Latest news with #LukeMcGrath
The Irish Sun
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Leinster rugby star gets married to beloved partner at luxury Wicklow estate with ‘third best garden in the world'
LEINSTER star Luke McGrath got married to partner Rebecca Tarrant at a Wicklow resort boasting the "third best garden in the world". The newly weds tied the knot last Saturday surrounded by their friends and family . 3 Luke McGrath married partner Rebecca Credit: Instagram/sophie_depatoul 3 They already have two kids together Credit: Instagram/lukeymcg93 3 It comes after a successful end of season with Leinster Credit: Instagram/lukeymcg93 The couple - who have two young kids together - were joined by the likes of Sophie van der Flier, wife of star Josh van der Flier. The reception took place at the The location boasts "47 acres of carefully curated and maintained gardens" which was named the world's "third best garden" by the National Geographic. McGrath, 32, shared pics from the rugby stars. Read More on Leinster Rugby Their wedding comes after a successful end to the season for The scrum-half was a late inclusion to the Leinster team that faced the Vodacom Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final. He was drafted in in place of teammate Most read in Rugby Union However, the late alteration did not have any negative repercussions for McGrath said after the game: "It's amazing. Inside Leinster's boozy celebrations as stars dance on team bus while leaving Croke Park as URC champs "It's more relief than anything that we got it done. "The lads are so happy and the staff are so happy. "I kind of knew during the week that there was a good possibility [I would be starting], just with Jamo's hamstring or whatever, so he gave me the nod that there was a bit of a possibility that I could do it. "But I got told on Thursday, basically after training, that I would be starting. "So nervous enough, obviously, but unbelievably excited and obviously it was an unbelievable day out there and one that I'll never forget. "I thought we were really good as a team in the first half, we built that score and that allowed us to build into the second half a bit. "I thought we were really clinical. "The lads up front were brilliant in the scrum, the scrum penalties just kept the momentum going and it was a long time coming, so it's all that bit sweeter now."
The 42
16-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Leinster wrap up dominant URC season with fitting final performance
THOMAS CLARKSON'S SCRUM penalties. Ryan Baird's hit on Marcell Coetzee. Luke McGrath's dink in behind. Jordie Barrett's volley. The 18-phase defensive grandstand. The 14-phase grandstand. Sam Prendergast's 50:22. Jack Conan's barrelling finish. Josh van der Flier's surge. Ross Byrne's delayed pass. Fintan Gunne's speed. There were moments aplenty for Leinster fans to thrill in and to savour. The tendency with Leinster is always to look at the bigger picture. And that bigger picture is important. Leinster want more trophies in the seasons ahead. This is an extremely talented squad who could still get better. But on Saturday, none of that bigger picture really mattered. It was all about Leinster finally having cause to celebrate. They have been brilliant for long patches of the last four years but hadn't been able to add to the province's glittering history with more trophies. Their supporters had taken pride in a homegrown squad playing some scintillating stuff, but they also experienced repeated knock-out pain. It hasn't stopped them coming back for more. The atmosphere generated by 46,127 people at Croke Park - the biggest-ever crowd for a league final held in Ireland – on Saturday was brilliant. Leinster fans clearly got it, as evidenced by the momentous celebration of an early scrum penalty. It was similar the weekend before against Glasgow in the Aviva Stadium as players and fans worked in tandem. There has been some dismissive commentary on attendance numbers at Leinster games recently, but the reality is that they are one of the best-supported club teams in the world, along with Bordeaux. The Leinster faithful were rewarded on Saturday. Advertisement It was all the more satisfying because Leo Cullen's team produced their best performance of the season to finish it on a high. The disappointment of the Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton will linger, largely because Leinster weren't near their best. Dan Sheehan with the URC trophy. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Last weekend, with their first-ever URC title on the line, Leinster put all the pieces together. So, mixed in with all the joy of Saturday night was another emotion. 'I think it's more relief than anything that we got it done,' said experienced scrum-half McGrath as the dust settled on Leinster's 32-7 victory. The Irish province dismantled a good Bulls team. The South Africans, who pride themselves on physicality, were bullied by the Leinster pack for most of the game. The set-piece was the Bulls' real hope of pulling off a win but Leinster were on top in those battles. Clarkson, Andrew Porter and co. were excellent in the scrum. Leinster's lineout, which had been poor this season in the URC, has been solid more recently. A 100% return on their throw in the final was pleasing. There were moments of attacking genius from Leinster in among their muscular, disciplined approach to this final. Take, for example, the little dink in behind from Luke McGrath for Jordie Barrett to run onto, volley on the bounce, turning into a try. There was high-quality kicking, a prominent feature of Leinster's game all season but especially in these URC knock-out games. Prendergast's delightful 50:22 down the right was a standout example of how they put pressure on the Bulls in that domain. In truth, Leinster were better in all aspects. Finals are rarely such one-sided affairs but the Bulls were chasing shadows from early on. Even when they had a second-half surge of energy, Leinster rode it out and finished the game off in style. That was fitting because it reflected their overall season in the URC. 21 games played, 19 won, two lost. One of those defeats was a narrow loss to the Bulls in Pretoria, the other a bad day away to the Scarlets when Cullen and co. rested lots of frontliners. Max Deegan and Joe McCarthy. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO Otherwise, Leinster have been a picture of ruthless consistency in this URC campaign. They picked up 11 try-scoring bonus points in their 18 regular-season games, then scored 14 more tries in their three knock-out games. And all of this in the new, much more competitive URC era. Rarely has there been more deserving champions. It might be pointed out that this is what Leinster should have been doing in recent years. Which is fair. Whatever about not adding a fifth star in the Champions Cup, Leinster's inability to get over the line in the URC has arguably been a bigger issue given that there is no one else with resources like La Rochelle or Toulouse in the URC. Already, there has been talk about how Leinster lifting the URC trophy and getting the silverware monkey off their backs will have positive knock-on effects when the business end of the Champions Cup rolls around next year. That's true, of course. This success should instil Leinster with more belief that they can bring their A game on the big days. The Champions Cup will always remain Leinster's priority but that doesn't mean this URC success wasn't special. As the players glided around Croke Park on their lap of honour on Saturday, their families having joined them out on the pitch, it was clear that this impressive achievement means a hell of a lot to them.
