Championship.

Sargent has also claimed back-to-back O’Connor Cup triumphs with DCU – where she is currently studying primary school teaching – while the start of last month saw her being part of an Eadestown side that secured a fifth consecutive Kildare LGFA senior club championship crown with a final victory over St Laurence’s.

Despite still being just 20 years of age, Sargent has been a starter for all five deciders that Eadestown have won during this period.

“I would have joined the Eadestown ladies senior team when I was 16. That was back in 2020. My first two years with the senior team, I would have been in the full-forward line and then I moved back to the centre-back position. It’s my position now, but it has been crazy.

“I probably won’t even realise until a few years to come how much of an achievement it is. It has just been great.”

Having firmly established themselves as the dominant force within their county, Sargent and her team-mates also had a desire to make waves on the provincial front in 2024. After coming up short in previous seasons, this year has seen Eadestown making it all the way to an AIB Leinster club final courtesy of triumphs at the expense of Dunshaughlin Royal Gaels and Tinahely in recent weeks.

Awaiting them in a showpiece affair at Glenisk O’Connor Park in Tullamore tomorrow (throw-in 1pm) is a Kilmacud Crokes side that are in search of a third successive AIB Leinster senior club title. Even though she has climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand in Croke Park for her county on more than one occasion in the past 18 months, Sargent believes that winning a provincial final with her club would be up there as one of her best achievements to date as a ladies footballer.

“It would definitely be huge and I think it would definitely top the achievements because obviously Eadestown is where I’ve grown up. It’s where I’ve learnt to play football. We know Kilmacud are a great outfit and obviously they’ve been there before,” Sargent added.

“It would just be great, not only for our team, but for the management. For the fans, the whole community who have just followed us over the years and have been so supportive to us. Not only huge for myself and all the individuals, but for the team and just the whole community of Eadestown. It would just be massive.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Ruth Sargent (Kildare/Eadestown) – Media West Ireland – November 9 2024

Ireland Training Camp Piece Before Autumn Nations Series: Jamison Gibson-Park – The Irish Times (Online) – November 3 2024

Posted on November 9, 2024 by admin

Jamison Gibson-Park looking forward to another crack at the All Blacks

‘When you know people personally, it adds a little bit to the rivalry for sure’

Daire Walsh

It has become a regular occurrence since he made his Ireland debut in October 2020, but Jamison Gibson-Park still gets a great buzz from coming face-to-face with New Zealandin the Test arena.

Having spent his childhood in Great Barrier Island and Gisborne, Gibson-Park went on to represent Taranaki, the Blues and the Hurricanes in New Zealand before being snapped up by Leinster in the summer of 2016. He subsequently qualified to line out for Ireland under the residency rule and picked up a 12th international cap when his adopted nation defeated the All Blacks at the Aviva Stadium in November 2021.

He has since faced his country of birth on four more occasions with the countries registering two wins apiece over this period. An intense rivalry has grown between the two sides in recent years and from Gibson-Park’s perspective, the strong familiarity he has with a number of the All Blacks players has significantly added to it.

“I touched on this, I think in the media, with playing against the other Irish teams in the interpro derbies. Any time I play an interpro or any time I play against these guys, when you know people personally, it adds a little bit to the rivalry for sure,” Gibson-Park explained earlier this week.

“We’re rivals, but at the end of the day it’s footy and we’re humans. It’s great to grab a beer with them afterwards and catch up with a few familiar faces that I would have played against and with over the years.

“It’s certainly a fixture that I really look forward to and I think I can probably speak for a number of the lads who’d probably be in the same position. It’s two pretty awesome teams going at it really and the rivalry over the last few years has been a good one and a tight one.”

While one of Gibson-Park’s six international tries to date for Ireland was against New Zealand, it came in a fixture that was otherwise a disappointment for the Leinster scrumhalf. Despite also being joined on the scoresheet by the Auckland-born Bundee Aki, Ireland suffered a 28-24 defeat to the All Blacks at the quarter-final stage of last year’s Rugby World Cup in France.

