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Extra.ie
4 days ago
- Business
- Extra.ie
Ireland's World Cup hopes just got a massive boost
Irish rugby is in a strange place at the moment. The national side has fallen off where it was a couple of years ago, appearing uncertain in style and selection and with core players looking like their best years may be behind them. Finlay Bealham and Peter O'Mahony celebrate victory over New Zealand on the 2022 tour where Ireland made history with a series win. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Between November 2021 and November 2023, it is no exaggeration to say that Ireland were setting the standards in world rugby and the rest were following. They have been caught. Lions selection notwithstanding, the likes of Jamison Gibson-Park, Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Tadhg Furlong (battling persistent injury issues) have not been as effective as in the past and, with all headed for their mid-30s, it creates considerable doubt around Ireland's prospects of ending their quarter-final curse at Australia 2027. Ireland stars Bundee Aki, James Lowe and Jamison Gibson-Park are now well into their mid-30s. INPHO/Dan Sheridan Added to this have been the struggles at provincial level. Ulster, Munster and Connacht are in the doldrums while Leinster, despite intoxicating resources, are lacking clear direction and seem riddled by insecurity. The good news is: there is time to put it right. The next World Cup is still over two years away and Ireland has had enough of being top of the pile midway between tournaments only to flop when it actually matters. Stuart Lancaster had a difficult time as head Coach of Racing 92. Pic: Getty Images So, the news that Stuart Lancaster is to take over Connacht rugby could not have come at a better time. Though he never sought it, Lancaster has become something of a messiah within the game here, a wisdom-dispensing guru with the ability to elevate the ordinary to the exceptional. Casual observers might see the 55-year-old's move from senior coach at Leinster, one of Europe's elite sides for more than a decade, to head coach at Top14 strugglers Racing 92 to Connacht as something of a downward spiral – it is far from it. Leinster's Senior Coach Stuart Lancaster and Head Coach Leo Cullen enjoyed huge success. Pic: INPHO/Dan Sheridan True, the western province has traditionally lagged behind the 'big three' of Leinster, Munster and Ulster but Pat Lam (and to a lesser extent Andy Friend) proved that, with the right man in charge, Connacht can have a serious impact. And Lancaster is the right man. Not only a superb on-field coach and tactician, the Englishman also has a proven record of creating the right culture. That includes his time with England, which is often dismissed because of how it ended at the 2015 World Cup but prior to that, Lancaster had forged an excellent environment out of the ashes of ill-discipline at the 2011 World Cup. Connacht's former head coach Pat Lam and Bundee Aki with the Pro12 trophy in 2016. Pic:INPHO/James Crombie When Leo Cullen brought him to Leinster in 2016, they were in a poor state after the tricky Matt O'Connor reign and, freed from front of house scrutiny by Cullen, Lancaster transformed the Blues into a trophy-winning machine. He will not have the resources to the do the same with Connacht but he is guaranteed to get them humming again. However, it is the wider context that makes this development so encouraging. The likes of Josh van der Flier developed hugely under Lancaster at Leinster. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile Lancaster's influence during his 2016-2023 spell with Leinster had far-reaching repercussions. The players who came through under his tutelage brought world-class quality onto the interna-tional stage and, when Ireland also began to mirror the style of play fostered by Lancaster at Leinster, they really hit their straps. When Ireland were excelling in that 2021-23 period, Lancaster's fingerprints were over all of it. If there is Connacht talent that can help the national cause, Lancaster will develop it and his presence alone will attract better players out west. Cian Prendergast is one of Connacht's brightest talents. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile With only four professional franchises, the IRFU need all of them funnelling a steady stream of quality options onto the national stage and that has not been the case for Munster, Ulster or Connacht in recent seasons. Lancaster will be embraced and adored by the defiantly optimistic Connacht faithful and his style of expansive, have a crack, 'comfortable in chaos' rugby suits the mentality out west and was something Lam and Friend tapped into successfully. It is unclear how much an influence IRFU high performance director David Humphreys had in this appointment but it had to be signed off on and there is no doubt Irish rugby stands to benefit hugely from it. IRFU Performance Director David Humphreys. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady Lancaster's arrival may make some in the unconvincing Ireland coaching roles shift uneasily in their seats because he is a lot of voltage on the Irish rugby ticket and, depending on how he goes with Connacht, there may be a desire to bring him onboard for the World Cup. But if that is what needs to happen, so be it. Forty years of World Cup failure means everything is on the table and no-one is safe, or ruled out. It is going to be fascinating to see how this all plays out, but one thing is certain – having Stuart Lancaster back in the Irish system is a massive step in the right direction.
