Andy Farrell is already trying to plug holes in his Lions squad with so many players unavailable
Andy Farrell will have been buoyed by the return to form of so many of his Lions in Leinster's victory over Glasgow Warriors on Saturday, but their progression means he has a bit of a headache as he gathers the remnants of his squad in Portugal today.
Leinster's presence in the URC final rules 12 of the squad out, while Bath and Leicester Tigers' Premiership final date means Finn Russell, Will Stuart and Ollie Chessum can't travel and Blair Kinghorn is tied up with Toulouse who are preparing for a Top 14 semi-final on June 20.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Kilkenny dominate Leinster but questions remain about readiness for All-Ireland semi-final
Kilkenny would have you believe this championship is more three-legged stool than two-pony field. We know the sturdiness of the Cork and Limerick legs. Their robustness was reexamined and reaffirmed on Saturday night. The third leg, though, remains without weight pressed down upon it. Kilkenny bookended another Cup-on-the-bus Leinster campaign with another comfortable victory over Galway. An aggregate 20-point winning margin against their supposed closest challenger. Cork and Limerick players watched Saturday's penalty shootout sitting on their backsides such was the collective exhaustion from 90 minutes of on-the-edge and over-the-edge combat. Kilkenny, a day later, skipped out of Leinster with an average winning margin of eight points. Aside from 20 second-half minutes against Dublin in Round 4 and 11 minutes from Galway yesterday, Kilkenny had no honours level Leaving Cert paper put in front of them. They've not been extended or exhausted by anyone. Limerick, barring an upset, will be their All-Ireland semi-final opponents in four weeks' time. Right now, Kilkenny, through no fault of their own, are thoroughly unprepared for that exam. Derek Lyng, as you'd expect, took a different view. 'I think we have,' he replied when asked if Kilkenny have been sufficiently road tested in reaching the second last weekend of the championship. 'From the start of the Leinster campaign, we're always spoken about as being favourites. But we put a huge amount of work into each game, and we prepare for each game like any other. It doesn't matter who you're playing. 'It's probably taken for granted that we're going to go out and win these games, but a huge amount of work goes into it, particularly from the players. We've been tested in different games, at different stages. 'We lost to Wexford, and Dublin we would have been disappointed with a spell in that game as well, and likewise today, so, regardless of who we are playing, we know we're going to have to find another gear or two for the next day. We go into a knockout phase. Everything ramps up. 'We're Leinster champions, and that was the objective, but at the same time, we know we've a lot of work to do.' Lyng is excited to roll up the sleeves and commence that work. Kilkenny's League concluded on March 9. They had six weeks to themselves before the championship threw in. They threw in with a 12-point hammering of Galway. Lyng will hope this second block of training will have at the end a performance to surpass that of Nowlan Park on the championship's opening weekend. It will need to if they are to be involved in the championship's closing weekend. 'This year we've had a very competitive squad and training has been really good, so we just need to probably pick it up again. During the campaign, you don't really get a chance for lots of games [in-house]. You're going week to week, it's nearly about recovery more than anything else. 'But in the run-up to the Leinster campaign, we had a good run at it, and coming into the first game against Galway, we had a lot of work done. We hit the ground running, and we need to get back to that now, use the next couple of weeks to build that momentum again and raise the standard. 'It's a great place to be. The alternative was you'd be out in two weeks and it would be do-or-die.' They were never in danger of being back out in two weeks. Fintan Burke batted away the first three balls that rained down on top of him and TJ Reid. But Reid's 33rd minute catch drew a game-ending save from Éanna Murphy and rebound finish from Martin Keoghan. After Galway's 1-6 burst to bring the margin to four, it was TJ who caught Eoin Murphy's puckout and offloaded to Adrian Mullen for the score to break Galway's streak. It was Martin Keoghan who again followed in for his second and the game's decisive goal. At the far end, there was a fielding exhibition from Huw Lawlor. Brian Concannon, in the process, was reduced to anonymity. 'They were massive catches. It's a brilliant skill to have, somebody that can attack the ball and just pluck it from the sky like that. 'I do remember one in particular, he came up the field and Billy Ryan finished off a super score. For any full-back coming out, it's important that he gets it to a teammate because if you're turned over, you have to be careful of that, but it was a great score. 'It's about the team all the time, defending together and attacking together, so Huw was well able to travel up when he needs to. 'I thought the bit of resilience there to take back the game under our control near the end was very positive as well.'
