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The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
5 key Irish storylines to follow as the new Championship season gets underway
WITH THE CHAMPIONSHIP returning this weekend, here are some of the main storylines worth following from an Irish perspective. 1) Long-term injury absentees return Chiedozie Ogbene. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Chiedozie Ogbene and Gavin Bazunu were once among the first names on any Irish teamsheet submitted by Stephen Kenny, but injury ravages mean they have some distance to travel to retain undisputed status under Heimir Hallgrimsson. Ogbene moved to Ipswich a year ago to retain Premier League status in lieu of Luton Town, but then had his season ended in October, suffering an achilles injury against Brentford. Ogbene had surgery and took up meditation to aid his lengthy lay-off, but returned to action for Ipswich in pre-season. Kieran McKenna was still publicly lamenting Ogbene's injury months later, and thus will be grateful for his return as Ipswich aim for an instant return to the Premier League. In his absence, Ireland turned primarily to Festy Ebosele and Mikey Johnston, but given Hallgrimsson's demands of the newly-hybrid right-side role – right of a 4-4-2 without the ball; closer to a wing back in-possession – Ogbene is perfectly-tailored and will likely be back in favour very soon. Bazunu, by contrast, may find himself as Ireland's number two for quite a while, given Caoimhín Kelleher's exceptional form for club and country. Bazunu suffered the same achilles injury as Ogbene in April 2024, which meant he missed the first half of Southampton's risible Premier League return. Given the Saints signed Aaron Ramsdale in his absence, Bazunu spent the second half of last season on loan at Standard Liege, which was then ended early with a knee injury that contributed to his absence from the Irish squad in June. But with Southampton back in the Championship, Bazunu is again fit and first-choice, with Ramsdale decamping for Newcastle. 'Gavin's done really well', said his new club boss Will Still last week, 'and I think as long as he's been as good as he is, he'll play. The best players will play.' Advertisement 2) Alan Sheehan gets his feet under the desk Alan Sheehan. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Chalk this down as a headline Alan Sheehan can't have imagined reading when he was growing up in Athlone: Alan Sheehan says Swansea plan to build on buzz of Snoop Dogg becoming co-owner Snoop and Luka Modric are among the celebrity investors who have taken a tiny slice at Swansea, where the coaching keys have now been entrusted to Sheehan on a permanent basis. The former U21 international took temporary charge of the club last season and led them away from the peril of relegation, finishing 11th. Given Swansea were the third most in-form team in the league during his interim stint, he has unsurprisingly been given the gig full-time. Swansea have reinforced defensively during the transfer window, but their signature arrival has been winger Zeidane Inoussa, signed from Swedish club BK Hacken. His success may be vital to Sheehan's long-term prospects: the club is still labouring underneath the memories of life under Roberto Martinez and Brendan Rodgers, where they married success with a progressive style of play. Many fans still hark for that playing style, even amid turbulent years where it was unrealistic. Sheehan will ultimately have to satisfy that demand, even if it seems unfair. 3) What next for Finn Azaz? Finn Azaz. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Azaz last season hit double figures for both goals and assists for Middlesbrough, and made a significant international breakthrough while he was at it. He subsequently made no secret of his Premier League ambitions, with Crystal Palace linked with his transfer. Azaz, however, remains at 'Boro as the season kicks off, albeit sidelined until the end of August through injury. As to whether he makes his return from that injury in a Middlesbrough jersey, we must wait and see. Hallgrimsson would like Azaz to be playing at the highest level, but with World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia only a month away, the Irish manager would likely now settle for Azaz getting match sharp in the Championship. 