Andy Farrell welcomes his cub back into the Lions fold
Joe Canning reckons Kilkenny are slipping under the radar
. 'When I look at this team I don't see a weakness,' he writes. On top of that, 'the experience they have of this stage of the championship is greater than any of the other teams still standing,' a factor he believes can give them an edge.
Billy Ryan will certainly hope so,
the Kilkenny forward sick and tired of going close with his county
, but not close enough. Seán Moran hears from him.
In rugby, Gerry Thornley is in Sydney ahead of the Lions' game against NSW Waratahs tomorrow,
a certain Owen Farrell due to land today
after being called up to replace the injured Elliot Daly.
His father Andy 'may have raised eyebrows by not including his son in the original squad, but
he's arguably raised even more by calling him up now
,' Gerry writes. He heard from Farrell Snr on his decision to bring Jnr in for his fourth Lions Tour.
READ MORE
Jonathan Drennan brings the 'View from Down Under'.
The Waratahs, he fears, won't provide much of a test
, 'there is a sad and strong possibility that the Lions will put more than 60 points past them'.
John O'Sullivan, meanwhile, is over in Tbilisi where Ireland play Georgia tomorrow. The game, along with Saturday week's meeting with Portugal, 'represents
a land of opportunity' for the squad
, 'the chance to build, enhance or reinforce reputations', a view shared by interim head coach Paul O'Connell.
Thursday brought
the tragic news of the death of Portugal and Liverpool forward Diogo Jota
and his brother André in a car crash in Spain, Barney Ronay reflecting on what is, above all 'the most terrible human tragedy, an event that will alter the lives of family and friends forever'.
Gavin Cummiskey has the latest transfer speculation on the Irish front, including
Brighton's apparent willingness to let Evan Ferguson go
– not cheaply, though, they're looking for a fee around the €33-million mark – and he looks at the FAI's efforts to secure the services of
the gifted young Sligo Rovers forward Owen Elding
for Ireland.
In golf, Philip Reid reports on the first round of the Irish Open at Carton House where
just four of the 16 Irish players in the field posted sub-par scores
, Emma Fleming the pick of the bunch with an impressive 69 that leaves her tied for ninth. Leona Maguire has work to do, she's tied for 43rd.
And in her column, Sonia O'Sullivan looks at
the growing popularity of high-altitude training
for athletes preparing for major championships. She gave herself a reminder of the 'truly natural performance-enhancing aid' when she visited Font Romeu in the French Pyrenees last week.
TV Watch:
It's day five at Wimbledon (BBC 1 and BBC 2 from 11am),
fourth seed Jack Draper's defeat
on Thursday the latest in a string of upsets. Sky Sports Golf has the second round of the women's Irish Open from 5pm and at the same time, Denmark and Sweden kick off at Euro 2025 (RTÉ 2 and UTV). At 8pm, Germany, one of the pre-tournament favourites, play Poland (RTÉ 2 and UTV).
World Cup holders Spain opened their campaign in style
on Thursday with a 5-0 win over a grieving Portugal side.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
2 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Joey O'Brien era begins with a win for Shelbourne but they need bizarre JJ Lunney goal to clinch points
The Joey O'Brien era started off for real in this tie at home to the league's bottom side, his first game in charge as the permanent successor to Damien Duff after two previous matches - both draws - as the Reds' interim head coach, and O'Brien certainly has food for thought over the weekend before Linfield come to town for the first leg of their Champions League battle. Shels were 2-0 up after six minutes and won by a two-goal margin but they did let the game get away from them for spells in the second half as Cork side, reduced to 10 men after a red card early in the second half for Charlie Lyons, recovered from an utterly dismal start to take the game to the champions. Shels needed a late - and bizarre - goal from JJ Lunney seven minutes from time to make sure. Shels are unlikely to have the gifts presented to them by Cork, in the form of soft goals and a red card, when they face the Blues in that European tie with a prize of €2m at the end. With just six minutes gone, it looked as if the game was already dead as far as City were concerned, with perhaps the temptation from some of the travelling support to make an early exit and beat the traffic. Cork were wide open, incredibly so, in that opening spell, both goals gifted to the champions. Only 90 seconds had elapsed when Shels were ahead. Lyons was far too lax in possession and he allowed Harry Wood to win the ball and Wood bounded forward to bundle the ball over the line. Cork barely had time to draw breath when they were 2-0 down. City as a unit were guilty of standing off and allowing Shels to play a series of passes across the field without a tackle to be seen, before Evan Caffrey picked out Wood. He played a short ball into the waiting Mipo Odubeko and he had time and space to fire past the unfortunate Conor Brann, making his debut in the City goal. It could have been 4-0 by the 20-minute mark, Brann saving from Ali Coote before Odubeko fired wide and there was a real concern for how much damage Shels could do. But City did find their feet, eventually, sparked on 36 minutes when Freddie Anderson got a header which was wide but still a threat. And on 42 minutes they were back in the game. Shels didn't deal with a corner from Alex Nolan, Anderson and Lyons combined to set up Kitt Nelson and came up with a nice finish, his third goal of the season. Cork boss Ger Nash made changes at the break, Seáni Maguire and veteran Seán Murray sacrificed as Evan McLaughlin and Malik Dijksteel came into the fray but they were then forced into a reshuffle five minutes after the restart when defender Lyons was dismissed, a straight red card for a challenge