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RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Irish 'masters' of sledging - Jacques Nienaber plays down Sharks-Munster end-game
Jacques Nienaber scoffed at the suggestion that Irish players aren't as adept at sledging and rugby's dark arts as their South African counterparts when asked about Munster's exit from the URC at the hands of Sharks. Munster drew 24-24 with the Durban-based side in Saturday's quarter-final, but lost out 6-4 in the place-kicking shootout after extra time. The game had plenty of niggle and bite and some have suggested that Jaden Hendrikse (below) crossed the line when he went down with cramp following his second kick. The scrum-half fell to the ground and received attention after what was a gruelling 100 minutes of rugby. However, he was lying too close to Munster kicker Jack Crowley's line, according to the referee, and appeared to wink at the out-half when the medical staff arrived on the scene. Crowley, for his part, was happy to continue but had to wait almost two and a half minutes before landing the kick. The Ireland back was seen exchanging angry words with the Sharks medical staff after the kick. Former Springboks head coach Nienaber, under whom Hendrikse won most of the 20 international caps, was asked about the incident but said it was all part of the game. "No [I don't make much of it]," the Leinster senior coach, whose side face Glasgow Warriors in the semi-finals, told RTÉ Sport "If you listen to the referee's mic in a game without the commentary, you can just listen to what happens on the field, I mean there's a lot of that happening in the game. "It's probably because it's silent and quite and very individualised [during the shootout], it's more static and it's probably elevated. "The banter, the craic, or whatever you want to call it, trying to get into opposition heads is something that happens throughout the game. "You try to do it physically, you try to do it with your mouth, you try to do it at set-piece, a lot of things, rubbing guys' hair, faces in the ground, it happens throughout the 80 minutes." Asked if he found that Irish players were just as good at dishing it out, he laughed and remembered the furore over an incident during Ireland's win in the second Test against New Zealand in 2022 when Peter O'Mahony called Sam Cane "a s*** Richie McCaw". The 52-year-old said: "You are masters at it, the Irish, 'craic', isn't that the word you use? The Irish have never fell on their mouths, ever. "You ask if Irish players do it [as much]? Wasn't there a thing about Pete [O'Mahony] and Sam Cane? "So there's your answer." Leinster, who beat Scarlets 33-21 at the weekend, play Warriors at Aviva Stadium on Saturday (2.45pm, live on RTÉ) with the prize of a Croke Park Grand Final against Bulls or Sharks on the line. Nienaber said that practicing kicks, in the event of a tie after extra-time, is part of their routine during the knockout season. He said: "Not just for this week. It was the same for Europe in the knockout games. It's been something that's living within the team since the Six Nations." Glasgow impressed in a five-try win over Stormers last Friday and ran Leinster close when the sides met in a dead rubber URC fixture over two weeks ago. Having lost their Champions Cup tie 52-0 in April, the 13-5 defeat showed clear improvement and Nienaber is expecting another close clash against the defending champions. "It's completely different than the league stages," he said. "They are a team that relish this stage of the competition. "They are striking quite some form as you can see. "With the teams that get through to the semi-finals and finals of big competitions, there's not one big area that's a particular threat. "I don't think they had a lot of lineouts [against Stormers] but the ones they got, they capitalised on. "They had to launch attacks from other positions, that's the quality of Glasgow."
