Lions selection a moment to remember for Hugo Keenan
Ronan Kelleher is a housemate, a teammate and a friend, so the pair turned on Sky Sports at two o'clock and watched Ieuen Evans read out the names of the 38 players who would tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions.
Kelleher's name came out 12th, Keenan's 28th, the latter prompting a fist bump and a hug. It was a memorable moment for two men who have 'been through thick and thin' but others wanted to share the moment.
'I've been living with him for two-and-a-half years and he would be one of my best mates in here, so that was a great moment,' said Keenan. 'Will Connors is my neighbour, unfortunately. You don't get any peace and quiet, he lives next door.
'Ross Byrne, Max Deegan and Ciaran Frawley had gone over to his house to watch it. So when both of our names were called out they barged in the front door. It was cool. They were sort of hiding in anticipation and hoping that we would get the nod.'
Leinster had a dozen players named but even their dressing-room had its disappointments. Robbie Henshaw isn't pencilled in for a third tour, Sam Prendergast will have to wait for a first. As will the injured Caelan Doris.
'Caelan lived with us for about two years, up until about six months ago,' said Keenan. 'He would be one of our best mates as well so you couldn't help but think of him. We all knew that he was going to be on the plane.
'It was probably more a case of whether he was going to get captain or not so you couldn't help but feel for him. I'd only seen him an hour before the announcement. It's gutting for him, just the whole timing of it. He's such a good player and leader. Yeah, he'll be missed.'
For Keenan, it will be a second huge ambition realised in the space of two summers having played with the Ireland sevens team in the Olympics last year: a team now disbanded, as the IRFU confirmed in midweek.
Speaking before that news dropped, Keenan is one of only two 'full-time' full-backs in the Lions squad. Blair Kinghorn is the other and he likely won't be available to the squad until the back end of June due to commitments with Toulouse.
Marcus Smith and Elliott Daly offer further cover but the priority here and now is Leinster's bid for a first URC title.
'Blair was always going to be named with the form he has been in. Now you're not so much thinking about that, you're thinking about the game this week and knockout rugby. Hopefully that will lead you into a bit of form going into a tour like that.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Leo Cullen and Ronan O'Gara to renew rivalry as Leinster pooled with La Rochelle in Champions Cup draw
Leinster have been drawn in the same Pool Three as French club La Rochelle for next season's Champions Cup continuing a growing rivalry between the sides that reaches back to the 2021 tournament. Since then, the two heavy hitters have faced each other six times with three wins each and Leinster coming out on top, 14-16, in the last meeting in January at Stade Marcel Deflandre. As well as La Rochelle, Leinster have two English Premiership clubs; Leicester Tigers, who last won the competition in 2002, and Harlequins, another French club Aviron Bayonnais, and South African side Stormers. Which Irish players have impressed for the Lions? Listen | 43:53 Because Leinster are in the URC with the Stormers, they will play only against the four other teams in the pool, either home or away. READ MORE Munster, who were knocked out last season by Bordeaux at the quarter-final stage, were drawn in Pool Two along with French clubs Toulon and Castres, English sides Bath and Gloucester, and Scotland's Edinburgh. Munster have carved out their own little bit of history with Castres and have played against them three times since 2021, the last meeting taking place in December 2024 at Stade Pierre-Fabre, where the home side edged out the province 16-14. Bath head coach Johann Van Graan. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA Munster's players will also reacquaint themselves with former coach Johann van Graan, who has been head of rugby at Bath since 2022. He had been at Munster from 2017 before leading the English side to victory in this season's Premiership, ending a 29-year drought. Leinster, Toulouse, Bath and Bordeaux were separated for the draw as the four nominated Tier 1 sides. Bordeaux won the trophy this year and Toulouse beat Leinster in the final in 2024, while Leo Cullen's side won this year's URC and Bath the Premiership. The 2026 Champions Cup final is set to take place at San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao on Saturday, May 23rd. In the Challenge Cup, Connacht, under new coach Stuart Lancaster, have been drawn in the same pool as Zebre Parma with Georgian side Black Lion also among their opponents. The Black Lion franchise was created in 2021 to participate in the Rugby Europe Super Cup and is owned by the Georgian Rugby Federation, which employs the players. Stuart Lancaster was named Connacht's new head coach last month. