Leinster Build-Up To Zebre Home In United Rugby Championship: Josh van der Flier – The42.ie – May 7 2025

Posted on May 7, 2025 by admin

Josh van der Flier believes Leinster can end their season on a high

The Irish province’s only shot at winning a major trophy in the present term will now be in the United Rugby Championship.

DESPITE THEIR latest disappointment at the Aviva Stadium last weekend, Josh van der Flier believes Leinster are more than capable of ending the current season with some silverware to show for their efforts.

Following three consecutive final losses, Leinster were hoping the 2024/25 campaign would finally see them reclaim the European Champions Cup.

Leo Cullen’s side defeated Northampton Saints by three points in the last-four of Europe’s top-tier 12 months ago, but in their renewal of acquaintances at the Aviva on Saturday, Phil Dowson’s English Premiership outfit produced an outstanding display to overcome the eastern province by the same margin (37-34).

Instead of challenging on two fronts in the coming weeks, Leinster’s only shot at winning a major trophy in the present term will now be in the United Rugby Championship.

While the Blues have suffered three successive semi-final reversals since the competition was rebranded as the URC — they were the last winners of the old Pro14 in March 2021 — Van der Flier is confident he and his provincial colleagues can still end the season on a positive note.

“Certainly, that would be great, to win a trophy. In my head, from a sports psychology point of view, you’d probably get in a bit of trouble if you’re putting too much pressure on yourself. If we can perform at our best in a quarter-final, semi-final, final in the URC, in my head that’s enough to win a trophy,” Van der Flier said at a Leinster media briefing in UCD on Monday.

“You could also play your best, another team plays their best, and it doesn’t go our way, but it’s definitely the goal.”

In a frantic finale to Saturday’s game, Van der Flier was seemingly on the verge of joining Northampton winger Tommy Freeman in claiming a hat-trick of tries. Yet after the Wicklow native came under intense pressure from Saints lock Alex Coles within inches of the opposition whitewash, the ball broke loose for Leinster replacement Ross Byrne to dot down in the left corner.

While Byrne being off his feet when he grounded the ball was the reason why he wasn’t awarded a five-pointer, Leinster did earn a penalty after Coles was yellow carded for what was deemed to be an illegal intervention on van der Flier.

Since the conclusion of Saturday’s gripping contest, many commentators have suggested this incident could have led to a game-changing penalty try for Leinster as it was felt Van der Flier would more than likely have grounded the ball only for Coles’ indiscretion.

Although he couldn’t understand at the time why his side weren’t awarded an automatic seven points, Van der Flier acknowledged he was always likely to feel that way and that he couldn’t say for certain if he was definitely going to score his third try of the game.

“I actually didn’t ask anyone today [Monday] what came back. I couldn’t see why it wouldn’t be on the field, but obviously, I’m biased because you’re in the heat of the moment and everything. I carried and then got tackled. Then, as I was turning, the ball got pulled out of my hands when I was on the ground.

“I don’t know which I was going to do, to be honest. Sometimes in the moment, you do what feels right, but I’m not sure. I definitely was thinking of trying to get to the line obviously, when I was carrying, but it’s hard to think back to the moment exactly.”

While van der Flier’s main focus from a team perspective will be on Leinster’s URC round 17 game against Zebre at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, tomorrow’s British & Irish Lions squad announcement is also set to be of interest to the openside flanker.

After missing out on trips to New Zealand and South Africa in 2017 and 2021, the Ireland international is expected to be included in Andy Farrell’s official selection for the Lions’ Tour of Australia later this summer.

He admitted it would mean a huge amount if he were to make the cut tomorrow, and is hopeful the performances he has delivered across 23 appearances for province and country this season will be enough for him to book a seat on the plane to the southern hemisphere.

“It would mean a huge amount to me. I remember watching it since I was a kid. It’s obviously the pinnacle in terms of individual selections. I know the Irish internationals are also incredibly special, but it’s kind of different that way,” van der Flier added.

“At the start of the season, I put a bit of pressure on myself because I’m 32 now. You never know, but I decided earlier in the season that I’m just going to play my best, try my hardest and try to just forget about it. Take it out of my own control. That’s where my head is at. I’m at peace with it, whether I’m involved or not.”

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Dublin LGFA Feature Piece: Aine Keogh (First Dublin LGFA Chairperson) – Dublingaa.ie – May 6 2025

Posted on May 6, 2025 by admin

Dublin LGFA celebrates Forty years!

Dublin LGFA celebrates forty years today having been founded back on this date, 6th May 1985. To mark the occasion Daire Walsh interviewed Áine Keogh, the first Chairperson of Cumann Peil Gael na mBan Átha Cliath – Dublin LGFA.

INTERVIEW WITH ÁINE KEOGH

By Daire Walsh

The now-defunct Park Lodge Hotel on the North Circular Road was the venue on May 6, 1985 for the first-ever meeting of the Dublin ladies football county board.

Presided over by then LGFA President Pat Quill – a native of Castletownbere in Cork who had been living in his adopted county of Wexford for a number of years by that point – this gathering was also attended by 14 people who were spread across three different clubs in the capital. Alongside representatives from Robert Emmets and Park Rangers, there were six members of the Rathcoole club there on the night – namely Pamela Gibney, Eimear Clare, Eamonn Gilligan, Patricia Hickey, Theresa Kelly and Aine Keogh.

This inaugural meeting ended with the first Dublin LGFA committee being formed and it was Keogh who ultimately became the maiden Chairperson of the ladies board in the county.

Although she downplays the significance of being the first Chairperson, there is no denying that Keogh was in attendance for a significant event in the overall history of the Dublin LGFA.

“There was so few of us, somebody had to do it! There was a few girls that had been there from the start. Patricia Hickey would be one, Kathleen Kennedy, myself. Pauline Byrne from Rathcoole. It was just a case of a few of us having to put our names on paper. There was no big election or anything, I can assure you!” Keogh explained.