4) The next generation Bosun Lawal. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo While the Championship has proved to be a generous home to many well-established Irish internationals, it has also incubated a few breakout talents over the years. Who will be next to emerge? Rocco Vata at Watford can already be said to have made his breakthrough, but will seek this season to kick on and further develop physically. His team-mate James Abankwah is another to watch, albeit his Cup-winning exploits for St Pat's means the Irish public is better-acquainted with him than the general English audience. Another to watch is Bosun Lawal at Stoke City, called up as late cover to the Irish senior squad for that June friendly with Luxembourg you've already forgotten about. Lawal is of a midfield profile – a big lad, effectively – that Ireland are sorely lacking, so Hallgrimsson will be eager to see him rack up minutes at Championship level in central midfield. The latter part of that wish is key: Mark Robins has selected Lawal at centre-half, the position in which Hallgrimsson is tripping over high-calibre options. (As an aside: there's further Irish interest at Stoke in the boardroom, where Jon Walters is the sporting director. Or he is for now, at least, as he's a rumoured candidate to replace Marc Canham at the FAI.) Another name to watch is Louie Barry at Sheffield United. You might be familiar with Barry's youth career: after 10 years in the West Brom academy, he went to Barcelona, only to return to England with Aston Villa within a year for an initial fee of approximately €1 million. A Covid outbreak offered him a first-team debut against Liverpool in the FA Cup – he scored in defeat and Jurgen Klopp called him a 'little Jamie Vardy' – and has since bounced about on loan, excelling last season at Stockport. A subsequent loan move to Hull did not become permanent amid the club's transfer embargo, but Barry has now been taken on loan by Sheffield United by his old manager at Hull, Ruben Selles. Barry played for England at underage level but is understood to be both eligible and interested in representing Ireland, facts with which Hallgrimsson is acquainted. 5) James McClean's return James McClean. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo Wrexham's seemingly unstoppable rise through English football has reached its Championship phase, and with it brings a return to wider prominence for James McClean, who is club captain. McClean dropped as low as League Two to initially sign for Wrexham, which then-Irish manager Stephen Kenny admitted was 'not ideal in the long term.' McClean said he felt disrespected to have been left out of a squad by Kenny, and thus Kenny's final match in charge was also celebrated as a farewell for McClean. That farewell may not be permanent. Hallgrimsson openly suggested the possibility of a McClean return, something to which the player himself is understood to be open. Performing at Championship level is certainly no barrier to his selection, and nor are Ireland's depth of options at left-back. With Ryan Manning now preferred further forward, the options are Robbie Brady – one of Ireland's most important players – and Callum O'Dowda, both of whom are injury-prone. McClean, by contrast, is remarkably durable. It's one to watch.
The South African
17-07-2025
- Sport
- The South African
When will Springboks name Rugby Championship squad?
The Springboks have already used an extended squad so far this season, with Rassie Erasmus expanding the group to 46 players for the first three Tests of the year, but this will be trimmed down for the Rugby Championship. After this weekend's encounter, the Springbok players will be given a few days off before a reduced squad of 35 will be named for the start of the build up to the Rugby Championship. The first Rugby Championship clash for the Springboks takes place on 16 August, but some senior players may well be rested for the first two home games against Australia. So it's worth keeping in mind that there could be some surprise omissions in the reduced squad, although there should be a number of leading players who then return for the blockbuster away games against New Zealand. 'We are fairly happy,' Erasmus commented after the 45-0 victory over Italy on Saturday. 