logo
‘Deeply saddened' – Munster Rugby mourning untimely death of former staff member and ex-player's wife

‘Deeply saddened' – Munster Rugby mourning untimely death of former staff member and ex-player's wife

The Irish Sun22-05-2025

MUNSTER Rugby are mourning the death of former staff member Michelle Payne who has passed away from cancer.
She was also the wife of ex-player and later team manager Shaun Payne.
Advertisement
2
Michelle Payne has tragically died from breast cancer
Credit: @MUNSTERRUGBY
2
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
Advertisement
Read More On Irish Sport
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.
Advertisement
Most read in Rugby Union
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.
Advertisement
"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."
Advertisement

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Armagh book All-Ireland quarter-final place as Derry and Galway play out thrilling draw
Armagh book All-Ireland quarter-final place as Derry and Galway play out thrilling draw

The Journal

time2 hours ago

  • The Journal

Armagh book All-Ireland quarter-final place as Derry and Galway play out thrilling draw

LAST UPDATE | 14 mins ago The 42 The 42 is the home of quality journalism for passionate Irish sports fans, bringing you closer to the stories that matter through insightful analysis and sharp sportswriting. Armagh 0-24 Dublin 0-19 A FIVE-POINT victory over Dublin, a successful return to Croke Park, and the comfort of an All-Ireland quarter-final spot nailed down with a round of group games still to play. It all added up to a thoroughly satisfactory afternoon's work for Armagh, Kieran McGeeney's side powering on to triumph impressively. They are now guaranteed to top the group, a strong response to their Ulster final loss to Donegal, while Dublin must get something out of their last outing against Derry. The 42 Subscribers can read the full match report here (€) Advertisement Galway and Derry battle for possession in Celtic Park. Lorcan Doherty / INPHO Lorcan Doherty / INPHO / INPHO Derry 2-20 Galway 4-14 DERRY AND GALWAY have given themselves a chance of advancing from the group of death after their draw on Sunday afternoon in Celtic Park. A late Conor Doherty point settled the game after Matthew Tierney hit a fourth Galway goal. Derry had failed to kill off the game and when Tierney hit the game's last goal, Doherty levelled the game with the last kick. The 42 Subscribers can read the full match report here (€) The 42′s 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.

Kildare just about see off Sligo's fightback
Kildare just about see off Sligo's fightback

RTÉ News​

time3 hours ago

  • RTÉ News​

Kildare just about see off Sligo's fightback

A windy afternoon in this roller coaster of an Irish summer led to yet another huge second-half turnaround this Tailteann Cup contest in Roscommon between Sligo and Kildare. In the end Sligo didn't quite complete their comeback from 15 points adrift against the Lily Whites, so it was Kildare who secured a home quarter-final in the competition and Sligo will instead have to play host to either Carlow, New York or Antrim next weekend in a preliminary quarter-final. For a Kildare side that is high on talent but equally afflicted with doubt and weak spots, this was a mixed bag of a performance. Concerns over their inability to score goals has been a feature all year long but the return of Daniel Flynn has certainly made a huge difference in that regard. The rampaging full-forward added 2-3 today to his 2-4 haul against Tipperary last time out, and even with Darragh Kirwan still absent, Brian Flanagan's attack looks a lot more potent with Flynn back in harness. Against that however must be considered their ongoing issues with two-pointers, as they only scored two in the first half, despite playing with a ferocious breeze that saw Cian Burke easily hit a couple of kickouts down to the Sligo 45m line. One of those was an Alex Beirne free for a 'breach', and that wasn't the first time Sligo were to pay heavily for that infringement. Late in the game when the 15 point lead was cut to two and Sligo had their opponents on the rack, another three-man-up breach allowed Beirne to kick a relieving point that stemmed the tide. Moreover, Flanagan will look at how Sligo took over at centre field for the final quarter, and how his side coughed up far too many chances. Wides from Alan McLoughlin and Lee Deignan were to prove crucial in the dying minutes, as was Cian Lally's refusal to pull the trigger from 45 metres out with time and space. Lally scored once in the game, a stunning goal that immediately lit a match under this contest. Daniel Flynn replied in kind, collecting a pass from Alex Beirne and scoring at the second attempt, after his first effort was parried by Aidan Devaney. Colm Dalton set up James McGrath for their second with Alex Beirne hammering the ball into the roof of the net for their third after 15 minutes. Crucially however, Kildare struggled to tack on enough points to really and truly put Sligo away. 3-11 to 1-7 at half-time was far from game over, though points from Callum Bolton and Flynn at the start of the second half added an extra few degrees of incline to the hill that Sligo had to climb, and when Flynn got on the end of a team move and finished to the Sligo net with his left ten minutes into the second half, the was soon to be pushed out to 15 points (4-15 to 1-9). When they sit down to reflect on the game, Sligo will regret that it took them so long to take meaningful bites out of that lead. With just 15 minutes remaining the gap was still 11, Sligo had yet to kick a two-pointer from play, and Kildare were picking off enough scores on the break to keep their Connacht opponents at bay. But in the modern game, no lead is safe, and three doubles in the space of five minutes, two from the boot of Pat Spillane, gave the crowd plenty to shout about in the closing stages. By then, Sligo had taken control at midfield where Cian Lally and Canice Mulligan were winning the kickout battle, and despite some touch-tight defending from Mark Dempsey, Niall Murphy seemed to be able to find the posts from all sorts of angles. With five minutes to play, Murphy lobbed up a shot and let the wind do the rest to reduce the gap to two points, 4-17 to 1-24. Kildare supporters might like to think that when the pressure was on, their side stepped up and did what was needed to see out the win. To those in attendance, it felt a lot more like Sligo had the chances, but they just didn't take them. In a Tailteann Cup where Kildare are the uneasy favourites, both of these counties have the talent to be contenders, but they have shortfalls they'll need to address too. Kildare: Cian Burke; Mark Dempsey, Brian Byrne, Harry O'Neill; Tommy Gill (0-02), David Hyland, James McGrath (1-00); Kevin Feely, Brendan Gibbons; Colm Dalton (0-03, 1tp), Alex Beirne (1-06, 1tpf, 0-01 45, 0-01 free), Ben McCormack; Ryan Sinkey (0-02), Daniel Flynn (2-03), Brian McLoughlin (0-01). Subs: Jimmy Hyland for McCormack (2), Niall Kelly (0-01) for Hyland (28), Callum Bolton (0-01) for Gibbins (half-time), Kevin Flynn for Bolton (49), Jack McKevitt for Gill (67). Sligo: Aidan Devaney; Paul McNamara, Eddie McGuinness, Evan Lyons; Brian Cox, Darragh Cummins, Jack Lavin; Alan Reilly, Patrick O'Connor (0-03); Cian Lally (1-00), David Quinn (0-02), Canice Mulligan (0-02, 1tp); Alan McLoughlin (0-02 frees), Shane Deignan, Niall Murphy (0-10, 1tpf, 0-02 frees). Subs: Luke Towey for McNamara (half-time), Ross Doherty for Lavin (43), Donal Conlon for Deignan (49), Pat Spillane (0-05, 2tp) for Reilly (49), Lee Deignan for Cummins (67) Referee: Paddy Neilan (Roscommon).

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