At the same meeting, Pat Quill had promised those in attendance that he would provide every assistance possible to help further the development of ladies football in Dublin.

A considerable amount of groundwork had already been laid by then and Keogh was heavily involved during the early years of the Dublin senior ladies team. The county set-up mostly consisted of players from the Rathcoole club initially, before the game gradually started to expand in the capital.

By 1986, there were five club teams operating in Dublin. Along with Rathcoole and the aforementioned duo of Robert Emmets and Park Rangers, UCD and Portbello were also competing in the league and championship in the Metropolitan county.

In 1985, Rathcoole had secured the first Dublin senior ladies football championship title courtesy of a final win over UCD at O’Toole Park.

Even though there wasn’t a competitive side in every county back then – despite the Ladies Gaelic Football Association having first been established in 1974 – Dublin were one of 10 teams that featured in the 1986 edition of the National Football League.

“Rathcoole and Dublin were all the one team. Then I think it was Robert Emmets that came on the scene. They set up a club and I think it just all took off from there at that stage. Then we had good days. We were training in the muck, changing in the muck and playing in the muck, but we had good times,” Keogh recalled.

“I think Cathal Kelly would have been our first manager. He certainly managed Rathcoole. So if he managed Rathcoole, he managed Dublin. We bought the gear, we washed it and we cleaned it. At the time, you had Westmeath, you had Laois, you had Cavan. You had Waterford. You had Kerry, who were obviously out of this world even back then.

“It was all kind of run by, what they called back then, Central Council, who met usually in Tullamore. We travelled up and down to that, Kathleen Kennedy and myself. Kathleen got married, then moved and played with Kerry. She lives down in Dingle. Kathleen did as much of setting up the team as I ever did. It was two-fold.”

When she reflects on the early days of the Dublin LGFA – and in particular her time as a footballer for both Dublin and Rathcoole – Keogh has nothing but fond memories.

“It was massive fun. We travelled to places and you’d have your bit of food afterwards. You’d have a bit of craic and you travelled home. Whoever drove at the time drove and the odd time we’d get a bus, and we’d have a meeting spot.

“You were against probably the same girls playing for Laois and Westmeath. One of the biggest clubs in Westmeath was Rochfortbridge. You kind of met the same girls all the time. It was a group of girls playing football, that’s all it was. We had a couple of different trainers and we had a couple of very good players.

“We trained in St Brendan’s grounds [in Grangegorman] for a couple of years and we then got a few more players. Actually, a couple of the girls from Dublin Castle soccer team joined us. There was one or two of them, they were talented players, but we all moved on and gave up the football. Kind of lost touch.”

Indeed, a couple of years after being the first Chairperson of the LGFA, Keogh handed over the reins to Brendan Dardis – who was later followed in the role by the likes of Elaine Carroll, Walter Galvin and Caroline Maloney.

These days, Keogh’s main sporting passion is golf and she hasn’t been actively involved in the LGFA for a number of years. Nonetheless, she keeps a close eye on the progress of the sport and is thrilled to see how it has evolved into its current position of strength.

At that inaugural Dublin LGFA meeting in 1985, National President Pat Quill outlined his hope that there would eventually be 32 counties competing in ladies football. This has long since been achieved, while overseas sides like London and New York have also featured competitively at the inter-county grade.

“It’s absolutely fantastic to see where it has come to. We had to, I won’t say get down on our bended hands and knees to try and get Croke Park for the first ever final [between Kerry and Wexford in 1986], but basically we did. There was a lot of effort put into it from all the counties involved at the time,” Keogh added.

“It’s just automatic now. It’s just put in the calendar. They’ve come an awful long way. It’s even the girls from the schools up now playing. 40 years ago, that just wasn’t done. It’s fantastic.”

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Leinster Build-Up To Zebre Home In United Rugby Championship: Jacques Nienaber – The42.ie – May 6 2025

Posted on May 6, 2025 by admin

Defence, Barrett selection call, decisions in finale: Nienaber on Leinster defeat

Leinster were left reeling after Saturday’s dramatic loss to Northampton.

IT IS AN area of their game that has come under significant scrutiny in the past couple of days and Jacques Nienaber has admitted Leinster didn’t deliver on their potential as a defensive unit in last Saturday’s seismic defeat to Northampton Saints in the European Champions Cup semi-final at the Aviva Stadium.

Noted as the defence specialist behind South Africa’s Rugby World Cup triumphs of 2019 and 2023 – when he was in the respective roles of assistant coach and head coach – there had been signs earlier this season that Leinster were coming to grips with the system Nienaber has looked to deploy since he first came on board as the eastern province’s senior coach.

Before taking on Northampton at Irish Rugby HQ in the weekend just gone, the Blues had kept both Harlequins and Glasgow Warriors scoreless in the knockout rounds of the Champions Cup.

Yet the Saints attack created havoc in their last-four showdown with Leinster on Saturday as they scored five eye-catching tries on their way to securing a shock 37-34 victory.

“As a group, we feel that we should have been better defensively. We had the potential to be a lot better, if I can put it like that. That’s almost the thing that, I won’t say hurts, but that’s the disappointing part,” Nienaber remarked at a Leinster media briefing in UCD yesterday.

“If you look at the potential of the squad defensively and then look at the performance, we didn’t deliver on that potential, defensively. What is our potential in defence? What is performance based on that potential you can deliver? I think it’s a lot better than the one that we did deliver.

“Is there things we could and should have done better? Without a doubt. I won’t go into detail. In saying that, I don’t want to take any credit away from Northampton because saying you could have done something better can almost take some of the credit off them. I thought they were excellent on the day.”

Nevertheless there are a couple of things the Leinster coaches and players potentially could have done differently in Saturday’s game to bolster their quest for a fourth Champions Cup final appearance in succession.

From a coaching perspective, the decision to name Jordie Barrett amongst the replacements was viewed in many quarters as a mistake even before the final whistle had sounded at the Aviva. Trailing 27-15 at the interval, Leinster were still five points adrift when the All Blacks star took over from Robbie Henshaw at inside centre in the 49th minute.

