Scott Wilson added to Ireland squad for Georgia and Portugal tour
Ulster
loosehead Scott Wilson to the
Ireland
squad for the two-Test tour to Georgia and Portugal. The group swaps Abbotstown for Tbilisi on Wednesday.
Wilson adds to the overall number (33) and no one is injured. There was good news in that respect when it was announced that Tom Ahern has shrugged off the hamstring injury that saw Josh Murphy called into training at the tail end of last week.
The Connacht man won't travel nor will any of the training panellists – Brian Gleeson, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Evan O'Connell, Jude Postlethwaite and Zac Ward. The IRFU also confirmed that the two Tests, against Georgia on Saturday (6pm, Irish time) and Portugal in Lisbon (7.0, Irish time), seven days later on July 12th, will be screened live on Virgin Media, while the games will also be on RugbyPass TV.
The shape and style will be straight from the Ireland senior playbook and what the interim coaching team is looking for are players who successfully adapt to that model over the course of the two games. Defence coach Denis Leamy is familiar with many of the playing squad. He said: 'It [the game plan] will be very, very similar, if not the same.
READ MORE
'That's the plan: to play the Irish way and to try to do it as well as we can. Obviously, we're missing a big chunk of the players who have gone to Australia with the Lions but it's a great opportunity for the boys coming in to show what they can do and just build on some of the things that have [been] done to date.
'A lot of the boys I've worked with at either Leinster or Irish under-20s level. It's lovely to see them develop as players, how they've grown into men and how they've developed their own perspective on the game, their own opinions.
'It's excellent to be back in, around them. We just find when it's a national set-up, that there is unity straight away, that they all mix. My generation [as a player], there was huge rivalry [between the players]. It took us a few weeks for the frostiness to wear off,' he said with a smile.
Ireland defence coach Denis Leamy. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
'The boys just seem to get on so well. They're straight in, best mates, constantly over and back on WhatsApp and all the different platforms. It's better than when I was a player. They've grown up a little bit from when we were.'
One of those players to come up in conversation was Munster number eight Gavin Coombes, who's looked 'fit and hungry and trained well', and can be a key figure for Ireland on Saturday if he brings his playing virtues to bear.
Leamy explained: 'Gavin has been in and out of Irish squads over the last couple of years. The times he's been left out, he's understood the reasons why and [they] have been very fair. Gavin has gone away and worked hard on those parts of the games. He's back in now and he has that chance on Saturday.
'He's hugely strong around opposition 22. His ability to make yards, score tries, he's one of the best around at that and his general play is improving all the time.
'His ability to make yards in open play, his ability to clock up big numbers in his tackles, his rucks and the fundamentals around his basic play, he's learning and improving that all the time. That's why he's back in this environment.'
Leamy paid tribute to his former team-mate and the Ireland interim head coach
Paul O'Connell
in helping the coaching group to hit the ground quickly.
[
Denis Walsh: Why Paul O'Connell thinks a sports psychologist will help Ireland get ahead
Opens in new window
]
'Paul has helped us greatly in terms of giving us a very, very clear, pretty narrow brief in terms of what we want to get across to them because we're only together for three weeks, counting last week.
'It's important that you don't overload players. We're trying to keep things pretty tight, have a very distinct game plan and just keep reinforcing that with our language. It's pretty easy from that point of view. But the challenge is to get that workload through them as well.'
