Latest news with #MichellePayne
News.com.au
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
On The Punt: Caulfield best bets for Saturday May 31, 2025
News Corp form analyst Chris Vernuccio takes a look at the Caulfield meeting on Saturday. â– â– â– â– â– BEST BET NIANCE (R8 No.7): Niance won both starts last spring, including the Group 3 How Now Stakes over subsequent Group 1 placegetter She's Bulletproof. The five-year-old mare missed the autumn after a paddock accident but has looked sharp in her trials. She has the talent to measure up in better races. NEXT BEST JIMMY THE BEAR (R6 No.3: Jimmy The Bear made a great return at Caulfield when he chased home War Machine, who has since won again and is now the favourite for the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap. The Patrick and Michelle Payne gelding has excellent second-up form with two wins and two seconds from four runs, and he has three wins at 1600m. BIG SWINGER (R3 No.1): Three-year-old Big Swinger thrashed his rivals first-up in a Benchmark 64 at Pakenham before stepping up to the Group 2 Arrowfield Sprint where he finished a close fifth as favourite.
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Munster leaning into emotions after difficult week at the province
Midway through Tuesday's media call in Durban, interim head coach Ian Costello asked if he could interrupt the questions from those back in Ireland to say something on behalf of Munster Rugby. In the last week, the province have had to share condolences with two families close to the organisation, following the deaths of Sheelagh Foley and Michelle Payne. Sheelagh, wife of former Munster player and current Munster branch president Brendan, and mother of their late captain Anthony, died peacefully last Friday. That news came a just a few days after the province remembered Michelle Payne, a former Munster Rugby employee and wife of their former full-back and team manager Shaun. Michelle died at home in South Africa last week following a two-year battle with breast cancer. "They were two very important people in the Munster community and a massive loss to us this week, and that's very close to our hearts," Costello said of both Sheelagh and Michelle. "Brendan and Sheelagh were here [in South Africa] this time last year, and Brendan picked up the phone and rang me Sunday morning to almost apologise for not coming and wished us the best. "Obviously Michelle and Shaun were huge in the club as well. That's really important to the group this week especially as we're in South Africa as well, very close to our heart." Munster Rugby would like to express its deepest condolences to the Foley & Collins families after the passing of Sheelagh Foley, the wife of Munster Branch President Brendan Foley and mother to Orla, Rosie and the late Anthony Foley. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam 🌹 — Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) May 23, 2025 The province are in Durban this week for a BKT URC quarter-final against the Sharks, and Costello says discussions have been taking place about an opportunity to honour the Foley and Payne families before the game on Saturday at Kings Park. Perhaps more than any other Irish side, Munster have always leaned into the emotional side of the game, most notably after the deaths of Anthony Foley, Tom Tierney and Greig Oliver in recent years, and Costello says it remains an important part of the team's identity. "Rugby is a very, very emotional game and I think any contact sport is. People talk about physically and mentally where you have to be. I think the third part of that is emotionally are you ready to invest everything you have and leave everything out on the pitch. Munster Rugby are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Michelle Payne, a former Munster staff member and wife of former team manager & player Shaun Payne, after a two-year battle against breast cancer. Our immediate thoughts are with Shaun, their children Dylan and Amy &… — Munster Rugby (@Munsterrugby) May 21, 2025 "That's you as an individual and you as a team, and when emotionally you're connected to a purpose or to a cause that comes out in any team sport, especially one as physically demanding as rugby, and then when you add in pride in terms of our province, our identity and what we stand for, what we represent, the people, how much we want to make people proud of our performance, so they can identify with who we are and what we're about, I think all of that amplifies a lot of the good that's there already and I think a lot of sports teams do it really well. "We really leaned into it the last couple of weeks to represent people that we really care about and what they mean to the organisation and that came out in the performance. We will continue that on this week as well." Even before the events of recent days, emotion had been a major part of the team's preparations for the wins against Ulster and Benetton, as they gave Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Stephen Archer their final games in Limerick and Cork, barring some surprise results in the play-offs. But Costello says while emotion will always be an important motivating factor, it has to be used in balance. "That's exactly the crux of it. And that's where I think the quality of the coaches [comes in] and the experience they have, the situations they have been in and also the senior players. "I won't go into what was said but Tadhg [Beirne] and Peter [O'Mahony] over the last couple of weeks, supported by other key guys like Jack [Crowley] and Craig [Casey], they spoke so well about the balance of using that emotion but also making sure it's balanced with a performance that's build on execution and accuracy and being really smart. "Same thing as discipline, if you're over-aroused you give away too many penalties but you want to be playing right on that edge. "When you've got coaches who are on it the way they are on it, and senior players that have lived it so many times, that really helps."
