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Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Off-colour Leinster see off Scarlets to set up URC semi-final with Glasgow
URC quarter-final: Leinster 33 Scarlets 21 An occasionally brittle Leinster will meet Glasgow next Saturday in the semi-final of the United Rugby Championship after they led from beginning to end against Welsh side Scarlets at the Aviva Stadium. Four tries, the first arriving after four minutes, gave Leinster a deserved win with Scarlets coming to within one point with a counterpunch try just before the break. Leinster started with intent, their first entry into the Scarlets 22 within the first minute. Josh van der Flier, Jordie Barrett and James Ryan pounded the defence as the ball moved right to left. Finally, with the field stretched, Sam Prendergast whipped the ball wide with Hugo Keenan helping it along for James Lowe to run in the easiest of tries for 5-0. Within minutes a purposeful and accurate Leinster were pushing forward again. Moving through the phases and the gears, Ryan Baird made the initial bump through to make ground and with support coming up both sides in the middle of the field, it was scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park who romped in under the posts for 10-0, Prendergast converting to give Leinster a comfortable early lead. READ MORE How can the provinces break France's dominance? Listen | 29:52 But the young Scarlets team were not just in Dublin for the experience of being beaten by the top seeds and on 20 minutes moved the ball right to left across the pitch from their first attacking lineout. With Leinster players fanning across, a double-handed overhead pass from outhalf Sam Costelow to Tom Rogers allowed the right wing to cut back and wriggle over the line for a quick Welsh riposte, Costelow converting for 12-7. By the half-hour mark both sides were determined to keep the ball alive as play raced from end to end, with van der Flier departing and Scott Penny coming in for Leinster. Leinster's James Lowe fields a high ball under pressure from Scarlets' Ellis Mee. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho A penalty from just inside the Scarlet's half landed by Prendergast gave the 12,879 crowd something to cheer as Leinster again nudged ahead 15-7. But a misplaced kick from Prendergast that didn't find touch and Lowe went into touch on the full just invited Scarlets back into the game before a surging finish to the half saw Leinster press for a try only to be met with a sucker punch from Scarlets. Looking threatening and pressing the Scarlet's line, the pass back from Gibson-Park to Prendergast flew over the outhalf's head. He and Jordie Barrett turned and charged back towards their posts as an alert Blair Murray got to it first and kicked on. The fullback kicked a second time, controlling the ball beautifully into the Leinster danger zone where he touched down and Costelow converted for 15-14 to Leinster at the break. Rain replaced sunshine for the restart but there were no clouds hanging over Leinster. Straight into the go-forward mentality, they left little time for Scarlets to feel they had purchase on the game and from a Leinster scrum Gibson-Park fed Prendergast, who deftly chipped over for the running Jamie Osborne. Sam Costelow in action for Scarlets. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho With Rogers on his back, Osborne managed to touchdown for 22-14 and again put distance between the sides. Costelow missed a Scarlets penalty to close the gap before pressure finally yielded reward for Leinster, when replacement Dan Sheehan blocked down a Welsh kick. Leinster then flooded the zone with the supporting Keenan floating on to the ball inside the Scarlets 22 to make it 27-14. Leinster looked safe enough, and with Prendergast making it 30-14 from a penalty it looked settled. But Scarlets' sting in the tail came less than 10 minutes from the end when Johnny Williams punched through and Ioan Lloyd converted for 30-21. SCORING SEQUENCE – 4 mins: Lowe try 5-0; 9: Gibson-Park try, Prendergast con 12-0; 19: Rogers try, Costelow con 12-7; 35: Prendergast pen 15-7; 40: Murray try, Costelow con 15-14; 45: Osborne try, Prendergast con 22-14; 59: Keenan try 27-14; 65: Prendergast pen 30-14; 70: Williams try, Costelow con 30-21; 73: Prendergast pen 33-21 LEINSTER: H Keenan; J O'Brien, J Osborne, J Barrett, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, T Clarkson; J McCarthy, J Ryan; R Baird, J van der Flier, J Conan (capt). Replacements: S Penny for van der Flier (29 mins); D Sheehan for Kelleher, RG Snyman for Ryan (both 47); R Slimani for Clarkson (57); J Boyle for Porter (67); L McGrath for Gibson Park (67); M Deegan for Conan (68); Conan for Snyman (73); C Frawley for Keenan (75). SCARLETS: B Murray; T Rogers, J Roberts, J Williams, E Mee; S Costelow, A Hughes; A Hepburn, R Elias, H Thomas; A Craig, S Lousi; V Fifita, J Macleod (capt), T Plumtree. Replacements: M van der Merwe for Elias (50 mins); K Mathias for Craig (57); I Lloyd for Costellow (58); S Wainwright for Thomas, M Page for Rogers (both 64); Davis for Macleod (74); E Jones for Hughes (75). Yellow cards: Hepburn (55 mins), Fifita (72). Referee: H Davisdon (Sco).
