Ireland excited to test youthful squad on tour
Ireland are first tasked with taking down Georgia, who are ranked 11th in the world and possess quality operators like 22-year-old back Davit Niniashvili, who will play under former Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara at La Rochelle next season. "They're a very experienced Georgian team, a lot of them have played in World Cups. A huge amount of them play in the Top 14 so they're well accustomed to big games, being in tough environments."So it's a really good challenge for a young team and to go to Tbilisi, into a bit of a bearpit, it's going to physical, it's going to be hot, it's everything we want to expose our young players to."Former back row Leamy - part of Ireland's 2009 Grand Slam-winning squad - also offered a positive fitness update on uncapped Munster forward Tom Ahern, who has been nursing a hamstring issue. Calvin Nash is also fit, while uncapped Ulster prop Scott Wilson was added to the squad on Tuesday."He's fit and he's ready to go," Leamy said of Ahern. "Tom has progressed hugely over the last couple of years and he's put in some excellent performances for Munster. So he's a guy we have high hopes for and absolutely, hopefully, he'll get game time and do really well."He's such a promising player, I've no doubt he can do that."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
4 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Michelle Obama turns on ESPN and Stephen A. Smith with brutal 'Real Housewives' comparison
Michelle Obama has savaged ESPN and Stephen A. Smith, accusing the network and its stars of being no different to ' Real Housewives of Atlanta.' ESPN has gone through a shift in its programming over the past decade, with a surge in fiery panel shows such as 'First Take,' 'Get Up' and 'The Pat McAfee Show'. The network has also built personalities including Smith, who recently signed a $100million contract and has even teased a possible run for the White House. But Smith and ESPN have been mocked by the former First Lady, who suggested the network has become its own reality TV show. 'It's all a sociological study. They think that sports is better reality TV, I'm like, "it's the same thing!"' Obama said on her 'IMO' podcast. 'There's drama in sports. If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it's like watching the "Real Housewives of Atlanta." 'It's the same drama, and they're yelling at each other, and they don't get along, you know? I mean, Stephen A. Smith, he's just like every other talk show host.' ESPN star Stephen A. Smith recently signed a $100m contract and teased a run for president It was then jokingly put to Obama that Smith would be a 'great Real Housewife'. The popular reality franchise details the lives of well-off women from different regions. 'That's why I'm like, "what's the difference?" It's just sociological drama,' Obama continued. 'The fact that people over seasons of working still can't get along. They still have the same arguments and it's not just women. But this happens in sports, too. I find it fascinating.' ESPN recently called time on longtime show 'Around the Horn' and on the final episode, contestant Tim Cowlishaw bemoaned the network 'hiring athletes instead of journalists.'
The Independent
11 hours ago
- The Independent
The lightbulb moment behind Georgia Hunter Bell's newfound potential
A lightbulb moment for Georgia Hunter Bell occurred at Stockholm Diamond League earlier this year. The Olympic 1,500m bronze medalist was dropping down in distance to the 800m, sharpening up in an event she is also comfortable racing in. But over the final 100m at another Olympic Stadium, following that famous night last year at the Stade de France, the 31-year-old unlocked a new weapon. From sixth to first, Hunter Bell stunned the field by stealing the win with a surge from the very edge of lane three, taking almost a second out of 2023 800m world champion Mary Moraa with a 14.1-second kick over the last 100m to post 1:57.66. The training partner to Olympic champion Keely Hodgkinson, who is still to make her season debut, suddenly had a dilemma. Race the event that delivered her a fairytale high in Paris, or capitalise on that deadly combination of strength and, now, a sizzling finish over two laps. 'I feel like winning medals is the most important thing,' Hunter Bell tells the Independent. 'So I would rather win a medal in one than, like, come fifth or make the final in both. That's kind of cool, but there's nothing better than winning a medal. 'The thing with the 1500m with [Olympic champion and world record holder] Faith Kipyegon is, even though I know people are beatable on the day, you never know what happens, but it is very much like racing for silver and bronze in the 1500m. And there is so much depth in the 1500m, like everyone is very, very close. That is a big consideration. 'Whereas I feel like in the 800m, if you make the final, kind of anything can happen.' In that final, Hunter Bell, should she negotiate Saturday's heat and Sunday's 800m final in Birmingham, could find herself on the same start line as Hodgkinson. The 23-year-old has not raced since that Olympic final following a hamstring injury before the Keely Klassic earlier this year, but is due to return at the Lausanne Diamond League on 20 August. 'The thing with Keeley is like, she could come back and would still run like times that most people would be happy with,' Hunter Bell says. 