'The Barbarians game we didn't concede a lot of points in a tough rainy game there – we got a 50 there, we got 42 last week and 45 here, and only conceded 24 points against Italy and, overall, a lot of the guys got caps. 'So, hopefully after the Georgia game a lot of the guys will have had two caps, and we will have won all four matches, and we can pick a nice settled, balanced team for the Rugby Championship.' Whatever the case may be, the first Rugby Championship is likely to be named in the final week of July. SPRINGBOKS' REMAINING 2025 TEST SCHEDULE AS THE RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP APPROACHES: 19 July: vs Georgia, Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit. Kick off: 17:10. 16 August: vs Australia, Ellis Park, Johannesburg. Kick off: 17:10. 23 August: vs Australia, DHL Stadium, Cape Town. Kick off: 17:10. 6 September: vs New Zealand, Auckland. Kick off: 09:05. 13 September: vs New Zealand, Wellington. Kick off: 09:05. 27 September: vs Argentina, Kings Park, Durban. Kick off: 17:10. 4 October: vs Argentina, London. Kick off: 15:00. 8 November: vs France, Paris. Kick off: TBD. 15 November: vs Italy, Turin. Kick off: TBD. 22 November: vs Ireland, Dublin. Kick off: 19:40. 29 November: vs Wales, Cardiff. Kick off: 17:10. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Chicago Tribune
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Baseball and softball for the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County
High school and local college results and highlights from the Southland, Aurora, Elgin, Naperville and Lake County coverage EVENTS HIGH SCHOOLS BASEBALL CLASS 4A SUPERSECTIONALS BLOOMINGTON At Illinois Wesleyan Normal Community (35-4) vs. Waubonsie Valley (23-12), 6 p.m. CRESTWOOD At Ozinga Field Brother Rice (35-3) vs. Providence (26-12), 7:30 p.m. KANE COUNTY COUGARS At Northwestern Medicine Field, Geneva McHenry (34-4-1) vs. South Elgin (25-11), 6 p.m. SCHAUMBURG At Wintrust Field Libertyville (33-4) vs. Maine South (23-16), 7:30 p.m. CLASS 3A SUPERSECTIONALS CRESTWOOD At Ozinga Field St. Laurence (34-5) vs. Simeon (20-12-1), 5 p.m. DECATUR At Millikin Champaign Central (26-12-1) vs. Troy Triad (31-6), 6 p.m. GENESEO Benet (24-12) vs. Washington (Ill.) (28-10), 6 p.m. SCHAUMBURG At Wintrust Field St. Patrick (23-15) vs. Cary-Grove (24-12), 5 p.m. SOFTBALL CLASS 4A SUPERSECTIONALS BARRINGTON Barrington (33-3-1) vs. St. Charles East (23-15), 6 p.m. BLOOMINGTON At Illinois Wesleyan Lockport (30-9) vs. Bradley-Bourbonnais (22-12), 6:30 p.m. CHICAGO At UIC Loyola (18-15) vs. Oak Park-River Forest (28-8), 4:30 p.m. LISLE At Benedictine Marist (35-2) vs. Oswego (35-2), 6:30 p.m. CLASS 3A SUPERSECTIONALS BLOOMINGTON At Illinois Wesleyan Pontiac (26-9) vs. Providence (24-11), 4:30 p.m. DECATUR At Millikin Chatham Glenwood (34-1) vs. Centralia (26-3), 4:30 p.m. KANELAND Antioch (24-13) vs. Prairie Ridge (27-1-1), 4:30 p.m. LISLE At Benedictine St. Laurence (22-7) vs. Montini (19-16), 4:30 p.m. SATURDAY'S RESULTS HIGH SCHOOLS BASEBALL CLASS 4A SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS LINCOLN-WAY WEST Providence 12, Lincoln-Way East 0 (5 innings) LOCKPORT Waubonsie Valley 5, Downers Grove North 0 REAVIS Brother Rice 3, Mount Carmel 2 STEVENSON Libertyville 5, Lake Zurich 4 Libertyville (33-4): Quinn Schambow 2-for-3, double, 3 RBIs. Josh Holst HR, 2 RBIs. Mason Strader 2-for-3, 2 runs. Cole Lockwood 2 runs. WILLOWBROOK South Elgin 4, York 3 South Elgin (25-11): Justin Pold GW RBI in top 7th. Alex Muro RBI single. Jake Sparacino RBI. CLASS 3A SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS KANELAND Benet 7, Wheaton St. Francis 0 Benet (25-12): Gino Zagorac CG, H, 6 Ks. Merrick Sullivan 2-for-4, 3-run double. Luke Stachowiak RBI single. ST. LAURENCE St. Laurence 11, Lemont 1 (6 innings) BOYS LACROSSE STATE FINALS Lake Forest 8, New Trier 5, championship Wheaton Academy 19, Neuqua Valley 4, third BOYS VOLLEYBALL STATE FINALS At Hoffman Estates Marist d. Glenbard West 25-20, 25-20, championship Lane d. O'Fallon 25-21, 25-14, third Marist d. Lane 25-19, 25-19, semifinal Glenbard West d. O'Fallon 25-17, 25-8, semifinal GIRLS SOCCER CLASS 3A STATE FINALS At North Central College, Naperville O'Fallon 1, Naperville North 0 (OT), championship Barrington 