Hugh Cooney gives Clontarf the edge over defending champions Cork Constitution to seal AIL final glory
Energia All-Ireland League men's final: Clontarf 22 Cork Constitution 21
The AIL trophy is on it's way to Castle Avenue as a Hugh Cooney-inspired Clontarf beat Cork Constitution in a tense final at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday evening.
The game was at a standstill until a bit of brilliance from Cooney broke the deadlock.
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Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Leinster youngster to emulate Brian O'Driscoll historic feat this summer
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Smyth was in Australia on an Academy sabbatical/leadership course with Rugby League outfit Melbourne Storm - a plane ticket/summons home came in the same email as 'congratulations you have been selected...'.As for being down the pecking order at Leinster, no shame there as both Dan Sheehan and Ronan Kelleher were established Ireland stars and, indeed, are going on the Lions Tour this McCarthy was so established Andy Farrell capped him in the November 2024 Series while John McKee and Lee Barron had both made 2022 debuts for the the 2024/25 newbie at Leinster had caught the eye at almost every representative level on the way up culminating in playing Six Nations, World Championships for Ireland U21 and Old Wesley in the AIL through 2023/ the previous parts of his resume which included such as captaining Leinster Schools, playing Ireland U18, captaining Ireland U19 in Japan were impressive the more for Smyth having started his rugby as a centre, moved to no8 and has only latterly converted to hooker."Somebody of his size profile, probably was always going to end up in the pack," says Old Wesley coach Morgan Lennon with whom the hooker has prospered."He's made remarkable strides, it's not obvious to most people that he has only transitioned to hooker two years ago when he came out of school where he was a no8."Like anybody who's picking up the situation at that stage, throwing was the biggest challenge because he'd always been a good ball-carrier, good defender."From the minute I came across him, when he came out of school and made the decision to come to us he always had the raw materials, the size-profile."When you look at him he looks very like a Dan Sheehan or a Ronan Kelleher, he's got that physical profile, six foot two, six foot three, 14 kilos and he's dynamic, quick, powerful."Switching position in rugby doesn't have to be traumatic, Brian O'Driscoll was a scrum-half in school, Denis Leamy was a place-cking centre at school it is just that anyone switching to hooker has a whole new responsibility, throwing into the BOD's case he was playing AIL for UCd when called up by Warren Gatland for the 1999 Australia tour, making his debut at 19 years, four months and 21 days and who would make his Six Nations debut in 2000, a campaign in which he would score his famous Paris hat-trick. 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Irish Independent
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