Latest news with #DenisLeamy
Irish Times
02-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Scott Wilson added to Ireland squad for Georgia and Portugal tour
There were originally 12 and now there are 13, a baker's dozen of uncapped players with the addition of the 22-year-old Ulster loosehead Scott Wilson to the Ireland squad for the two-Test tour to Georgia and Portugal. The group swaps Abbotstown for Tbilisi on Wednesday. Wilson adds to the overall number (33) and no one is injured. There was good news in that respect when it was announced that Tom Ahern has shrugged off the hamstring injury that saw Josh Murphy called into training at the tail end of last week. The Connacht man won't travel nor will any of the training panellists – Brian Gleeson, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Evan O'Connell, Jude Postlethwaite and Zac Ward. The IRFU also confirmed that the two Tests, against Georgia on Saturday (6pm, Irish time) and Portugal in Lisbon (7.0, Irish time), seven days later on July 12th, will be screened live on Virgin Media, while the games will also be on RugbyPass TV. The shape and style will be straight from the Ireland senior playbook and what the interim coaching team is looking for are players who successfully adapt to that model over the course of the two games. Defence coach Denis Leamy is familiar with many of the playing squad. He said: 'It [the game plan] will be very, very similar, if not the same. READ MORE 'That's the plan: to play the Irish way and to try to do it as well as we can. Obviously, we're missing a big chunk of the players who have gone to Australia with the Lions but it's a great opportunity for the boys coming in to show what they can do and just build on some of the things that have [been] done to date. 'A lot of the boys I've worked with at either Leinster or Irish under-20s level. It's lovely to see them develop as players, how they've grown into men and how they've developed their own perspective on the game, their own opinions. 'It's excellent to be back in, around them. We just find when it's a national set-up, that there is unity straight away, that they all mix. My generation [as a player], there was huge rivalry [between the players]. It took us a few weeks for the frostiness to wear off,' he said with a smile. Ireland defence coach Denis Leamy. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'The boys just seem to get on so well. They're straight in, best mates, constantly over and back on WhatsApp and all the different platforms. It's better than when I was a player. They've grown up a little bit from when we were.' One of those players to come up in conversation was Munster number eight Gavin Coombes, who's looked 'fit and hungry and trained well', and can be a key figure for Ireland on Saturday if he brings his playing virtues to bear. Leamy explained: 'Gavin has been in and out of Irish squads over the last couple of years. The times he's been left out, he's understood the reasons why and [they] have been very fair. Gavin has gone away and worked hard on those parts of the games. He's back in now and he has that chance on Saturday. 'He's hugely strong around opposition 22. His ability to make yards, score tries, he's one of the best around at that and his general play is improving all the time. 'His ability to make yards in open play, his ability to clock up big numbers in his tackles, his rucks and the fundamentals around his basic play, he's learning and improving that all the time. That's why he's back in this environment.' Leamy paid tribute to his former team-mate and the Ireland interim head coach Paul O'Connell in helping the coaching group to hit the ground quickly. [ Denis Walsh: Why Paul O'Connell thinks a sports psychologist will help Ireland get ahead Opens in new window ] 'Paul has helped us greatly in terms of giving us a very, very clear, pretty narrow brief in terms of what we want to get across to them because we're only together for three weeks, counting last week. 'It's important that you don't overload players. We're trying to keep things pretty tight, have a very distinct game plan and just keep reinforcing that with our language. It's pretty easy from that point of view. But the challenge is to get that workload through them as well.' Oh, and in terms of the hurling this weekend, Leamy is unequivocal. 'I think it's going to be a very, very close game but Kilkenny will always get the best out of Tipperary. Tipp by a point.'