2, Lane 1, third SOFTBALL CLASS 4A SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP STEVENSON Loyola 2, Mundelein 0 Mundelein (22-11): Sophia Zepeda CG, ER, 11 Ks. CLASS 3A SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GRAYSLAKE CENTRAL Antioch 13, Carmel 9 Antioch (24-13): Sam Hillner 4-for-4, 2 HRs, 4 runs, 4 RBIs. Tegan Schuler 4-for-4, 3 runs, RBI. Addie Webb 2-for-3, 3 RBIs. Carmel (20-10): Grace Brown 2-for-3, solo HR, 3 runs. Bella Cameron 3 RBIs. Grace King 3 runs. CLASS 2A STATE FINALS At Louisville Slugger Sports Complex, Peoria Beecher 5, Carterville 2 (10 innings), championship Beecher (37-2): Taylor Norkus (W) 5 IP relief, H, 0 R, 9 Ks. Tayiah Scanlon tiebreaking single in top 10th. Ava Lorenzatti 2-run HR. Fifth state championship in school history. Poplar Grove North Boone 1, Auburn 0, third
Irish Examiner
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Leinster grind out Glasgow win and turn focus to Scarlets challenge
UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP Leinster 13 Glasgow Warriors 5 In the wake of his side closing out their regular season campaign with a low-key eight-point victory over Glasgow Warriors at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen was already casting one eye on a forthcoming United Rugby Championship quarter-final against Scarlets. Following results elsewhere across the weekend, it was determined that Leinster – who were already guaranteed top spot in the league standings heading into their clash with Glasgow – will face the Welsh region in the last-eight of the URC at the Aviva on May 31. Spearheaded by former Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel (who also had a stint as an assistant coach at Ulster in the past), Scarlets are one of just two teams to have defeated the eastern province in this season's URC. While it was a radically different Leinster side to the one that suffered a surprise European Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints seven days later, the Llanelli-based outfit recorded a deserved 35-22 bonus point win over the Blues at Parc y Scarlets as recently as April 26. 'They kick a lot. Their half backs are good in terms of controlling the game. It's making sure we don't get frustrated by that. Making sure we gain energy from them kicking the ball away, so that's not something we would get frustrated by. They are well coached,' Cullen acknowledged after Saturday's game. 'Dwayne Peel and Jared Payne, those two in particular have a very good understanding of the provinces from their time here with Ulster. We'll look back at some of those things where Scarlets exposed us at different stages. It will be a good challenge for us.' It took almost 27 minutes before the deadlock was broken in a largely uneventful opening half on Saturday, but moments after having a score ruled out from a crossfield kick by Sam Prendergast - due to the fly-half not taking a penalty from the correct spot – Jimmy O'Brien was eventually released by his fellow Kildare native for a try in the left-corner. Prendergast subsequently converted from the touchline as Leinster were forced to be content with a 7-0 interval lead. The Blues had received a set-back when Robbie Henshaw was replaced by Jamie Osborne with just under 22 minutes on the clock and Cullen revealed afterwards that he had picked up a bang on his knee. Tadhg Furlong also remained on the bench for the duration of the game as he was nursing a niggle, but it is hoped both players will be available for the URC run-in. Even though Prendergast extended the Leinster buffer with a 56th minute penalty, Glasgow were firmly in contention when George Horne crossed for a try moments after being introduced as a replacement. This seemingly left the tie delicately poised moving into the final-quarter, but a late Ciaran Frawley penalty ultimately ensured the hosts claimed their 16th triumph of the current league campaign. In stark contrast to their 52-0 demolition of the same opposition at the quarter-final stage of the European Champions Cup in the Aviva a little over a month ago, Leinster found it difficult to break down a stubborn Glasgow challenge on this occasion. While he will have been frustrated by elements of Saturday's performance, Cullen is hopeful his charges will benefit from this tight affair as they aim to get their hands on the URC trophy in the coming weeks. 