Underhill handed four-match ban for dangerous tackle
England flanker Sam Underhill is set to miss Bath's bid for the Gallagher Premiership title after receiving a four-week ban.
Underhill was cited for a dangerous tackle on Lyon full-back Davit Niniashvili during Bath's EPCR Challenge Cup final victory in Cardiff.
The Bath forward received a yellow card from Scottish referee Hollie Davidson, but a complaint was then lodged by match citing commissioner Philippe Lenne.
An independent disciplinary committee imposed the period of suspension, with European Professional Club Rugby stating his return to play date will be determined once his future playing schedule is confirmed.
Bath's next fixture is a final game of the regular Premiership season against Saracens on Saturday.
That is followed by a play-off on 6 June, then the Premiership final eight days later if Bath get there.
In terms of Underhill's potential England schedule, there is a non-cap match against France on 21 June , with the first Test against Argentina two weeks after that.
Bath beat Lyon in the final
EPCR said: "Underhill accepted that he had committed an act of foul play, but did not accept that it warranted a red card.
"The independent disciplinary committee upheld the complaint, finding that Underhill had tackled Davit Niniashvili in a dangerous manner that warranted a red card, and it determined that the offending was at the mid-range of World Rugby's sanctions and six weeks was selected as the appropriate entry point.
"The committee gave the player credit for his remorse and timely acceptance that he had committed an act of foul play.
"But because of his prior disciplinary record, the committee were only able to discount the entry point sanction by two weeks. They therefore imposed a four-week suspension."
Underhill received a three-week ban in April after being sent off for a high tackle against Challenge Cup opponents Pau.
He is an integral part of the Bath armoury under head of rugby Johann van Graan, and his ban is a major blow for the club.
Premiership title success would see them complete an historic trophy treble this season, having already won the Challenge Cup and Premiership Rugby Cup.
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Watch Leinster v Scarlets from 2.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player.
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Extra.ie
27 minutes ago
- Extra.ie
Jordie Barrett will be key to Leinster's quest to land a first trophy in four seasons
Leinster find themselves in a bit of a no-win situation at the moment. If Leo Cullen's side go on to claim the URC title, there won't be much praise or recognition outside of the operation. Their latest Champions Cup failure will continue to dominate the narrative long into the summer and most of next season, too. Should the province fail, however, then the backlash will be furious. The entire setup will be castigated for being unable to land a title – in any form – for four straight seasons. You can already hear the knives being sharpened. Jordie Barrett in action during Leinster training. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie No, the URC wasn't the trophy this squad craved but failure is simply not an option in the weeks ahead, beginning with today's URC quarter-final meeting with Scarlets in Dublin. This competition has regularly been put on the back burner so Leinster could focus on European matters. But they don't have that excuse now. This team, with its depth and resources, should have a far better record in this league. They haven't won this tournament since it was rebranded following the arrival of the South African heavyweights in 2021. It's a grim stat. For a Leinster team which has found itself in something of an existential crisis since the Northampton defeat, winning the URC is paramount. Firstly, it will alleviate some of the pressure. Getting on a winners' podium would do wonders for morale before the end of the season. A record contingent are set to board a flight to Sydney next month ahead of the British and Irish Lions tour. Pic: Tyler Miller/Sportsfile The likelihood of a host of Leinster players reporting for pre-season duty off the back of a victorious series against the Wallabies would bring plenty of good vibes, too. The slate would be wiped clean and the entire playing group – mentally and physically refreshed – could attack a new Champions Cup campaign with renewed hunger and vigour. Having Rieko Ioane on board will also help with the latest rebuild. So, the URC feels like a big deal now. Leinster are down some key figures at the moment. Caelan Doris was a big injury casualty. Robbie Henshaw's season is over as well. Tadhg Furlong, Garry Ringrose and Tommy O'Brien have also been ruled out of today's clash at Aviva Stadium. All of a sudden, a Leinster squad which looked bullet-proof for most of this season now seems vulnerable, both psychologically and in terms of personnel. The visitors will fancy it. Last month, they beat the same opposition – albeit a heavily rotated side – 35-22 at Parc Y Scarlets. As it transpires, Northampton used that game – where the Scarlets crossed for five tries – as a template to go after Leinster the following weekend. The Scarlets have a blueprint to beat the Leinster blitz. The Welsh side, who are mired in financial and governance issues at the moment, know they have the attacking game and the players to cause an out-of-sorts Leinster all sorts of problems. Powerful No8 Taine Plumtree had a huge game last time out while the all-international back three of Blair Murray, Tom Rogers and Ellis Mee is top class. Those three customers caused Ireland plenty of problems during the Six Nations as well. This could be an awkward afternoon for Leinster. They will need some leaders to step up. Jordie Barrett was lured up from New Zealand on a sabbatical as a gun for hire. A marquee signing to finally land that elusive fifth star. Cullen is probably still kicking himself for leaving the esteemed All Black on the bench ahead of that ill-fated Champions Cup semi-final. But Barrett still has the capacity to lead Leinster to silverware. He is set to play a central role for the rest of this campaign. The New Zealander is the kind of player that makes things happen. Barrett can influence games and bend them to his will. After all, It was a late intervention from the Kiwi centre which denied Ireland a first-ever World Cup semi-final not so long ago. The hosts will be grateful for his presence today. Barrett will be the perfect foil for Sam Prendergast and Jamie Osborne. He will be the perfect sounding board for stand-in skipper Jack Conan and he will give Leinster some purpose and direction in attack. Leinster should win fairly comfortably against a plucky Scarlets side, but the Champions Cup hangover has muddied the waters. They will look to Barrett to guide them through today.