Irish Times
4 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Munster will need to dip into their reserves of emotional energy in Durban
If Munster are to defy the odds against a Sharks side studded with World Cup winners and X factor in front of a 54,000-capacity crowd in next Saturday's BKT URC quarter-final at Kings Park in Durban, as ever on such occasions the collective performance will have to add up to more than the sum of their parts. To that end, Munster will again need dip into their reserves of emotional energy. Munster's history is, unfortunately at times, sprinkled with examples of them uniting in times of need, most notably in their Champions Cup win over Glasgow at a crammed Thomond Park in October 2016 the day after Anthony Foley's funeral. More recently, the team and supporters were united in their last two regular-season games against Ulster and Benetton to ensure a fitting farewell for Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Stephen Archer, and secure the two wins required to qualify for these play-offs and next season's Champions Cup. That trio's Munster finale will remain a factor, and so will paying tribute to Michelle Payne, wife of former fullback Shaun and a one-time employee of the Munster Branch, and Sheelagh Foley, wife of former player Brendan and mother of 'Axel'. READ MORE In extending 'our deepest sympathies' to the two families, interim head coach Ian Costello said: 'They were two very important people in the Munster community and a massive loss to us this week, and that's very close to our hearts.' Speaking from Durban after the squad's arrival there, Costello added: 'Brendan rang me Sunday morning to almost apologise for not coming and wished us the best. 'Obviously Michelle and Shaun were huge in the club as well. That's really important to the group this week especially as we're in South Africa.' As Shaun Payne was fullback on the 2006 Heineken Cup-winning and also played for the Sharks, tributes to both families are being discussed. 'Rugby is a very, very emotional game and I think any contact sport is,' said Costello. 'People talk about physically and mentally where you have to be. I think the third part of that is emotionally: are you ready to invest everything you have and leave everything out on the pitch? [ Jack Crowley passed fit for Munster's journey to Durban Opens in new window ] 'That's you as an individual and you as a team. And when emotionally you're connected to a purpose or to a cause that comes out in any team sport, especially one as physically demanding as rugby, and then when you add in pride in terms of our province, our identity and what we stand for, what we represent. How much we want to make people proud of our performance, so they can identify with who we are and what we're about. I think all of that amplifies a lot of the good that's there already and a lot of sports teams do it really well. 'We really leaned into it the last couple of weeks to represent people that we really care about and what they mean to the organisation and that came out in the performance. We will continue that on this week as well.' Sean O'Brien of Munster tries to tackle Aphelele Fassi of Sharks at Kings Park, Durban on October 26th, 2024. Photograph: Darren Stewart/Inpho That said, utilising emotion is a balancing act. 'I won't go into what was said but Tadhg (Beirne) and Peter (O'Mahony) over the last couple of weeks, supported by other key guys like Jack (Crowley) and Craig (Casey), spoke so well about using that emotion but also making sure it's balanced with a performance that's built on execution and accuracy and being really smart. 'Same thing as discipline, if you're over-aroused you give away too many penalties but you want to be playing right on that edge. When you've got coaches who are on it the way they are on it, and senior players that have lived it so many times, that really helps.' Although conditions will not be unduly warm at the 6.30pm kick-off local time (5.30pm Irish), Costello said the humidity will make the ball very slippery. 'We'll train appropriately, in having the ball greasy at training and making sure that if the handling skills are difficult that we've contingencies around where we play the game and how we play the game.' Mike Haley of Munster and Eben Etzebeth of Sharks at Kings Park, Durban. Photograph: Darren Stewart/Inpho Munster will be seeking to win three matches in succession for the first time this season but touring also tightens the squad and they lifted the URC trophy two seasons ago by ending long unbeaten home runs at Glasgow, Leinster and the Bulls. The Sharks finished third with 62 points, compared to just 25 points when 14th last season, making them the most improved side this season. 'We obviously know that the quality is there. What we've seen over the last few weeks is how good they are off the ball, a team that's highly motivated, that scramble well, they're off the ground quickly. 'If you make a line break it takes a lot of finishing before you score. That's one of the key differences that we've picked up. Their work off the ball and their non-talent stuff is in a really good place in the last six to eight games anyway,' said Costello, who also singled out the Sharks' ability in transition. Costello maintained this game 'absolutely isn't a free shot'. 'Now that we're here, we're very, very ambitious on what we want to achieve,' he added. He believes the travelling squad is stronger than when beaten 41-24 by the Sharks in Durban last October in what proved to be Graham Rowntree's last game as head coach but admitted: 'We need to get to our best or very, very close to it. We need to be accurate. We need to execute well and physically, mentally and emotionally we need to be at the right pitch. 'If we go out and play as ourselves, if we're clear about our DNA, our identity, we want to play high-paced rugby, we want to keep the ball alive, we want to play with really, really quick rucks, to play in the right parts of the field, do that with a platform of having a really solid set-piece, and then apply our line speed and our contact work; if we can be true to our identity around those, that I think would beat anybody on their day.'