“The Jordie thing has been a big debate. If you look at our midfielders, Jimmy O’Brien made his [Ireland] debut against South Africa in 2022 and beat South Africa when [Stuart] McCloskey went off. So he can play midfield,” Nienaber said of the decision to name Barrett on the bench.

“You’ve got Jamie Osborne, who last year performed for us there. He’s played at full-back for Ireland, so he’s an international. Then you look at Robbie and Garry [Ringrose], they are internationals and Jordie is also an international. The point I’m making there is I don’t think there’s a massive drop-off.

“Then tactically you think, ‘What did Northampton bring in the semi-final last year? Where were they strong?’ I think everybody would say they were fairly strong at the back end of the game. So you go, ‘Yes, that impact is maybe something that we need.’

“Because we lose, people will listen to this and you will have your opinion and you will go: ‘that’s bull***t.’ Because you just didn’t win. If we get over the line people would have said: ‘that’s actually quite clever.’ So I don’t think anything I say will be right.”

Another key talking point arising from Saturday’s game was the decision by Leinster to kick a brace of attacking penalties to touch in the closing minutes of the game instead of opting for the posts. A successful place-kick on either of these occasions would have levelled the sides at 37 points apiece and more than likely forced the game into extra-time.

When the eastern province were awarded the first of these penalties to the right of the posts in the 76th minute, it looked like stand-in captain Jack Conan might have been looking towards the sideline for guidance.

Nienaber revealed there wasn’t any call from the coaches’ box that was transferred down to the pitch in relation to this incident, but acknowledged he understood the decision that was ultimately made on the pitch by Conan and the Leinster players.

“If we had scored, it would have been the right decision and I take you back. I wasn’t here, I just heard about it. In Marseille a couple of years ago, Leinster lost [to La Rochelle in the 2022 Champions Cup final] and the perception was ‘why didn’t you go for the win?’ You went for the posts the whole time,” Nienaber added.

“If you look at the history of the game, for this specific game, we were quite deadly when we got into that five-metres out position [for the tries we scored]. So I can understand why they felt confident with that, because we had good results with that. If they would have gone for the posts, I would understand that as well.

“Again, the outcome is probably going to justify if your decision was correct or not. That is where we currently sit. Nothing I say will justify the decision we made because the outcome didn’t go our way.”

 

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Leinster Senior Football Championship Round Three: Meath V Kildare – Ladiesgaelic.ie – May 4 2025

Posted on May 4, 2025 by admin

Meath advance to TG4 Leinster SFC final after pipping Kildare

TG4 Leinster Senior Football Championship

Meath 2-14

Kildare 1-16

By Daire Walsh

Meath will face Dublin in next weekend’s TG4 Leinster Senior Football Championship final at Croke Park after holding off a dramatic fightback from Kildare in their gripping round three meeting at Cedral St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge on Sunday afternoon.

After trading early scores with Meath’s Kerrie Cole, Kildare attacker Roisin Byrne added her second point of the game in the seventh minute of the action. While the Royals subsequently found the target through the talismanic Vikki Wall and Orlaith Sheehy, the Lilies – who lost to Dublin in the same venue last weekend – responded to these efforts with contributions from Neasa Dooley and dead-ball specialist Alannah Prizeman.

Another free courtesy of Naas’ Prizeman moved Kildare two points in front, before Meath eventually hit a purple patch inside the second-quarter. After Cole doubled her account, Megan Thynne seized upon a short opposition kick-out and proceeded to release Emma Duggan for a simple 17th minute goal.

Duggan and Niamh Gallogly also split the posts from distance as the opening period wore on and Meath were very much in the driving seat when the raiding Sarah Wall rattled the net on the half-hour mark.

While a late Prizeman point reduced Kildare’s deficit to six (2-6 to 0-6) in time for the interval, Meath reinforced their authority on the resumption with unanswered scores from Duggan and Ciara Smyth. The excellent Duggan went on to bolster her tally with a two-point salvo and the hard-working Prizeman did likewise at the opposite end as the Lilies gallantly sought their way back into contention.

Kildare substitute Ellen Dowling also found the range to cancel out a Marion Farrelly point for Meath and this was quickly supplemented by Prizeman’s sixth of the contest. Duggan added another white flag score to move the Royals eight clear (2-12 to 0-10) on the stroke of 50 minutes, but it was at this stage that the Lilies challenge kicked back into gear.

Complimenting Prizeman’s second point from play, Ciara Wheeler fired home a 53rd minute goal at the second time of asking. Dowling and Prizeman then brought the gap down to two with quickfire scores, before Meath regained their composure with much-needed efforts from Smyth and Duggan.

However, Kildare refused to throw in the towel and with Mia Doherty, Byrne and Dooley all kicking points during six minutes of stoppage-time, the bare minimum separated the sides in the end.

Scorers – Meath: E Duggan 1-6 (0-2f), S Wall 1-0, C Smyth, K Cole 0-2 each, O Sheehy, M Farrelly, N Gallogly, V Wall 0-1 each.

Kildare: A Prizeman 0-8 (6f), C Wheeler 1-0, R Byrne 0-3, N Dooley, E Dowling 0-2 each, M Doherty 0-1.

MEATH: R Murray; A Sheridan, MK Lynch, K Newe; A Cleary, S Wall, K Kealy; O Sheehy, M Farrelly; M Thynne, N Gallogly, C Smyth; E Duggan, V Wall, K Cole. Subs: K Birmingham for Sheehy (44), A Gaffney for Thynne (51), M Collins for Cole (52), C Lawlor for Farrelly (61).

KILDARE: M Hulgraine; R Sargent, L Lenehan, M Doherty; L Shaw, L Dunlea, M Aspel; L Murtagh, S Galvin; C Moran, C Wheeler, N Dooley; A Rattigan, A Prizeman, R Byrne. Subs: L Gilbert for Sargent (27), L Reilly for Moran (41), G Wheeler for Rattigan (42), E Dowling for Galvin (45), L Curran for Shaw (53), C Price for Murtagh (62),

Referee: Barry Redmond (Wexford).