Irish Daily Mirror
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Denis Leamy's finest hour, well 30 seconds, was against Georgia - One F in Foley
Denis Leamy, from way back in 2007, gets a free pass when it comes to playing rugby internationals against back-row had always been the bravest of the brave, his in-game ferocity only matched his intense desire to intervention in Bordeaux at the 2007 Rugby World should be ranked with the great Irish individual contributions to a team, along with Packie Bonner's penalty save at Italia 90 and Christy O'Connor's 1989 Ryder Cup 2-iron to four feet at the the time Ireland were hanging on to a precarious 14-10 lead in a match where Georgia had 60 percent of the possession and 70 percent of the defending their own line in the 78th minute finally caved under immense pressure. Georgia had crossed the Irish line and were celebrating Barnes, a referee who has taken more than his fair share of abuse for the way he has handled Ireland over the years (and he certainly didn't like the way Andrew Porter scrummaged) was unsure and went upstairs to the Argentinian TMO to call did. No try. Leamy had got a hand between the ball and the turf. Relief all round. But it was something which would be forgotten all too quickly because Ireland were sailing Titanic-like towards a massive defeats to France and Argentina would mean the Eddie O'Sullivan-coached side did not make it past the pool stages; that 2007 squad remains the only Ireland side not to have emerged from the pool stages of a Rugby World intervention was consigned to history, his being the sporting equivalent of able seamen Frederick Fleet and Reginald Lee. They spotted the iceberg and rang the bridge 'Iceberg, right ahead!' but it didn't save the doomed is traveling to Georgia and Portugal on the Ireland summer tour as assistant coach to Paul O'Connell's Head Coach role - and enjoying being reunited with his Munster 2006 and 2008 Heineken Cup winning colleague."Yeah, it's very exciting to be working with Paul again. He's carved out a hugely successful coaching career so to come in and work with him, he's been very good to us."He's given us clear guidelines in terms of what he wants from us as coaches coming in from the provinces and playing the Irish way and implementing that gameplan.'So, he's given us clear guidelines and he's been very helpful in just challenging us but also creating a very good atmosphere to work in.'"Paul's a natural leader, he's a brilliant leader. His presence alone is a great starting point. Look, he understand the game inside out, he has great knowledge and his way of imparting that knowledge with the players is hugely impressive.'It is a tour with challenges for Ireland as, for instance, they look to cope with having 16 players away on Lions are a further three significant players Caelan Doris, Robbie Henshaw and Will Connors unavailable through injury. While, don't forget, there are another three Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy retiring with 376 caps between them - leaving casual observers wondering just who is traveling!The shorthand answer is Six Nations stars Stuart McCloskey, Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jacob Stockdale, Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley and Craig Casey across the with players such as Jack Boyle, Gus McCarthy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Cormac Izuchukwu, Cian Prendergast and Nick Timoney in the nonetheless, suggest the matchday unit could have a smattering of the 13 potential debutants being brought on the tour to play Georgia and Lelos are currently world-ranked no11, a spot attained last February and it is the fourth time in their history to have been this high alongside spells in 2016, 2019, 2025 and from where they have a chance to make the top 10 for the first time if they can beat that's an incentive, and Ireland may find themselves in need of a hand-of-Leamy or two this the overarching feeling is that the squad is a bit light on second-rows with a general sense of relief that Tom Ahern has shaken off a tight hamstring and made the if the Munsterman is to be used as a no6 it frees up players such as Baird, Izuchukwu and Cian Prendergast for second-row Leamy: 'Yeah, Tom is fit and he's ready to go, he has progressed hugely over the last couple of years and he's put in some excellent performances for Munster so he's a guy we have high hopes for and absolutely, hopefully, he'll get game time and do really well. He's such a promising player, I've no doubt he can do that.'"Look, all the guys have kind of been mix and match in training, so all the guys have kind of jumped in and out in those (second/back-row) positions."The game is ever-changing and the type of second-row is changing and you see the likes of Tom and Izzy, Ryan Baird, these guys are such athletic specimens and they cover the ground so well, but that's what the game demands at the moment.'Leamy wouldn't be human if the sight of the Georgia jersey didn't bring back memories of he wouldn't have been doing his job correctly if he were to equate the then novice outfit replete with mostly amateur backs to the current squad which has 18 players playing professionally in France and which includes sensational Lyon full-back David Niniashvili 'They're a very experienced Georgian team, a lot of them have played in World Cups. A huge amount of them play in the Top 14 so they're well accustomed to big games, being in tough environments."So it's a really good challenge for a young team and to go to Tbilisi, into a bit of a bearpit, it's going to be physical, it's going to be hot, it's everything we want to expose our young players to.'Ireland Men's Squad – Summer Tour 2025Player/Club/Province/CapsBacks (14): Shayne Bolton (Connacht)*, Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(captain)(18), Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(24), Nathan Doak (Banbridge/Ulster)*, Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(8), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht)*, Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(19), Ben Murphy (Clontarf/Connacht)*, Dermot Kilgallon (Munster)*, Jimmy O'Brien (Naas/Leinster)(8), Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster)*, Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(7), Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(8), Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)(38) Forwards (18): Tom Ahern (Shannon/Munster)*, Jack Aungier (Lansdowne/Connacht)*, Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(27), Jack Boyle (UCD/Leinster)(2), Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)(6), Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster)(2), Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(2), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(1), Alex Kendellen (UCC/Munster)*, Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(4), Paddy McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)*, Michael Milne (UCD/Munster)*, Darragh Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)*, Tom O'Toole (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(16), Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(4), Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley/Leinster)*, Tom Stewart (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(2), Nick Timoney (Banbridge/Ulster)(3), Scott Wilson (Queens University/Ulster)* *denotes uncapped IRELAND SUMMER TOUR SCHEDULESaturday, 5th July: Georgia v Ireland, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi (kick off 9pm local time, 6pm Irish time);Saturday, 12th July: Portugal v Ireland, Estádio Nacional do Jamor, Lisbon (kick off 7pm local, same Irish time)Ireland Men's Squad – Summer Tour 2025, departing for Tbilisi on Wednesday, 2nd July.
