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How one major difference has taken Armagh from All-Ireland contenders to title favourites

How one major difference has taken Armagh from All-Ireland contenders to title favourites

Before a ball was kicked in 2025, I confidently stated that Donegal would win the All-Ireland, which is an outrageous statement to make when you really think about it.
This is a team that hasn't lifted the Sam Maguire since 2012 and hasn't even made the Final since 2014, when Jim McGuinness had his last year in charge of his first term.

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Warriors must 'stay in the fight' against Leinster
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Warriors must 'stay in the fight' against Leinster

Glasgow Warriors must "stay in the fight" and use the pressure of the occasion to overcome Leinster in the URC semi-finals, according to the club's former scrum-half Colin Smith's side travel to Dublin for Saturday's match seeking a first away win over Leinster in six Gregor believes there is a mental fragility to Leinster that could benefit defending champions Glasgow."They seem to have a bit of a wobble at the latter stages," Gregor told BBC Scotland. "Three European Cup finals they lost, they lost at home this season in the semi-final of the European Cup, and at home last season in the URC semi-final."There's question marks around the mental resilience, their decision-making under pressure. Maybe they are missing the experience Johnny Sexton provided for a number of years. They had a bit of a wobble, but got through last week in the quarter-finals against Scarlets."For Glasgow, it's about staying in the fight and making it really difficult for Leinster. Keep the game as close as possible and see if that home crowd get on the backs of the Leinster players who are desperate for a victory. The longer they go without it, the more the pressure builds."Glasgow can take real heart from how they dispatched Stormers last week, but also last season when they went over to Munster in the semi-finals."Smith is a very astute coach. He'll have the team ready to go. He'll know what he's doing with picking Adam Hastings and having six forwards on the bench."

Visa issues stop two Windies players travelling to UK
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Visa issues stop two Windies players travelling to UK

West Indies spinner Akeal Hosein and batter Jyd Goolie have been unable to travel to the UK for the upcoming matches against England and Ireland because of visa remain in Trinidad having failed to gain visas after UK entry requirements were updated for Trinidad and Tobago citizens on 23 32, second in the global T20 bowling rankings, was set to play in the first T20 against England at Chester-le-Street on updated requirements mean both players had to attend mandatory in-person appointments in Trinidad before being granted permission to travel but Hosein has been unable to do so in time, given he was playing in the Pakistan Super West Indies (CWI) are hopeful of resolving the matter but it is unlikely to be done in time for Hosein, whose passport remains with authorities, to feature against second T20 against England is on Sunday in Bristol and the third on Tuesday in Goolie, 28, was a late addition to the squad for the three-match T20 series against Ireland that follow, as a replacement for Roston Chase after he was named West Indies Test captain last is returning to the Caribbean to prepare for a Test series against Australia later this month, ruling him out of the T20s against Ireland, which are being played at Bready Cricket Club in Northern Ireland. Hosein is also in the squad to play Ireland."As soon as the updated visa requirements were announced, CWI began the necessary application processes. This was only possible after Akeal returned to Trinidad, and following the confirmation of Jyd's selection to the Ireland squad", said CWI director of cricket Miles West Indies' statement added: "CWI made formal efforts to expedite the visa process for Akeal and applied for a visa waiver for Jyd. "However, these processes are ultimately governed by UK immigration authorities and remain outside of CWI's control."CWI remains optimistic that the matter will be resolved in the coming days, allowing Hosein to join the squad for the remaining matches."The UK Home Office has been approached for spinner Shoaib Bashir missed a Test in India last year after issues gaining a visa.

'Challenging' for Warriors with less foreign talent
'Challenging' for Warriors with less foreign talent

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'Challenging' for Warriors with less foreign talent

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