Although he has pondered what he could have done differently during the game, Gibson-Park is also aware of how important it is to move forward and concentrate on new challenges.

“It’s one of those things, isn’t it? The bigger the game, the harder it is to shake it and move on. You’re replaying all sorts of different things through your head. Should’ve, could’ve, would’ve, that kind of stuff.

“It’s certainly not an easy process, but you manage to find your way back into it and get back to being process driven and trying to get better again. That would have been my focus, post that.”

Aside from the possibility of facing New Zealand for the sixth time in just three years, there is another reason why Gibson-Park is eager to make the cut in the Aviva next Friday (kick-off 8.10pm).

After playing an integral part in Ireland’s successful Six Nations campaign in the spring, a hamstring injury ruled the 32-year-old out of contention for the two-Test summer tour of South Africa. This means that, if selected next week, Gibson-Park will be making his first international appearance for Andy Farrell’s men in almost eight months.

Despite acknowledging it was tough to miss those compelling summer battles with the world champions, he remained motivated to get back for a busy autumn schedule that will also include games against Argentina, Fiji and Australia.

“I was gutted obviously to be missing that and it’s one of those things with injury. Sometimes it can feel as though you’re so far away. I just had to get back to my process and obviously the first thing was getting the injury right,” Gibson-Park added.

“Once that happened, I was just looking to get back into Leinster and getting stuck in again. Another season rolls around, but just looking forward to getting going again with the Irish set-up.”

Posted in European Rugby, International Rugby | Comments Off on Ireland Training Camp Piece Before Autumn Nations Series: Jamison Gibson-Park – The Irish Times (Online) – November 3 2024

The Big Interview: Brid Murphy (Mayo/London/Cill Chomain/Barcelona Gaels) – Media West Ireland – November 2 2024

Posted on November 2, 2024 by admin

Barcelona Gaels’ Bríd Murphy ready for landmark day

By Daire Walsh

It will be all hands on deck for the Barcelona Gaels club later on today as they take part in historic events at both home and abroad.

In UPMC Nowlan Park at 12pm, the men’s team will take on Kilkenny champions Conahy Shamrocks in round one of the Leinster junior club football championship and will, as a result, become the first side from Iberia to feature in the competition.

It is also set to be a big day for them on the LGFA front with over 200 women making the journey over to the Spanish city to participate in a Gaelic4Mothers&Others festival that is being hosted by Barcelona Gaels.

In addition to being the first of its kind to be organised by an Iberian club, this Mothers & Others extravaganza is also predicted to be the biggest in Europe owing to the sheer amount of people that will be in attendance.

A member of Barcelona Gaels since arriving in the city last November, Mayo woman Bríd Murphy is one of a number of players from the ladies section who will be helping to ensure today’s festival runs as smoothly as possible.

“It’s actually amazing to think that there is a team in Spain and we’re competing in the Leinster championship. Then we’re hosting clubs from nine different counties here also. Gaelic football is well and truly on the map here in Spain, for sure,” Murphy remarked.

“With the organising (for the Gaelic4Mothers&Others festival), it’s all broken up. Obviously the men are away, so it’s all the ladies teams. I think there are maybe 30 or 40 of us volunteering for the day and obviously we’ll look after them for the weekend as well.

“There was 30 girls there. I couldn’t believe it.”

“We have broken it up into referees and then we have people with the jerseys. We have linesmen, we have umpires and then we have refreshments. The usual what you’d get at home, it’s the same here. Everyone has a job and if you don’t have a job, you’ll be given a job!”

Due to her job with Irish company Mercury Engineering – who she started working with in 2022 – Murphy has found herself travelling around Europe in recent times. She previously served as construction manager on a complex data centre project in Brussels and joined forces with the Belgium GAA club during this period.

Murphy’s spell in Brussels lasted for 18 months and upon touching down in Spain for the latest strand of her work with Mercury, she quickly linked up with another overseas outfit in Barcelona Gaels.