The Irish Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Brian O'Driscoll's savage reply to hearing Peter O'Mahony & Sam Cane are burying the hatchet as he references old foe
BRIAN O'Driscoll cracked a joke about a former nemesis of his while reacting to word of Peter O'Mahony and Sam Cane becoming the unlikeliest of teammates. O'Mahony infamously taunted the All Black skipper during 4 Cane was clearly fulled by O'Mahony's jibe when the two sides met in France a year later 4 The 35-year-old will be hoping to sign off with Munster by helping on a storybook URC play-off run 4 Earlier this month O'Driscoll was inducted into Leinster Rugby's Hall of Fame 4 O'Driscoll harked back to Tana Umaga's spear tackle that ended his 2005 Lions tour after only 41 seconds Credit: AP:Associated Press While O'Mahony and Ireland took that battle, the All Blacks ultimately won the war as Cane and his charges It's since been widely remarked that the flanker producing one of the best performances of his career was largely down to him That's why Thursday's news that Responding to the idea of them packing down in the same back-row, Brian O'Driscoll harked back to his own notorious clash with a legendary All Black. Read More On Irish Sport While appearing on Replying in deadpan fashion, he said: "Yeah I don't know if you know this but myself and Tana Umaga are actually the coaches for that Barbarians tour." After the laughter subsided he then continued: "Ah listen, things are said on the pitch. "I think often more is made of it in the press than actually meets the eye amongst players. Most read in Rugby Union It'll be an opportunity for Pete and Sam Cane to bury the hatchet and spend a bit of time together. "Sometimes the issue is that it's so transient that there's no opportunity for players to get to know one another. 'That time of year again' - Peter O'Mahony's captivating garden update includes hilarious tip for parents "Certainly when you play southern hemisphere opposition the chance to hang out for a week and room with people that you wouldn't ordinarily room with is enlightening around the people behind the players. "It'll be a little bit akin to the Lions tour because you'll have preconceived notions around people but actually, you don't really know them. "You only see them in interviews and what they're like on the field. "And sometimes that doesn't always lead to you forming a favourable view of them." The 46-year-old was then quizzed on if he and Umaga had ever mended fences after the latter and Keven Mealamu had brutally injured his shoulder less than a minute into the first Test between the Lions and New Zealand back in 2005. Alluding to them eventually meeting up post-retirement, he added: "Yeah, yeah it's all good. It took a while for us to properly get closure. "It dragged on unnecessarily as we live on opposite sides of the world but yeah, we text each other the odd time nowadays." It'll serve as the final match in O'Mahony's lengthy career while the scrum-half will continue on playing with
IOL News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Welcome new World Rugby red card law punishes the individual, not the team or spectacle
Sam Cane Former All Black captain Sam Cane, seen here after the 2023 World Cup final, was red-carded in the first half against the Springboks. Photo: AFP Image: AFP Comment by Mike Greenaway World Rugby has confirmed that the controversial 20-minute red card system will be used in all rugby competitions from August 1. This is despite an outcry, mostly from the northern hemisphere, where critics contend that it will encourage foul play because 20 minutes is insufficient punishment. The new law, which has been trialled for a year in several competitions, permits a team to replace their red-carded player when a 20-minute period has elapsed. This means that the team with the offender is only down to 14 men for 20 minutes. World Rugby argues that this means games are not ruined as a spectacle because of a red card. Many southern hemisphere folk, and I am among that number, feel this is correct. Firstly, the culprit's game ends, so he or she has been punished, their team has been compromised for 20 minutes, but then it is 15 against 15 once more, and that gives the spectacle a much better chance of surviving. Also, the offending player often has done so accidentally. New Zealanders point out the example of All Black Sam Cane's red card in the 2023 World Cup. The captain clearly did not mean to make contact with the head of Jesse Kriel, in the 28th minute, and his team played without him for the rest of the game. Under the new law, Cane would have been replaced in the 48th minute. Ireland and France are prominent European countries to publicly oppose the law when it was applied in the last Six Nations. They feel that this law is a step backward in the war against concussion. Earlier this year, there was a clamour from the north that the law should not be applied in the series between the British and Irish Lions and the Wallabies later this year. But unfortunately for those critics, World Rugby have said the red card law will apply in that series, and also at the approaching Women's World Cup. World Rugby chairman Brett Robinson points out that copious information gathered from a year of trials indicates that the law has made no difference to the amount of dangerous tackles in rugby – the figure had not gone up or down. I think that makes sense. A player doesn't go into a game thinking, 'I can be replaced in 20 minutes, so I'm going to take somebody's head off.' Robinson said: 'Our mission is to ensure rugby is a compelling sport to play and watch. The 20-minute red card preserves the fairness and drama of elite competition by punishing the individual, not the entire team or the spectacle. 'Player welfare is non-negotiable. We monitor data around head injuries, tackle height and concussion rigorously – and transparently. 'If evidence ever indicated this trial posed greater risk, we would end it immediately.' A few weeks back, All Blacks great Justin Marshall gave his view, and I reckon he is spot-on. The former scrumhalf said that the paying public gets penalised when games are ruined by red cards. 'People are going to spend a load of money to come from the UK to watch the British and Irish Lions series, and what if we get two red cards in the first 10 minutes of the first two Test matches, and even the third, heaven forbid?' he said on the GBRANZ podcast.