Irish Times
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Powers-that-be ‘don't give a damn' about paying Six Nations fans
Rugby fans might have done a double-take when the fixtures for the 2026 Six Nations were released on Monday. Ireland opening their campaign away to France o n . . . a Thursday night? The reason for the first Thursday game in the championship's history? The broadcasters didn't want a clash with the Winter Olympics opening ceremony on the Friday. Gerry Thornley, to put it mildly, is not impressed. 'Supporters wishing to attend this game will have to take at least two days off work. That is a huge imposition and is bound to affect the number of Irish supporters who will attend the game.' The scheduling simply underlines the fact that the powers-that-be 'don't give a damn' about the paying fans . Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe, Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen won't be giving too much thought to that Thursday night in February just yet, they have Lions' matters to consider first. The quartet are among seven players in the Lions squad 'who grew up playing rugby outside of Lions nations' , a fact that has stirred no little comment of late. Nathan Johns talked to Gibson-Park, Lowe and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu about the issue. 'Everyone's got a different story and mine just didn't start in Ireland,' said Lowe. 'I can see it ending in Ireland.' Owen Doyle, meanwhile, gives his thoughts on the refereeing in Munster's URC game against Benetton, and he salutes Hollie Davidson and Nika Amashukeli for being appointed to referee the European Challenge and Champions Cup finals, respectively. 'If anybody had suggested a few years ago that a Georgian man and a Scottish woman would referee the two European finals in 2025, they would have been scoffed at. It's a terrific achievement.' READ MORE In Gaelic games, Conor McManus looks back on 'a rough weekend for Connacht football' , with defeats for Mayo, Galway and Roscommon. 'I know we've seen Mayo bounce back over the years, but it's hard to know where this leaves them,' he says of their first championship loss to Cavan since 1948. Malachy Clerkin wonders too where Mayo can go from here. The one saving grace for them, he writes, is that almost nobody saw their defeat - it wasn't televised, and only 7,387 turned up for the game in Castlebar. In soccer, Paul Buttner was at Tallaght Stadium on Monday evening to see Shamrock Rovers extend their lead at the top of the Premier Division table to five points with a 4-0 win over St Patrick's Athletic. And in golf, Denis Walsh reflects on Scottie Scheffler's US PGA Championship triumph , one that is moving him in to Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods territory in terms of the records he's stacking up. And Philip Reid looks at Leona Maguire's season so far . It hasn't been her best, with just one top 10 finish to date, but she'll hope to sharpen up at this week's Riviera Maya Open in Mexico ahead of next week's $12 million US Women's Open. TV Watch : After Monday's rest day, the Giro d'Italia resumes with a Lucca to Pisa time trial (TNT Sports, from noon). And this evening, Manchester City will have to dust themselves down after that FA Cup final defeat if they are to boost their Champions League qualifying hopes - they play Bournemouth at home (Sky Sports, 8.0).
Irish Times
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
‘Everyone's got a different story, mine just didn't start in Ireland': Southern hemisphere-born players proudly adding to the Lions' international outlook
The very point of the Lions is its international flavour. Not necessarily just within the confines of the four constituent countries. For years, naturalised players born outside Britain and Ireland have pulled on the red jersey. The upcoming tour, though, provides the highest number in recent memory of southern hemisphere-born players lining out for the Lions. Between Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park , James Lowe , Bundee Aki and Mack Hansen , alongside Scotland's Pierre Schoeman, Duhan van der Merwe and Sione Tuipulotu, seven players who grew up playing rugby outside of Lions nations have been named in this squad. In the case of Tuipulotu and Hansen, grandparents helped their eligibility. Others availed of World Rugby's controversial three-year residency period, a qualification period which has since been extended to five. Everyone has their opinion on these so-called project players. For the most part, the debate has quietened down as players won fans over with the calibre of international displays which made them Lions. Now they've moved up a level, though, chatter may well resurface in some quarters. READ MORE 'It's not something I give a whole load of thought to be honest,' said Gibson-Park. 