'Sometimes it's better to have some of these tight games, isn't it? Some of these blow out games, I'm not sure what we have learned from a few of them. Listen, it was good that we had to figure things out today,' Cullen added. Scorers for Leinster: Tries: J O'Brien Cons: S Prendergast Pens: S Prendergast, C Frawley. Scorers for Glasgow Warriors: Tries: G Horne LEINSTER: H Keenan; T O'Brien, R Henshaw (J Osborne 22), J Barrett, J O'Brien; S Prendergast (C Frawley 61), F Gunne (L McGrath 51); A Porter (J Boyle 51), D Sheehan (R Kelleher 51), T Clarkson; RG Snyman, J Ryan (D Mangan 80); R Baird, S Penny, J Conan (M Deegan 61). GLASGOW WARRIORS: K Rowe; S Cancelliere, H Jones, S Tuipulotu (T Jordan h-t), K Steyn; A Hastings, B Afshar (G Horne 55); J Bhatti (N McBeth 55), S Stephen (G Hiddleston 64), F Richardson (M Walker 55); J Oguntibeju (S Cummings 71), A Samuel (JP Du Preez 43); M Duncan (S McDowall 55), R Darge, E Ferrie. Referee: B Whitehouse (WRU).
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mark Williams admits he felt nervous during semi-final win over Judd Trump
Mark Williams admitted he was stunned by his own success after rolling back the years to beat world number one Judd Trump and book his place in the final of the World Snooker Championship. Williams, 50, who is bidding to win his fourth title and become the oldest champion in tournament history, compiled four centuries and 10 breaks over 50 in a 17-14 victory at the Crucible. The veteran Welshman will face a player young enough to be his son in the two-day final after 28-year-old Zhao Xintong thrashed seven-time champion Ronnie O'Sullivan 17-7 in the other semi-final on Friday. MARK WILLIAMS IS A HALO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINALIST! 🏴 The Welsh Potting Machine beats Judd Trump 17-14 to reach his fifth Crucible final!#HaloWorldChampionship — WST (@WeAreWST) May 3, 2025 Williams, who has been struggling with his eyesight and is scheduled to undergo surgery next month, trailed 7-3 early in the second session but fought back to level at 8-8 and won five of the eight frames played on Saturday morning to open up a 13-11 lead. The left-hander carried on where he left off in the final session with breaks of 67 and 65 to move 15-11 ahead, before Trump hit back with his 106th century of the season to close the gap. That ensured a mid-session interval would be required but Williams went into the break needing just one frame for victory after responding with a century of his own. When play resumed Trump took the 29th frame to keep his hopes alive and also won the next with a 116 clearance after Williams missed a red to the middle with his first chance to seal victory. Trump had the chance to pile on the pressure after a superb red to the middle in frame 31, but missed a difficult thin black and Williams grabbed the opportunity in style with a clearance of 123 to seal victory. 'I was starting to twitch towards the end, I'm not going to lie,' Williams said. 'The last frame I nearly missed the black and it frightened the life out of me. I'm never normally nervous at any time but I was during that break. 'I can't believe I'm in another final. I don't know how I'm doing it. How am I competing with the number one player in the world, who wins six tournaments a year, over three days? I've got to be proud of myself. 'I'm due to have lens replacement surgery on June 12th, deposit paid, but I'm going to have to have a think.' Williams won his first world title in 2000, when Zhao was just three years old, and knows from personal experience how talented his final opponent is. 'I played him in an exhibition when he was 12, it was 1-1 and he knocked in 130 and 138 to beat me 3-1, the little s***,' Williams joked. Trump was left to rue a number of opportunities to pull away from Williams, but was also full of praise for his opponent. 'The frame to go 11-9 ahead was very crucial and he really did not do a lot wrong after that,' Trump said. 'It's fine margins really, another day things could have changed around but he played some great snooker, put me under a lot of pressure and potted the right balls at the right time. 'If Mark plays to that standard in the final there's no doubt in my mind that he will win.'