“I work in construction, we build data centres around Europe,” she said. “That is why I was in Brussels for a year and a half. I lived there building a data centre and then I got sent here, building another data centre. I travel around Europe with Mercury, just being sent wherever I’m required essentially.

“I moved here on a Sunday and I was at training on a Wednesday. I was like, ‘feck this, I need to get involved with a team ASAP or I’ll go stir crazy!’.

“I went down to training of a Wednesday night. We train at a university on a Wednesday and there was 30 girls there. I couldn’t believe it. Of a Wednesday in the middle of Barcelona.

“You’d hardly get 30 girls at my club training back home in Mayo. It would have been unheard of, because there wouldn’t have been 30 girls. Here, 30 is the lowest number. We could have 35 to 40 girls some nights or some mornings of a Sunday.”

Even before working with her current employers, Murphy was already used to being based away from home. Back in 2016, she took up employment as a quantity surveyor with the JRL Group, a construction firm in London that is owned by her fellow Mayo native John Reddington.

This led to Murphy transferring from her home club of Cill Chomáin to Thomas McCurtains in Ilford and having previously represented Mayo at virtually all grades, she was subsequently called up to the London county panel.

Playing alongside current green and red attacker Lisa Cafferky, she featured on the Exiles side that lost out to Limerick in a TG4 All-Ireland junior football championship semi-final in 2018 before also appearing in a defeat to Fermanagh at the same level of the competition 12 months later.

“Lisa, she was actually a good friend of mine when I moved to London because both of our sisters at the same time were playing for Mayo. We had another connection there and obviously we have played against each other at club level at home as well.

“I just moved to London and I said ‘feck it, I’ll see how I get on in London and just join McCurtains’. I went from there and I started playing for the London county team. We were back and forth to Ireland playing in the junior championship for the guts of the six or seven years I was there.”

A part of the Mayo set-up at the same time as Bríd was donning the London colours, Murphy’s sister Sorcha is also playing Gaelic football overseas at the moment with Zurich Inneoin.

While it is some time since she lined out for Cill Chomáin, Bríd still keeps an eye on the development of the club and will be hoping their men’s side can get over the line in their Mayo junior football championship final replay against Bonniconlon later on today.

Despite very much being a part of the Barcelona and Zurich GAA communities as it stands, Murphy and her sibling fully intend to make a return to their local club at some point in the future.

“Before these boots are getting hung up, I’m putting that black and white on one more time, 100%,” she promised.

“My sister and myself said we would. Whether it be in the Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta, which we’re going to have in Cill Chomáin in a few years’ time.

“I’ll be old then, but I’ll try and dust off the boots and get togged out for the club. Because it will be the first time the Comórtas Peile will have been in Cill Chomáin. Hopefully I’ll still be going at that stage.”

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on The Big Interview: Brid Murphy (Mayo/London/Cill Chomain/Barcelona Gaels) – Media West Ireland – November 2 2024

Ireland Training Camp Piece Before Autumn Nations Series: Hugo Keenan – The Irish Times – November 2 2024

Posted on November 2, 2024 by admin

Ireland’s Hugo Keenan ready to renew rivalry with All Blacks at Aviva

Test match against New Zealand ‘not being viewed as revenge’ mission, says Ireland’s last line of defence

Daire Walsh

It may be their first time to face the southern hemisphere giants since last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat in France, but Hugo Keenan has said revenge is unlikely to be a motivating factor when Ireland face New Zealand at the Aviva Stadium next Friday.

At Stade de France in Saint-Denis on October 14th, 2023, Keenan played the full 80 minutes when Andy Farrell’s men came face-to-face with the All Blacks in the last eight of the Rugby World Cup. The Leinster fullback had come into that contest with a record of three wins from four encounters against New Zealand, but despite being in contention right up until the closing moments, Ireland fell short of their Kiwi counterparts on that occasion by four points (28-24).

While this was a particularly difficult result for him and his international colleagues to take, Keenan is simply viewing their upcoming clash with the All Blacks as the start of a four-game Autumn Nations Series — rather than an opportunity to gain vengeance for what happened a little over 12 months ago.