The 42
39 minutes ago
- The 42
Munster don't need to channel 2004 Red Sox, just their recent selves: 'Why not us... again?'
AS THE LIVE portion concluded and the press conference moved into the embargoed section for quotes to be published later in the week, Munster interim head coach Ian Costello stuck his hand up as though he was about to ask a question of himself. 'Would it be okay, lads — could I just mention something first in case it doesn't come up?' Costello said. 'From our point of view, just extend our deepest sympathies to the Foley family and also to the Payne family. They were two very important people in the Munster community and a massive loss to us this week. That's very close to our hearts this week. 'Brendan and Sheelagh were here (in South Africa) this time last year. Brendan picked up the phone and rang me Sunday morning to almost apologise for not coming and wished us the best. 'Obviously, Michelle and Shaun were huge in the club as well. That's really important to the group this week, especially that we're in South Africa as well. Very close to our hearts.' Costello confirmed on Tuesday that Munster would seek to pay tribute to both Sheelagh Foley (mother of 'Axel' and Rosie Foley, wife of current branch president Brendan) and Michelle Payne (a former Munster Rugby staff member and wife of former full-back and team manager Shaun) ahead of the province's URC quarter-final against the Sharks at Kings Park Stadium this evening (5:30pm, TG4/Premier Sports). Whether that materialises in some kind of pre-match gesture or simply in a blood-and-thunder team effort remains to be seen, but the Sharks will now be wary if they weren't before: a grieving Munster is among world rugby's most dangerous animals, famously capable of inverting the food chain. John Plumtree's hosts have reduced their own capacity to confound this term, earning a third-place finish and a home quarter after conspiring to finish a disgraceful 14th last season, albeit while winning the Challenge Cup. The Durban outfit, replete with Springboks and boosted today by the returns of the effervescent Lukhanyo Am and the nuclear-booted Jordan Hendrikse, still have their weird days: Zebre nearly flipped them over at home on 22 March and a week later, a Leinster third string rendered them catatonic. More recently, though, the Sharks have seemingly locked into knockout mode: even with their advantageous position in the URC table and a home finish against two Welsh regions, Plumtree took a full complement to Europe in April where his side ground out impressive wins away to the more desperate Edinburgh and Ulster. Advertisement They consolidated their home quarter with a domination of the equally urgent Ospreys and closed out the regular season in a 12-3 stinker against Scarlets. After letting in 13 tries in three games to the Lions (home and away) and Zebre in March, the Sharks proceeded to concede just seven across their final five league games — three of which came at Ravenhill. The sense that they are not serious people is beginning to evaporate, particularly in The Shark Tank where they have lost just twice this season in all comps — and one of those defeats was to a Toulouse side which still boasted Antoine Dupont at the time. Munster, though, have been in shit-or-bust mode all month: by their own admission, today's quarter-final is effectively their third play-off game on the spin, having treated the games against both Ulster and Benetton as such by necessity. With their season on the line in consecutive game-weeks, they appear to have ironed out a couple of flaws that would otherwise have proven fatal: their lineout is now functional and they comprehensively won both second halves against their recent opposition. Costello pointed out on Tuesday that the province have 'very explicitly shifted focus over the last couple of weeks to make it about people; make it about people that we care about and individuals within the squad and what they contributed to Munster'. The impending departures of Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray, Stephen Archer and Dave Kilcoyne have been well documented and even honoured already, but on Munster's 5-3 bench today is Rory Scannell, due to earn his 200th cap before the expiry of his own contract this summer. And while sentiment will have played no role in his inclusion in the 23, teammates will today go to war for the younger Scannell brother, an affable 11-year servant, just as they have for more celebrated names in recent outings. Tadhg Beirne, former captain O'Mahony, and half-backs Craig Casey and Jack Crowley are now the most prominent leaders in the Munster dressing room and they have all stressed the importance internally of staying on the right side of the line between physicality