Irish Times
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Irish Times
Gerry Thornley: all four Irish provinces beaten on same weekend for first time since March 2015
All seems even less hunky dory underneath the surface after that weekend. For the first time since March 2015 all four Irish sides lost on the same weekend, on top of which the Ireland women's team suffered their most sobering reality check of the campaign. That said, for those in Clontarf, Nenagh, Trinity, Dungannon, Skerries and Thomond it was the best weekend of the season. The last time all four Irish provinces lost on the same weekend was in the old Pro 12, when the quartet each suffered defeats to Welsh opposition. As then Leinster lost away to the Scarlets, while Munster , beaten in Cardiff on Friday night, lost to the Ospreys a decade ago. Connacht had a fall off in performance after their brave effort in defeat to the Stormers when losing to the Lions last Saturday, while Ulster were worn down by the Sharks' superior physicality and depth on Saturday night. Leinster, of course, could afford just a second defeat of the season, especially as Glasgow were outmuscled at home by the Stormers on Friday night, so maintaining the eight-point gap at the top the table ahead of next Saturday's Champions Cup showdown against a dangerous Northampton. READ MORE Victory at home to Zebre a week later would ensure top seeding in the BKT URC playoffs ahead of their final game at home to Glasgow; additionally helpful if they have reached a fourth successive Champions Cup final a week later. By contrast Munster, Ulster and Connacht have all fallen outside the top eight, and there is a distinct likelihood that Ireland will only have two sides in next season's Champions Cup for the first time ever, with the possibility that this may even be one side. That would be quite a fall. Munster and Ulster meet at Thomond Park next Friday week in what is now a dog-eat-dog scrap for playoff and Champions Cup qualification between two provinces who have been ever-presents in the 30 years of the latter competition. Ireland captain Edel McMahon speaking to the team huddle after the game against Scotland in Edinburgh on April 26th, 2025. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho While Munster now sit ninth behind Benetton, with both on 41 points, by dint of winning less matches they have their destiny in their own hands as they also host the Italian outfit at Musgrave Park in the final round six nights later. By contrast an Ulster squad even more lacking in depth sit in 12th on 38 points, and so their need is the more acute in Thomond Park ahead of a trek to Edinburgh, who are 10th, on the ensuing Friday. Connacht's chances of the top eight are more remote as they sit 14th on 35 points and must finish with wins at home to Edinburgh and away to Zebre if they are to have any chance of a top-eight place. Significantly, the Welsh quartet finish their campaigns with two games in South Africa. The fear always lurked that for all the huge improvement in the Ireland women's team in the last 12 months some of it had to be attributed to the return of Olympian Sevens players who were unavailable in last season's Six Nations, and that while they have become a good team they are not yet a good squad. In the absence of the hugely influential Sam Monaghan, Erin King and Aoife Wafer, that lack of depth was further exposed when losing Edel McMahon and Dorothy Wall in the first half of last Saturday's loss to Scotland in Edinburgh. It's still been a campaign of progress, with more competitive displays at home to England and France, as well as the high point of the win in Parma. But Saturday's defeat is a setback psychologically, and certainly gives the first World Cup warm-up match against Scotland in Cork on August 2nd more significance. Either way while a World Cup semi-final is still a viable target, beating New Zealand again in the pool stages or overcoming France in the quarter-final looks a tall order, particularly after the stirring late comeback by Les Bleus in losing 43-42 in Saturday's Grand Slam decider against England. Clontarf's Hugh