Latest news with #RónanKelleher
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
What TV channel is Leinster versus Scarlets on? Stream, kick-off time and odds as URC play-offs get under way
LEINSTER ought to progress to the final four in the URC play-offs this afternoon once they take care of business against Scarlets. The Blues will be forewarned for today's tussle though since they Advertisement Here's everything to know about how to watch today's knockout match-up: What TV channel is Leinster versus Scarlets on? The match will be shown live on So everyone can avail of the free streaming platform provided by the RTE Player. Kick-off from the Aviva Stadium will be at 3pm. Advertisement Read More On Irish Sport What are the odds? This doesn't bode well for an entertaining contest - The visitors are 19/1 to pull off the giant-killing while you can back the two teams to finish level after 80 minutes at 50/1. The handicap is set at +/-24 points. Leinster team: Leinster: Hugo Keenan; Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan (capt). Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Ciarán Frawley. What's been said in the build-up? Rónan Kelleher knows Leinster played their part in Scarlets being in the play-offs — and now 'Jack Crowley he's coming for you' jokes Peter O'Mahony's wife Jess as son practices his rugby skills Kelleher was one of the few frontline players picked when the province played in Llanelli last month, a week before their The hooker was handed the honour of being captain for the first time but he will have mixed memories of the occasion given his side suffered a shock 35-22 defeat. Advertisement That helped today's foes claim the last place in the play-off but there should only be one outcome when the top seed meets the bottom seed at home. Kelleher said: 'Off the back of that they got into the play-offs and I thought they were really good on the day. 'I thought we were poor in parts as well, but we know how much of a threat they can cause. "Having played in it, you obviously get it first hand. Advertisement 'We took a lot of learnings from that game, what we did wrong, what we need to get right the next day and I think that is going to be a massive challenge this weekend. 'They have some good players. Obviously in the Six Nations it was a very tight game over in Cardiff at the time.' 1 Jack Conan will captain the team in the absence of Caelan Doris
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Jimmy O'Brien set for 100th Leinster appearance as Leo Cullen names team to face Scarlets
Jimmy O'Brien will make his 100th appearance for Leinster when they face Scarlets in the United Rugby Championship quarter-finals. Leo Cullen has named his Leinster team to take on Scarlets in the last eight of the URC at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick off is 3pm and it will be shown live on RTÉ2 and Premier Sports 1). O'Brien will make his 100th appearance in blue as he has been named on the wing, with James Lowe coming back into the team on the opposite side and Hugo Keenan named at full-back. Read More Munster starting team unchanged but bench tweaked for URC quarter-final Jamie Osborne partners Jordie Barrett in the centre while Sam Prendergast starts at out-half with Jamison Gibson-Park at scrum-half. Jack Conan captains the team once more from number eight as Ryan Baird continues at blindside flanker and Josh van der Flier takes the number seven jersey. James Ryan is partnered in the second row by Joe McCarthy, with Andrew Porter and Thomas Clarkson scrumming down either side of Rónan Kelleher at hooker. Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle and Rabah Slimani offer the front row cover from the bench, with RG Snyman, Max Deegan and Scott Penny all named among the replacements. Luke McGrath and Ciarán Frawley complete the matchday 23. Read More Rónan Kelleher and Leinster determined to go full bore for URC run-in Leinster (v Scarlets): Hugo Keenan, Jimmy O'Brien, Jamie Osborne, Jordie Barrett, James Lowe, Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Thomas Clarkson, Joe McCarthy, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan. Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Jack Boyle, Rabah Slimani, RG Snyman, Max Deegan, Scott Penny, Luke McGrath, Ciarán Frawley.