'But she's not going to be happy unless she's able to step on the track and run like 1:56, like she wouldn't be happy with 1:57, so I understand why she wants to come back when she's at that shape. Last year, you know, she dealt with a few different things, injury-wise, and then came back and ran the fastest time in the world. So it's amazing how she gets into shape so quickly. So, I'm not worried about her at all.' Hunter Bell could well replicate the great Dame Kelly Holmes, who pulled off the audacious 800m and 1500m double gold at the 2004 Olympics, by competing in both events at a major championships. In fact, after grabbing another 800m Diamond League victory two weeks ago, Hunter Bell openly admits she is considering a similar bid but conscious that doing so could 'stuff your chances at both'. She adds: 'You wouldn't want to do both, and come away with no hardware at the end. So yeah, it's a lot of strategy, watching what we're doing, but also watching what the other people that we're competing against are doing.' British Championships and a top-two finish in the 800m will enable her to make the most compelling of decisions for an athlete at the top of her game, with the governing body almost certain to hand her a wildcard in the 1,500m as an Olympic medalist. Team GB colleague Jemma Reekie holds similar versatility over the same distances, but with Olympian Phoebe Gill out injured, Hunter Bell is a strong favourite to advance and suddenly face a strange but exciting prospect of racing a friend, teammate and Olympic champion. And her mindset appears to hint at a preference to pursue a second major medal in a second event. 'We train together,' Hunter Bell adds when considering a race at the World Championships against Hodgkinson. 'We are friends, and it will be interesting if we get to a final, because we're both going to be advised by the same coaches. 'And they're going to advise us on our strengths. But they're very professional, and I'm already doing that with Sarah Healy in my team. So if anything, I think it's a good thing. 'Like, there's nothing more that I would want than for us both to medal in the same event, that would be the coolest thing for our team, the coolest thing for Team GB. 'If we could have two girls representing and bringing medals home in the 800m, that would be crazy. So I think we're kind of really motivated to do it together, and we both respect each other as athletes a lot.'
The Guardian
13 hours ago
- The Guardian
How the Ali Act overhaul is clearing the path for a Saudi-backed takeover of boxing
When Ari Emanuel – the notorious Hollywood powerbroker and CEO of TKO Holdings Group, which owns both the UFC and WWE – made a rare media appearance on the Pat McAfee Show in February 2025, he offered cryptic remarks about the state of boxing. Though typically cagey, Emanuel hinted, 'Who knows what's going to happen with the Ali Act' – a reference to the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act, a federal law designed to protect the rights and welfare of boxers. Since then, rumors have swirled that TKO is quietly working to amend the law to make way for its newly minted boxing venture with Saudi Arabia. Last week, those rumors were confirmed when US representatives Brian Jack, a Republican from Georgia, and Sharice Davids, a Democrat from Kansas, introduced the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act in Congress. The proposed bill is being touted by the congressional representatives as a much-needed modernization of federal regulations in professional boxing, adding new provisions to the 1996 Professional Boxing Safety Act and introducing 'alternatives' to the sanctioning bodies overseeing the sport. 'I am incredibly proud to introduce the bipartisan Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act, which provides boxers with more opportunities, better pay, and greater safety standards,' Jack said in the press release. 'Professional boxing is the only sport regulated by Congress, and ambiguity in current law – adopted over a quarter-century ago – has stifled investment. Congressional action is needed to revive this once-great American sport, and this bipartisan legislation establishes a framework for innovation to flourish.' The 'stifled investment' that Jack is referencing in his statement is TKO's new boxing venture with Sela, an entertainment subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), and Turki al-Sheikh, the figure behind Saudi's General Entertainment Authority and a close confidant of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The new venture, dubbed Zuffa Boxing, will debut on 13 September 2025, with an anticipated super middleweight showdown between Saul 'Canelo' Álvarez and Terence Crawford. An expanded boxing promotion will likely follow in 2026. Backed by the Saudi government's enormous resources, Emanuel's company advocated for the bill in Congress, including provisions to created alternatives to long-established sanctioning bodies like the World Boxing Organization (WBO) and World Boxing Council (WBC). The proposed alternatives in the legislation are known as Unified Boxing Organizations (UBOs), which is what Zuffa Boxing will likely operate as. While framed as a 'framework for innovation', Zuffa Boxing empowers Saudi Arabia to establish a parallel boxing ecosystem where it has sole determination over fighter ranking and championship belts. This paves the way for Saudi to bypass established sanctioning bodies, undermine existing promoters, and ultimately, gut professional boxing. 