Cooney against Cork Constitution at the Aviva Stadium on April 27th, 2025. Photograph: Bryan Keane/Inpho Amid all this club rugby was seen at its best on the final weekend of the AIL as UL Bohs and Clontarf secured All-Ireland titles again at the Aviva Stadium. À la the Joey Carbery final when Clontarf beat Cork Constitution in 2016, last Sunday wasn't quite the Hugh Cooney final, but it wasn't far off it either. As a Clontarf centre who came through Blackrock, Cooney is not the first to plot such a journey, and while not wanting to saddle him unduly with comparisons to The Great One, with his leg power, explosiveness, pace and low centre of gravity the 21-year-old has similar attributes. Cooney and Hugh Gavin look like being the first of the new crop of young centres coming through to be capped this summer in Tbilisi or Georgia. Meanwhile Nenagh Ormond became the first Tipperary club to be promoted to Division 1A and Trinity preserved their 1B status with dramatic two-score comebacks at home to wilting UCC and Cashel sides. Dungannon won promotion to 1B by winning in Navan, Skerries stayed in 2B by beating Midleton at home, and Thomond reclaimed their AIL status by winning in Omagh in the only game that wasn't a one-score affair. The league has found a niche. Ten-team divisions and playoffs ensure jeopardy and a dearth of dead rubbers until the very end. But having the finals a week after the semi-finals, which are just a fortnight after the three-game rush to the season's final standings, is just too demanding a load for the mostly amateur and semi-pro players. The best final of recent times was two years ago, when Terenure beat Clontarf 50-24, which was a fortnight after the semi-finals. That's the way it should be. The AIL finals could have been held next Sunday, on the May bank holiday weekend, which would also help rather than hinder clubs outside Dublin such as Cork Constitution in bringing members and fans to Dublin. It would also afford the IRFU, sponsors and finalists two weeks to promote the finals. The May bank holiday weekend should be enshrined in the club calendar as All-Ireland club rugby weekend. If occasionally this clashed with Leinster matches or the finals were lost to either TG4 or from the Aviva to somewhere else nor would that be the end of the world.
The Irish Sun
28-04-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Irish provinces set unwanted 10-year record after shocking round of URC fixtures
LEINSTER'S position at the top of the United Rugby Championship standings remains unchanged following the latest round of fixtures. Leo Cullen's side suffered 2 Connacht's hope of making the URC playoffs are all but over - as are their hopes of qualifying for the Champions Cup 2 Ulster are in a similar position to Connacht - While Munster have fallen outside the playoff positions But the three other Irish provinces are in a worrying positions as the season hits crunch-time. Munster suffered a Connacht followed with a heavy Munster have dropped out of the top eight into ninth place. read more on rugby Ulster and Connacht's chances of reaching the knockout stages are now slim, with Richie Murphy's Ulster side in 12th and Connacht in 14th. Connacht has just five wins from 16 matches this season. It was the first time in ten years that all four Irish provinces lost on the same weekend. The previous occasion came during round 17 of the 2014/15 Pro12 season, when Leinster, Munster, Ulster and Connacht were all defeated. Most read in Rugby Union On that weekend, Scarlets beat Leinster, Ospreys overcame Munster, Dragons defeated Ulster, and Cardiff Blues saw off Connacht. At present, Irish provinces face a more difficult situation. 'That time of year again' - Peter O'Mahony's captivating garden update includes hilarious tip for parents With two rounds remaining, Munster must secure positive results against Ulster and Benetton to qualify for the URC playoffs and ensure participation in next season's Champions Cup. While Ulster and Connacht also remain mathematically in contention but would require favourable results elsewhere in addition to winning their remaining fixtures.