Posted in Ladies GAA | Comments Off on Leinster Senior Football Championship Round Three: Meath V Kildare – Ladiesgaelic.ie – May 4 2025

The Big Interview: Megan Thynne (Meath/Dunsany) – Media West Ireland – May 3 2025

Posted on May 3, 2025 by admin

A change of career for Thynne as Meath face a tough challenge

By Daire Walsh

While she remains a vital member of the Meath senior ladies football team in her sporting life, Dunsany’s Megan Thynne has opted for an interesting career change away from the field of play.

Previously employed as a preschool teacher, Thynne decided in more recent times to enrol in The Garda College in Templemore along with her brother Daniel. Whereas her sibling is now a full member of An Garda Síochána, Megan is currently on a placement in Dublin after beginning Stage 2 of her training in March.

While being a childcare practitioner was something that she embraced, Thynne is thrilled to have taken her career down an entirely different path.

“A big career change, but I’m delighted with my decision. I really enjoyed my career up until now, but just thinking future wise, I need to make sure I’m well prepared for the future. I always kind of suited my life around sport,” Thynne explained.

“Pre-school teaching suited my sporting life, so I just want to make sure I’m prepped for down the road in a good few years hopefully. Just that I have a good job and that I’m happy. I think it has even given me a bit more of a lease of life with my football.

“It’s tough going at times, but I just think it has given me something else. I go to work and I don’t think about football as much and then after when I go to football, I’m not thinking of work as much. There’s a good balance there. I’m happy.”

Although she acknowledges it will be out of her control, Thynne is hoping to be based in either Dublin or her native county upon becoming a fully-fledged member of An Garda Síochána. As the standard working hours for a Guard differ substantially to the occupations held by the vast majority of her inter-county colleagues, it would be ideal for her to be located as close to Meath’s training base as humanly possible.

“At the moment where I’m based now, I’m very lucky. I’m not far from our training base. The travelling is grand. Going forward, I hope to be based somewhere like in Dublin, just so I can be that bit closer to training. Where I’m working and with the football team as well, they’re very supportive and they understand my situation.

“I can’t say where I’ll be placed now going forward when I do get tested at the end of the summer. That’s not up to me, but I do hope that I’ll be based somewhere that I can still get to training and games easily. Hopefully it will happen.”

Moving back to the world of sport, there has been an upbeat mood around Meath in the past week following a magnificent 0-23 to 1-16 victory for the men’s football team over Dublin in the semi-final of the Leinster Senior Football Championship at Laois Hire O’Moore Park in Portlaoise last Sunday.

In addition to booking their spot in the provincial decider against neighbours Louth at Croke Park on May 11, Robbie Brennan’s side also ended Dublin’s quest to secure a 15th consecutive Leinster senior title.

Their female counterparts have had a similar stranglehold on the provincial scene with last year’s Leinster LGFA final success over Meath being their 11th in succession. Should they overcome Kildare at Cedral St Conleth’s Park in Newbridge tomorrow afternoon, the Royals will face Dublin in a provincial showpiece for the fourth consecutive year.

This would lead to a unique occasion for the Royal County as the Leinster ladies final is set to be part of a double-header with the aforementioned men’s showdown between Meath and Louth on Sunday week. Yet having lost out to them by five points (2-7 to 1-5) when the two sides clashed in Division 1 of the Lidl National Football League back on February 23, Thynne and her team-mates aren’t looking past the challenge of Kildare.

“We’re not underestimating Kildare at all. We know they’re a very good side and we met them there earlier in the year in the league. We know we’re going to have to work extremely hard and whoever wants it most at the end of the day will be heading to Croke Park the following week. We know it’s going to take everything we have in us to win on Sunday.”

What will add extra spice to tomorrow’s game is the fact there is a strong Kildare connection within the Meath backroom team. In addition to Allenwood’s Shane McCormack now being in his second season as Royals boss, Monasterevin club men Wayne Freeman and Lee Hunt – both of whom helped Clare to reach the TG4 All-Ireland intermediate championship final against Kildare in 2023 – are also part of the set-up this year.

“We just have a really good set-up there now. The fresh aspect that they bring to it, and their knowledge as well, has just been brilliant. Definitely I think for them as well, they’d love to get the win on Sunday, being from Kildare!”

Even though a Leinster senior title has eluded her since she first made her Meath senior debut in 2015, Thynne has enjoyed remarkable success with the Royals over the past decade. In addition to winning back-to-back TG4 All-Ireland senior football championship titles in the wake of securing an All-Ireland intermediate crown in 2020, Thynne also has winners’ medals in the top three divisions of the Lidl National Football League.

The former inter-county dual star is one of several players from those monumental triumphs to still be on board for the current campaign, but Thynne is eager to develop new memories for some of the younger players within the squad to savour.

“From playing from such a young age (she was still an underage player when she made her senior bow), the games that I got to play in, and the teams I got to be a part of, it’s a great experience,” Thynne added.

“It has stood to me now, but I’d love to get back to those days as well. I’d love for the younger girls to get to experience them as well, as much as I did. It would be great for everyone if we could get to those days again.”

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SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic V Galway United – The Irish Times – May 3 2025

Posted on May 3, 2025 by admin

St Patrick’s Athletic top the table after first-half brace sees off Galway United

Results elsewhere go in Saints’ favour with Drogheda United and Shamrock Rovers held to draws

Daire Walsh at Richmond Park

Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic 2 Galway United 0

Kian Leavy and Zachary Elbouzedi grabbed first-half goals at Richmond Park last night as St Patrick’s Athletic moved to the top of the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division table with a 2-0 win over Galway United.

The Saints team for this game showed two changes from their last-gasp defeat to Dublin rivals Bohemians seven days earlier with former Galway loan player Al Amin Kazeem and the fit-again Aidan Keena drafted into the starting line-up.

