Latest news with #SeanO'Brien
Extra.ie
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Rejuvenated Carbery proving a big hit in France
Sean O'Brien made an interesting revelation recently. The Tullow native is fondly remembered as one of the best backrow forwards to ever represent his province and country, carving out an illustrious career with Leinster and Ireland before retiring in 2022 following a short stint with London Irish. O'Brien was on deck for many great days but it could have been very different because big-spending Toulon almost turned his head with a lucrative offer to move to the Top14 once upon a time. 'I remember years ago in 2013 myself and Jamie Heaslip actually went over to Toulon. It was actually funny because Toulon said they wanted two teams. They wanted one to compete in the Top 14 to win it and they wanted one to win Europe,' the former Leinster, Ireland and Lions flanker told the All About The Game podcast recently. Sean O'Brien in action for Leinster in 2013. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne 'So we went over and I had actually signed a pre-contract with them because at the time I was on an IRFU contract but they were a***ing around with me. I thought my value was more than what I was on so I wanted a better contract and Jamie was roughly the same. 'So the two of us landed over to Toulon for a weekend. So they [IRFU] thought it was obviously a bit of a ploy but I was actually genuinely impressed when I went over there. 'The following Tuesday, (Mourad) Boudjellal the owner was meant to fly on his private plane into Dublin and I was meant to meet him at the airport with my agent and sign the contract but the weather was so bad he couldn't fly. Mourad Boudjellal. Pic:'On the Wednesday my agent got a call off the union basically saying they're going to give you what you wanted because they got wind of it.' It was one of those sliding-doors moments. Brian O'Driscoll's brief flirtation with Biarritz is infamous. Not long ago, Tadhg Furlong was linked with a move to Bayonne, while Racing 92 were keen to secure Jack Conan's services earlier this season. Big-name Irish players being linked with a move to France is nothing new. A few have made the leap. Johnny Sexton, Ian Madigan and Simon Zebo, to name a few. Johnny Sexton playing for Racing Metro 92 in 2013. Pic:But how many would look back at that chapter of their careers as a highlight? In truth, Trevor Brennan remains the great Irish success story in France. When mighty Toulouse announced that the hard-nosed Leinster lock would be making the switch, there was no shortage of raised eyebrows. But Brennan became an icon at the club, helping them to numerous Heineken Cup and Top14 triumphs. He owned a bar in the town after retirements and his son, Joshua, is currently lining out alongside the likes of Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack in the iconic black and red jersey. It's still early days in Joey Carbery's French journey, but there is a distinct feeling that the former Munster out-half could follow in Brennan's footsteps and thrive in his new surroundings. Trevor Brennan. Pic: INPHO/Billy Stickland When Bordeaux came calling last year, Carbery couldn't resist the lure of a new challenge. He was worn out — emotionally and physically — after so many injury-ravaged seasons at Thomond Park and when it became clear that he was no longer part of Andy Farrell's Ireland plans, a new adventure with an ambitious French heavyweight boasting a big budget and a stable of Test stars was too hard to resist. Yes, it meant closing the door on his international ambitions but it's beginning to look like a shrewd career move for Carbery. This week, the 29-year-old is preparing for a Champions Cup final in Cardiff with Bordeaux facing down Northampton at the Principality Stadium. Joey Carbery. Pic: Romain Perrocheau/AFP via Getty Images Carbery is set to be on bench duty again. His presence in the squad has seemingly lit a fire under Matthieu Jalibert, the talented but sometimes flaky France out-half who has taken his game to a new level in recent months. Carbery is playing second fiddle at Bordeaux but he has enjoyed plenty of exposure. He has played 17 games for his club this season, amassing almost 1,000 minutes on the pitch. The youthful swagger seems to have returned as well, exemplified by his shush to the Ravenhill crowd after landing a touchline conversion in a big pool win against Ulster earlier in the campaign. Carbery had been copping it from the home fans for much of the game but the former Munster man made his point. He is clearly enjoying life in the south of France, and why not? Playing in front of a giant pack with the sun on your back with Damian Penaud, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Yoram Moefana and Maxime Lucu for company in the backs. And he has Noel McNamara, the former Ireland U20s coach and a familiar face from home, running the team's attack. What's not to like? Joey Carbery. Pic:Who knows what the future will hold for Carbery. He is contracted with Bordeaux until the end of next season and it remains to be seen whether he will extend his stay in France or consider a return to Ireland to plot a late charge for inclusion in Farrell's plans before the 2027 World Cup in Australia. 'I'm really liking it,' he said recently. 'My wife and my son are getting on well and we're starting to get to grips with everything. The language is tough but we're slowly getting there. 'Bordeaux is a beautiful city and it's quite close to home so my wife and son can get home every now and again which is great… hopefully keep being involved, keep playing and see where we go.' For now, he will focus on creating some history with Bordeaux as the ambitious club target a first-ever Champions Cup title. If Carbery helps his new club achieve that goal, he will join a small and exclusive club of Irish players who have thrived in this part of the world.