BBC News
01-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Ireland excited to test youthful squad on tour
Ireland interim assistant coach Denis Leamy says this month's Tests against Georgia and Portugal offer an exciting opportunity to introduce inexperienced players to senior international rugby. With 16 Ireland players on British and Irish Lions duty in Australia, Ireland interim head coach Paul O'Connell - overseeing national team matters while Andy Farrell is away - has 13 uncapped players in a squad captained by 26-year-old Craig Irish face Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday (18:00 BST) and Portugal in Lisbon on 12 July (19:00 BST)."I think it's about implementing old and new into the Irish gameplan and playing the Irish way and seeing how players do in this environment and how they can produce big efforts and big performances," said Leamy, who has taken the Ireland defence coach role while on secondment from Munster."It's about building, I suppose, that catalogue of experience with those players and giving them a feel of what Test rugby looks like." Ireland are first tasked with taking down Georgia, who are ranked 11th in the world and possess quality operators like 22-year-old back Davit Niniashvili, who will play under former Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara at La Rochelle next season. "They're a very experienced Georgian team, a lot of them have played in World Cups. A huge amount of them play in the Top 14 so they're well accustomed to big games, being in tough environments."So it's a really good challenge for a young team and to go to Tbilisi, into a bit of a bearpit, it's going to physical, it's going to be hot, it's everything we want to expose our young players to."Former back row Leamy - part of Ireland's 2009 Grand Slam-winning squad - also offered a positive fitness update on uncapped Munster forward Tom Ahern, who has been nursing a hamstring issue. Calvin Nash is also fit, while uncapped Ulster prop Scott Wilson was added to the squad on Tuesday."He's fit and he's ready to go," Leamy said of Ahern. "Tom has progressed hugely over the last couple of years and he's put in some excellent performances for Munster. So he's a guy we have high hopes for and absolutely, hopefully, he'll get game time and do really well."He's such a promising player, I've no doubt he can do that."
Irish Independent
21-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Proud Cork students celebrate graduation from esteemed education programme
The graduates completed their QQI level 4, which is equivalent to the Leaving Certificate, as part of the Cork College of Further Education and Training's (CCFET) collaboration with Youthreach. Family, friends and Youthreach staff were there to celebrate the students' qualification, which will allow them to progress into further education or directly into the work force. During the academic year CCFET and Youthreach centres provided students with opportunities to sample potential courses and access to open days and year-long support. The main objective of the collaboration is to familiarise Youthreach students with CCFET resources and campuses to make transitioning to further education and training campuses easier. Mr Denis Leamy, chief executive of Cork Education and Training Board, said the student's graduation was not just about academic achievement. "It is a powerful reflection of the resilience, talent, and determination of our Youthreach graduates,' Mr Leamy stated. 'Your success demonstrates the transformative impact of Further Education and Training in opening up real-world opportunities, whether in apprenticeships, college, or the workforce. 'We are immensely proud of these young people and of the dedicated staff and partners who support them on their journey to lifelong learning and meaningful careers.'