There were also a couple of alterations to the Galway side following their excellent 2-1 win at home to Drogheda United on April 25 – Garry Buckley and Stephen Walsh coming into the first 11 as replacements for Greg Cunningham and Vincent Borden respectively.

While Stephen Kenny’s hosts were on top of possession during the opening quarter of the game, Galway attacker Moses Dyer headed marginally over the crossbar off an enticing cross in the 15th minute. Leavy had an effort that drifted off-target at the opposite end of the pitch, before St Pat’s received a significant lay-off just shy of the half-hour mark.

Although Dyer got on the end of a byline delivery from the raiding Jeannot Esua on the right-hand side, his connection wasn’t strong to deny Saints’ goalkeeper Joseph Anang saving the ball on the line.

Having breathed a sigh of relief in the wake of this missed opportunity for the Tribesmen, the St Pat’s faithful were subsequently in full voice when their team swiftly opened the scoring on 32 minutes. After breaking impressively into the box off the back of some neat link-up play with Keena, Leavy fired a low shot to the net through the legs of ex-Saints’ custodian Brendan Clarke.

This provided fresh impetus to the Pat’s play and their lead was doubled seven minutes before the interval when an ambitious strike from Elbouzedi took a wicked deflection off Galway’s Robert Slevin on its way into the bottom left-hand corner.

The Saints brought a 2-0 cushion into the second half as a consequence, but they were offered a stark warning on the restart that the three points from this contest weren’t yet secured. From a 52nd-minute free-kick just outside of the St Pat’s penalty area, Galway’s Cian Byrne unleashed a curling shot that rattled the crossbar before floating away to safety.

The spirited Tribesmen were also close to reducing their deficit to the bare minimum when Robert Burns headed an Esua cross just wide of the mark moments later.

Despite still being two goals behind moving into the final quarter, Galway gained a numerical advantage when St Pat’s full back Carl Axel Sjoberg was issued with a second yellow card on 69 minutes.

It had been a feisty second half of action in Inchicore with Saints’ boss Stephen Kenny and his counterpart John Caulfield (as well as the latter’s assistant Ollie Horgan) also finding themselves in referee Robert Harvey’s notebook along with several players from both sides.

Yet even though Galway continued to persevere with their challenge – substitutes Max Wilson and Cillian Tollett both went close for the westerners in the dying minutes of the proceedings – St Pat’s ultimately dug deep with 10 men to claim their sixth victory of the campaign.

Results elsewhere on Friday largely went in favour of the Saints with previous league leaders Drogheda United and Shamrock Rovers earning respective 2-2 and 1-1 draws away to Sligo Rovers and Cork City. At The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Michael Duffy and Liam Boyce were on target in a 2-0 success for Derry City over defending champions Shelbourne and Thomas Lonergan struck the winning goal in Waterford’s 2-1 triumph against Bohemians at Dalymount Park.

ST PATRICK’S ATHLETIC: Anang; Sjoberg, Hoare, Redmond, Kazeem (Turner, 79 mins); Lennon, Forrester, Leavy; Melia (Carty, 79 mins), Keena (Power, 55 mins), Elbouzedi (McLaughlin, 70 mins).

GALWAY UNITED: Clarke; Esua, Slevin, Brouder, Burns; Buckley (Tollett, 86 mins), Byrne (McCormack, 93 mins), Hurley; Hickey; Walsh (Kerrigan, 33 mins (Wilson, 93 mins)), Dyer.

Referee: R Harvey (Dublin).

Posted in League Of Ireland | Comments Off on SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division: St Patrick’s Athletic V Galway United – The Irish Times – May 3 2025

Updated All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – April 29 2025

Posted on April 29, 2025 by admin

GAA Betting: Cork Still All-Ireland Hurling Favourites

Article By Daire Walsh

After another packed weekend of action in the competition, the best betting sites for GAA are once again investigating who the main challengers are for the All-Ireland senior hurling championship in 2025.

Playing virtually the entire game with an extra player following the dismissal of opposition attacker Darragh McCarthy for an incident that happened prior to the ball being thrown in, Cork secured an emphatic 4-27 to 0-24 triumph over Tipperary in the Munster senior hurling championship.

Earlier on the same day, a Waterford side that were under the radar coming into the provincial series claimed a magnificent 2-23 to 0-21 victory against All-Ireland champions Clare at Walsh Park.

There was also a hectic schedule in the Leinster senior hurling championship with Sean Currie (1-11) and John Hetherton (2-3) amassing impressive scoring tallies in Dublin’s 3-26 to 4-19 success at the expense of Wexford in Parnell Park on Saturday.

At O’Connor Park in Tullamore, Cathal Mannion and debutant Colm Molloy were in inspired form as Galway made light of the dismissal of Daithi Burke to record a 2-25 to 1-14 win against Offaly.

In the sole Leinster championship game to take place on Sunday, Kilkenny were convincing 2-30 to 2-12 victors over Antrim at Corrigan Park in Belfast.

Cork Still The Frontrunners For All-Ireland

Despite sharing the spoils with Clare in the opening round of the Munster championship last Sunday week, Cork were still rated as favourites for the All-Ireland crown heading into their home duel with Tipperary.

A 15-point victory against the Premier County that saw the evergreen Patrick Horgan and Declan Dalton registering respective hauls of 1-9 and 1-6 has kept them out in front with the bookmakers in the race for the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

Betting apps regard Pat Ryan’s Leesiders as 11/10 favourites to win their first All-Ireland senior hurling title in 20 years.

They currently lead the way at the summit of the Munster SHC table, but that could change after the upcoming weekend.

Limerick Very Much In Contention

Having remained idle in a five-team competition on Sunday, Limerick will return to competitive fare against Waterford in Walsh Park this Saturday evening.

After playing out an entertaining 2-23 apiece draw with Tipperary in the opening round of Munster, the Treaty County will be looking to go level on three points with Cork in the provincial standings.