Irish Independent
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Sean O'Brien steals the show for Wexford as they beat Laois in Leinster Minor Hurling Championship
Sean O'Brien was the Wexford hero, racking up an impressive tally of twelve points as his side advanced to the last four of the Electric Ireland Leinster Minor Hurling Championship in sunny Laois Hire O'Moore Park on Saturday.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UPS is cutting 20,000 jobs. It's not what you think
UPS will cut 20,000 jobs this year, about 4% of its global workforce, the company said Tuesday. But UPS added the decision is unrelated to tariffs and is instead due to increased use of technology and a previously announced plan to trim its Amazon business. UPS in January announced a 'glide down' plan to cut its business with Amazon, its largest customer, in half by the middle of 2026. UPS CEO Carol Tome said Tuesday that most of the Amazon business that it is giving up is 'not profitable for us, nor a healthy fit for our network.' The UPS package volume from Amazon was already down 16% in the just-completed quarter, which was a bigger drop than UPS had forecast for the period. UPS said it will close 73 US buildings by the end of June as the next part of that 'glide down' plan. UPS also said it expects to use more automation in its facilities, from sorting packages to label application to loading and unloading trucks, with 400 facilities becoming partly if not fully automated. 'With this reconfiguration, we will also lessen our dependency on labor,' she said. The Teamsters union, which represents more than 300,000 UPS hourly workers, said it would fight layoffs of any of its members. 'If UPS wants to continue to downsize corporate management, the Teamsters won't stand in its way,' said the union's president, Sean O'Brien. 'But if the company intends to violate our contract or makes any attempt to go after hard-fought, good-paying Teamsters jobs, UPS will be in for a hell of a fight.' In response, UPS spokesman Glenn Zaccara said the company intends to live up to all the terms of its contract. UPS did see some effects from Trump's broad tariffs of 10% on most imports, though, especially the 145% tariffs on Chinese imports. But the company is still uncertain about the ultimate effects. Tome said customers that do a lot of business with China are 'not thinking about exiting the business.' But she also said that many of them don't know exactly what their next step will be. Many are still hoping for a tariff roll-back. 'Candidly, there's so much uncertainty around the China orders,' she said. 'We know what's been announced. We don't know actually if it will happen, and we don't know if it will stick. We think there are many things we don't know.' UPS does believe its customers will feel an impact from the tariffs, and because of that, and the pull-back from Amazon, it forecast its own revenue will fall in the second quarter compared to a year ago. But it said it is not ready to drop its own full-year guidance, although it warned it could adjust that in the future as well. 'There's so much uncertainty in the back half (of the year), because all those (tariffs) will ultimately impact the US consumer,' she said. 'Current consumer sentiment is down from where it was at the beginning of the year. (But) the consumer is still pretty healthy.' Sign in to access your portfolio
CNN
30-04-2025
- Business
- CNN
UPS is cutting 20,000 jobs. It's not what you think
UPS will cut 20,000 jobs this year, about 4% of its global workforce, the company said Tuesday. But UPS added the decision is unrelated to tariffs and is instead due to increased use of technology and a previously announced plan to trim its Amazon business. UPS in January announced a 'glide down' plan to cut its business with Amazon, its largest customer, in half by the middle of 2026. UPS CEO Carol Tome said Tuesday that most of the Amazon business that it is giving up is 'not profitable for us, nor a healthy fit for our network.' The UPS package volume from Amazon was already down 16% in the just-completed quarter, which was a bigger drop than UPS had forecast for the period. UPS said it will close 73 US buildings by the end of June as the next part of that 'glide down' plan. UPS also said it expects to use more automation in its facilities, from sorting packages to label application to loading and unloading trucks, with 400 facilities becoming partly if not fully automated. 'With this reconfiguration, we will also lessen our dependency on labor,' she said. The Teamsters union, which represents more than 300,000 UPS hourly workers, said it would fight layoffs of any of its members. 'If UPS wants to continue to downsize corporate management, the Teamsters won't stand in its way,' said the union's president, Sean O'Brien. 'But if the company intends to violate our contract or makes any attempt to go after hard-fought, good-paying Teamsters jobs, UPS will be in for a hell of a fight.' In response, UPS spokesman Glenn Zaccara said the company intends to live up to all the terms of its contract. UPS did see some effects from Trump's broad tariffs of 10% on most imports, though, especially the 145% tariffs on Chinese imports. But the company is still uncertain about the ultimate effects. Tome said customers that do a lot of business with China are 'not thinking about exiting the business.' But she also said that many of them don't know exactly what their next step will be. Many are still hoping for a tariff roll-back. 'Candidly, there's so much uncertainty around the China orders,' she said. 'We know what's been announced. We don't know actually if it will happen, and we don't know if it will stick. We think there are many things we don't know.' UPS does believe its customers will feel an impact from the tariffs, and because of that, and the pull-back from Amazon, it forecast its own revenue will fall in the second quarter compared to a year ago. But it said it is not ready to drop its own full-year guidance, although it warned it could adjust that in the future as well. 'There's so much uncertainty in the back half (of the year), because all those (tariffs) will ultimately impact the US consumer,' she said. 'Current consumer sentiment is down from where it was at the beginning of the year. (But) the consumer is still pretty healthy.'