“I don’t think we’re viewing it as that [a revenge mission]. We’re obviously still hurting that bit from the World Cup. It was obviously a hugely disappointing loss, but we have to view it as a fresh sort of series. Back at home, the excitement in and around playing four brilliant sides,” Keenan explained from Ireland’s training camp in Portugal.

“A lot of things have changed since then through playing squads and through coaching staff even as well. It’s not a new cycle so to [speak] either, but I don’t think we’ll be looking at it as a revenge game. It’s a game against one of the top nations in the world. Historically probably the best team in the world.”

Although he has become accustomed to playing alongside his Leinster team-mates in the green of Ireland, next week’s showdown with the All Blacks could potentially mean Keenan squaring off against a future provincial ally. After recently spending time on the treatment table because of a knee problem, Jordie Barrett has returned to the New Zealand starting line-up for their Test encounter with England on Saturday.

When the 27-year-old signed a new contract extension with the New Zealand Rugby Union back in April, he elected to exercise an option to play overseas for a certain period of time. Given he had previously spent 15 months as a child with his family in Oldcastle, Co Meath, Barrett was drawn towards a move to Leinster.

He is due to touch base with the province in December on a deal that will last until the end of the 2024-25 season and Keenan is looking forward to seeing what he can bring to Leo Cullen’s set-up.

“It’s exciting to see him back. He has obviously been injured for a couple of weeks. We’re all really excited to have him into Leinster. He’s obviously one of the best players in the world. It’s going to be cool to learn off him. I’ve played against him a few times now and he’s top, top class.

“I’ve even chatted to him after games and swapped jerseys with him. He’s a popular figure, I think. He knows Tyler Bleyendaal [Leinster’s attack coach]. He knows Brian Coakley, our video analyst in Leinster, as well.

“There’s a few relationships there already and they’re speaking very highly of him. Looking forward to getting him into Leinster and getting a few rounds of golf out with him as well. I’ve heard he’s pretty handy.”

Whereas the majority of those who are expected to face New Zealand next Friday under lights in the Aviva played for Ireland on the summer tour of South Africa in July, this wasn’t the case for Keenan. A regular on the Sevens circuit up until 2019, he returned to this form of rugby earlier this year and went on to represent Ireland at the 2024 summer Olympics in Paris.

This ruled him out of the two-Test series with the world champions and with some injury issues also thrown into the mix, Keenan hasn’t donned an Ireland 15s jersey since a fourth-round reversal to England in the Six Nations back on March 9th.

Yet with four outings already under his belt with Leinster in the current season, Keenan believes he has transitioned fully from the Sevens programme.

“It has probably been a bit of an easier transition back. I’ve obviously been playing the 15s game for the last five or so years, full-on. While I had been out of the game, in terms of Sevens, for a longer period. So I had to refresh a lot on the systems and the style of play. While now it sort of feels natural being back playing 15s and enjoying it,” Keenan added.

Posted in European Rugby, International Rugby | Comments Off on Ireland Training Camp Piece Before Autumn Nations Series: Hugo Keenan – The Irish Times – November 2 2024

Ireland Training Camp Piece Before Autumn Nations Series: Simon Easterby – The Irish Times – November 1 2024

Posted on November 2, 2024 by admin

‘It’s great to have him in’: Easterby confirms Johnny Sexton ‘lending support’ to Ireland for November Tests

Former Ireland captain’s experience will be of particular benefit to outhalf trio Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley and Sam Prendergast

Daire Walsh

His involvement with the set-up is something that had been widely mooted and Simon Easterby confirmed yesterday that Johnny Sexton has spent time with the Ireland squad ahead of their forthcoming Autumn Nations Series.

In the wake of Ireland’s defeat to New Zealand at the quarter-final stage of last year’s Rugby World Cup, Sexton brought the curtain down on a memorable career as a professional player that saw him accumulating an impressive 118 senior caps in the green jersey.