and discipline in Durban. Few sides can harness emotion better than Munster but it can equally lead astray the individual player, and a red card against the Sharks would be terminal. The Sharks are now bigger favourites with the bookmakers to beat Munster than La Rochelle were in the Champions Cup round of 16, fancied by seven or eight points in most cases. And yet it would hardly feel like an ambush were Munster to overturn their opponents in Durban. They have unapologetically signposted their intentions. The 2004 Boston Red Sox have a lot to answer for this year. Their rallying cry as they broke the Curse of the Bambino 21 years ago, 'Why not us?', was co-opted as a theme by the Northampton Saints in the week leading up to their seemingly quixotic Champions Cup semi-final meeting with Leinster, and equally by the Louth Gaelic footballers as they ended their 68-year wait for a Leinster title. Munster can instead invoke the province's own recent history as cause for belief. Their 2023 URC play-off run also ostensibly began with two games left in the regular season, when they had to earn away results over the Stormers and the Sharks in Rounds 17 and 18 just to keep their season alive. Their run of form to the title was incongruous with what had come before. And so, their question may well be, 'Why not us… again?' A lot of water has passed under the bridge since Cape Town, sure. Key figures from that 2023 success have moved on, including head coach Graham Rowntree whose tenure ended after a hosing by today's opponents last October. But perhaps their deeper purpose and a bit of muscle memory will see Munster pull off at least one more upset before the curtain is lowered on several great careers and a turbulent season. Sharks: Aphelele Fassi, Ethan Hooker, Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse, Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth (CAPT), Jason Jenkins, James Venter, Vincent Tshituka, Siya Kolisi Replacements: Fez Mbatha, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Hanro Jacobs, Emile van Heerden, Phepsi Buthelezi, Bradley Davids, Francois Venter, Yaw Penxe Munster: Thaakir Abrahams, Calvin Nash, Tom Farrell, Alex Nankivell, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Jack Crowley, Craig Casey, Michael Milne, Niall Scannell, Stephen Archer, Jean Kleyn, Tadhg Beirne (CAPT), Peter O'Mahony, John Hodnett, Gavin Coombes Replacements: Diarmuid Barron, Josh Wycherley, John Ryan, Tom Ahern, Alex Kendellen, Conor Murray, Rory Scannell, Mike Haley. Referee: Mike Adamson (SRU)
The 42
39 minutes ago
- The 42
'I didn't sit in the dressing room thinking I was the reason Dublin didn't beat Armagh'
IT'S THE DAY after the 2002 All-Ireland semi-final between Dublin and Armagh, and the RTÉ Six O'Clock news has just come on the TV in a pub. Sitting at the bar are some of the Dublin players who are processing the effects of a one-point defeat in Croke Park. It's been seven years since their county last tasted All-Ireland success, but this group will not be the ones to end the wait. A first Leinster title since 1995 will have to do instead. John McNally is among the crew, along with Dublin full-forward Ray Cosgrove who has been the star of the summer. He's clocking out of the championship with a scintillating 6-23. He'll be collecting an All-Star award for that as well as joint top-scorer gong along with Armagh's Oisín McConville. But today is a day for escaping. They want to avoid the city centre and so they've found a spot in Ballymore Eustace to drink their pints in quiet anonymity. Just when they think they're in the clear, the final moments of their loss to Armagh appear on the TV screen. A last-minute free from Cosgrove that came back off the post. 'Jaysus,' quips the barmen serving the wounded Dublin lot. 'I wouldn't fancy being that poor fella today.' **** It always comes up on weeks like this. THAT free. THAT miss. Dublin v Armagh in Croke Park? Of course Ray Cosgrove's phone is going to ping with the usual deluge of messages. He's in a WhatsApp group with Oisín McConville, and the back and forth is always good natured. McConville technically finished the 2002 championship with two more points than Cosgrove but they both won the top-scorer award as McConville played one more match. Cosgrove never lets him forget that. Ray Cosgrove wheels away in celebration after a goal in the 2002 Leinster final. INPHO INPHO For those who can recall, 2002 was the summer of Saipan. It was the summer when Roy Keane either left or was sent home from the Republic of Ireland's World Cup squad, depending on where your allegiances lie. That controversy held the country in a headlock. But Cosgrove's quality soared above it. In the space of a few months, he was no longer Ray Cosgrove. He was Cossie – the darling of Hill 16. 