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Jack Conan: Leinster ready to 'silence a few more critics'
It's not quite Millwall and the old "No one likes us, we don't care" motto, but as Leinster look to rediscover their mojo, they're leaning heavily into the words of their critics. They won't be the first, and they won't be the last, but the province are embracing their status as the team the neutrals want to see beaten. It's understandable that they're in that position; a squad laden with Ireland internationals and central contracts, as well as three top quality foreign imports. A team that breezes their way through the early stages of seasons, only to fluff their lines in semi-finals and finals in recent seasons. They're an easy target. In the day or two leading up to Saturday's URC semi-final against Glasgow Warriors, the province made an Instagram post calling on Leinster fans to rally behind their team, which started with a series of damning headlines about this current Leinster side being under pressure and in a funk, which was contradicted by the caption: "We're not here to prove people wrong. We're here to prove ourselves right." Speaking to RTÉ Sport after Saturday's win, Joe McCarthy's comments would suggest that the considerable schadenfreude about Leinster's recent malaise has been a major motivational tool this week. "We know everyone loves to hate Leinster so that definitely drives us on," the second row said. Those comments by McCarthy were put to Jack Conan on Saturday evening, and while the Leinster captain did make a semantic adjustment to what his team-mate had said, he echoed the sentiment. "I don't think everyone hates Leinster but I think people definitely revel in us underachieving at times," Conan said. "We get enough flak and stuff. As Leo [Cullen] said, I wouldn't be one much for social media either so you try to block out that noise because it's irrelevant but what we appreciate is the people who come out to see us week in week out, when the days are good and the days are bad. "Those are the people we are doing it for, the staff, the lads in the changing room, the people that give everything to this club and you try to block out the noise. "It's always nice to prove some people wrong and hopefully we can go again next week and silence a few more critics." A four-time winner of the old Pro14, Conan has now gone four years without getting his hands on a trophy in a Leinster shirt. As well as the disappointment of losing three Champions Cup finals and most recently a semi-final, the province lost in the URC semi-finals in 2022, 2023 and 2024, with Saturday's win against Glasgow putting them into the decider of this competition for the first time since the arrival of the South African big four. Next Saturday's final pits the province against the Bulls at Croke Park, with Jake White's side defeating Leinster in two of those three previous semi-finals. "It's definitely harder than it's ever been," Conan (above) added. "Add in those away trips to South Africa, they always come at a tricky time for us, the lads went down this year and lost against the Bulls but they put in a hell of an effort and beat the Sharks and that sets us up really well for the tail end of the season. "It's incredibly tough, everyone's out to be at their best and beat everyone and that's no different for us. "This week, we'll take it moment by moment and enjoy it. It's a special time, with a great group of lads, great staff, everyone. We want to make it a special week, we don't want to be worried about results, it's all about performance and that's what we're building for. "We won't be overawed by the occasion, we'll enjoy it and whatever happens, happens." The province will issue a squad update on Monday, with Josh van der Flier and Garry Ringrose possibly in contention to recover from minor injuries, although Hugo Keenan and Tadhg Furlong are less likely to recover in time, with both players out with calf issues. Saturday's final will be a final outing for some Leinster stalwarts. Cian Healy (below) is set to retire this summer after a career than has spanned 18 years and more than 420 games for club and country. Similarly, long-serving out-half Ross Byrne is moving on to Gloucester this summer, while Jordie Barrett will be hoping to cap off his sabbatical at the province with a trophy. In previous seasons that Leinster have won the domestic league, the trophy lift has been handed over to their departing players, and Conan is hoping that they can give them one more special day in blue. "Absolutely, it's been a motivation for the last few weeks to give them another week in the club and do right by them. "Church [Cian Healy] has given his entire career to the club. Ross [Byrne] has been a fantastic servant. Jordie, the impact he's made. Even the likes of Liamo [Liam Turner] and Robbo [Rob Russell] have been brilliant throughout their careers here for us. "We want to do right by all those lads. It's something we've touched on a lot. I think it's part of the reason why we were so on it today because we want to give those lads the send-off they deserve but, again, it won't count for much if we don't push on and be better than where we were today."
