‘This is a Test match and we will play it as such' – Scott Bemand welcomes return of Ireland duo for Scotland clash
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RTÉ News
27 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Ireland start green wave rolling with comeback win over Scotland
Ireland recovered from a slow start to record a fine 27-21 victory over Scotland in their opening World Cup warm-up match at Virgin Media Park in Cork. Scott Bemand's side found themselves 14-0 down in the 22nd minute and looked rusty on what was their first outing of the season. Scotland were playing their second game in a week and struck early with tries from Lisa Thomson and Lucia Scott, athough Ireland will be disappointed at how easily their defence was breached. However, with captain Sam Monaghan, on her comeback after a year out with injury, and Eve Higgins leading the way, the hosts hit back. Sadhbh McGrath and Méabh Deely scored tries in a five-minute spell before the break, while debutant Nancy McGillivray, Niamh O'Dowd and Deirbhile Nic a Bháird all crossed in the second half to get Ireland's World Cup preparations off to a solid start. They will face a step up in class against Canada in Belfast next Saturday but head coach Bemand, who handed out three debuts and welcomed back Monaghan, Eimear Corri-Fallon and Béibhinn Parsons from long-term injuries, will be pleased with the team's resolve and how they grew into a game that threatened to get away from them. Speaking during the week, Bemand and the players stressed that their two warm-up games were about ushering in the 'green wave' and putting themselves in the best position to get out of Pool C where they will face Japan, Spain and New Zealand. The slow start was perhaps understandable with a new-look team containing two starting debutants and the returning players taking time to find their feet, while star forwards Erin King, Dorothy Wall, both of whom will miss the World Cup, and Aoife Wafer absent. They did have an early chance when Molly Scuffil-McCabe (above) raced clear but the support was too slow to arrive and Scotland won a penalty. Poor handling and discipline allowed Scotland to work position from which centre Thomson and winger Scott finished well, with the centre converting both tries. Higgins and Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald combined to win a penalty when Hannah Ramsay tried to counter from her own half and the subsequent territory and possession yielded two tries. Firstly, McGrath (above) powered over from close range, while Deely raced onto a delayed pass from Higgins to run in at the corner. Dannah O'Brien missed the first but landed the more difficult kick to get Ireland within two points at the break, by which point the superb Monaghan had made way for Fiona Tuite in a pre-planned substitution. Parsons and Tuite were both involved ahead of Ireland's third try with O'Brien supplying McGillivray (below) with a perfect pass for the centre to rush in as the hosts took the lead for the first time. Winger Coreen Grant was sin-binned for a deliberate knock on and, with Brittany Hogan carrying strongly, Ireland looked to extend the lead but the referee reversed a penalty under the Scottish posts when Moloney-MacDonald was pinged for a dangerous clearout. With four of the last five encounters between the sides going down to the wire, Ireland knew Scotland would not lie down. But the home side became sloppy in possession again and Scotland made them pay when Emma Orr cut through from 40 yards to score under the posts. But, once again, Ireland found an extra gear to retake the lead. A multi-phase move, with Tuite and Amee-Leigh Costigan prominent, ended with O'Dowd scoring a 'quarter-back sneak' try. Connacht's Ailish Quinn came on for her debut with 10 minutes to play and was part of the pack that paved the way for Ireland's fifth. Replacement Nic a Bháird (above) sheared off a lineout maul and dived in for the try. However, Enya Breen missed her second conversion attempt and gave Scotland, who won the Six Nations fixture with a last-gasp try, a final chance. But Bryan Easson's side lost the ball forward in midfield and Ireland wound the clock down to secure a morale-boosting victory. SCORERS Ireland: Tries - McGrath, Deely, McGillivray, O'Dowd, Nic a Bháird Cons: O'Brien Scotland: Tries - Thomson, Scott, Orr Cons: Thomson (3) Ireland: Méabh Deely; Béibhinn Parsons, Nancy McGillivray, Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Costigan; Dannah O'Brien, Molly Scuffil-McCabe; Siobhán McCarthy, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Sadhbh McGrath; Eimear Corri-Fallon, Sam Monaghan (capt); Grace Moore, Ivana Kiripati, Brittany Hogan. Replacements: Neve Jones (Moloney-MacDonald 69), Niamh O'Dowd (McGrath 50), Linda Djougang (McCarthy 50), Fiona Tuite (Monaghan 36), Deirbhile Nic a Bháird (Moore HIA 3, Hogan 60), Ailish Quinn (Kiripati 69), Emily Lane (Scuffil-McCabe 60), Enya Breen (O'Brien 60). Scotland: Chloe Rollie; Rhona Lloyd, Emma Orr, Lisa Thomson, Lucia Scott; Hannah Ramsay, Caity Mattinson; Anne Young, Lana Skeldon, Elliann Clarke; Emma Wassell, Rachel Malcolm (capt); Rachel McLachlan, Alex Stewart, Evie Gallagher.