'The season just took off and I didn't realise the amount of hype that had been created,' he says, looking back. 'Things are just happening. I wasn't quite aware of the magnitude of what was going on, to be perfectly honest.' By 2002, Cosgrove was heading into his sixth year on the Dublin circuit. He was first introduced to the senior squad by Mickey Whelan in 1996 and he felt a breakthrough to the team was close. He was playing for the A team in their training games coming into the Leinster final against Meath. But when the selections were announced, he didn't get the nod. He didn't even make the matchday panel. 'I was going well,' Cosgrove continues. 'I was only 19 years old so maybe a little bit light and inexperienced. This was a Dublin team that had just won the All-Ireland. I left that Saturday before the final thinking I could be getting a shout. 'For whatever reason, Mickey obviously made the decision with the management team. Maybe they felt that's a big, strong, Meath team and this fella's not cut out for it at the moment. He just didn't back me, I suppose.' Advertisement By 1999, the door into the Dublin team was still locked for Cosgrove. Again, they reached the Leinster final, and again, Meath were their opponents. The Dublin-Meath rivalry was in full roar in those years. Not too unlike the Celtic Tiger that defined Irish consumerism at the time. Cosgrove did make an appearance on that occasion off the bench, but he was taken off again later in the game as Dublin lost by five points. Tommy Carr was in charge at that point, and after that game, they had a conversation about Cosgrove's future. They agreed that he should concentrate on playing club football. 'I suppose I had a bit of prove,' Cosgrove adds. 'I was still playing good football with the club in 2001.' Former Dublin manager Tommy Lyons. INPHO INPHO 2002 ushered in a new chapter for Dublin and for Cosgrove. The difference? Cosgrove's Kilmacud clubmate Tommy Lyons became the new Dublin boss. He decided that Cosgrove was his man, and offered assurances that he would stick with his man come hell or high water. It's hard to imagine a concept where a manager — who has a large panel at their disposal — could make such a promise. But Cosgrove's form made it easy to stick with him. 'He took a chance on me. He showed faith in me. And from day one, he said, 'Cossie, regardless of how you're going, I am going to play you. I'm going to persist with you.' He showed complete faith in me. That was the faith I needed. 'Tommy would have called me Monday morning after games day saying, 'You've done this, you've done that…' He was giving me feedback and he was honest.' **** Before we go forward, let's go back. Gaelic football wasn't Cosgrove's first sport. He had links through his Mayo-born parents and his Galway cousin, Gay McManus, who played against Cosgrove's native Dublin in the 1983 All-Ireland final. But the first ball Cosgrove kicked was for Leicester Celtic in Rathfarnham. He was a nifty centre midfielder too. He was on a DDSL team that won a Kennedy Cup, which is prestigious competition at U14 level. He also enjoyed some success with Cherry Orchard. There was talk of trials too but the intrusion of injury stopped him from pursuing any opportunities in England. 'I missed a couple of trials. I got injured at U15 when I was out with the the Irish team. I was on trials at the AUL. I tore a calf most of the trials there. And that set me back a good few months. I was due to go on trial with Derby. And I missed the boat to go across.' His first foray into Gaelic football was somewhat accidental. While attending St Benildus College, he offered to tog out for a team struggling with numbers. A teacher at the school was involved with Kilmacud Crokes and Cosgrove could feel himself inclining more towards the O'Neill's ball. Cosgrove celebrating after winning the 2009 All-Ireland final with Kilmacud Crokes. Donall Farmer / INPHO Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO 'We ended up winning the Dublin U14 A title,' he says. 'I joined Kilmacud and we ended up winning the U15 championship. That year we beat a Ballyboden team in the semi-final. I think they'd been unbeaten all the way up through when they were under-aged. And we were the first team to beat that Ballyboden team. Jim Stynes' younger brother David would have been on that team. 'I remember I was double-jobbing with the soccer. I had my foot in both camps. It just festered from there.' By the time he was at the U18 grade, Cosgrove dropped the dual-player tag and decided to specialise in Gaelic football. **** When he thinks back to 2002, Cosgrove points to a draw against Galway in the National League as the 'catalyst.' It was their last game of the Division 1 campaign. Cosgrove scored 1-4 and could sense a fruitful summer was looming. Dublin started their Leinster championship with a two-point win over Wexford and a 2-11 to 0-10 semi-final victory over the Royals illustrated their intent. It was a first championship win over Meath in seven years, and Cosgrove scored 2-3 to help make it happen. 