‘Deeply saddened' – Munster Rugby mourning untimely death of former staff member and ex-player's wife
She was also the wife of ex-player and later team manager Shaun Payne.
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Michelle Payne has tragically died from breast cancer
Credit: @MUNSTERRUGBY
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Cape Town native Shaun Payne played for the Reds on 109 occasions between 2003-2008
A club statement read: "Munster Rugby are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Michelle Payne, a former Munster staff member and wife of former team manager & player Shaun Payne, after a two-year battle against breast cancer.
"Our immediate thoughts are with Shaun, their children Dylan and Amy & the wider Payne family.
"May she rest in peace."
Among the replies to the
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Dylan Payne commented: "Thank you Munster. So many good memories."
There were other heartfelt tributes from those who knew her during her time at the club.
Former player Barry Murphy added: "Rest in Peace, Michelle. Such a beautiful person."
Supporter Michelle Tobin also expressed her sympathy while relaying a nice memory from the club's trip to South Africa in 2018.
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She wrote: "Gutted to hear the news.
"She was a special part of the trip to South Africa for the Munster games in 2018, such a big heart and a genuinely lovely person.
Shocking moment enormous brawl breaks out in rubgy league after 'horrendous hit'
"Sincere sympathies to Shaun, Dylan and Amy."
Similarly Carly Justin contributed: "Such heartbreaking news, we were lucky to meet the family down in SA in 2018 and Michelle was so friendly & welcoming.
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"My thoughts are with her family & friends at this difficult time."
Finally,
She posted: "Such heartbreaking news. What a lady.
"I will always remember her gorgeous smile. RIP. Love to Shaun, Dylan & Amy."
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- The Irish Sun
Aidan O'Brien ‘very sweet' on little-known horse who's halved in price for £500,000 Ebor at York
His last run was an eyecatcher LONDON CALLING Aidan O'Brien 'very sweet' on little-known horse who's halved in price for £500,000 Ebor at York AIDAN O'BRIEN is 'very sweet' on a little-known horse who's halved in price for the £500,000 Ebor at York. The blockbuster 1m6f handicap is the feature race of the Ebor meeting and will be run live on ITV1 on Saturday week. 1 London City, the grey in the blue and orange silks seen here finishing behind Group 1 winner Al Riffa, has halved in price for the Ebor and Aidan O'Brien is said to be 'very sweet' on the four-year-old's chances in the big York handicap worth £500,000 Credit: Inpho Willie Mullins currently has the 7-2 favourite in the shape of recent Galway winner Hipop De Loire. But as good as Mullins is at targeting Flat races with his dual purpose stars, no one can match O'Brien. That being said, it's the Group races he gobbles up. O'Brien has won the Ebor only once, when three-year-old Mediterranean held on under Mick Kinane to win at 16-1 24 years ago. He's drawn a blank since then, with Mullins winning it twice and fellow Irish jumps trainers Gordon Elliott and Henry de Bromhead getting involved too. Mullins has a strong hand this year with Ethical Diamond also short in the betting. But one who is continually being clipped is O'Brien's London City, who has been slashed from 20-1 to as short as 10s. A son of Justify, the four-year-old colt is out of O'Brien's multiple Group 1-winning mare Winter. He already has a win at York to his name, winning a Class 3 handicap over 1m4f on the Knavesmire in May last year. A disappointing run at Listed level the following month came before a 372-day break. London City was again down the field in a big handicap at the Curragh in June but caught the eye at Group 2 level when last seen. In the rear throughout under Ronan Whelan, the 33-1 grey was miles out of it at the weights but gained some ground late on to finish sixth in a 1m6f race won by Group 1 winner Al Riffa. London City is set to carry 9st8lb in the Ebor - 2lb less than Hipop De Loire - and looks open to any amount of improvement. Indeed, a recent Sporting Life article said O'Brien was 'very sweet' on his chances during a recent yard visit. Sky Bet Ebor odds via Sky Bet 3-1 Hipop De Loire 8-1 French Master, Ethical Diamond 11-1 London City 14-1 Shadow Dance 20-1 French Duke, Aeronautic, Mr Percy, Dancing In Paris, Nurburgring 25-1 bar FREE BETS - GET THE BEST SIGN UP DEALS AND RACING OFFERS Commercial content notice: Taking one of the offers featured in this article may result in a payment to The Sun. You should be aware brands pay fees to appear in the highest placements on the page. 18+. T&Cs apply. Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Establishes time and monetary limits before playing Only gambles with money they can afford to lose Never chases their losses Doesn't gamble if they're upset, angry or depressed Gamcare – Gamble Aware – Find our detailed guide on responsible gambling practices here.