Oh, and in terms of the hurling this weekend, Leamy is unequivocal. 'I think it's going to be a very, very close game but Kilkenny will always get the best out of Tipperary. Tipp by a point.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
26 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Eimear Byrne and family basking in successful yar so far for Louth
From the three previous TG4 All-Ireland Junior Football Championship finals that Louth's Eimear Byrne has played in up to this point, there is one that clearly stands out above all others. Having been part of a side that lost out to Limerick at Croke Park in 2018, Byrne returned to the same venue 12 months later as the Wee County took on Fermanagh in another third-tier decider. While a 3-13 to 2-06 victory for Louth ensured it was always going to be a memorable day, the fact Byrne's sister Aoife lined up alongside her in midfield made it extra special for the St Mochta's star. Although Aoife has stepped away from the inter-county scene in recent years, Eimear was a starter when her native county lost out to Fermanagh in last year's junior showpiece. She has also been an ever-present in the Louth attack during 2025 and is now set to feature in her fourth West County Hotel Cup final against Antrim at Croke Park on 3 August. "In 2019 I was playing alongside my sister Aoife. She has actually retired from inter-county football now. She has had two kids since, but she is back playing club football. Hopefully at some stage I'll get to play alongside her this year," Byrne explained. "2019 was a very, very special year and climbing the steps of the Hogan Stand alongside your sister and playing in midfield with her is something very, very special. Unfortunately I won't have her beside me this time around, but she'll definitely be in the stands shouting me on anyway." Next weekend won't be the first visit to Croke Park this year for the Byrne family as they were previously there on 11 May for one of the most unforgettable days in the recent sporting history of the Wee County. 15 years after another of her siblings (Declan) featured off the bench in a much-discussed provincial decider defeat to the same opposition, Eimear's brother Ciaran played the final eight minutes as the Louth men's team collected their first Leinster title in 68 years with a final victory over Meath. The family achievements don't end there, however, as the aforementioned Declan was part of the management team for a Louth U20s side that qualified for an All-Ireland final with a last-four triumph over Mayo on 16 May - two days before Eimear kicked a brace of points for the ladies side in their Leinster JFC success over Carlow. "It has been a very special year in our house. I'm sitting here looking out the window and the Louth flags are still flying high, and they've been up there for the last couple of weeks. Because 'Casey' (a nickname given to Ciaran due to Eimear's inability to pronounce his name when she was younger) was in the Leinster final and got over the line with that. "Then Deccie was involved in the coaching team for the Louth U20s. It has been a big couple of weeks in our house and loving every moment of it. I think I said this a couple of times in different interviews, that when I walk through the door, my Dad, there is a massive smile on his face. "It's the likes of him, you're kind of delighted he's getting to live through these moments and seeing Louth football being in a really, really good place." What has already been a remarkable year for the Byrnes would be topped off if Louth could claim their fourth junior crown. Yet Byrne was very close to not being part of the panel this deep into the competition. A PE and biology teacher at St Joseph's secondary school in Drogheda, Byrne is opting to take a career break in the coming months. "Any day in Croke Park is going to be a big occasion for both teams" She was initially planning to go travelling last month with her other half, but with a burning desire to get Louth back up to the intermediate grade, Byrne eventually altered her plans. "Originally at the start of the year, I actually had planned to go in June and then I looked at the calendar. I shed a few tears because my boyfriend, he was taking a shorter working year. He's a guard. He had applied for and got it granted for June," Byrne recalled. "We looked at the calendar, I turned to my boyfriend and I said 'I actually can't go in June now'. I said 'I really want to stay and give Louth another rattle'. I had chatted to Kevin (Larkin) the manager and obviously he didn't want me to go. Then I went in and spoke to my principal, and he actually gave me a bit of confidence to actually go for a career break. "I decided to take the full year out next year, but I'm only travelling for six weeks in November and a bit of December. I'll be twiddling my thumbs, looking for a bit of subbing early on next year to fill my time." It will all prove to be worthwhile for Byrne if she can secure the second junior crown next weekend. However, when you consider they triumphed at this grade as recently as 2022, there are a number of players in the Antrim squad who will be looking to do the same. The Saffrons have accrued a Lidl National Football League Division 4 win and an Ulster title across an unbeaten run of 16 games to date in 2025, and this is more than enough reason for Byrnen and Louth to be wary of their challenge. "Antrim, they're a strong outfit. They have some great runners all over the pitch. Their midfield and some very, very strong forwards. It's definitely going to be a tough contest. We're not going to be naïve going in, we've met Antrim a couple of times before over the last couple of years," Byrne added. "We're well used to what they can produce as well. It's going to be very, very tough. Any day in Croke Park is going to be a big occasion for both teams. We're looking forward to it, nonetheless."
