How Paul McGrath saved Ireland's blushes as Luxembourg almost derailed journey on rocky road to Euro 88
They are the figures from our past that caused us harm, not all of them famous but names that live on in a special chapter of Irish football history. People like Wim Kieft in 1988, Goran Stavrevski in 1999, William Gallas in 2009, Gerson Rodrigues in 2021, scorers of goals which left a deep mark on the Irish psyche.
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The 42
26 minutes ago
- The 42
Can Leinster take that final step and end their trophy wait?
JAKE WHITE DIDN'T HANG around in pointing out that the Bulls are underdogs for this Saturday. The South Africans arrived in Ireland yesterday, happily embracing the fact that Leinster are favourites. 'We have to travel to play an international team,' is how White put it before they left Pretoria. 'It's going to be tough. It's going to be like Ireland versus the Bulls.' For effect, the experienced head coach told the South African media that the Bulls needed a higher power on their side. 'Prayer… prayer is what we need,' he said. 'I don't say this lightly. We need prayer.' White clearly hadn't thought all of this through as he said the Bulls had earned 'a lotto ticket' by reaching the final, but that they had a '50% chance of winning' in Croke Park. We'd love to get in on that kind of lottery. Privately, he will be reminding his Bulls players of their fine record against Leinster. They beat the Irish province in the URC semi-finals in 2022 and 2024, the first of those in Dublin. Advertisement They've also won against Leinster in two regular-season games in Pretoria, albeit those took place without most of the Ireland internationals that White was alluding to in his preview of Saturday's final. Still, the Bulls haven't been a good match-up for Leinster since joining the URC. Their power in contact, varied kicking, destructive scrummaging, pace out wide, and sprinkling of creativity from the likes of Willie le Roux mean they're a formidable outfit. As with any good South African team, their pursuit of success will begin with a focus on the set-piece. Like Leinster, the Bulls have yet to win the URC. Unlike Leinster, they've already been in two finals. White's men lost to the Stormers in Cape Town in 2022, then at home to Glasgow in last season's decider. They're certainly not an unbeatable force, but they will take some beating. It seems unlikely that the Bulls will be overpowered in the same manner that Glasgow were last weekend. Leinster deserve credit for dominating their Scottish semi-final opposition, but the South Africans are unlikely to be as meek. Ross Byrne and Garry Ringrose after last season's semi-final in Pretoria. Steve Haag Sports / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO Steve Haag Sports / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO / Christiaan Kotze/INPHO Leinster are viewed as 10-point favourites by some bookies. They have been fancied in finals before, of course. They have plenty of doubters at the moment. Many commentators feared that Glasgow would do a job on them last weekend. The vicious physical edge to Leinster's performance and the increased accuracy probably settled many of their supporters' nerves but the job is not complete. Leo Cullen and Jacques Nienaber's side will surely need to deliver something even better this weekend. The doubts and worries around Leinster stem from their recent history. They have ultimately come up short under intense pressure since winning their most recent trophy in an empty RDS in 2021. 'I think you do acknowledge all of them and what is the honest truth and facts about them,' said attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal of how Leinster have addressed their past. 'The Bulls, we haven't played well against them in the last five outings. Finals, we haven't performed in the finals to the grand final level in the past. We've acknowledged it, but we've also got a fresh opportunity which we have been talking about. 'We're excited for the opportunity. We understand what we are playing for. Then there is just trust that we're all aligned and the players are going to go and perform well.' So now the question is whether Leinster will perform to a grand final level. There were encouraging signs last weekend and the likelihood is that if the home team play close to their potential, they will be too good for the Bulls. Nienaber will want the best defensive performance of the season, Robin McBryde will hope to see Leinster's set-piece excel, Seán O'Brien will demand violence at the breakdown, and Bleyendaal is keen for the attack to fire again. Yet Bleyendaal highlighted that finals can often be 'scrappy.' The real key to getting over the line seems to be whether Leinster handle the big moments well. That wasn't the case in their recent Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton, when it appeared that the pressure left them inaccurate and led to some overthinking. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO The weight of the world sometimes seems to be on Leinster when they play big games like this one, so it wasn't surprising to hear Cullen talking about how important it is that they enjoy their work this week. Bleyendaal always comes across as a relaxed figure in the set-up. There don't tend to be many smiles when the broadcasters show us the Leinster coaching box, but the Kiwi coach often seems to be enjoying games as they unfold. 'I feel like I'm pretty level throughout the week, throughout the match and the messages I give,' said Bleyendaal. 'I think it's probably a good, balanced coaching group in that regard.' Leinster need a nice balance of calm heads and a vicious edge this weekend. A blend of red heads and blue heads.