Irish Times
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
URC final: How Leinster played the South African way and beat Bulls at their own game
Leinster started as they meant to go on. Early in Saturday's URC final , their first carry saw Josh van der Flier knocked backwards. One negative phase was enough. Luke McGrath went to the air, launching the first of nine box kicks. The next time Leinster had the ball, Jordie Barrett grubbered into Bulls territory. The kick in behind forced an error. Leinster won a scrum penalty and kicked into the 22. Jack Conan dotted down following a maul. Five minutes in, Leinster refused to play inside their own half, forced errors with a swarming kick chase, dominated the set-piece and scored off a maul. They beat the South Africans at their own game. READ MORE Back in January, this column pointed to a shift in Leinster's style. The question posed centred on how Leinster would look come knockout rugby. At that point, the stats suggested they combined a Springbok brutality with their innate desire to still play more with the ball than without. Would this mix hold when trophies were on the line? We got our answer on Saturday. The hallmark of South African teams, both at domestic and international level, is a willingness to play without the ball. They are happy to kick aplenty, win the territorial battle and wrest set-piece supremacy. When the time comes, they utilise their pace out wide to take the rare opportunities on offer. No high phase counts. Yet the Bulls finished Saturday with more carries than their hosts (106 vs 90). Leinster still made more clean breaks (10 vs 1) and post-contact metres (250 vs 222). Despite having less of the ball, the province entered the opposition 22 on 11 occasions. The Bulls did so just three times. Forty-two kicks out of hand were launched by men in blue, kicking once for every 2.8 passes. The Bulls kicked 33 times, once for every 3.2 passes. The set-piece? Leinster won all 12 of their lineouts. The Bulls lost three of their 18, with Ryan Baird pinching the first South African throw of the day. Leinster won the scrum penalty count 7-5. Leinster took a leaf out of their book on Saturday, with all four of their tries coming within three phases The surface level stats tell one story. Sometimes, digging deeper exposes the superficial numbers for exactly what they are. Not this time. In the build-up to this final, analyst Ross Hamilton pointed out that the Bulls scored over 70 per cent of their tries within three phases. That's the highest figure in the URC. Jake White's side don't need plenty of possession to do damage. Leinster took a leaf out of their book on Saturday, with all four of their tries coming within three phases. Conan struck one phase after a maul. Barrett's chip and chase from deep was a solitary phase after Jimmy O'Brien claimed a high ball. Van der Flier also scored off the back of a maul. Fintan Gunne's effort came on first phase. After that score, the TV cameras caught Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber high-fiving attack coach Tyler Bleyendaal in recognition of his efficient backline concoction. That should do it for A special moment for Fintan Gunne who all but secures a URC Grand Final victory 🙌 — Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) Leinster don't have the cattle to mimic South African rugby directly. The Springboks had speedsters such as Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse ready to strike with limited ball in years gone by. The Bulls had Canan Moodie and Seb de Klerk on Saturday. Irish rugby is desperate for Tommy O'Brien to develop into a similar devastating runner, but it was Barrett with the magic moment on Saturday. The All Black chased Luke McGrath's clever chip, expertly placed short of the deep backfield cover, before brilliantly kicking in behind once again to score. If Leinster continue down this road of working limited but gilt-edged opportunities for strike runners, Rieko Ioane will be a very interesting addition. What a moment for Jordie Barrett! 🇳🇿 The New Zealander scores on his final game for — Premier Sports (@PremSportsTV) Defensively, Leinster's system under Nienaber has been discussed to the nth degree . But it was arguably as effective as it ever has been on Saturday. The Bulls, historically dangerous within three phases, were forced into long passages of play, runners being knocked back time and again. The visiting pack as a whole made just 66 metres (Leinster's made 155); their ploy of one-off runners thwarted by Leinster's two, and often three-man tackles. They flooded collisions and breakdowns with bodies, creating chaos and forcing errors. Devoid of a plan B, when the Bulls tried to go wide, their feckless cross-kicks and floated passes were easily picked off. That Leinster won a trophy (albeit not the one they wanted), in Nienaber's second season, and beating a South African side at their own game, is noteworthy. But it is also an overly simple narrative. Bath and Leicester, two kick-heavy teams, just contested the Premiership final. Bordeaux and France won a Champions Cup and Six Nations respectively by mixing power, astute territorial play and a devastating Louis Bielle-Biarrey/Damian Penaud tandem. Knockout rugby has long gone the way of teams who kick plenty, target the set-piece, defend ferociously and strike quickly with the ball. Perhaps we should stop labelling Leinster's new style as South African. It may be a stark contrast to the high phase count of yesteryear, but they're simply adapting to modern rugby's winning formula.