Although the past 12 months has seen him moving away from the oval ball game and into a permanent position with Ardagh Group – a sustainable packaging supplier – it was reported last week that the Dubliner was approached about taking up a part-time mentoring role with Ireland’s outhalves.

While he isn’t present at their current training camp in Portugal, Easterby revealed that Sexton recently linked up with the squad at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre and that his contribution to the set-up mightn’t necessarily be restricted to working with those who are battling for the number 10 spot.

“He has been involved, for a few days when we were in the HPC. He’s definitely going to be involved over the next few weeks, transitioning in and out. Lending his support to certain individuals within the team,” the Ireland defence coach remarked at a remote press conference from Ireland’s Portuguese base.

“We’ll lean on him for other things [aside from the outhalves]. He’s excited about what potentially he could offer and so are we as coaches, as well as players. It’s great to have him in. He’s a great man, he’s a great personality in the group.

“I guess it is to be seen how much time he is involved in the next four weeks, but certainly at the moment we see him being involved. He has already been in and potentially he is going to come in and out of camp over the next four weeks.”

Yet even though the whole squad could stand to benefit, it is outhalf candidates Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley and Sam Prendergast that undoubtedly have the most to gain from Sexton being back in the international environment. Because his playing history with Ireland is a relatively recent one, Easterby believes the 39-year-old former Leinster star will prove to be the perfect sounding board for the above-mentioned triumvirate.

“I think Johnny, only having retired recently, still has his finger on the pulse in terms of playing in that position. Understanding what we do as a team and trying to impart some of that experience that he’s had across the last few years, in the way we play the game.

“I know Jack Crowley has obviously had time with us and so has Ciaran [Frawley]. Sam less so. I think all those guys are like sponges. They want to learn and they want to understand. Johnny will just be able to give them a bit of guidance at times.

“When you’re leaning on someone like him with that much experience, it’s only a few words here and there sometimes, a little bit of a tip and a bit of feedback. That’s all it might be, but I think it’s something that teams could do more of.

“Lean on guys that are not that long out of the game, but also have massive respect and could have a massive influence on those new guys coming through.”

Even though it is Caelan Doris who will lead Ireland into their forthcoming autumn series – which will see them taking on New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia at the Aviva Stadium – Peter O’Mahony was previously the official captain for the Six Nations Championship and the summer tour of South Africa earlier this year.

Despite being listed amongst Farrell’s squad for the November internationals, O’Mahony is currently still with Munster – where he has been rehabilitating from a hamstring injury that has kept him sidelined in recent weeks.

However, the Cork native has been named in the Munster side to face an All Blacks XV at Thomond Park tomorrow and if he manages to come through that game unscathed, he may well be in the reckoning for next Friday’s clash with the main New Zealand side in the Aviva.

“The idea is that he gets through the weekend and fingers crossed he’s good to go. At the moment that’s the plan. If that changes, obviously that will be dependent on what happens at the weekend when he plays in the game with Munster,” Easterby added.

Posted in International Rugby | Comments Off on Ireland Training Camp Piece Before Autumn Nations Series: Simon Easterby – The Irish Times – November 1 2024

Leinster Rugby Follow-Up Piece: Caelan Doris – The42.ie – October 29 2024

Posted on October 31, 2024 by admin

‘I’m starting to enjoy it more’ – Doris growing into captaincy role

The Leinster number eight will lead Ireland into the upcoming November Tests.

WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING HE still has some way to go before becoming the leader that he wants to be, Leinster and Ireland back row Caelan Doris has said he is beginning to feel more comfortable as a team captain.

In addition to being announced as Leinster’s new skipper ahead of the 2024/25 club season – taking over from the previous joint holders of the role, James Ryan and Garry Ringrose – it was also confirmed last Wednesday that Doris will be Ireland captain for next month’s Autumn Nations Series.

The Mayo native certainly isn’t a stranger to these key leadership positions as he already served as a stand-in skipper for some key games that both teams played in earlier this year.