Irish Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland warm up for Rugby World Cup with comeback win in Cork
Scott Bemand's Ireland side got their World Cup build-up off to a winning start with a comeback victory over Scotland at Virgin Media Park. The hosts, with co-captain Sam Monaghan and winger Béibhinn Parsons back from long-term injury and two debutants from the start in Nancy McGillivray and Ivana Kiripati got off to a slow start. The Scots opened up with two converted tries through Lisa Thomson and Lucia Scott for a 14-0 lead by the 22nd minute. It could have been worse for Ireland as the visitors left a couple of other chances behind in their last warm-up game before facing Wales in their first game at the finals in three weeks' time. READ MORE: British and Irish Lions player ratings as they finish with a whimper in final Test READ MORE: Keith Andrew picks his Brentford captain - and it's good news for Ireland fans But Ireland, with player of the match Grace Moore in inspired form in the back row, came roaring back into the contest to record a five-try victory. Eve Higgins and Sadhbh McGrath scored a try apiece in the final seven minutes of the first half to reduce the deficit to two points at the break, then McGillivray struck for a debut try in the 46th minute to put the home side ahead. Scottish centre Emma Orr raced in for a 66th minute try that saw the lead change hands again but Niamh O'Dowd restored Ireland's advantage just two minutes later, before Deirbhile Nic a Bháird made sure of the victory late on. "It's been a seven week build-up, they were slightly more battle-hardened than us but I was really pleased that the girls didn't panic," said Bemand. "It wasn't going to be perfect but we wanted to see if we could go after certain parts of the game and through the gears." Ireland's Linda Djougang celebrates Deirbhile Nic a Bháird scoring her side's fifth try (Image: ©INPHO/Ben Brady) Ireland will face Canada in their final warm-up game in Belfast next Saturday ahead of their trip to England for the finals, and Moore reacted: "The captain's run this week was so good and the jersey presentation was probably the most emotional of my career. "This was just the start, the hard slog of pre-season, we're just so looking forward to the World Cup. We want to be pushed in every way and we grow together." And Monaghan, who was playing her first Test game since suffering an ACL injury over a year ago, said: "It feels amazing. I have to say these girls have been unreal to me over the last14 months, I wouldn't be here without them. "We had a tough opening 20 minutes, getting cobwebs off, but proud of the debutants felt they really performed today. It was great to see some new blood out there and new combinations, we're looking forward to putting our best foot forward next week and getting on the plane for the World Cup." Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email .
Irish Daily Mirror
27 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
'I wouldn't write for The f*****g Irish Times' - Eamon Dunphy at 80
Eamon Dunphy is asked about a picture on his sitting-room wall. It's of his younger self, taken when he was in his athletic prime, aged between 30 and 32. Later, when we move to his kitchen and are chatting over cups of tea, he interestingly moves the conversation away from that period in his life, even though the photo depicts a smiling face of a man who has just scored a goal. Rather than talk about that, he steers the chat to something else, to three moments in his life when he stood at career crossroads. The first was in 1965. He had just turned 20, and his time with Manchester United was coming to an end. Birmingham City, then a top-tier club in the English football pyramid, were willing to pay £8,000 for him. Dunphy, instead, was sold to Third Division York City for half that amount, no explanation given by the United manager, Matt Busby. 'I'd hazard a guess that Busby had a payday from York,' Dunphy says now. 'I found out real quick after my move there that Birmingham wanted me. I was stiffed.' It wasn't the last time. A few years later he was at Millwall, living in a semi-detached house in south London, earning £30-a-week. Tottenham Hotspur called. They were the top club in London at the time, prepared to quadruple Dunphy's wages. But the Millwall board blocked the move. Read more: Eamon Dunphy column: We now have a team good enough to qualify for World Cup Read more: Eamon Dunphy column: Our League's future is bright, Ian Harte can f*** off! 'Had that transfer happened, my life would have changed,' he says. 'Millwall owned the house I lived in which was a terrible situation because it meant if you lost form, you could lose your job and also your fucking home. As a footballer, you lived with this permanent kind of fear.' There's a reason why he tells this and other stories, like when, in 1978, he realised he had to give journalism and punditry a try because the alternative was seeing his children go hungry. "Look at me now," he smiles, "still at it." It's Thursday morning. Jane, his wife, has gone to town. He kissed her on the cheek before she left, hugging her gently. It wasn't a gesture done for show, more a story of genuine affection. 