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
How rugby could take a leaf out of NFL's book regarding off-season
Are you 'all rugby'd out'? That's how a former international referee, who Johnny Watterson bumped in to recently, described himself, this season, just like last, having 'a never-ending feel to it' . If either Leinster or Munster reach the URC final, that will mean their campaigns, which began in September, will stretch to June 14th - and after that it'll be a Lions tour or Irish duty for a good chunk of their players. Johnny reckons rugby could learn from the NFL and their nine-week off-season programme which is designed to ease the workload on their crew. Alex Nankivell is, though, very much hoping Munster's season will extend to June 14, Johnny talking to him ahead of their quarter-final against the Sharks in Durban. And John O'Sullivan hears from Rónan Kelleher who was thrilled to receive that Lions call-up , but his focus for now is on Leinster's meeting with Scarlets. In soccer, we preview the Republic of Ireland's game away to Turkey this evening in the women's Nations League, and Gavin Cummiskey brings news of the men's squad named by Heimir Hallgrímsson for the friendlies against Senegal and Luxembourg. In his mid-season report, Gavin also looks at Shamrock Rovers' campaign so far , the table-toppers driven by the era-defining trinity of Roberto Lopes, Dylan Watts and Graham Burke. In hurling, Joe Canning has his doubts about the wisdom of playing Sunday's Leinster final between Galway and Kilkenny in Croke Park, but that aside, 'if you're a Galway supporter, you'd be hopeful' , their win over Dublin in Parnell Park 'a big result on several levels'. But? 'This Kilkenny team, pound-for-pound, are still as good as any team out there,' he says. READ MORE Paul Keane talks to New York's Tipperary-born hurler Tom O'Meara in the build-up to tomorrow's Lory Meaghar Cup final against Cavan, while Ciarán Kirk has a word with Derry's Cormac O'Doherty ahead of their Christy Ring Cup final meeting with London. In her column, Sonia O'Sullivan writes about Achilles injuries, the ones 'that all athletes dread to even think about' . Just such a blight has Norwegian star Jakob Ingebrigtsen off-track at the moment, and cost Ciara Mageean an Olympic appearance last year, Sonia no stranger herself to the scourge. And in horse racing, after the case involving the Ted Walsh-trained Ta Na La, the horse suspended for breaching the 'non-trier' rules, Brian O'Connor believes it's time for the sport to 'professionalise' and ditch its 'outmoded stewarding model'. Otherwise, the betting public will remain less than reassured. TV Watch : Shane Lowry and Leona Maguire are back in action today in the second rounds of the Memorial (Sky Sports Golf, 4.30) and US Open (Sky Sports Mix, 5.0), Lowry in contention after opening with a 69 , but Maguire, who carded a 76, well off the pace in Wisconsin. Later, the Republic of Ireland's women are away to Turkey in the Nations League (RTÉ2, 6pm) and at 7.45, Bohemians host Derry City in the Premier Division (Virgin Media Two, 7.45).
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Rónan Kelleher and Leinster determined to go full bore for URC run-in
Rónan Kelleher didn't watch all of last Saturday's Champions Cup final between Bordeaux-Begles and Northampton Saints. The bit he did take in was more than enough to stir understandable pangs of regret. 'You naturally are thinking when you're watching it, 'it could have been us', but this year wasn't to be. Nothing we can do about it now, just focus on something that we can control, which is [the URC] and we'll focus on next year, next year.' It's already four weeks since Leinster let slip another golden opportunity to claim a fifth star by losing that semi-final to the Saints at the Aviva Stadium. Would they have beaten Bordeaux in Cardiff? We'll never know, and that should hurt too. If there was the sliver of a silver lining then it was in the fact that a former Leinster man got a winner's medal, even if Joey Carbery didn't feature on the day. And there was the input of another former Leinster employee in Noel McNamara. Now attack coach with Bordeaux, McNamara held a handful of different development roles at Leinster and he was a highly-rated Ireland U20s head coach when Kelleher was progressing through that portion of the national system. 'A legend. He has obviously done a great job, he's a great fella. I'm happy for him. As disappointed as I am it wasn't us, you're glad when it is one of your own gets a chance. 'I'm absolutely delighted for Noel and he has done a fantastic job, even going off to the Sharks before that. He did a great job with them as well. He's brilliant.' Kelleher's own frustrations were salved in part only five days after that Northampton loss when he was one of a dozen Leinster players, including housemate Hugo Keenan, to be selected for the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia. This will be his second summer in red. Four years ago he didn't make Warren Gatland's initial squad only to be called-up as a fourth, back-up hooker shortly after scoring four tries for Ireland against the USA in what was just his 12th Test cap. He arrived in South Africa the week of the first Test against the Springboks. This will be very different, as he beds in with the other 37 travellers from the off for a tour that won't be pared back and denuded of its usual colour by a pandemic. Kelleher has already checked in with the Lions for a get-to-know-you operational day in London two Sundays ago when they mingled with staff and fellow players and got to share the odd coffee and beer. Very different to 2021. 'Absolutely. There were no fans [then], so it was a very different tour. That kind of had its pros and cons. A pro was probably that you got to know everyone pretty well because you kind of had to. You were in each other's space 24/7. 'I was out there for, whatever it was, four weeks plus the Jersey training camp. In that regard it was good because you got to know everyone, but it wasn't really touring. From the chat we had over in London that time, it's going to be an unbelievable experience. 'The way people who have talked to us, who have been on that previous Lions tour, have said it has been brilliant, some of the highlights of their lives. Please God, all going well, it will be a good tour.' But forget the Lions and the Champions Cup for now. Leinster's ongoing failure to convert their raw materials and resources into trophies this past three seasons had already been an issue before the Saints defeat at the start of this month. Fail to win a first URC title and the klaxons will be blaring. That the URC is the less shiny of the two baubles available is undeniable but three successive semi-final league defeats have added considerably to the sense of a team saddled with a mental brittleness. They need to change that. 'Each year our goal is to win both. We put big emphasis on both. There has always been a massive focus. If there wasn't, it'd be doing a disservice to the lads who put in a big shift all year, who maybe aren't playing the European games and stuff like that. 'So it's absolutely massive for us as a group, as a whole, and also to give everyone a chance of lifting silverware, but probably most importantly the lads that are moving on and the lads who have gotten you to this point.'
