logo
Cork and Waterford to wear shorts in Munster camogie final

Cork and Waterford to wear shorts in Munster camogie final

Irish Examiner06-05-2025

Cork and Waterford senior camogie players are expected to wear shorts as a form of protest in Saturday's Munster final in The Ragg.
Following on from Dublin and Kilkenny's attempt to highlight the lack of choice regarding skorts by initially wearing shorts in Blanchardstown last Saturday, Cork and Waterford are set to do the same at the Tipperary venue this weekend.
Speaking on Newstalk's Lunchtime show on Tuesday, Cork star Hannah Looney indicated they would be following suit.
'I can't speak on behalf of all our players at the moment, because we haven't sat down and had that vote similar to how Kilkenny and Dublin addressed it last week, but I'm sure we will be looking to take similar action at the weekend,' she said.
Looney added that they too wanted to make their point considering 70% of inter-county players who responded to a GPA survey find wearing skorts uncomfortable and 83% want the choice of donning either skorts or shorts.
'I think it's important that we do shine a light to it again this weekend while it's a hot topic.'
Read More
Kieran Shannon: Camogie stance on skorts is insulting its players and hurting the sport
Meanwhile, Sunday's Leinster SFC final between Louth and Meath in Croke Park is set to attract a bumper crowd in excess of 50,000.
Both counties are reporting significant uptake in tickets ahead of their first provincial decider meeting in 15 years.
That infamous 2010 clash drew a crowd of 48,875 to GAA HQ and the rematch is in line to be the largest for a provincial showdown since the Dublin-Kildare Leinster final of 2017, which recorded an attendance of 66,734.
No provincial final has come close to that figure since then. In 2019, 47,027 watched Dublin trounce Meath to claim a ninth straight Leinster title. The closest to that figure outside Leinster since then was the Tyrone-Down Ulster showdown that same year, which brought 31,912 to Clones before the capacity of the St Tiernach's Park was scaled down following healthy and safety measures.
Saturday evening's Armagh-Donegal Ulster SFC final in the Monaghan town will be a 29,000 sell-out. Tickets for the Clare-Tipperary Munster SHC Round 3 game in Ennis are also in high demand with an anticipated crowd similar to the 20,778 who were in attendance for last month's Cork game.
No tickets are currently available on public sale for Sunday week's Limerick-Cork Munster SHC Round 4 game in TUS Gaelic Grounds, which is expected to reach the stadium's 41,000 capacity.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Bulls will look to use raw power to take down Leinster in URC final
Bulls will look to use raw power to take down Leinster in URC final