'She's strong, she's fun, we're very close, we're very happy, I'm very lucky,' Dunphy says. Then he laughs. 'For God's sake, she's been able to manage me!' RTE's head of drama Jane Gogan with husband Eamon Dunphy Tomorrow Jane will cook lunch for her husband's 80th birthday. His children and grandchildren will come to visit and this elderly man who has spent 60 years in the public eye will celebrate the occasion in the privacy of his own home. The following day he returns to work, for his 23rd season as The Star's football analyst. He will be eighty years and one day old yet still hungry for work. 'My father was 65 when he was forced to retire,' Dunphy says. 'It hurt him. It was his identity. He loved work. He lived a further ten years but they weren't happy ones. I'll always remember that because I'm like that, in that work is part of my identity, too. I love it. It has never been a drag. It intrigues me; it occupies me. Mentally, it's good for me. 'What's the alternative? That I sit here all day and stare at the four walls? No. Not for me. I like The Star. I like The Star's readers. Put it this way, I wouldn't write for the fucking Irish Times.' He laughs at his insult. That's a constant theme in your conversations with Dunphy. His public persona is of him spitting anger at sporting injustices, at the player who doesn't track back, the manager who makes maddening decisions, the anchorman who challenges his opinion. Yet privately he's different, well able to laugh at himself, aware of his own flaws as well as his mortality. 'Well none of us are getting out of this gig alive,' he says. While he harbours a permanent sadness about the family and friends who have gone before him, there isn't a hankering for past glory days or a grim realisation he has had more yesterdays than he will have tomorrows. Instead he says: 'I'm very content. I've been blessed. I feel grateful for everything God has given me. I pray every night. I don't ram my religion down people's throats. But I do my best to be a good person. 'When I was younger, I was a bit of a lad, a rogue. I liked a jar. I used to do a bit (he sniffs at his fist). It has been a colourful time.' Eamon Dunphy pictured at his home ahead of his 80th birthday (Image: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin) What differs Dunphy to so many other former players and athletes is that he contentedly lives in the present rather than mourns an inability to retrieve his past. And there are two reasons for this. The first is that his playing days were never that great, spent meandering around England's lower leagues, playing for modest wages and immodest managers. Then there is the quiet pride in what he achieved as a journalist, best-selling author and pundit, namely a wealth and a respect which never came his way on the playing field. At 80, he is still in demand, and is about to write his sixth book. 'I'm full of energy,' he says, looking forward rather than reflecting on the 40 years he had as soccer pundit on RTE, broadcast host or newspaper columnist. He says: 'When we were on RTE, myself, John (Giles), Liam (Brady) with Bill (O'Herilly), we were on for an hour before the game and half an hour after it because there was a demand for us to get that amount of screentime. "We showed respect to the viewers because they wanted to know what was going on. 'The passion you see from me, that comes from my father, Paddy. He loved sport, hurling especially but he was a soccer fan, too. He bought the papers every day; he listened to the radio and waited for the moments when the analysts came on. Because he wanted an insight, enlightenment and a bit of craic. 'So having spent so long, like decades, as an outsider, by the time I got to be on the inside, there was no way I was going to turn my back on the people like my da. 'I wasn't going to be a spoofer. I was going to do my best to make the game understandable and to tell the truth.' He laughs when you ask if he ever hyped things up to stay relevant. 'Ha! We hyped things down. 'I said it as it was but the others would have said a lot more when they were sitting around off air with a drink. 'Not everyone agreed with me but I was well able to speak up for myself.' One such time was when Graeme Souness, football's hard man, eyeballed him in the RTE studio. 'Who have you ever managed?' Souness asked. Straight away Dunphy replied: 'I've managed to stay alive for 63 years baby!' The subsequent 17 years have been busy if a little less contentious. These days he is a creature of habit, waking early, exercising mid-morning after his daily stroll to buy the Racing Post. He likes an afternoon siesta and a late supper, takes twice yearly health checks and 'cannot wait' for the new football season. But that must wait because this man of 79 years and 364 days is in a rush. He has cakes to buy for the guests who arrive tomorrow, slapping you playfully on the shoulder as you step out of his hallway. Still alive, baby! Still going strong. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email alerts.