Extra.ie
16-05-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Everything on the line for Munster in make-or-break encounter with Treviso
Munster won't be lacking for motivation this evening. Treviso are in town for a final-round URC meeting and the province's season — and arguably the most important aspect of next season's campaign — is on the line on Leeside. The in-form Italians are seventh in the league standings with Munster a place below them. Both teams are level on 46 points heading into this pivotal meeting, with the visitors ahead in the table by dint of winning more games. Treviso are in town for a final-round URC meeting. Pic:This is make-or-break for Munster. Victory will assure them safe passage into the URC knockout stages in the coming weeks. Crucially, it will also secure Champions Cup rugby next term. A top-eight finish is paramount. The prospect of Munster missing out on Europe for the first time in their history would be positively galling for this squad and the fanbase. For a club which is steeped in the history of that competition, it would be a hammer blow for a squad which is already in a period of transition. But Denis Leamy, who won a brace of Heineken Cups during the glory days, was fairly blunt on this harsh reality earlier this week. Munster defence coach Denis Leamy. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile 'There's no divine right to be in Europe,' the Munster defence coach declared. 'You have to work hard every day, and that's what our intention is on Friday night, to put our best foot forward and to work as hard as we can, and get the best out of ourselves. 'It is (finely balanced), we've spoken big-picture stuff in terms of possibly playing for the next couple of weeks, but also understanding that there's no tomorrow if Friday night doesn't go well.' There are clear reasons why Munster are scrapping for their lives in the 18th and final round. This team simply haven't been ruthless or consistent enough thus far. There are deeper issues to address in the summer but, for now, it's all about a result this evening. Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Stephen Archer. Pic: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo There is also the small matter of Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Stephen Archer playing their last games in Munster territory. Last weekend, the trio of stalwarts bid farewell to Thomond Park as the hosts cruised to a bonus-point win against Ulster. This is their final act in front of a sold-out crowd at Musgrave Park in Cork. If Munster manage to prevail, they will be on the road for the knockout stages. This is the last dance in front of their home fans. They will be desperate to sign off on a winning note. The province are losing more than 700 caps of experience when this trio head for the exit. O'Mahony and Archer are calling it a day while Murray is seeking pastures new abroad for one more season. Conor Murray is seeking pastures new abroad for one more season. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie All three have been part of the furniture for the best part of 15 years. Archer made his senior debut against Edinburgh in Murrayfield in October 2009, O'Mahony broke into the first team three months later. Murray followed suit in April 2010. O'Mahony and Murray became institutions, at club and international level. They signed off on the recent Six Nations as Test centurions. Both represented the Lions with distinction. Archer didn't hit the same heights at international level — winning both of his Ireland caps almost a decade ago — but no one has played more games than the durable and ever-reliable tighthead. All three will be missed. Motivation will be high within the camp to ensure that this isn't the end of the road. Equally, O'Mahony and Co will be desperate to leave the operation in a better place. O'Mahony and Co will be desperate to leave the operation in a better place. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Whatever about the business end of the URC, making sure that Munster don't miss out on Europe's top table is a powerful factor. Clayton McMillan is arriving for the latest reboot in the summer and the idea of beginning a new rebuild in the Challenge Cup is a grim enough prospect. There's plenty of emotional fuel for the fire. And Munster will draw encouragement from the performances of Tom Farrell, who will make his 25th start in a Munster shirt during a superb campaign, his fellow midfielder, Alex Nankivell and the pacy back three of Thaakir Abrahams, Calvin Nash and Diarmuid Kilgallen. If Craig Casey and Jack Crowley get enough front-foot ball, Munster have a backline that can trouble any team in this competition. In Tadhg Beirne and O'Mahony, they have two leaders who can inspire a pack which is still punching above its weight at the top level. Murray is very much the elder statesman on a youthful bench filled with the next generation. Munster won't be lacking for motivation this evening. Pic: INPHO/James Crombie Munster need one of those trademark backs-to-the-wall displays tonight. Especially given the calibre of the opposition. Treviso will arrive in Cork in a rich vein of form after thumping second-placed Glasgow 33-7 last weekend. Bulk suppliers to the ever-improving Italian national team, there are plenty of familiar faces on board. And many of the same personnel which caused Ireland all sorts of problems during that nervy, final-round win against the Azzurri in Rome a few months ago. Tommaso Menoncello and Ignacio Brex caused havoc at Stadio Olimpico on that occasion and Italy's all-action midfield will take some stopping here. Manuel Zuliani and Lorenzo Cannone are the stand-out performers in a strong pack while fellow Italy internationals Niccolò Cannone and Sebastian Negri are named on a strong bench featuring former Munster centre Malakai Fekitoa. The likes of Jacob Umaga, Paolo Odogwu, Ignacio Mendy, Thomas Gallo and Scott Scrafton have proven shrewd signings, too. Juan Ignacio Brex and Tommaso Menoncello at the end of the Six Nations match between Italy and Ireland earlier this year. Pic: Giampiero Sposito/Federugby via Getty Images This is a stacked Treviso side who have high ambitions as well. For both teams, there is simply no tomorrow. Defeat this evening will mean an early end to the season and a long summer of rumination. The stakes couldn't be higher for Munster. They will need to deliver a huge performance against one of the league's in-form sides. A nervy night in Cork is in store.