Although he will have to wait until at least Friday week (an autumn international against New Zealand) for his latest opportunity to steer Ireland into battle, last Saturday’s United Rugby Championship win over Emirates Lions at the Aviva Stadium saw Doris captaining Leinster for the third time in the current campaign.

“I’m enjoying it a lot more at this stage than when it first came about. I would have said to you guys in the first couple of weeks, [there was] the sort of self-doubt and the bit of impostor syndrome, and feeling that there’s new responsibilities and getting used to it all. I’ve had quite a few weeks at it now and things feel a bit more comfortable,” Doris remarked after the Lions game.

“I’m starting to enjoy it more. I’m feeling growth in the role, I’m feeling a bit of my capacity expanding a little bit, but I know there’s still a ton of room for growth.

“I’m by no means the leader I want to be yet, the leader I believe I can get to. Where I’ve seen the likes of Johnny [Sexton] and Pete [O’Mahony] are at that stage of their career. It’s an enjoyable journey I guess and I’m enjoying the pushing of the comfort zone through it.”

Before getting in touch with Doris to let him know he was going to be his captain for the upcoming international window, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell spoke to the aforementioned O’Mahony.

The Munster veteran was the official captain for both this year’s Six Nations Championship and the summer tour of South Africa and led out Ireland in five of the seven games that they played across both campaigns – Doris deputising for him in the other two.

Despite being troubled by a hamstring injury in recent weeks, O’Mahony has been included in the 35-man Ireland squad for the Autumn Nations Series and Doris is thrilled he can still call upon someone with his experience as he gets used to a new role in the international set-up.

“Faz gave me a call. I had a brief chat with him. He had spoken to Pete at that stage. It was quite a late call, so I wasn’t expecting it given how late it was, but no I was delighted. It’s an exciting group to be a part of.

“The fact Pete is still there, he has obviously been a massive leader under Sexto and over the last year as well in the official role, so there’s a good group of us there who will lead the charge.”

Even though tests against Argentina, Fiji and Australia will follow, Doris and Ireland’s focus for the time being will be on the arrival of New Zealand to the Aviva for the opening Autumn Nations Series game on Friday, 8 November.

Unsurprisingly, Doris is eager to take on the All Blacks for the first time since last year’s World Cup quarter-final defeat in France and he also had a clear response when asked about those who might regard Ireland’s upcoming games as friendlies.

“Just watch the game. They are by no means friendly encounters. There’s extreme levels of competition, there’s always something on the line. Look at any of the games we’ve played against them [New Zealand] over the last number of years. I think there’s mutual respect built,” Doris added.

“We’ve obviously always respected them given their legacy in rugby really, but I think they’re starting to respect us more over the last probably five/six years. Probably since 2016 [their first-ever win over New Zealand] really. It’s a good rivalry and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into it.

“I love Friday night games. I think it’s conducive to a pretty good atmosphere. I like evening games anyway and it’s exciting. I’m looking forward to it big time. I haven’t thought about it too much yet given the start of the season with Leinster, but the excitement is definitely going to build.”

Daire Walsh

Posted in European Rugby, International Rugby | Comments Off on Leinster Rugby Follow-Up Piece: Caelan Doris – The42.ie – October 29 2024

Post-Match Reaction: United Rugby Championship – Leinster V Emirates Lions – Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen – The42.ie – October 28 2024

Posted on October 28, 2024 by admin

Caelan Doris ‘making great progress as a leader’

The 26-year-old was named Leinster captain in advance of their 2024-25 campaign.

FOLLOWING WHAT is expected to be the first of many outings for his player as a team captain at the Aviva Stadium in the coming weeks, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen said on Saturday that Caelan Doris is “making great progress as a leader”.

Having acted as a stand-in for previous incumbents James Ryan and Garry Ringrose on a number of occasions towards the tail end of last season, Doris was named Leinster captain in advance of their 2024-25 campaign.