Although John Kiely’s men relinquished their All-Ireland title in a semi-final defeat to the Rebels at the penultimate phase of last year’s hurling championship, Limerick remain viable contenders to collect the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the sixth time in just eight seasons.

Heading into their forthcoming battle with the Deise, they are rated as 11/4 second favourites with a host of betting sites.

Kilkenny Realistic All-Ireland Challengers

Limerick and Cork are certainly seen as the frontrunners for All-Ireland glory at the moment, but Kilkenny aren’t far behind them as things stand.

The Cats have accrued maximum points from the opening two rounds of the Leinster championship in 2025 and it is anticipated Derek Lyng’s outfit will retain their 100% record against Offaly at Nowlan Park on May 10.

While 13 players got themselves on the scoresheet in their win over Antrim, Eoin Cody shone brightest with an outstanding personal tally of 1-13 and GAA betting sites rate their All-Ireland prospects at 11/2.

Clare And Galway In The Mix

Even though they are the current holders of the Liam MacCarthy Cup, Clare are only seen as the fourth favourites for a second consecutive All-Ireland title.

Having suffered relegation from Division 1A of the National Hurling League, the Banner County came into the championship looking to rediscover the form that propelled them towards an NHL and Liam MacCarthy double in 2024.

They mounted an impressive comeback to earn a share of the spoils with Cork in the opening round of Munster, but a defeat to Waterford has put them under pressure in advance of a round three clash with Tipperary at Cusack Park in Ennis on May 10.

The odds on Brian Lohan’s charges retaining their All-Ireland crown are 14/1.

Having fallen well short of the standard required in an opening round loss to Kilkenny, Galway got their Leinster campaign up and running last Saturday courtesy of their convincing triumph over Offaly.

There is a sense that the Tribesmen are in a transitional period at the beginning of Micheal Donoghue’s second stint as team manager, but they will still have their sights set on progressing beyond the provincial series.

Next up for them is a home encounter with Wexford at Pearse Stadium in Salthill on Saturday week (May 10) with betting sites pricing them as a 20/1 prospect for Liam MacCarthy glory.

Waterford And Tipperary Have Outside Chance

Whereas Tipperary were previously viewed as more likely All-Ireland contenders than Waterford, the latter’s eye-catching win against Clare has caused something of a rethink on the market.

Stephen Bennett was in scintillating form for Peter Queally’s side against the Banner as he registered an exceptional haul of 2-8 over the course of the contest.

Tough showdowns with Limerick, Tipperary and Cork are on the horizon, but with BoyleSportsamongst those to offer odds of 20/1, a potential All-Ireland bid for the Deise shouldn’t be discounted.

In spite of their excellent early season form in the National League, Tipperary are now under pressure ahead of their aforementioned crunch meeting with Clare on May 10.

They might have been All-Ireland champions as recently as 2019, but the Premier are seen as an outside bet for this year’s Liam MacCarthy crown with odds of 25/1.

Whilst the odds on them are more favourable than what is being offered for Offaly and Antrim, Wexford and Dublin are still viewed as rank outsiders for an All-Ireland title in the wake of their gripping battle in Parnell Park last weekend.

In the eyes of the bookies this duo are regarded as a 66/1 possibility for a Liam MacCarthy success.

Posted in Gaelic Games, Hurling | Comments Off on Updated All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – April 29 2025

Updated All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – April 29 2025

Posted on April 29, 2025 by admin

GAA Betting: Kerry Still The Frontrunners For All-Ireland Title

Article By Daire Walsh

Following a compelling weekend of high drama, the best betting sites for GAA are once again pondering who the main contenders are for this year’s All-Ireland senior football championship.

After winning the previous 14 editions of the competition, Dublin were once again expected to maintain their stranglehold on the Leinster senior football championship.

However, their dominance of the province finally came to an end at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise on Sunday as Eoghan Frayne struck 11 points for Meath in a 0-23 to 1-16 semi-final victory over their arch rivals.

Meeting them in a forthcoming Leinster SFC showdown will be neighbours Louth, who earned a 1-18 to 0-18 triumph against Kildare to book their spot in a provincial decider for the third season in succession.

While the final pairings in both Munster and Connacht had been determined on the previous weekend, the penultimate round of the Ulster senior football championship also took place across Saturday and Sunday.

Whereas Armagh pulled out all the stops to squeeze past Tyrone on a final score of 0-23 to 0-22 at St Tiernach’s Park in Clones on Saturday evening, Donegal had six points to spare over Down in the same venue a day later.

Meath’s Victory Over Dublin One Of The Moments Of The Championship

Given you have to go back to 2010 for the last time their opponents lost a game in the eastern province, Meath’s win against Dublin in Portlaoise on Sunday goes down as the result of the championship so far. 

Having struggled to make a lasting impact in the summer for so many years, this is a much-needed shot in the arm for the Royal County.

Yet despite now being just 70 minutes away from reclaiming the Leinster SFC title, Meath are somewhat short of being considered realistic challengers for an All-Ireland crown.

As things stand, Robbie Brennan’s men are a massive 150/1 chance to collect the Sam Maguire Cup at the end of July.

Not surprisingly, plenty of teams remain ahead of them in the eyes of bookmakers for the All-Ireland title in 2025.

Kerry Still The Frontrunners For All-Ireland Success

After requiring extra-time to get past Cork at the semi-final stage, Kerry will look to add a Munster senior championship to the National Football League Division 1 title they recently accrued when Jack O’Connor’s side face Clare in Killarney this Sunday.

Although Paudie Clifford is set to miss the game through suspension, the excellent form of his brother David in the Cork game suggests the Kingdom will be more than able to cope in his absence.

Kerry will be hell-bent on making up for a disappointing semi-final loss to Armagh in the 2024 championship and remain favourites to reclaim the Sam Maguire Cup for the first time since 2022.

Including BoyleSports, most bookies currently rate the Munster giants at 11/4 to win Gaelic football’s top prize.