on Kerr McInroy. The arrival off the bench of another new face, defender Fiacre Kelleher, did add some steel and Cork will clearly benefit from the leadership of the vocal Kelleher in times ahead but this tie was always going to be a struggle. To their credit, Cork were a much better unit in the second half, even with that one-man deficit, as they frustrated the home side, without much of a threat of their own as front man Dijksteel was starved of any service. Shels looked unconvincing for long spells, coming close on 63 minutes when Wood - their best player on the night - fired wide before James Norris also went close. On 76 minutes Cork had Matthew Kiernan to thank for blocking a shot from Wood, a concern for home fans when Wood appeared to pull up with an injury in that goal attempt. Even though City did not look likely to score again, Shels still needed an insurance policy and Lunney delivered on 83 minutes as he whipped into the box a ball which was more of a cross than a shot and it caught Brann off guard, a third goal for the Reds and a first win in four games. Shelbourne: Kearns; Coyle, Ledwidge, Barrett; Caffrey (Boyd 60), Lunney, McInroy (Kelly 60), Norris, Coote (Chapman 60), Wood (O'Sullivan 77); Odubeko (Martin 71). Cork City: Brann; Mbeng, Crowley, Anderson (Lutz 76), Lyons, Kiernan; Bolger, Murray (McLaughlin 46); Nolan (Kelleher 53), Murray, Nelson (O'Sullivan 53); Maguire (Dijksteel 46).
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland under-20s suffer hammer blow in world championship bid with defeat to Italy
World Rugby Under-20 Championship Pool C: Italy 18 Ireland 16 Ireland suffered a hammer blow in their bid to reach the semi-final stage of the World Rugby under-20 Championship after they fell to an agonising defeat at the hands of Italy in Stadio Luigi Zaffanella, Viadana last night. Added to the bench after Bobby Power was drafted into the starting line-up to replace Michael Foy at the 11th hour, Oisin Minogue crashed over the Italian whitewash in second half stoppage-time to leave Ireland with a last-gasp opportunity to claim a hard-earned draw against the tournament hosts. However, Sam Wisniewski's resulting conversion was wide of the target and while Ireland remain second in Pool C, the pressure is now on ahead of their meeting with pacesetters New Zealand in Calvisano next Wednesday. Ireland were seeking to make amends for a 15-12 defeat to Italy at Treviso in the final round of this year's under-20 Six Nations and they displayed early defensive grit by holding out their opponents as they attempted to cross over from a lineout maul. Ireland looked set to receive a let-off when opposition outhalf Roberto Fasti couldn't find touch off an 11th minute penalty, only for errors from both Charlie Molony and Paidi Farrell to immediately provide Italy with another platform inside the '22'. The hosts were able to go a step further on this occasion as the ensuing set-piece move found its way into the hands of bustling number 8 Nelson Casartelli, who proceeded to burst over the line in clinical style. READ MORE Ireland's Ciarán Mangan on the ball. Photograph: Sebastiano Pessina/Inpho This powerful finish was followed by a badly miscued bonus strike from Fasti and when outhalf Tom Wood (son of legendary former Irish international Keith Wood) was presented with a kickable opportunity on 25 minutes, the Munster prospect drilled the ball between the posts to reduce his side's deficit to two points. Try-scoring chances were few and far between in the opening period, but after winning the penalty himself thanks to superb work at the breakdown, Italian fullback Edoardo Todaro was successful off the kicking tee in the 36th minute. This ensured the Azzurri brought an 8-3 cushion into the second period, but Ireland were back within two on 52 minutes as a result of Wood splitting the uprights off a penalty that was positioned to the right of the posts. This kept the Eanna McCarthy-led Irish within touching distance, but Italy subsequently put themselves in the driving seat when second row Piero Gritti rounded off a ferocious attacking maul with a converted try. However, just when it looked like the game was drifting away from Ireland, they were given a lifeline when Casartelli was yellow-carded for a head high tackle on Molony. The 14-man Italians were placed on the back foot straight away and after Billy Corrigan had gathered a lineout delivery, McCarthy and Will Wootton combined to good effect before replacement hooker Mikey Yarr dived over in the right-corner for an unconverted effort. Momentum appeared to be with Ireland at this stage, but Corrigan was sent to the sinbin on 71 minutes – just as Casartelli was preparing himself for a return to the field of play. This paved the way for Todaro to slot over his second penalty of the contest and though Minogue bagged a five-pointer at the end of a relentless attacking spell, Wisniewski couldn't find the range from a right-hand angle as Ireland came up just short. Scorers – Italy: N Casartelli, P Gritti try each, E Todaro 2 pens, con. Ireland: M Yarr, O Minogue try each, T Wood 2 pen. ITALY: E Todaro; A Drago, F Zanandrea, R Casarin, J Ducros; R Fasti, N Beni; S Pelliccioli, N Corvasce, N Bolognini; M Midena, P Gritti; G Milano, C Bianchi, N Casartelli. Replacements: L Trevisan for Bolognini, E Opoku Gyamfi for Midena, A Caiolo-Serra for Corvasce, S Mistrulli for Pelliccioli all 54 mins; A Miranda for Bianchi, 57 mins; R Ioannucci for Drago, 62 mins; G Pietramala for Ducros, 68 mins; M Bellotto for Beni, 74 mins. IRELAND: C Molony; P Farrell, C Mangan, E Smyth, D Moloney; T Wood, W Wootton; A Usanov, H Walker, A Mullan; M Ronan, B Corrigan; B Power, E McCarthy, L Murphy. Replacements: C Kennelly for Ronan, 49 mins; M Yarr for Walker, B Bohan for Usanov, T McAllister for Mullan, all 53 mins; S Wisniewski for Wood, 60 mins; O Minogue for Power, 62 mins; C Logan for Wootton, 64 mins; Walker for Yarr, 79 mins. Referee: B Breakspear (Wales).