'That was the first sign of, I'd arrived on the scene. Darren-Faye was one of the best full-backs that the game had ever seen. When you walk off the pitch and say, 'Jaysus, 2-3 off Darren-Faye', that isn't so bad.' Related Reads Rochford climbs on top of the Mayo volcano as they face yet another last stand Mayo GAA address financial situation at special delegates meeting 'We didn't play for whatever reason' - Jim McGuinness on first Ballybofey defeat Dublin went on to become Leinster champions for the first time since 1995 and eventually dispatched Donegal in the All-Ireland quarter-final after a replay. Cosgrove's legend continued to grow and a belief that Dublin could push on for the next prize was visible in the city. 'There was a big 40-foot poster on Connolly Street against the Bank of Ireland.' he says. 'The flags, the bunting around the place.' And then came Armagh in the semi-final. A tough outfit packed with Crossmaglen All-Ireland winners and Ulster champions. Kieran McGeeney was their captain at centre-back, and Cosgrove was familiar with him from the Dublin club scene. 'Geezer was playing with Na Fianna so I would have obviously locked horns with Geezer. We would have known a good bit about the Armagh boys from the few that were playing in Dublin. 'They were battle-hardened. They were more experienced. But certainly, it was a game that we went into thinking that, yeah, we could get something out of it. There was no fear on our behalf.' **** Cosgrove reflects on it as his best game for Dublin. You might only remember the free but he remembers the six points he scored. It was as close to perfect as he could get. He was the one that actually won the free too, drawing a trip from Enda McNulty. Cosgrove felt it was 'soft enough' though. He just kicked it with too much caution. If he had his time back, he'd put his boot through it. Instead of trying to curl it over from the instep, he'd hit the strike with more conviction. Actually, he would have taken the free off the ground. That was his preferred style of free-taking. But a knee injury forced him to start taking them from his hands. 'I knew I'd done as much as I could. It was probably the best game I ever played in a blue jersey. I didn't blame myself for missing the free. We would have only drawn the game. It's not like as if we would have won the game if I scored. 'I didn't take the burden of blame on my shoulders. It wasn't just that kick that led to us being beaten. There were lots of other missed opportunities. I didn't sit in the dressing room thinking I was the reason Dublin didn't beat Armagh.' The Dublin and Armagh teams before the 2002 All-Ireland semi-final. INPHO INPHO Cosgrove does have games that haunt him. The 1998 Leinster final against Éire Óg of Carlow needed three games to determine a winner. In the second game, Cosgrove kicked a free which was dispossessed and led to a late equaliser. Dublin's 2006 All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Mayo hangs over him too. More so than the 2002 heartache. He knows that others feel differently, and he had some slagging to deal with. 'That was part and parcel of it. You do get reminded of it quite regularly. It would get annoying but I had a very quick response. I finished top-scorer in the championship and I'd say, 'Here listen, when you finish top-scorer in the championship, get back to me and I'll talk to ya.' That usually quietened a few of them.' Cosgrove continued serving Dublin until 2008, deciding that he was 'only making up the numbers' at that stage and left after the National League. This was just three years before Dublin's All-Ireland breakthrough and he can feel satisfied that he helped lay the brickwork for future players to thrive in a Blue jersey. He did reach the summit with Kilmacud Crokes in 2009 as they conquered the club kingpins Crossmaglen to become All-Ireland champions. Something of a full circle moment for Cosgrove. He's always felt gratitude towards Tommy Lyons for taking that chance and giving him that summer to remember. You can say what you want about the free in 2002. But if you want to come at him, you best have scored 6-23. He's ready for you if not. And as Dublin and Armagh prepare to meet once again tomorrow afternoon in Croke Park, he might have to hear about it once or twice more before then. As for the bar man who spoke after his free appeared on the television, Cosgrove had something for him too. 'Well, here I am!'