'We don't make the eligibility rules, we're eligible to play. People have their opinions, that's fine but that's the way I see it.' 'Obviously when you don't have the blood running through your veins, there's a little bit of that,' acknowledged Lowe. 'When I was first selected for Ireland, all the people come out of the woodwork saying, 'How is this person representing Ireland?' James Lowe, Maro Itoje and Rónan Kelleher during the British & Irish Lions admin day on Sunday. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'The rules were there, we've all done our time. We're fully embedded in the culture of Irish rugby. 'My old man walks around in an Irish jersey no matter what, a Leinster jumper as well. Thirty degrees, he'll have a rain jacket with one of those crests on. 'The boys will slag me for my accent but we're so well connected in so many different ways. Everyone's got a different story and mine just didn't start in Ireland. I can see it ending in Ireland. 'My two kids were born in Ireland, my wife and I are super happy with everything Ireland's given us. We don't see us moving. We've got our residency and I don't think you're going to get rid of us any time soon.' Both Lowe and Gibson-Park were asked about the eligibility debate when a handful of Lions met the press on Sunday. Tuipulotu brought the issue up of his own accord, clearly keen to get out in front of the discussion. 'I put so much on myself that I really wanted to be a Lion,' said the Glasgow centre. 'I know how much it means to people over here. I'd gone all in with Scotland, I felt like what better way to prove my allegiance to Scotland by going all in to make the Lions.' Sione Tuipulotu scores a try for Scotland during the Autumn Nations game against Australia at Murrayfield last November. Photograph: Craig Watson/Inpho Was he ever made to feel that he had to prove his allegiance? 'When I play rugby, I play better when there's a chip on my shoulder,' he explained. 'That just adds to that. I've been nothing but embraced by the Scottish public since I started playing. There's always going to be a couple of people, like there are for some of the Irish boys. I take that in my stride. 'I don't blame those people. I didn't grow up dreaming of playing for Scotland or the Lions, that's the truth. This is where my path has led me, I'm all in for this Lions team and for Scotland, for Glasgow. I feel like this is where I'm supposed to be.' Tuipulotu's grandmother is Scottish and emigrated to Melbourne. Her daughter married Tuipulotu's Tongan father. Their son represented Australia at under-20 level but, after moving to Glasgow in 2021, Scotland capitalised on his eligibility and capped him within months. His debut came against Tonga. Before tearing his pec just before this year's Six Nations, Tuipulotu captained Scotland in the November internationals. His grandmother flew over to watch him take on his native country. 'Early days, to be completely transparent, you have that feeling of, am I part of this?' acknowledged Tuipulotu. 'My gran came over before the Australia game, it allowed the public to put a face to the name, listen to my grandma and how much it meant to her. That gave eyes to the public that my story was authentic. 'Of course you get those feelings that you want to prove yourself, the best way to do that is how you play on the field, show your commitment that way.' Jamison Gibson-Park during the British & Irish Lions admin day in London on Sunday. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho That this tour is to Australia, the country of Tuipulotu's birth, only adds to the storylines of a Lions group which is uniquely international. Ireland wing Hansen, born in Canberra, falls into the same bracket. 'That's why I speak about divine intervention,' says Tuipulotu. 'I feel like it is for my journey, my career. 'For it to perfectly line up to an Australian tour, where I'm playing my best rugby, I get to captain Scotland in the year I go on this Lions tour, that's not all me. That's why I'm grateful. I'll never get it again, to go back to Australia and play for the Lions. I'm so eager to contribute.' In a way, this eligibility debate which these players are keen to influence is somewhat irrelevant. Now players have to wait five instead of three years to qualify for a different nation, we are unlikely to ever see this quantity of foreign-born talent in a Lions squad. For now, though, with questions answered, players and fans alike just want to get to the business of the tour itself.