Irish Times
3 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Rónan Kelleher parks all thoughts of Lions to focus on winning URC arm-wrestle against Scarlets
Fans can't stand the tedium of multiple collapsed scrums. The grumbling displeasure is audible on the first reset. Those who operate at the coalface of the scrum get fed up too. However, while they may find themselves tut-tutting, they will soon be trying to bend laws and bodies simultaneously. Leinster's Rónan Kelleher not only champions a fair contest but explains the pitfalls in layman's terms. 'To be honest, it's a part of my game I do love, but we need to get to the point where we're able to have that contest. That's the big thing. People are trying to de-power teams by loading up and trying to pre-engage. That's when it becomes messy. 'That is when teams are standing up, that's when you don't have a gap. You need that gap to be able to hit into. To allow both teams to get into a pushing position. Then it just becomes about technique and strength. READ MORE 'Ask any front-rower and they enjoy that. They want to get into a pushing contest and actually compete. They don't want to be making it messy.' The conversation turns to the beleaguered supporters who fidget in frustration. Kelleher said: 'We don't like it either. It's also part of our game that we like, in terms of playing off a stable base, a scrum going forward. If we get a penalty advantage, it allows the backs to throw that extra pass. It's something that we want to do.' On Saturday, the Scarlets will pose a fresh examination for Leinster at the Aviva Stadium on foot of a recent victory in west Wales. A place in the semi-final of the United Rugby Championship is at stake. One of the questions set is whether Leinster have figured out how to ensure a full-on contest at scrum time. Rónan Kelleher scores Leinster's first try in their URC victory against Zebre on May 10th. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho Kelleher explained: 'They're quite good, tricky to manage, to be fair. Someone like Ryan Elias is experienced, he's quite good. Henry Thomas is obviously a very experienced scrummager as well. Alec Hepburn has been around the block. I think the word I'd use is 'tricky', to be honest. 'There has been a bit in the past about how some teams like to load up a lot of weight and you get that load on the neck in the scrum. I think they're a team that probably favours that a bit. It's just about how you manage that with the referee and how you get through that game. 'How you communicate that as well, because it's important that we get clean scrums,' he said in the hope of avoiding a catalogue of collapsed set pieces or frontrows standing up because of the instability. Kelleher has been selected to tour Australia with the Lions . Four years ago, in South Africa, he was called up late but didn't feature. This time he's in from the get-go, an 'original' in Andy Farrell's squad. He had company at the big reveal. 'I finished up training [at Leinster], grabbed the gear bag, ran home,' he said. 'I live with Hugo Keenan, so it was the two of us just watching it together. It was tense. When I left [Leinster training] I was like 'jeez, it's happening in the next half an hour'. But obviously it dragged on a bit. It was pretty nervy, the two of us just on the couch watching it. Rónan Kelleher (right) with Lions teammates James Lowe (left) and Maro Itoje. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho 'I was absolutely delighted once my name was called – thrilled. We had to wait another couple of minutes until Hugo's name was called, so we could both celebrate together.' The squad was called out in order of forwards first, then backs, rather than in alphabetical order. [ Why James Lowe is determined for Cian Healy and Ross Byrne to leave Leinster with a medal this season Opens in new window ] [ Munster's Calvin Nash looking to give standout performance in the Shark Tank Opens in new window ] He continued: 'As soon as my name was announced, my phone started buzzing. I had to throw it away until Hugo's thing. It was pretty surreal to be honest, but it was unbelievable.' For now, it's all about Saturday's game. The elation and excitement associated with all matters Lions has been put to the back of Kelleher's mind. He said: 'It's very much focused on the here and now. We (Leinster) were disappointed with the finish in Europe and now all our eyes are on this competition and trying to win this one (URC).' The next step to beat the Scarlets.