BreakingNews.ie
14-06-2025
- Sport
- BreakingNews.ie
Saturday sport: Leinster leads the Bulls in URC final, Dublin take on Derry
Leinster are looking to pick up their first piece of silverware in four years. They have welcomed the Bulls to Dublin for the Grand Final of the URC. Advertisement Luke McGrath was a late replacement for Jamison Gibson Park who misses the game for the hosts. The South Africans have never won this tournament since making the move to the northern hemisphere. Leinster are currently up 19-0 after a strong start from the Irish side. ⏱️ | 13' TRY! What a score! Jordie Barrett gets on the end of Luke McGrath's dink over the top, kicks the ball through and is the first on the end of his own chase to touch down. Prendergast converts again. 🔵🔵 14-0 ⚪️⚪️ #LEIvBUL #NeverLessThanEverything — Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) June 14, 2025 GAA Dublin and Derry square off in a do-or-die clash in the final round of group games in the All-Ireland Football Championship. Advertisement The winner of that game in Newry will guarantee safe passage to the knockout stages. That Group 2 clash throws in at 6:30pm, as does the meeting of Armagh and Galway at Breffni Park. Meanwhile, Kerry look set to miss out on top spot in Group 2. They trail Meath by 14 points to 8 in their final group game which is just heading for half time in Tullamore. Advertisement Elsewhere, it's Cork 0-10 Roscommon 0-06 in the other game in that group. If it was to stay like that, Roscommon would exit the championship with Kerry, Meath and Roscommon progressing. The Kildare hurlers have gotten their All-Ireland campaign underway in Newbridge today. Dublin are their opponents in the preliminary quarter final and Dubs lead 2-14 to 5 points at the break. Advertisement Already today, Tipperary eased into the last 8 with a 3-32 to 18 point victory over Laois. One of two Tailteann Cup quarter finals are just underway this evening. Sligo and Fermanagh are facing off at Brewster Park where the ball has just been thrown in. Later, a semi final spot is up for grabs between Kildare and Offaly at 6:30pm. Advertisement Soccer Three games in the Women's National League managed to survive the bad weather today. Late on, Wexford FC are 4-1 up on Treaty United with Kylie Murphy hitting the back of the net twice in that game. Meanwhile DLR Waves lead Sligo Rovers 1-0. The game between Cork City and Galway United has just gotten underway. Sligo Rovers can pick themselves up off the bottom of the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division table this evening. They welcome Waterford in the only top flight game of the day. Kick off at the Showgrounds is at 7:45pm. Before that, Cobh Ramblers make the trip to the First Division's bottom side Longford Town at 7:30pm. Golf Rory McIlroy has not seen his luck improve dur his third round at the US Open. The reigning Masters champion bogeyed his third hole and has now fallen back to 7 over par. Sam Burns remains the player to catch, on three-under. Darts Ireland are into the quarter finals of the World Cup of Darts on Saturday evening. The team of Willie O'Connor and Keane Barry beat their Swiss opponents by 8 legs to 3 in their last 16 matchup in Frankfurt. They will face Northern Ireland in the next round on Sunday. Daryl Gurney and Josh Rock beat South Africa in their clash by 8 legs to 2. Rowing Tiarnan O'Donnell won a gold medal for Ireland in the World Rowing Cup. The Limerick native took the victory in the PR2 Men's Single Scull final at Varese in Italy. The Paris Paralympian only transferred his talents to rowing in recent years after previously captaining Ireland's wheelchair basketball team.
The 42
14-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Leinster suffer injury blow ahead of URC final as Jamison Gibson-Park is ruled out
LEINSTER HAVE BEEN forced into a late change for their URC final clash with the Bulls after Jamison Gibson-Park was ruled out with injury. 🚨 Squad Update: unfortunately Jamison Gibson-Park has been ruled out this morning. Best of luck to Luke McGrath who starts and Academy scrum-half Fintan Gunne named on the bench.#LEIvBUL #NeverLessThanEverything — Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) June 14, 2025 The Ireland international, who has been named in the Lions squad this summer, had been struggling for fitness in the build up to the Croke Park showdown. Leinster confirmed that he has failed to make the starting XV and is to replaced in the team by Luke McGrath. That has had a knock-on effect with the bench as academy graduate Fintan Gunne has been drafted in. Advertisement Around 45,000 supporters are due at GAA headquarters for the 5pm start with both Leinster and the Bulls looking for their first taste of URC glory.