Extra.ie
2 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Liverpool icon heaps praise on Caoimhin Kelleher
Caoimhín Kelleher was widely seen as one of the best backup goalkeepers in the Premier League during his time at Liverpool. This summer, the Irish shot-stopper finally left the shadow of Alisson Becker and is preparing for his first season as a number one in the big leagues with Brentford. While Liverpool fans were disappointed to see him leave Anfield, the move is definitely progressive for his career. Kelleher completed a move to Brentford this summer. Pic:Another former Reds goalkeeper who knows a thing or two about delivering on the big stage is Jerzy Dudek. Dudek played 186 times for Liverpool but is easily best known for his penalty shootout heroics in the 2005 Champions League final in Istanbul. The former Poland stopper has heaped praise on Kelleher for his time at Anfield but believes that Arne Slot has another very good backup in Giorgi Mamardashvili. The Georgian signed for Liverpool from Valencia last August but played the 2024/25 season at the Spanish club. Dudek believes that Mamardashvili will be a key player for the Premier League winners this season, similarly to how Kelleher was over the past couple of years. Dudek was Liverpool's hero in 2005. Pic: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images He told the official Liverpool website: 'I think we have two really good goalkeepers. We also had two really good goalkeepers because Kelleher was absolutely amazing when he had the opportunity to play because Alisson couldn't, and this is what you need. 'You know from the past that the competitions are long, there are many, many games to come. You never know what is going to happen and you need two good goalkeepers. 'Alisson is, in my opinion, one of the best goalkeepers in the world and he is the No.1 and then Mamardashvili, he can be a really good replacement. He has got all the capacities to be at the top of the game, which absolutely we need. 'For every position you need to have a good replacement, especially in goal.' Kelleher made 46 appearances for Liverpool over the last two seasons. Kelleher earned seven winner's medals at Liverpool. Pic: Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC via Getty Images Last year, he played 10 times in the Premier League and another 10 times across the FA Cup, EFL Cup and Champions League. Dudek continued: 'So far, from what I have seen, the relationship between the goalkeepers here is very good and I hope it stays like that because there are so many competitions and everyone will get a chance. 'It's not like it used to be where one goalkeeper could play 300 games in a row! It is nothing like this anymore so now you will get the chance to play.' During his time at Liverpool, Kelleher kept 24 clean sheets in 67 appearances. He is also a record-holder, having won the most penalty shootouts of any Liverpool goalkeeper with four. Kelleher joined the Reds from Cork side Ringmahon Rangers in 2015 and earned seven winner's medals at the club. Giorgi Mamardashvili is Liverpool's new backup goalkeeper. Pic: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images Dudek, who also joined Liverpool from a foreign league, believes that adapting to the Premier League will be a challenge for new man Mamardashvili. He added: 'The game is quicker. There is much more pressure on the player and he will probably find that out very soon! 'There is much more pressure on the goalkeeper, especially now when you are trying to build the play with your feet but also with crosses, and this is a huge difference between the Premier League and when you play in the Champions League, for example. 'It is a different style of refereeing and everything that is a foul in Europe is 'play on' in England. As a goalkeeper you have to accept it and be strong in your mind that it doesn't matter what is going to happen, you need to deal with it. 'I found this out at the beginning when I joined Liverpool and realised I had to adapt. I didn't accept it at first but you have to be really strong and you need to respect it because it is the same for everyone.'