'This is a concerning bill for professional boxers,' said Erik Magraken, a combat sports regulatory lawyer and founder of 'It guts the key protections from the Ali Act for promoters that choose to use the 'unified boxing organization' model. It allows a promoter to control rank and title … and achieve a stranglehold on the sport.' The bill also sets out a series of compliance requirements for UBOs, including minimum per‑round payments and safety provisions such as mandatory medical examinations and expanded health insurance. While these measures could, in theory, benefit up‑and‑coming boxers, they also create significant barriers to entry for smaller boxing organizations attempting to establish UBOs. Zuffa Boxing, backed by Saudi funding, would be well‑positioned to dominate this space, attract new fighters, and establish a new hierarchy in the sport – one in which TKO effectively determines who holds the world titles. This new model for boxing is based almost entirely on the structure of the UFC, an organization that has long been criticized for its exploitation of fighters in its pursuit of profit. Fitting since UFC CEO Dana White, a longtime friend of US president Donald Trump, is expected to lead the new Zuffa Boxing venture. 'Everybody knows the format – the best fight the best,' White said in interview with The Ring, the boxing magazine owned by Al-Sheikh and, by extension, the Saudi government. 'You work your way up the rankings, and once somebody breaks into the top five [and] there is no question [about] who the best five guys are in each weight class, they fight it out. And once somebody holds that belt, you don't need three letters in front of the belt. Whoever has that belt is the best in the world in that weight class. It's a very simple model.' Despite generating billions in revenue, the UFC pays its athletes a significantly smaller share compared to other major sports leagues. While NFL and NBA players receive close to 50% of league revenues, UFC fighters earn roughly 15% to 18%, with many on the roster making as little as $10,000 to $20,000 per fight – amounts that barely cover training costs, coaching and medical expenses. Efforts to unionize or challenge these inequities have been quashed by the UFC, which has used long-term, exclusive contracts and its market dominance to keep fighters in line. Last year, the UFC agreed to a $375m settlement with several hundred fighters to resolve an antitrust lawsuit. The plaintiffs accused the promotion of stifling economic competition and using its monopoly power to suppress fighter pay. While the UFC denied any wrongdoing, the underlying claims remain central to a separate, ongoing case. When Congress passed the Ali Act in 2000, it was in response to the unfair and anti-competitive practices rampant in pro boxing at the time. The sport was dominated by influential promoters, corrupt sanctioning bodies and coercive contracts. The Ali Act provided federally-backed oversight and enforcement meant to reduce the exploitation of fighters through transparency mandates and financial disclosure requirements. The legislation passed with unanimous bipartisan support and stands as the only example of Congress attempting to directly regulate a professional sport in the United States. While the Muhammad Ali American Boxing Revival Act does not repeal the Ali Act, it does pave the way for new organizations to emerge outside of the purview of current sanctioning bodies, effectively bringing the UFC model to boxing. It is unclear when the bill will reach the House floor, as Congress will be in recess through the entirety of August. Nevertheless, the bill has received support from Ali's widow, Lonnie Ali, who was quoted in the press release as saying that 'Muhammad would be proud to have his name associated with this bill.' Davids, who co-sponsored the bill, was also a former MMA fighter who once tried out as a contestant for The Ultimate Fighter – a reality show that places fighters in a mansion for several weeks as they work their way through a tournament for a 'six-figure UFC contract'. Their involvement in the bill is a masterstroke of lobbying tactics by TKO and Emanuel. 'The Ali Act was created to stop coercive and exploitative practices by promoters. It was designed to make a monopolization of the sport not possible. Independent rank and title are the key reasons why pro boxers can command such great purses compared to MMA athletes,' Magraken said. 'Boxers compete for titles. Promoters compete for boxers. If promoters own and control titles then boxers can be exploited by promoters.' This will be remarkably beneficial to Saudi Arabia and Al-Sheikh, who have invested billions to wrest control of boxing from its traditional masters. Al-Sheikh has bankrolled some of the most high-profile heavyweight fights and broken through negotiation stalemates by offering record-breaking sums of money. His success as a promoter has made him one of the sport's most powerful figures, while fans and media affectionately refer to him as 'His Excellency' – a title that underscores his growing cult of personality. Al-Sheikh's expanding influence has stifled criticism within boxing. Fans are willing to overlook troubling behavior as long as he continues to deliver exciting matchups, while journalists, eager to maintain their critical access, often frame the narrative in his favor. The kingdom also owns its own boxing magazine and deploys a vast network of PR firms and executives to advance its political agenda through sports. It is yet another reminder of Saudi Arabia's broader strategy in sports – a blueprint built on acquiring influence, shaping narratives and establishing self-sustaining ecosystems under its control. Boxing may be the ideal asset to complete that vision. Karim Zidan writes a regular newsletter on the intersection of sports and authoritarian politics.