Donegal Also In Contention For Sam Maguire Cup

Although the Kingdom have been viewed as the team to beat by betting sites in recent weeks, there is also a consensus that Donegal are their main rivals for an All-Ireland title – for the time being at least.

The fact that the O’Donnell County have already played three championship games in comparison to one for Kerry means there is a significant body of evidence for what Jim McGuinness’ men are capable of, though there will be even tougher encounters on the horizon.

In their 1-19 to 0-16 win over Down last weekend, the vastly-experienced duo of Paddy McBrearty and Michael Murphy helped themselves to a combined tally of 1-7.

They will have vital roles to play in their quest for ultimate success in 2025 and with bookmakers rating their chances of claiming an All-Ireland at 7/2, McGuinness’ troops will be one to watch out for.

Galway And Dublin Also In The Mix

Whilst there was little to separate them in the grand scheme of things, Dublin were slightly ahead of 2024 finalists Galway before last weekend as third favourites amongst betting apps for an All-Ireland title.

Dublin’s shock defeat to Meath has altered that to a certain degree, with many people across the world of GAA now casting doubts over the credentials of Dessie Farrell’s side as they aim to regroup for the upcoming All-Ireland group stages.

Galway will be hoping to secure a fourth successive Connacht crown when they take on Mayo in a provincial final at MacHale Park in Castlebar this Sunday.

That is understandably their focus for now, but with many bookmakers having them at 11/2 for All-Ireland glory, the Tribesmen will also be aiming for a strong showing in the All-Ireland series.

Despite their loss to Meath, it would be foolish to rule out the prospect of Dublin once again climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand at the end of the summer.

Some GAA betting sites still have them slightly ahead of Galway in the betting, but there are others that rate their All-Ireland chances at around 9/1.

Defending Champions Armagh Have Strong Credentials

The same general odds are presently available on Armagh to complete back-to-back All-Ireland crowns in 2025, and with wins against Antrim and Tyrone already under their belts, Kieran McGeeney’s outfit are in a healthy position ahead of a Ulster final date with Donegal on May 10.

Although it may seem peculiar that the competition’s defending champions are some way down the pecking order, the odds on them to win the Sam Maguire Cup are much shorter than this time last year.

Even though 7/1 is the most readily available price on offer for the Orchard County, QuinnBet are rating their All-Ireland prospects at 10/1.

Tyrone And Mayo Among Outsiders For All-Ireland Crown

There was disappointment at losing the game, but Tyrone can still take plenty from their display against Armagh last Saturday. There is quality throughout their team and with odds of 14/1, they could come into consideration as an outside bet.

Meanwhile, upcoming Connacht finalists Mayo are available at 20/1 to win their first All-Ireland crown in 74 years.

Beyond the above, there are several others who are capable of pulling off some big results in the championship, but are ultimately seen as rank outsiders to win the All-Ireland title.

Included amongst this cohort are the likes of Derry, Cork, Monaghan, Down and Roscommon, as well as the aforementioned Leinster final pairing of Meath and Louth.

Posted in Gaelic Football, Gaelic Games | Comments Off on Updated All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Odds Piece: Gambling.com – April 29 2025

Women’s Six Nations Championship: Scotland V Ireland – The Irish Times – April 28 2025

Posted on April 27, 2025 by admin

Injury-hit Ireland end Six Nations campaign with defeat in Scotland

Losing bonus point was enough to secure a second consecutive third-place finish

Daire Walsh

Women’s Six Nations: Scotland 26 Ireland 19

Francesca McGhie grabbed an 81st-minute converted try as an injury-hit Ireland ended their Women’s Six Nations campaign with a defeat to Scotland at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh on Saturday.

While a losing bonus point was enough to secure a second consecutive third-place finish in the Championship, there will be disappointment among the Irish camp that they were not able to add to previous wins against Italy and Wales in this year’s tournament.

Although there was plenty of experience throughout Ireland’s starting line-up, Munster and UL Bohemian star Aoife Corey was drafted into the fullback position for her international test debut. Vicky Elmes Kinlan was named on the rightwing for a first start in this year’s Championship and there was another debutant off the bench in the form of Jane Clohessy – daughter of former Ireland men’s international Peter Clohessy.

A 74th-minute penalty from Dannah O’Brien earned Ireland a 15-12 win over the Scots in the final round of the 2024 Six Nations at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast and they ultimately drew first blood in this contest on the stroke of 10 minutes. After she had broken at pace into the opposition ’22’, scrumhalf Molly Scuffil-McCabe released winger Amee-Leigh Costigan for a typically clinical finish over the whitewash in the left corner.

This was the Tipperary woman’s third try of the tournament and with O’Brien superbly splitting the uprights from a touchline conversion, Ireland established a seven-point platform.

However, there was to be a setback for the visitors in the 18th minute when Dorothy Wall was withdrawn through injury. This could be a significant concern for head coach Scott Bemand and his fellow coaches ahead of the Rugby World Cup – which gets under way for Ireland against Japan in Northampton on August 24th.

The Irish were not being placed under too much defensive pressure in the Hive – until superb work from the influential Evie Gallagher secured Scotland an attacking penalty on 25 minutes. Outhalf Helen Nelson opted to kick the ball to touch on the left flank and this paid dividends for the home team when hooker Lana Skeldon got on the back of the ensuing line out maul for her 19th international try.

A wayward bonus strike from Nelson in the wake of this score kept their opponents in the ascendancy, but even though they ended the opening period with 72 per cent of the possession, Ireland were ultimately 12-7 adrift at the interval courtesy of a converted try in first half stoppage-time from Emma Orr.

O’Brien’s failure to kick the ball out of play when the clock was in the red proved costly in this instance and with captain Edel McMahon and Enya Breen joining Wall in being forced off with injuries, Ireland needed to rediscover their attacking groove on the resumption.