BreakingNews.ie
19-05-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Jamison Gibson-Park admits Leinster's European exit tempered Lions call-up joy
Jamison Gibson-Park admits the cruel timing of Caelan Doris' long-term injury combined with Leinster's shock European exit tempered the joy of his British and Irish Lions call-up. Scrum-half Gibson-Park is among 12 Leinster players selected by Lions head coach Andy Farrell for this summer's series against Australia. Advertisement Provincial team-mate Doris would have increased that figure to 13 and was a leading contender to captain the side but faces four to six months on the sidelines after undergoing shoulder surgery. Caelan Doris has been ruled out following shoulder surgery. Photo: Niall Carson/PA. The Ireland skipper sustained the issue during Leinster's agonising 37-34 Investec Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton on May 3rd, just five days before the Lions squad was announced. 'It was bizarre, to tell you the truth, it was an emotional rollercoaster,' Gibson-Park said of the days surrounding Lions selection. 'There's plenty going on, Caelan probably being the biggest one. It was unbelievably tough on him. Advertisement 'He's been such a great player for club and country. He's had an unbelievable run with injuries and it's just the cruelty of the game sometimes. Ready for the players! 🔴🙌 #Lions2025 #WeGoBeyond — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 18, 2025 'We were sickened for him, but in the same breath there's something there to celebrate. It was a pretty strange week.' Back-rower Doris performed post-match media duties following Leinster's loss to Northampton before the true extent of his injury emerged. England lock Maro Itoje was subsequently named Lions skipper by head coach Farrell. Advertisement Maro Itoje will lead the British and Irish Lions in Australia. Photo: John Walton/PA. 'We were hanging on to hope, you never know until you get scans,' Gibson-Park said of Doris. 'We were hanging on to a little bit that it might not have been serious but unfortunately for him it was. 'His performances have been unbelievably consistent for a long time. Unbelievable from a leadership point of view, captain of club and country. 'He'll certainly be missed in both, he's a great fella, awesome fella to have around so he'll be missed.' Advertisement Jamison Gibson-Park admitted the Champions Cup exit for Leinster was 'bleak' Photo: Damien Eagers/PA. Asked about the inquest into the Northampton defeat, Gibson-Park replied: 'Fairly bleak as you can imagine. You have to suck it up, take the learnings and move on.' Farrell's 38-man Lions squad assembled for the first time on Sunday morning in south-west London. Warm-up matches for the tour begin on June 20 when Argentina visit Dublin, with the three Tests against the Wallabies scheduled for July 19th, 26th and August 2nd. New Zealand-born Gibson-Park, who made his Ireland debut in 2020 after qualifying on residency grounds, is the frontrunner to wear the Lions number nine jersey. Advertisement Tomos Williams – one of only two Welshman in the squad – and England's Alex Mitchell are the other options. Alex Mitchell is in contention for the Lions' scrum-half jersey. Photo: Damien Eagers/PA. 'I'm looking forward to getting stuck in,' said Gibson-Park, who has 43 Ireland caps. 'A couple of unbelievable players, massive parts of the teams they play on. 'It will be awesome to spend some time with them and pick their brains. 'I wasn't really in the mix last time (the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa). I was a little bit far away. 'Once I started getting a bit more exposure at international level, it became a little bit real. From then on it's a massive aspiration. It's a cool thing to be able to say.'
The Independent
18-05-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Jamison Gibson-Park admits Leinster's European exit tempered Lions call-up joy
Jamison Gibson-Park admits the cruel timing of Caelan Doris' long-term injury combined with Leinster's shock European exit tempered the joy of his British and Irish Lions call-up. Scrum-half Gibson-Park is among 12 Leinster players selected by Lions head coach Andy Farrell for this summer's series against Australia. Provincial team-mate Doris would have increased that figure to 13 and was a leading contender to captain the side but faces four to six months on the sidelines after undergoing shoulder surgery. The Ireland skipper sustained the issue during Leinster's agonising 37-34 Investec Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton on May 3 – just five days before the Lions squad was announced. 'It was bizarre, to tell you the truth, it was an emotional rollercoaster,' Gibson-Park said of the days surrounding Lions selection. 'There's plenty going on, Caelan probably being the biggest one. It was unbelievably tough on him. 'He's been such a great player for club and country. He's had an unbelievable run with injuries and it's just the cruelty of the game sometimes. 'We were sickened for him, but in the same breath there's something there to celebrate. It was a pretty strange week.' Back-rower Doris performed post-match media duties following Leinster's loss to Northampton before the true extent of his injury emerged. England lock Maro Itoje was subsequently named Lions skipper by head coach Farrell. 'We were hanging on to hope, you never know until you get scans,' Gibson-Park said of Doris. 'We were hanging on to a little bit that it might not have been serious but unfortunately for him it was. 'His performances have been unbelievably consistent for a long time. Unbelievable from a leadership point of view, captain of club and country. 'He'll certainly be missed in both, he's a great fella, awesome fella to have around so he'll be missed.' Asked about the inquest into the Northampton defeat, Gibson-Park replied: 'Fairly bleak as you can imagine. You have to suck it up, take the learnings and move on.' Farrell's 38-man Lions squad assembled for the first time on Sunday morning in south-west London. Warm-up matches for the tour begin on June 20 when Argentina visit Dublin, with the three Tests against the Wallabies scheduled for July 19, 26 and August 2. New Zealand-born Gibson-Park, who made his Ireland debut in 2020 after qualifying on residency grounds, is the frontrunner to wear the Lions number nine jersey. Tomos Williams – one of only two Welshman in the squad – and England's Alex Mitchell are the other options. 'I'm looking forward to getting stuck in,' said Gibson-Park, who has 43 Ireland caps. 'A couple of unbelievable players, massive parts of the teams they play on. 'It will be awesome to spend some time with them and pick their brains. 'I wasn't really in the mix last time (the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa). I was a little bit far away. 'Once I started getting a bit more exposure at international level, it became a little bit real. From then on it's a massive aspiration. It's a cool thing to be able to say.'