Irish Times

time2 hours ago

  • Irish Times

Bulls will look to use raw power to take down Leinster in URC final

The South African podcaster Harry Jones recently posted a video to social media detailing the country's rugby philosophy. A fan, whom Jones labels the Potchefstroom Poet, lays it out for those who have not been initiated in the ways of the 'Bok: 'We f**k them up in front, easy. We make our first-time tackles. And then, we spread the ball. Easy. No nuance in how the Bulls can sack Croke Park this week: back to brutal basics. ~ the Potchefstroom Poet ⁦ — Harry Jones (@haribaldijones) 'Rugby is not hard.' Libations may have influenced this particular bard when dumbing down the rugby DNA of an entire nation. But he isn't wrong. READ MORE Twice in the last four years, Jake White and his Bulls have faced Leinster in URC knockout games. Twice they have ended Leo Cullen and friends' seasons. The secret sauce? See our lairy lyricist. The Bulls laid siege to Leinster's forward pack in a way which has become stereotypical of South African sides. The Irish province couldn't cope. Should the Bulls revert to type? If they do, are Leinster better equipped to deal with the onslaught? Against the Sharks last week, the Bulls did not just rely on set-piece, forward dominance and an astute kicking game Let's start by succeeding where our muse failed; putting some statistical meat on the bones of the Bulls' success. They fall into the South African blueprint of looking to play without the ball, kicking aplenty and being ruthlessly efficient when they do earn opportunities to strike. In last year's semi-final at Loftus Versfeld, the Bulls made 112 carries to Leinster's 131. They kicked 42 times in open play, Leinster 37. The South African side's kick-to-pass ratio was 1:3. Leinster's was 1:5. The kicking game worked, the Bulls earning 59 per cent of the game's territory. Just 34 per cent of their possession came in their own half. Despite the deficiency in attacking volume, the Bulls made almost the same number of metres post-contact as Leinster (231 vs 236) while working more line breaks (eight vs six). The identity of those doing the attacking damage is telling. For most sides, the 'best' runners, those who make the most metres, are found in the back three. They often have acres of space to run back kicks against faraway defensive lines. Not the Bulls. In that 2024 semi-final, their top metre-maker was number eight Cameron Hanekom. Their outhalf, Johan Goosen, was number two. Third was another backrow, Elrigh Louw. The most effective back three player was wing Devon Williams, the team's fourth best metre-maker. He made less than half the yardage of Hanekom (39 metres vs 83). By contrast, Leinster's top four carriers that day were James Lowe, Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne and Caelan Doris. The Bulls do spread the ball, as our poet suggested, but only after the big boys do the main damage up front. They have the lowest figure in the URC for number of phases which travel beyond the second receiver (6.1 per cent). The one area not yet referenced is the set-piece. Unsurprisingly, the Bulls love a scrum. Videos of their frontrow battle with the Sharks last week have gone viral. They have historically targeted Leinster's dead ball platform. With good reason. This year, 68.3 per cent of the province's tries have come from set-piece, joint highest in the URC. Next week final will be a good one. But I worry about is the lack of reward for strong scrums in the comp. Bulls will definitely be strong against Leinster next week in the scrum & if they don't get rewarded, could affect the outcome of the game — Scoop 🐻 ☕️ (@Rugby_Scoop) In 2024, the Bulls held Leinster to a 67 per cent scrum success rate. In 2022, the lineout was the problem, Leinster ending with a success rate of 78 per cent. In that 2022 upset at the RDS, unsurprisingly the Bulls outkicked Leinster 31-25. Less predictable was Leinster still earning 70 per cent of territory while only holding 48 per cent of possession. Then, Leinster's profligacy was more of an issue than where the game was played. They coughed up possession 18 times (compared to 13 in 2024). True to form, though, the Bulls' best runner at the RDS was their number eight, Elrigh Louw. Leinster's was Jimmy O'Brien. Here's where things get interesting. Against the Sharks last week, the Bulls did not just rely on set-piece, forward dominance and an astute kicking game. They still kicked plenty (once for every 2.9 passes, more often than their victory over Leinster last year) and let the opposition dominate the ball. Yet they also threw 13 offloads. Four of their top five metre-makers were backs, with wing Sebastian de Klerk leading the way. They also scored an ambitious try off a de Klerk cross-kick. What has just happened 😱 Vodacom — BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) The smart money is for these flourishes to remain precisely that, rather than the dominant gameplan. Can Leinster counteract? They back themselves against anyone when it comes to the strength of the forward pack. In that semi-final defeat last year, Leinster made more dominant tackles (and by default had a better dominant tackle percentage) than a South African side which values strong defence above all else. More recently, Leinster's dominant tackle (9.6 per game) and carry (37.4 per cent) rate leave them mid-table in the global professional rankings this season. The attacking figure is better than the Bulls, the defensive figure worse. Should the Bulls revert to type? If they do, are Leinster better equipped to deal with the onslaught? These stats do include all Leinster games this year, including earlier URC run-outs with weaker XVs. It remains to be seen, though, how strong Leinster will be on Saturday: Caelan Doris is already out, while Josh van der Flier, Tadhg Furlong, Garry Ringrose and Hugo Keenan all remain doubts. Set-piece wise, Leinster are once again middle of the global pack for this season's lineout (83.5 per cent) and scrum (90.2) success rates. The Bulls beat them at both. It remains to be seen if Leinster's improved total of scrum penalties this year - 54, eight behind the Bulls on 62 - represents enough of an uptick. Historical figures give us a fairly solid idea of how the Bulls think they can beat Leinster. More recent numbers present one or two kernels of comfort for Leinster. Other figures could be used to draw a more negative conclusion. As always with damned stats - which have a propensity to lie - we'll have to wait until the game itself to see which argument is proved right.

Will you be supporting Leinster in the URC final this weekend?
Will you be supporting Leinster in the URC final this weekend?

The Journal

time2 hours ago

  • The Journal

Will you be supporting Leinster in the URC final this weekend?

'EVERYONE LOVES TO hate Leinster,' according to the province's second-row Joe McCarthy, who was speaking after the club's semi-final victory over Glasgow last week. After a string of trophyless seasons, Ireland's most successful rugby club has come in for a fair share of criticism from fans, but there has also been plenty of shadenfreude from rugby fans outside of the 12 counties. Munster and Ireland legend Donal Lenihan disagrees though. Advertisement 'I think saying everybody hates Leinster is a little bit over the top,' he told RTÉ. 'I think this boils down to the quality of the Leinster squad and what they've achieved over the past 4 years.' This Saturday, Leinster will face off against the Bulls from South Africa at Croke Park in the final of the United Rugby Championship. Both clubs all looking to win their first URC title since the competition was revamped in 2021. So, today we want to know: Will you be supporting Leinster in the URC final this weekend? Poll Results: Yes, I'm a Leinster supporter (446) Yes, and I'm not from Leinster (212) No, and I never will (144) No, I'm not interested (113) Yes, I'm a Leinster supporter Yes, and I'm not from Leinster No, and I never will No, I'm not interested Vote

Duncan Casey: Descent into hell, and a heavenly rebound - the fascinating tales of French rugby's second tier
Duncan Casey: Descent into hell, and a heavenly rebound - the fascinating tales of French rugby's second tier

Irish Examiner

time3 hours ago

  • Irish Examiner

Duncan Casey: Descent into hell, and a heavenly rebound - the fascinating tales of French rugby's second tier

MOST Irish rugby eyes will be on Croke Park Saturday, as we finally see whether Leinster can salvage another season of shortcomings in Europe by clinching the URC title for the first time since 2021. Mine will be 1,600km to the southeast, towards my old stomping ground of Stade des Alpes, Grenoble. My former club play in the Top 14 promotion/relegation playoff against Perpignan, who finished in 13th position in France's premier division. This is exclusive subscriber content. Already a subscriber? Sign in Subscribe to access all of the Irish Examiner. Annual €120€60 Best value Monthly €10€4 / month Unlimited access. Subscriber content. Daily ePaper. Additional benefits.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store