The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Mallon goal helps Galway shake off Tipperary and return to All-Ireland camogie final
The 42 Updated at 19.49 Galway 1-18 Tipperary 1-11 A BRILLIANT goal in the 39th minute by Niamh Mallon was the key score as Galway returned to the Glen Dimplex All-Ireland senior camogie final with a deserved victory over Tipperary. The westerners were the better side, but they certainly did not have things their own way. Tipp fought right to the end, and it took a sensational block by the outstanding Dervla Higgins to deny Jean Kelly a goal that might have made it nervy. But there was no questioning the merit of Galway's win, Higgins, Shauna Healy and Róisín Black forming a most obdurate full-back line that provided the platform for the triumph. Up front, Mallon's goal might have earned the plaudits, but Ailish O'Reilly, who is in pursuit of a fourth All-Ireland medal, contributed four points as well as drilling a wonderful pass to Mallon for the definitive major. It was a strange sort of a game, and when Mallon pointed off the stick via Laura Leenane's hurley in the 25th minute, Galway seemed to be moving inexorably towards a Croke Park return. They were 0-8 to 0-2 in front, full value for that, and there seemed a real danger of the game drifting to an inevitable conclusion. Neither side had excelled, and even with their eight points, Galway shot some poor wides, but Tipp were particularly disjointed and wasteful from the few good positions they had created. When they lost Karin Blair with what looked like symptoms of concussion at the end of the first quarter, it only added to the sense of doom. But a shot by Karen Kennedy in the 26th minute was mis-controlled uncharacteristically into the net by Sarah Healy. The leaders were suddenly shaken, and the Premier were shaken from their torpor. The result was that somehow, they went in level at the break, 0-9 to 1-6 and all the momentum with Denis Kelly's side. Casey Heffernan and Eimear Heffernan pointed, and Grace O'Brien brought her tally to four from placed balls. Advertisement The interval probably came at the wrong time for them, while Cathal Murray welcomed the opportunity to recalibrate. All the evidence after the resumption was that the Galway players had recovered their composure, but Tipp would thankfully not return to their early ineptitude. But once O'Reilly placed Mallon, who carried to the edge of the square before firing a rocket to the far corner of the Tipp net, the Tribeswomen were able to keep their valiant opponents at arm's length. Kelly followed a pointed free by O'Brien with a smart score to keep Tipp interested. Mairéad Dillon added to her first-half brace, however, and was promptly hauled ashore, Sabina Rabbitte having been stripped and ready to go, and the Athenry attacker justified the decision by splitting the posts within seconds. There would be no way back for Tipp from there. SCORERS FOR GALWAY: C Dolan 0-6(4fs); A O'Reilly 0-4; N Mallon 1-2; M Dillon 0-3; C Kelly 0-2; S Rabbitte 0-1 SCORERS FOR TIPPERARY: G O'Brien 0-7(fs); K Kennedy 1-1; E Heffernan (f), C Hennessy, J Kelly 0-1 each GALWAY: Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, R Black, D Higgins, R Hanniffy, A Starr, E Helebert, C Dolan, A Donohue, O Rabbitte, A O'Reilly, C Hickey, N Mallon, M Dillon, C Kelly. Subs: S Gardiner for Helebert (42); S Rabbitte for Dillon, A Hesnan for Starr (52); N Niland for Kelly, J Hughes for O Rabbitte (60+1) TIPPERARY: L Leenane; J Bourke, K Blair, C McCarthy, E Loughman, M Eviston, S Corcoran, K Kennedy, C Maher, E Heffernan, C Hennessy, G O'Brien, M Burke, R Howard, C McIntyre. Subs: E Carey for Blair inj (20), J Kelly for Burke (44), A McGrath for Maher (55) REFEREE: Justin Heffernan (Wexford) Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here Written by Daragh Ó'Conchúir and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Ireland continue their winning streak against Zimbabwe in first ODI
1st ODI: Ireland 288-9 (50 ovs) (S Forbes 54, G Lewis 51, O Prendergast 50, A Hunter 43, L Delany 34; K Ndhlovu 3-50, L Tshuma 2-37, T Makusha 2-47) beat Zimbabwe 191 (48.1 ovs) (C Mugeri-Tiripano 48, R Pasipanodya 32no; A Kelly 2-17, O Prendergast 2-20, J Maguire 2-25, L McBride 2-25, C Murray 2-53) by 97 runs . Ireland continued their winning streak against Zimbabwe as they beat their opponents by 97 runs in their one-day international at Stormont. The hosts – who completed a 3-0 clean sweep in the T20 series – piled up 288 for nine from their 50 overs in the first of two ODIs, having been put into bat by Zimbabwe captain Chipo Mugeri-Tiripano. Openers Sarah Forbes (54) and skipper Gaby Lewis (51) provided a solid platform for Ireland, which was built on by Amy Hunter (43), Orla Prendergast (50) and Laura Delany (34). READ MORE None of the Zimbabwe batters made a half-century, with Mugeri-Tiripano's 48 the top score for the Lady Chevrons. Arlene Kelly, Prendergast, Jane Maguire, Cara Murray and Lara McBride all claimed two wickets as the visitors' effort ended on 191 with the first ball of the 49th over. The sides meet again in Belfast on Monday.
