How rugby could take a leaf out of NFL's book regarding off-season
Are you 'all rugby'd out'? That's how a former international referee, who Johnny Watterson bumped in to recently, described himself,
this season, just like last, having 'a never-ending feel to it'
. If either Leinster or Munster reach the URC final, that will mean their campaigns, which began in September, will stretch to June 14th - and after that it'll be a Lions tour or Irish duty for a good chunk of their players. Johnny reckons rugby could learn from the NFL and their nine-week off-season programme which is designed to ease the workload on their crew.
Alex Nankivell is, though, very much hoping Munster's season will extend to June 14, Johnny talking to him ahead of their
quarter-final against the Sharks
in Durban. And John O'Sullivan hears from
Rónan Kelleher who was thrilled to receive that Lions call-up
, but his focus for now is on Leinster's meeting with Scarlets.
In soccer, we preview
the Republic of Ireland's game away to Turkey this evening
in the women's Nations League, and Gavin Cummiskey brings news of
the men's squad named by Heimir Hallgrímsson
for the friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg. In his mid-season report, Gavin also looks at
Shamrock Rovers' campaign so far
, the table-toppers driven by the era-defining trinity of Roberto Lopes, Dylan Watts and Graham Burke.
In hurling, Joe Canning has his doubts about the wisdom of playing Sunday's Leinster final between Galway and Kilkenny in Croke Park, but that aside,
'if you're a Galway supporter, you'd be hopeful'
, their win over Dublin in Parnell Park 'a big result on several levels'. But? 'This Kilkenny team, pound-for-pound, are still as good as any team out there,' he says.
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Paul Keane talks to
New York's Tipperary-born hurler Tom O'Meara
in the build-up to tomorrow's Lory Meaghar Cup final against Cavan, while Ciarán Kirk has a word with
Derry's Cormac O'Doherty
ahead of their Christy Ring Cup final meeting with London.
In her column, Sonia O'Sullivan writes about Achilles injuries,
the ones 'that all athletes dread to even think about'
. Just such a blight has Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen off-track at the moment, and cost Ciara Mageean an Olympic appearance last year, Sonia no stranger herself to the scourge.
And in horse racing, after the case involving the Ted Walsh-trained Ta Na La, the horse suspended for breaching the 'non-trier' rules, Brian O'Connor believes
it's time for the sport to 'professionalise'
and ditch its 'outmoded stewarding model'. Otherwise, the betting public will remain less than reassured.
TV Watch
: Shane Lowry and Leona Maguire are back in action today in the second rounds of the Memorial (Sky Sports Golf, 4.30) and US Open (Sky Sports Mix, 5.0),
Lowry in contention after opening with a 69
, but Maguire, who carded a 76, well off the pace in Wisconsin. Later, the Republic of Ireland's women are away to Turkey in the Nations League (RTÉ2, 6pm) and at 7.45, Bohemians host Derry City in the Premier Division (Virgin Media Two, 7.45).
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Irish Daily Mirror
31 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Leinster skipper Jack Conan admits it was a patchy win over Scarlets
Leinster skipper Jack Conan accepted his side had been less than fluid against Scarlets in the URC quarter-final. Leinster had scored four tries, James Lowe, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jamie Osborne and Hugo Keenan crossed for tries while there were a further three penalties providing points. But each time they had threatened to pull clear the gremlins got in and Scarlets managed to keep in touch. "We were good in parts," said Conan of the 12-point, 33-21 win, that was maybe closer than expected by most beforehand. "Our discipline killed us, we gave them a lot of soft penalties. To be fair to Scarlets they stuck at it and battled hard, they're a team with a lot of passion and they pushed us at times. "We were inaccurate and forced things a little bit. It's good to have another week but there were some frustrating bits there. "Lads want to have big moments They want to feel like they're doing well, but sometimes there's a bit of over-eagerness and over-zealousness. "You force things a little bit and get away with things although I thought Hollie [Davidson] was on the money today. I don't think it's anything other than lads trying a bit too hard." Leinster move on to meet Glasgow Warriors in the URC semi-final having smashed the same opposition 52-0 in the Champions Cup quarter-final on April 11 and then beating then 13-7 in the last round of the URC-proper on May 17. Continued Conan: "It's strange when you've played a team twice in the past six weeks so it helps with the prep because you know what they're going to do to a degree. "But it's a little bit different every time you come up against a team. I don't think we were great the last time we played them, we had a good win in Europe, but they had lads coming back in so it'll be a tough test for us." Scarlets captain Josh Macleod felt the match was still there to be won after the first 40 minutes, not least as they had managed to close the gap to one point just before the break. "At half-time there was plenty of belief, but I'm extremely proud of the bunch. They're a top group of guys but today we just came up short. "I think we were the only people in the UK with any sort of belief going into today. The media thought it would be a runaway win for them. We didn't and hopefully for large parts of the game we showed that."
Irish Independent
an hour ago
- Irish Independent
Leo Cullen ‘pleased to win ugly' as Leinster sweat over Josh van der Flier injury for URC semi-final
Winning ugly isn't something that Leinster have been accustomed to in recent years, yet having come out the right side of a tense URC quarter-final with the Scarlets side, Leo Cullen's overriding emotion was one of relief that his side got the job done.