The Irish Sun
22-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Major Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray career update as Ireland stars to link up with New Zealand legend vs Springboks
PETER O'MAHONY and Conor Murray will line up for the Barbarians against South Africa this summer. Robbie Deans' side will face the Advertisement 2 Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray have been called into the Barbarians squad Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 2 Sam Cane is also part of the squad Credit: Sportsfile And both New Zealand international Sam Cane. Barbarians head coach Robbie Deans said: "We are in the process of finalising a really exciting squad for the match against the Springboks in Cape Town at the end of June. "It will be a blend of high-profile global international stars, and other stand-out performers from European clubs, Super Rugby and the Japanese league. " Peter and Conor have been an integral part of the Irish team for nearly 15 years and both have amassed over hundred caps for their country and represented the British and Irish Lions on a number of tours. Advertisement Read More on Peter O'Mahony "Sam is also a Test centurion, played in the last three Rugby World Cups and captained the All Blacks from 2020-2023. "All three players experience and leadership qualities will be invaluable during the week both on and off the field and I am delighted they have agreed to play for the Barbarians in this historic game." It will be a last hurrah for O'Mahony, who is retiring from rugby at the end of the season, while Murray will be moving abroad. The two men won 114 and 125 caps for Ireland, respectively, before hanging up their international boots at the end of the Advertisement Most read in Rugby Union The Munster duo played their final games at Thomond Park in the 38-20 win over Ulster on May 9. And their final home game in red outright came in the victory over Benetton at Virgin Media Park in Cork the following week. Peter O'Mahony's wife jokes 'glad I gave him three mini-mes' as kids help Munster hero with garden In playing alongside Sam Cane, meanwhile, O'Mahony will reunite with somebody with whom he clashed in the 2022 Test series. Tempers flared during Advertisement Ireland levelled the series 23-12 before going on to claim the final test to win their first ever series on NZ soil. But It was an exchange between O'Mahony took aim at the New Zealand skipper by telling him he wasn't on the level of Richie McCaw. The dynamic flankers were involved in an altercation before O'Mahony's comments were caught on the referee's mic. Advertisement He could be heard saying: 'Who do you think you are? "You're a s*** Richie McCaw, pal.'
TimesLIVE
22-05-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Former All Blacks captain Cane in Barbarians squad to take on Boks
The last time Sam Cane captained a team against the Springboks, he was left with bitter disappointment. The then All Blacks captain became the first player to be red-carded (he received an on field yellow card that was upgraded) in a Rugby World Cup final when the Boks prevailed 12-11 in Paris in 2023. Cane, who retired from Test rugby last year after 104 appearances, will get another opportunity to run out against the Springboks when he leads the Barbarians against the RWC champions in Cape Town on June 28. The Barbarians have revealed three Test centurions with a combined tally of 352 caps as the first players for their squad to take on the Springboks. The flank will be joined by Ireland veterans Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray when the BaaBaas and the Boks have their maiden clash in South Africa. This will also be the first time the three players will represent the Barbarians. Cane has experienced mixed emotions playing against the Boks. In the first half of his international career he often had his arms raised at the final Boks, however, became more competitive against the All Blacks after Rassie Erasmus took over the reins.