News.com.au
23-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Patrick and Michelle Payne-trained The Open primed to strike at Sandown
Consistent performer The Open has a perfect third-up record to uphold on Saturday at Sandown in the 1400m Benchmark 100. The Patrick and Michelle Payne -trained five-year-old, a seven-time winner from 16 starts, placed fourth the past two outings at Cranbourne and Caulfield respectively. The Open finished 2¼ lengths behind War Machine last start, a $3.60 favourite on Saturday in the Group 1 Stadbroke Handicap-qualifying Group 3 BRC Sprint at Doomben. 'He's a lovely horse,' Michelle Payne said of The Open. 'We'd love to have a stable of horses that honest, he's not a world beater but he's as consistent as you could hope for and lovely to work with. 'Hopefully gets his luck in running and he should put his best foot forward all going well.' Payne's nephew, apprentice jockey Tom Prebble has the chance to bank a third win on The Open. • Prebble has ridden The Open four times previously for two wins and a second. The 22-year-old rode his first stakes winner last Saturday at Flemington. 'Absolutely thrilled for him,' Payne said. 'He's very hardworking, down to earth, a lovely kid and improving all the time. 'He's resilient. He's determined. Hopefully he can keep taking the next step, progress through his apprenticeship and into his senior career.' Prebble has ridden 110 winners to date including a combined 21 for the Payne siblings, individually and in partnership. 'Anytime you win with family it makes it even more special,' Payne said. • Payne praised Prebble's dedication to the craft and determination. Despite a rich racing pedigree Prebble, son of champion jockey Brett Prebble and Maree Payne, only started riding horses seriously about five years' ago. 'He wanted to do it, I think that's half the battle when you've got someone very determined,' Payne said. 'Even though he didn't have the upbringing we had (riding from an early age) and the interest, he's a good little athlete, and he's from two of the most competitive people in the world, Maree and Brett. 'If he wasn't determined it was definitely going to be a shock, thrown to his parents that's for sure.'
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘Deeply saddened' – Munster Rugby mourning untimely death of former staff member and ex-player's wife
MUNSTER Rugby are mourning the death of former staff member Michelle Payne who has passed away from cancer. She was also the wife of ex-player and later team manager Shaun Payne. Advertisement 2 Michelle Payne has tragically died from breast cancer Credit: @MUNSTERRUGBY 2 Cape Town native Shaun Payne played for the Reds on 109 occasions between 2003-2008 A club statement read: "Munster Rugby are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Michelle Payne, a former Munster staff member and wife of former team manager & player Shaun Payne, after a two-year battle against breast cancer. "Our immediate thoughts are with Shaun, their children Dylan and Amy & the wider Payne family. "May she rest in peace." Among the replies to the Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport Dylan Payne commented: "Thank you Munster. So many good memories." There were other heartfelt tributes from those who knew her during her time at the club. Former player Barry Murphy added: "Rest in Peace, Michelle. Such a beautiful person." Supporter Michelle Tobin also expressed her sympathy while relaying a nice memory from the club's trip to South Africa in 2018. Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union She wrote: "Gutted to hear the news. "She was a special part of the trip to South Africa for the Munster games in 2018, such a big heart and a genuinely lovely person. Shocking moment enormous brawl breaks out in rubgy league after 'horrendous hit' "Sincere sympathies to Shaun, Dylan and Amy." Similarly Carly Justin contributed: "Such heartbreaking news, we were lucky to meet the family down in SA in 2018 and Michelle was so friendly & welcoming. Advertisement "My thoughts are with her family & friends at this difficult time." Finally, She posted: "Such heartbreaking news. What a lady. "I will always remember her gorgeous smile. RIP. Love to Shaun, Dylan & Amy." Advertisement