After recording a brace of tries in a 40-14 triumph over Wales in Newport six days earlier, tighthead prop Linda Djougang was twice held up by the Scottish defence in the first half of this game. Yet following the intervention of the TMO a little under nine minutes after the restart, she was finally adjudged to have dotted down beyond the Scotland line for an unconverted five-pointer.

This coincided with the sinbinning of Scotland winger Rhona Lloyd for a head-high tackle on Costigan, but before Bryan Easson’s side were restored to their full complement of players, flanker Rachel McLachlan had rounded off an extended attack in the 58th minute with a try on the left wing.

An outstanding Nelson conversion left Ireland staring into a seven-point deficit inside the final quarter, but the visiting side subsequently put the Scots under relentless set-piece pressure as the final whistle approached.

A yellow card issued to Nelson seemingly handed momentum to the Irish and from a move that started with a “tap and go” from Cliodhna Moloney, her fellow replacement Emily Lane pounced for her maiden international try on 72 minutes. O’Brien added the bonuses to ensure the sides were now inseparable on the scoreboard, but there was to be a final twist to the action.

Moments after Nelson returned to the field of play, Scotland moved the ball towards the far side off a lineout move on the right wing and McGhie was on hand to ground off a Lucia Scott pass for a game-winning score.

Scorers – Scotland: L Skeldon, E Orr, R McLachlan, F McGhie try each, H Nelson 3 cons. Ireland: A-L Costigan, L Djougang, E Lane try each, D O’Brien 2 cons.

SCOTLAND: C Rollie; R Lloyd, E Orr, L Thomson, F McGhie; H Nelson, L Brebner-Holden; L Bartlett, L Skeldon, E Clarke; J Konkel, S Bonar; R Malcolm, R McLachlan, E Gallagher. Replacements: A Young for Bartlett, 46 mins; L Scott for Lloyd, 59 mins; E Martin for Skeldon, M Poolman for Clarke, both 64 mins.

IRELAND: A Corey; V Elmes Kinlan, A Dalton, E Breen, A-L Costigan; D O’Brien, M Scuffil-McCabe; N O’Dowd, N Jones, L Djougang; R Campbell, F Tuite; D Wall, E McMahon, B Hogan. Replacements: S McGrath for O’Dowd, 9-18 mins; C Boles for Wall, 18 mins; J Clohessy for McMahon, 22 mins; E Higgins for Breen, 39 mins; S Flood for Elmes Kinlan, 47 mins; C Moloney for Jones, S McGrath for O’Dowd, C Haney for Djougang, E Lane for Scuffil-McCabe, all 64 mins.

Referee: N Ganley (New Zealand).

Posted in International Rugby, Women's Rugby | Comments Off on Women’s Six Nations Championship: Scotland V Ireland – The Irish Times – April 28 2025

United Rugby Championship: Scarlets V Leinster – The Irish Examiner – April 28 2025

Posted on April 27, 2025 by admin

‘Ill-discipline’ gave Scarlets early control as Cullen disappointed his side didn’t ‘pitch up’

Eight points clear of Glasgow Warriors heading into their showdown with the Welsh outfit at Parc y Scarlets, the eastern province had a golden opportunity to secure first place in the final URC standings with two rounds left to play.
DAIRE WALSH

URC: Scarlets 35 Leinster 22

While they are still strong favourites to seal top spot in the regular season table, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen admitted he was somewhat disappointed in the wake of his side’s 13-point defeat to Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship in Llanelli on Saturday.

Eight points clear of Glasgow Warriors heading into their showdown with the Welsh outfit at Parc y Scarlets, the eastern province had a golden opportunity to secure first place in the final URC standings with two rounds left to play. Yet Dwayne Peel’s hosts were desperate for a win to boost their own play-off hopes and in the absence of a whole host of first-choice players ahead of this Saturday’s European Champions Cup semi-final bout against Northampton Saints, Leinster suffered just their second reversal of the 2024/25 season.

“We lost control of the game pretty early on because of our ill-discipline at the start. That gave them reasonable access. We knew the Scarlets would be up for the game because they’ve got so much to play for. It wasn’t like things we hadn’t discussed during the week and I was a bit disappointed with the way our guys didn’t really pitch up,” Cullen remarked after the game.

While Diarmuid Mangan and Jamie Osborne crossed the whitewash in the opening period to supplement five points from the boot of Ross Byrne, Leinster found themselves seven points adrift (22-15) at the interval in Llanelli.

In addition to Sam Costelow amassing seven points off the kicking tee, Gareth Davies, Tom Rogers and Taine Plumtree all bagged tries for Scarlets in an entertaining first half.

The hosts secured a bonus point when Joe Roberts dotted down within two minutes of the resumption, but Leinster gave themselves a fighting chance of a comeback victory when bustling back-row James Culhane rounded off an extended attack with a 47th minute try.

However, Byrne’s conversion to this effort proved to be Leinster’s final score of the action and with Scarlets replacement Ioan Lloyd knocking over a brace of penalties, Cullen’s men have some work left to do before being assured of remaining on home soil for the duration of their URC knockout campaign.

SCARLETS: B Murray; T Rogers (M Page 64), J Roberts, J Williams, E Mee; S Costelow (I Lloyd 48), G Davies (A Hughes 75); A Hepburn, R Elias (M van der Merwe 55), H Thomas (S Wainwright 55); A Craig (J Price 69), S Lousi; V Fifita, J MacLeod, T Plumtree (J Taylor 75).

LEINSTER: C Frawley; A Osborne (C Tector 51), L Turner (R Moloney 78), J Osborne, J O’Brien; R Byrne, F Gunne (C Foley 64); C Healy (J Boyle 51), R Kelleher (G McCarthy 51), T Clarkson (R Slimani 51); R Baird (S Penny 40-43), B Deeny (D Mangan 15); A Soroka, W Connors (S Penny 48), J Culhane.

Referee: M Adamson (SRU).

Posted in European Rugby | Comments Off on United Rugby Championship: Scarlets V Leinster – The Irish Examiner – April 28 2025