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Cork and Kilkenny through to semi-finals after clinching provincial titles, but all the glory goes to Munster
Rarely in the ancient game have two provincial hurling finals faced such detailed comparison. From the frantic, dramatic climax in Munster , to the brief threat of an upending score-quake in Leinster. Nothing Kilkenny and Galway could produce in Croke Park on Sunday afternoon was ever going to outdo the screenplay that Cork and Limerick served up at the TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening, although they did at least try. From being comfortably in front by 13 points in the 58th minute, Kilkenny blinked for long enough to twice allow Galway reduce the deficit to four. That was the margin as the game spilled into added time. Then Kilkenny did what they do best, hitting the last 1-1 without reply to see out victory by 3-22 to 1-20 and clinch a sixth Leinster title in a row. Galway's earlier shortcomings left them with too much to do. Kilkenny were deserving winners, but the contest was nowhere near as delicately balanced or wildly exciting as Cork versus Limerick less than 24 hours earlier. Cork eventually won on penalties – ending Limerick's seven-in-a-row hopes in the process. READ MORE Some hurling aficionados in Kilkenny persist in thinking this is not a great Kilkenny team. Perhaps not, at least compared to other teams that represented the county. But no one can argue with their dominance in Leinster, this being their 77th title in all. For TJ Reid, it was number 14. Galway came chasing their fourth title since joining the Leinster championship. That started back in 2009 with a narrow semi-final defeat . . . to Kilkenny. Yesterday, in front of 37,503 at Croke Park – some 20,000 tickets were distributed free to underage teams – Galway never once looked like winning. Their lack of goal chances will be of significant concern to the management team. They did lose goalkeeper Éanna Murphy at half-time due to a concussion sustained when trying to save the first Kilkenny goal just before the break, finished by Martin Keoghan. Replacement goalkeeper Darragh Walsh will also wish to forget Kilkenny's third goal, in added time, also scored by Keoghan after Walsh misread the trajectory of the ball. For Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng , that slightly frenzied endgame didn't take much from his satisfied look afterwards. His team has an All-Ireland semi-final to look forward to, but he knows improvement is needed. 'We're Leinster champions and that was the objective, but at the same time, we know we've a lot of work to do,' said Lyng. 'I think it's probably taken for granted that we're going to go out and win these games, but a huge amount of work goes into it, particularly from the players. Galway's TJ Brennan attempts to block down Mikey Carey of Kilkenny. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho 'I suppose the [Galway] goal, it was very disappointing how that happened and how we conceded that . . . It gave Galway a great lift at that stage and the momentum was with them. I thought our response was very positive.' Galway manager Micheál Donoghue conceded that his team played their best hurling a little too late. 'Obviously disappointed with the result,' he said. 'The priority was to try and come out and attack the game, which we didn't and which was disappointing. Kilkenny took full advantage and showed the experience that they have. Pat has done a fantastic job with that Cork team and, you know, to come down here and get a win is a serious achievement in a Munster final — John Kiely 'I thought when we pushed up and figured that out, then we started being a bit more dominant in our own half-back line, got back into the game, brought it back to four. And then the concession of the 1-1 quickly took the wind out of the sails again.' Kildare wrote some hurling history in the curtain-raiser, beating Laois in the Joe McDonagh final, 2-26 to 1-19. It was the Lilywhites' first title in the second-tier grade, meaning they will play Liam MacCarthy hurling next summer. It also earns them a home preliminary quarter-final against Dublin next Saturday, the winners of which will play Limerick. Cork manager Pat Ryan is another man looking forward to an All-Ireland semi-final. He was particularly pleased that his team gave a strong account of themselves after losing so convincingly to Limerick in the round-robin stage last month. 'We won by penalties against a brilliant Limerick team,' Ryan said in the aftermath of Saturday's epic. 'This is just the start. We move on to the All-Ireland series, the semi-finals. We know we're a really good team. We saw what we were like when we were not at it three weeks ago. 'To be honest, we were just focused on coming up here and really going to battle with Limerick and represent the jersey, represent our people.' For Limerick manager John Kiely, losing on penalties was hard to stomach. He is not a fan of the shootout as a means of deciding the outcome of a game. With that said, the Limerick manager is already looking ahead to the next game. 'I think everybody would agree that a game should be finished in normal play,' he said. 'But listen, these are the rules, these are the procedures and we have to go with that. 'In fairness to Pat [Ryan], Pat has done a fantastic job with that Cork team and, you know, to come down here and get a win is a serious achievement in a Munster final. We have to acknowledge that.'