Extra.ie
an hour ago
- Extra.ie
Leinster are damned if they do win URC... and damned if they don't
One of the staples of the entertaining 'Offload' podcast every Friday is Donncha O'Callaghan's rants against Leinster and what he sees as their 'blue media' cheerleaders. It has been a hot topic all season, revolving around the central theme of O'Callaghan believing Leinster enjoy unfair advantages over the other provinces, and it ramped up big time in the wake of the province's shock departure from the European Cup. The good-cop, bad-cop approach alongside Tommy Bowe works well on an entertainment basis over a number of topics, but especially when the former Munster and Ireland stalwart is ripping into his old rivals — as he was last week with the URC up for debate. Former Munster star Donncha O'Callaghan has questioned Leinster this season. Pic: Inpho 'The URC is not the prize Leinster were going for. Andrew Porter has said they are all about Europe. Who gives a s**t if Leinster win the URC?' said O'Callaghan, adding that he would prefer if Leinster's Lions were rested so they could be fresh for the summer tour to Australia. Controversial opinions are the bedrock of popular podcasts but this was still a particularly extreme position to take. Since the Champions Cup defeat by Northampton, a giant heat lamp has been trained on Leo Cullen, Jacques Nienaber and the Leinster squad — and it demands a reaction. Since the Champions Cup defeat by Northampton, a giant heat lamp has been trained on Leo Cullen, Jacques Nienaber and the Leinster squad — and it demands a reaction. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile The immediate response to 'who gives a s**t if Leinster win the URC?' is: Leinster do. Indeed, given how this season has panned out (on the back of a trophy drought extending to 2021 and a Champions Cup void going back to 2018) you could say winning the URC title is now non-negotiable for Leinster. Put it this way, picture a scenario where Leinster lose in the next few weeks and imagine the fallout then. Ending yet another season empty-handed, despite having access to Jordie Barrett, RG Snyman and Rabah Slimani (after an initial IRFU ruling on no overseas prop signings), not to mention two-time World Cup-winning coach Jacques Nienaber, would create a toxic fallout — one where there would be intense pressure for heads to roll. Put it this way, picture a scenario where Leinster lose in the next few weeks and imagine the fallout then. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile As the chief decision-makers, on and off the pitch, Cullen and Nienaber are most vulnerable but URC capitulation on the back of another Champions Cup flop would put pressure for change on the entire backroom staff. So, rather than be dismissed as an irrelevance, the URC has now assumed monumental importance for Leinster — with dire consequences for failure. And, although Leinster are overwhelming favourites to claim the URC trophy, it is far from a done deal. If they get past the Scarlets tomorrow (which they should do at home with relative ease), Leinster will face the winners of tonight's Glasgow-Stormers quarter-final. Glasgow are reigning champions, with a squad laced with internationals and should see off the South Africans at home but either side is capable of upsetting Leinster on their day. Then if they do make it to the final, Leinster will face either Munster, the Sharks or the Bulls (it is pretty safe to assume Edinburgh will not make it to the decider). Munster have shown their capacity for pulling out massive performances in knockout matches and if they make it past the Sharks tomorrow at a sold-out Kings Park, they will be fuelled by the same levels of confidence and verve that took them all the way a couple of years ago. The Sharks have not been equal to the sum of their parts so far, but their squad is jammed with elite Springboks and, if they click, they can take anyone out. Meanwhile the Bulls, while not carting the same levels of South African stardust as the Sharks, still possess plenty of potency and have an impressive collective spirit — finishing second only to Leinster in the URC table, with 14 wins from 18 outings. Key to all of this is the attitude of the South African sides. Unlike the apathy they reserve for the Champions Cup (South African sides competing in the European Cup has always seemed an ill-fit), they are all-in when it comes to the URC and it makes them extremely dangerous. Lots of pitfalls then for Leinster as they seek to justify their 4/9 favouritism. There is no question that Cullen has the tools at his disposal to reel off three knockout victories to end their trophyless hell. However, if the litany of near-misses over the last few seasons has taught us anything, it is that Leinster's mental fortitude is questionable on the big stage. The nature of their Northampton defeat could have sent them one of two ways. Either, it has instilled a ruthless determination to put things right that will narrow focus all the way to glory, or it has riddled the squad and coaches with self-doubt that will kick in whenever pressure comes on. We will not know which until the situation presents itself again but there is no questioning the desire to put things right. This is a rock and hard place situation for Cullen and crew. Win the title and the likes of O'Callaghan and a host of others dismiss it as the least that should be expected from this Leinster operation — fail to win the title, and you get absolutely rinsed with calls for change probably impossible to stave off in the fallout. However, there is one final aspect to all of this that people have overlooked. In 2007-08, Leinster had the same type of 'nearly men' tag that the current side labours under after years of coming up short. But under the radar, Michael Cheika was steadily introducing steel to the squad and, after a long tough campaign, they landed the league title. It got lost in the wash of Munster landing their second European Cup around the same time and Leinster's achievement was not seen as a significant step towards closing the gap on their southern rivals. But that is just what it was. Brian O'Driscoll has spoken many times about how that 2008 league win gave Leinster the belief they could go on to bigger and better things — and the following season they established a dominance in Irish rugby they have yet to relinquish. Cullen was part of that journey as a player and he will see similar opportunities now also. Win this title and it could be just the springboard this team is so desperately seeking — whatever others may think of it.