After previously bagging tries as skipper in United Rugby Championship victories over Benetton and Munster, the Mayo native did likewise in their 24-6 win over Emirates Lions in the Aviva on Saturday and also came away with a player of the match award on the night.

This game took place just three days after Doris was announced as Ireland’s captain ahead of their four-game Autumn Nations Series at the same venue in November.

He has already led out his country on a couple of occasions in 2024, but Cullen will now look on with interest as his reliable back-row becomes the international skipper in an official capacity.

“He has been fantastic. Reflecting as the season unfolded last year, particularly that last block when James and Garry were both out, Caelan really stepped to the fore for us off the back of some big performances that he has had for Ireland. Listen, he is making great progress as a leader,” Cullen remarked in the aftermath of Saturday’s game.

“He is very curious, naturally. Works on all aspects of his game, has a very positive influence on the group as well. He has been excellent, I have to say. You can see it in his performances, he is enjoying it. He is bringing everybody with him as well I think, which is good to see.

“He’s still very young as well, so there’s plenty of room for growth there also. We had James in the [coaches] box with us today. James has been great as well. We are growing the group. We will need to rely on a big group because there are so many moving parts to a season.”

While they fell short in their quest for a sixth consecutive bonus point triumph, Saturday’s game nevertheless saw Leinster opening up a six-point lead over defending champions Glasgow Warriors at the summit of the URC.

This competition will now take an extended break with Leinster not set to be in league action again until their visit to Ulster and Kingspan Stadium on Friday, 29 November — a game that will be held the night before Ireland’s final autumn test against Australia in the Aviva.

Although the senior side won’t be in competitive action until then, a number of those who will remain within the Leinster squad — including training panellists, 20 players from the province will be part of the Irish camp next month — could well feature in an ‘A’ interprovincial series that is set to take place in the next few weeks.

“We will obviously take a bit of a break. We will come in at the start of the week and review. Take a bit of a break then and reflect. There are some things we know we are not quite happy with, even from what we are seeing in training. There are lots of things we can get better at. Nobody is losing the run of themselves, I don’t think,” Cullen added.

“A bit of reflection time, we will invest in a lot of the younger guys. We have a good mix of experienced guys there as well. Obviously, the Ulster game in round seven is still a month away, so we have a bit of time to try and get ready for that with the group that we have. We have competitive Interpro ‘A’ games. I’m not sure if everyone actually knows that.

“It will be a proper competitive Interpro. Points table, trophy at the end of it. We play Connacht away in Creggs on the Saturday [16 November] and then we play Munster on the Friday after that in Terenure. For the group that we have, listen it’s an ‘A’ game, but we will try and make it senior-ish. I think that is important.”

Daire Walsh

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on Post-Match Reaction: United Rugby Championship – Leinster V Emirates Lions – Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen – The42.ie – October 28 2024

United Rugby Championship: Leinster V Emirates Lions – The42.ie – October 26 2024

Posted on October 26, 2024 by admin

No bonus point but Leinster too strong for Lions at Aviva Stadium

Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris both crossed before the province added a late penalty try.

Leinster 24

Emirates Lions 6

Daire Walsh reports from Aviva Stadium

A BONUS POINT triumph may have eluded them for the first time this season, but Leinster ultimately held off a strong challenge from Emirates Lions at the Aviva Stadium this evening to continue their winning start to the United Rugby Championship.

Having amassed the maximum tally of 25 points from their opening five games, Leo Cullen’s charges were met with considerable resistance from their South African counterparts in the Ballsbridge venue tonight. Yet with five-pointers from Josh van der Flier and Caelan Doris preceding a late penalty try, Leinster have opened up a six-point buffer at the URC summit ahead of an extended break from competitive action.

While there were some notable absentees for this game – and Blackrock College graduate Hugh Cooney was making his first start for the province at outside centre – Leinster’s match day 23 featured nine players that are set to link up with Ireland for their forthcoming Autumn Nations Series campaign.

Included amongst this cohort were out-half Sam Prendergast and hooker Gus McCarthy – both of whom recently faced South African opposition during Emerging Ireland’s three-game tour of the southern hemisphere nation.