Irish Post
an hour ago
- Irish Post
Mark English breaks own 800m record in ‘sensational' performance
MARK ENGLISH made history last night by breaking his own 800m record while competing in the Netherlands. The 32-year-old athlete, who hails from Donegal, became the first Irishman to run 800m in under 1:44 when he finished in 1:43.92 at the FBK Games in Hengelo. Athletics Ireland described it as a "sensational performance". 'It's a brilliant day,' he said following his win. Mark English beat his own 800m record last night - which he had set only ten days ago in Poland 'I always wanted to get the win and run 1:43 – I managed those two things today.' English smashed the Irish 800m record of 1:44.34 which he had set just ten days before in Bydgoszcz, Poland. It is the Letterkenny man's third win of the outdoor season, having also won at the Sound Running Track Fest meet in Los Angeles last month. The Netherlands meet and the meet in Poland were both part of World Athletics Continental Tour Gold series. 'English, a five-time European medallist, has continued to progress since his successful indoor season and will hope to continue to build momentum as the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September draw closer,' a spokesperson for Athletics Ireland said. Elsewhere in last night's competition Ireland's Orla Comerford won the Para Athletics Women's 100m in a season's best time of 11.96 seconds – which is 0.06 seconds off the Paralympic bronze medallist's personal best. See More: 800m, Donegal, Letterkenny, Mark English, Netherlands
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Ukraine says 'massive' Russia drone attacks hit Kyiv, Odesa
Russia carried out "massive" drone attacks on Ukraine's capital Kyiv and port city of Odesa, killing one person and hitting a maternity hospital, Ukrainian officials said, calling for further sanctions. Russia has kept up its attacks on Ukraine, which has hit back with strikes deep inside Russian territory, while peace talks held over the weekend failed to yield a breakthrough towards ending the three-year war. Aside from an agreement to exchange prisoners, progress has stalled and Russia has repeatedly rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire. "Russia lies every day about its desire for peace and attacks people every day. Time to impose sanctions. Time to support Ukraine with weapons. Time to prove that democracy has power," Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said on Telegram. A 59-year-old man was killed in the Russian strikes on residential buildings in Odesa, and at least four others were wounded, said Governor Oleg Kiper. "The enemy massively attacked Odesa with strike drones. There is damage to civilian infrastructure and fires," Mr Kiper wrote on Telegram. "The Russians hit a maternity hospital, an emergency medical ward and residential buildings," he said, adding the maternity hospital had been evacuated in time. In central Kyiv, an AFP journalist heard at least 12 explosions, anti-aircraft fire and the buzzing of drones. "Stay in shelters! The massive attack on the capital continues," Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram, adding in a separate post around 3am local time (1am Irish time) that "a new batch of UAVs (drones) is flying to the capital". Several people were reported wounded in the attacks that hit at least seven districts, with buildings and cars on fire. Prisoner swap Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine triggered the biggest European conflict since World War II, forcing millions to flee their homes and decimating much of eastern and southern Ukraine. Ukrainian cities are targeted by Russian air strikes almost daily. On Sunday, Russia launched a record 479 explosive drones at Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. Despite efforts by US President Donald Trump to reach a ceasefire agreement, a second round of peace talks in Turkey are at a standstill. The only concrete agreement reached at the talks over the weekend was for the release of all seriously wounded or sick prisoners of war and those under the age of 25 - a deal that did not specify the number of soldiers involved. While welcoming exchanges, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week it was "pointless" to hold further talks with the current Russian delegation - who he previously dismissed as "empty heads" - since they could not agree to a ceasefire. On Sunday, the Russian army also claimed to have attacked the Ukrainian region of Dnipropetrovsk, which borders the regions of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia, already partially under Russian control, a first in more than three years of conflict. "Time for everyone to finally accept the fact that Russia understands only strikes, not rational words," Ukraine's Mr Yermak said. As a condition for halting its invasion, Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede the territories Russia claims to have annexed and forswear joining NATO. It has also rejected a proposed 30-day unconditional ceasefire sought by Ukraine and the European Union, arguing that it would allow Ukrainian forces to rearm with Western deliveries. Ukraine is demanding a complete Russian withdrawal from its territory and security guarantees from the West, describing Russia's demands as "ultimatums".