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Bohs and St Pat's play out stalemate to leave Stephen Kenny winless in six matches
Premier Division: St Patrick's Athletic 0 Bohemians 0 Park life. St Patrick's Athletic turn their attention to European football without a win in six matches. The 4,919 crowd inside Richmond Park were served everything but a goal to decide in this engrossing Dublin derby. Dayle Rooney and Ross Tierney went close for Bohemians but far too many St Pat's players missed the target. As Richard Ashcroft finished his set in Cardiff with Bitter Sweet Sympathy, Bohs were peacocking their new FAI Cup strip and the iconic Oasis logo around Dublin 8. READ MORE The Verve lead singer was opening for the seismic return of Noel and Liam Gallagher at The Principality stadium, the first gig of a lucrative second coming for the Manchester band. This was no cup match though. Bohs made an exception to show off their latest piece of innovative marketing. The sky-blue Oasis gear should help fill the club's coffers when Dalymount Park is under construction. Besides the stadium DJ playing Blur tunes at every opportunity, the Brit Pop revival was never going to overshadow the football. Not around Inchicore, where there was plenty at stake for Stephen Kenny's men coming off a winless June. 'We cannot believe ourselves that we have had such a poor two weeks,' wrote Kenny in his programme notes after St Pat's missed an 'inordinately high number of chances' to leave them in a comparable situation to last season when the former Republic of Ireland manager was recruited midseason. Kenny turned the tide in July 2024 as his team embarked on a run to the precipice of the Uefa Conference League group stages. That journey begins again on Thursday with the visit of Hegelmann from Lithuania. St Pat's created the better chances in the opening half-hour only for Bohs centre half Rob Cornwall to deny Aidan Keena and Simon Power. However, the visitors should have taken the lead in the 38th minute when new signing Douglas James-Taylor blazed over a cut back by James Clarke. James-Taylor arrived from Drogheda United this week to replace French striker Lys Mousset, who was unceremoniously released by Bohemians. St Pat's should have led at the break only Power's effort missed the target before Jason McClelland slammed a shot off the crossbar. Half-time welcomed dozens of kids on to the Richmond grass to the sound of Blur's Song 2. Kenny benched teenager Mason Melia and winger Zach Elbouzedi following last week's scoreless draw in Cork while their creative force, Chris Forrester, continues to return from injury. All three eventually arrived but the sight of Jake Mulraney limping off, holding his hamstring, is not what Kenny needs before a European campaign. The excellent Power put the ball in the Bohs net early in the second-half only for a premature linesman's flag for offside. Replays confirmed the match official's error. With Dawson Devoy being smothered by Barry Baggley in midfield, The Saints seemed certain to break the deadlock. Somehow Jordan Flores cleared Kian Leavy's toe poke off the goal line. That did it for Kenny. Melia arrived on the hour for Keena. The under-21 international showed for every ball, mostly supplied by Leavy, but Cornwall held firm. Ultimately, the poor quality of St Pat's final pass summed up their season so far. Elsewhere, with Shamrock Rovers facing Sligo Rovers at The Showgrounds on Saturday night, Derry City closed the gap at the top to eight points with an emphatic 7-2 defeat of Waterford while the post-Damien Duff era at Tolka Park formally began as Joey O'Brien's Shelbourne beat Cork City 3-1. St Patrick's Athletic: Anang; McLaughlin (Kavanagh 75), Redmond, Grivosti, McClelland; Lennon, Baggley (Forrester 80); Power, Leavy (Sjoberg 75), Mulraney (Elbouzedi 80); Keena (Melia 61). Bohemians: Chorazka; Smith (Mountney 71), Cornwall, Flores, Morahan; Devoy, McDonnell (Buckley 71); Tierney, Clarke, Rooney; James-Taylor (Whelan 71). Referee: Rob Hennessy.