Whereas McCarthy was named by Ireland head coach Andy Farrell as one of five training panellists for the upcoming international window, Prendergast is part of their main 35-man squad and could be in line to make his Ireland senior debut at some point in November. He was presented with an ideal opportunity to break the deadlock when Leinster secured a penalty with just over two minutes on the clock and the Kildare native made no mistake with his first effort off the kicking tee.

While the hosts had hoped this would be the catalyst for a dominant opening quarter in the Ballsbridge venue, a Lions side that came into this contest with four wins from as many games this season largely held their own in the early stages. Despite losing full-back Quan Horn after he was sent for a head injury assessment, the visitors edged in front after Kade Woulhuter successfully converted place-kicks in the 13th and 18th minutes.

Leinster breathed a sigh of relief when Woulhuter fired past the posts from inside his own half after the home team conceded another penalty to the Johannesburg men, but – as seemed inevitable – the eastern province eventually gained a foothold in the action.

Although McCarthy couldn’t find his target off a line-out after Prendergast opted for touch off a close-range penalty, Leinster were subsequently awarded an attacking scrum and remained inside the Lions ‘22’ for an extended period.

Their persistence eventually paid off when van der Flier dotted down underneath a slew of bodies on 32 minutes and with Prendergast adding the bonuses in routine fashion, Leinster brought a 10-6 cushion into the interval.

A Leinster victory was far from certain as the second half commenced, however, as Lions were proving themselves to be quite adept at halting the attacking momentum of their Irish rivals. It looked like the Blues had finally got in for their second try of the evening on 54 minutes, but Prendergast’s pass towards fellow Kildare man Andrew Osborne in the lead up to his finish on the right-flank was adjudged to have gone forward.

A potential five-pointer from James Lowe moments later was also ruled out following consultation between referee Craig Evans and TMO Aled Griffiths – Henco van Wyk got his hands to a Prendergast grubber kick ahead of the Irish international – before Leinster finally increased their cushion just shy of the hour mark. After he was picked out close to the whitewash by back-row compatriot van der Flier, player of the match Doris powered over on the left-hand side for a try that was supplemented by a Prendergast bonus strike.

This helped to create some daylight between the teams and also kept Leinster in the hunt for maximum points in a URC fixture for the sixth successive occasion in the current term.

They ultimately fell short in this particular quest, but they did manage to add to their tally in stoppage-time when – after their own South African star RG Snyman superbly claimed a line-out delivery from replacement hooker Stephen Smyth – the aforementioned Evans awarded them a penalty try.

Leinster scorers:

Tries – Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris, Penalty Try

Conversions – Sam Prendergast [2/2]

Penalties – Sam Prendergast [1/1]

Emirates Lions scorers:

Penalties – Kade Wolhuter [2/2]

LEINSTER: Hugo Keenan; Andrew Osborne, Hugh Cooney, Robbie Henshaw (Charlie Tector ’79), James Lowe; Sam Prendergast (Ross Byrne ’64), Luke McGrath (Cormac Foley ’64); Michael Milne (Andrew Porter ’45), Gus McCarthy (Stephen Smyth ’79), Rabah Slimani (Thomas Clarkson ’45); RG Snyman, Ryan Baird (Brian Deeny ’68); Max Deegan (James Culhane ’70), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.

EMIRATES LIONS: Quan Horn (Erich Cronje ’11); Richard Kriel, Henco van Wyk, Rynhardt Jonker (Marius Louw ’60), Edwill van der Merwe; Kade Wolhuter (Sanele Nohamba ’68), Morne van den Berg; Juan Schoeman (Heiko Pohlmann ’68), PJ Botha (Franco Marais ’60), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (RF Schoeman ’68); Ruben Schoeman (Ruan Delport ’60), Reinhard Nothnagel; JC Pretorius (Renzo du Plessis ’70), Jarod Cairns, Francke Horn.

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU).

Attendance: 20,945

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