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho Connacht played Zebre Parma last December at Dexcom Stadium, winning 43-12 before making a run to the quarter-finals and narrowly falling to Racing 92 in Galway. Ospreys, Montpellier and US Montauban completes Connacht's Pool One. Ulster have been drawn in Pool Three with some stiff opposition. The French Top 14 provides Racing 92 and Stade Francais, with Exeter, Cardiff and the South African Cheetahs completing the pool. The possibility is that coach Richie Murphy and his Ulster side could find themselves travelling to France twice to face the two heavyweight Parisian teams. Ulster are in the second-tier competition having finished 14th in last season's URC. Leo Cullen's ongoing jousting with La Rochelle coach Ronan O'Gara is the most eye-catching of the meetings across the two tiers. In their January meeting, the hosts dominated the first half before Leinster went in ahead at the break through a well-taken try from Joe McCarthy. Leinster outhalf Sam Prendergast kicked a few penalties to extend the lead but La Rochelle hit back through Dillyn Leyds to set up a fraught finale. It took a sturdy defensive effort for Leinster to hold on and secure a place in the last 16. La Rochelle head coach Ronan O'Gara ahead of the Champions Cup game against Leinster at Stade Marcel Deflandre in January. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho With the pools now set, the fixture schedules for both tournaments, including dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage, will be announced later this month. Fixtures are determined following the input of individual club calendar and venue considerations, broadcast requirements, and league calendar restrictions. The season will again be played over eight weekends, with four rounds of matches in the pool stages followed by the knock-out stages, consisting of a Round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final in May. Meanwhile, Munster confirmed their preseason friendly against Biarritz Olympique, which had been due to take place on Friday, August 22nd, has been cancelled by the Basque club. Biarritz informed Munster this week that due to a delay to pitch renovations at the Stade Aguilera, they are unable to host the preseason fixture. Both clubs explored alternative venues in the hope the match could go ahead, but no viable and workable solutions were found. Munster will now make alternative arrangements regarding preseason preparations. Champions Cup 2025/26 pools: Pool One: Stade Toulousain, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Hollywoodbets Sharks, Saracens, Glasgow Warriors, Sale Sharks Pool Two: Bath Rugby, RC Toulon, Munster Rugby , Castres Olympique, Edinburgh Rugby, Gloucester Rugby Pool Three: Leinster Rugby , Leicester Tigers, Harlequins, Stade Rochelais, Aviron Bayonnais, DHL Stormers Pool Four: Union Bordeaux-Bègles, Scarlets, Bristol Bears, Section Paloise, Northampton Saints, Vodacom Bulls Challenge Cup 2025/26 pools: Pool One: Ospreys, Zebre Parma, Montpellier Hérault Rugby, US Montauban, Black Lion, Connacht Rugby Pool Two: LOU Rugby, Newcastle Falcons, Dragons RFC, Benetton Rugby, Lions, USAP Pool Three: Toyota Cheetahs, Cardiff Rugby, Exeter Chiefs, Racing 92, Stade Français Paris, Ulster Rugby
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Newcastle issue apology and immediately take down third kit release video after eagle-eyed fans spot ‘offensive' flag
NEWCASTLE UNITED have apologised for including a flag that could "inadvertently cause offence" in the promotional video for their new third kit. The Magpies have taken down the video containing the flag and edited the footage out of future content. Advertisement 5 Newcastle have apologised following the launch of their new third kit Credit: X @NUFC 5 Newcastle launched the new kit in a video including music star Sam Fender Credit: X 5 Alexander Isak and Tino Asprilla were also in the promotional video Credit: X Newcastle revealed their new Adidas third shirt on Tuesday with a video that included famous faces from the Toon Army including However, what was meant to be a video celebrating Newcastle's growing family, has instead led to an apology from the club. A statement from Newcastle read: "We have been alerted to the appearance of a flag in our recent third kit launch video that could inadvertently cause offence. "In response, we immediately removed the video from circulation and have taken steps to edit the visual from all future content. Advertisement READ MORE IN FOOTBALL "We sincerely apologise for any offence caused". At one point in the video two fans can be seen holding up an altered flag that resembles the Rising Sun Flag, a former symbol of the Imperial Japanese Army. While the flag is considered part of Japanese history, other countries such as Newcastle are heading on a pre-season tour later this month that will see them play games in both Singapore and South Korea. Advertisement Most read in Football 5 Two fans can be spotted holding up an altered flag that resembles the Rising Sun Flag during the promotional video Credit: X 5 The flag is associated with imperial wartime atrocities by a number of countries Credit: AFP CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS The flag is currently banned by FIFA at international matches. Advertisement While South Korea wanted it banned from the 2020 Olympics too, but organisers claimed the flag is "widely used in Newcastle confirm first summer signing after pipping Barcelona, Real Madrid and Porto to Spanish wonderkid Their original video has been removed from all their social channels, while the same has been done by kit manufacturer Adidas. The Magpies later re-uploaded the video without the flag present, sharing the new clip alongside an apology and explanation for their fans. It read: "The reaction to our new third kit with adidas has been special, but the launch video contained a scene that could inadvertently cause offence. Advertisement "We apologise for that. We've removed the scene from the film to make sure that as many fans as possible can enjoy it. Newcastle begin their pre-season preparations this month, playing their first friendly against
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Wimbledon maverick reveals Sir Alex Ferguson phone call still gives him goosebumps
A SIR ALEX FERGUSON phone call in 2016 still gives British wheelchair tennis ace Andy Lapthorne goosebumps. The legendary ex- Advertisement 2 Lapthorne, 34, still holds onto Sir Alex's words nine years later Credit: Getty The 34-year-old credits the call for life changing results, according to a recent interview with He said: "That phone call is still giving me goosebumps." Lapthorne - who has cerebral palsy which affects his ability to stand for extend periods or fully straighten his arms - competes in wheelchair tennis in quad singles and doubles events . He has been ranked no.1 in the world in quad singles, and is a 16-time Grand Slam winner in quad doubles, a record he will attempt to improve at Wimbledon next month. Advertisement READ MORE ON TENNIS By the time of the call, Lapthorne already had one singles and five doubles Grand Slam wins - but it was not a great tennis players that Ferguson compared him to. Lapthorne continued: "We chatted about Eric Cantona, because he had been told what I was like, a bit of a maverick. "He was talking about embracing that, but also about listening to people that know me." The call was not the end of Sir Alex's support of Lapthorne, who received an email of encouragement from the iconic manager following his semi-final victory later in the tournament. Advertisement Most read in Sport JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS 2 Lapthorne is still winning silverware today Credit: Getty Sir Alex's call spurred the Brit all the way to the finals in Rio, where he was eventually defeated in straight sets by Australian Dylan Alcott. The winning influence did not fade with that loss though, as Lapthorne went on to become a serial winner in wheelchair tennis, especially in the quad doubles. Advertisement He remains the fourth ranked player in quad singles, and the third ranked player in quad doubles. Earlier this week he brought home silverware in both disciplines on home soil at the Eastbourne Open - continuing to prove Sir Alex's advice right after almost a decade. Lapthorne will take to the Wimbledon court with tennis partner Greg Slade next month to attempt to win his third doubles trophy at the event, having last won it in 2021. Emma Raducanu laughs off champagne cork flying onto the court after winning her 1st round match at Wimbledon