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UPS to Cut 20,000 Jobs This Year as It Slashes Amazon Volume
(Bloomberg) -- United Parcel Service Inc. expects to cut 20,000 jobs this year and close dozens of facilities as it dramatically reduces shipments for e-commerce giant Inc. New York City Transit System Chips Away at Subway Fare Evasion NYC's Congestion Toll Raised $159 Million in the First Quarter The Last Thing US Transit Agencies Should Do Now At Bryn Mawr, a Monumental Plaza Traces the Steps of Black History At the National Public Housing Museum, an Embattled Idea Finds a Home The reduction in its operational workforce — a group that includes delivery drivers and package handlers — is part of a network overhaul in response to expected 'lower volumes from our largest customer,' UPS said Tuesday. The Atlanta-based company will shutter 73 leased and owned buildings by the end of June and said it may identify additional facilities for closure. UPS aims to cut expenses and improve profitability after announcing a plan in January to slash the number of low-margin Amazon parcels it delivers by more than half over 18 months. The network reconfiguration is expected to generate $3.5 billion of total cost savings this year. Amazon said in an emailed statement that UPS requested a reduction in volume 'due to their operational needs.' Amazon will 'continue to partner with them and many other carriers to serve our customers.' UPS has about 490,000 employees, suggesting the planned contraction will account for 4% of its staff. Last year it announced 12,000 management job cuts. The latest move drew condemnation from the Teamsters union, which represents about 300,000 UPS workers. Sean O'Brien, the organization's general president, said the company is contractually obligated to create 30,000 jobs. 'If UPS wants to continue to downsize corporate management, the Teamsters won't stand in its way,' he said in a statement. 'But if the company intends to violate our contract or makes any attempt to go after hard-fought, good-paying Teamsters jobs, UPS will be in for a hell of a fight.' The courier has sought greater efficiency in the face of a decline in volumes following a pandemic-driven boom in e-commerce. The industry is also grappling with new challenges from President Donald Trump's tariffs, which have complicated cross-border goods shipments and injected volatility into the global economy. UPS on Tuesday backed away from its 2025 financial guidance, saying it wouldn't provide an update 'given the current macroeconomic uncertainty.' Still, the company reported adjusted earnings of $1.49 a share for the first three months of the year, topping the $1.40 average of analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Revenue in the quarter also narrowly beat expectations. The 'better-than-feared' results were boosted by gains in both domestic and international package revenue, Stephanie Moore, a Jefferies analyst, said in a note. UPS shares fell less than 1% Tuesday in New York. Its stock has tumbled 23% this year. Economic Volatility UPS and FedEx Corp. are viewed as barometers for the wider economy because their delivery networks span the industrial and retail sectors, providing insights into orders placed by manufacturers and consumers alike. Investors across industries have been looking for clues to the impacts of Trump's trade policies, which threaten to tip in the economy into a recession. UPS has been reworking its operations to shift away from low-margin parcels in favor of more profitable business lines. The company is working to position itself as a specialized logistics provider that can move higher-yield parcels such as temperature-controlled or urgent health-care shipments. It agreed last week to acquire Canada-based health-care logistics company Andlauer Healthcare Group Inc. for $1.6 billion. The move is the latest in a string of deals as the company seeks to reach $20 billion in health-care revenue by 2026. While UPS didn't update its 2025 outlook, it said second-quarter revenue would come in around $21 billion. It previously predicted full-year revenue of about $89 billion and a full-year operating margin around 10.8%. Chief Executive Officer Carol Tomé said on a conference call that the company would stand behind the 2025 guidance if conditions were to stabilize. The decision not to update the annual forecast underscores the widespread uncertainty across corporate America after the Trump administration announced — and in some cases paused or adjusted — large tariffs on imports from other countries. Companies from American Airlines Group Inc. to footwear maker Skechers USA Inc. have pulled their outlooks, while UPS rival FedEx cut its outlook in March. (Updates with Teamsters comment in sixth paragraph.) Made-in-USA Wheelbarrows Promoted by Trump Are Now Made in China As More Women Lift Weights, Gyms Might Never Be the Same Why US Men Think College Isn't Worth It Anymore Eight Charts Show Men Are Falling Behind, From Classrooms to Careers The Mastermind of the Yellowstone Universe Isn't Done Yet ©2025 Bloomberg L.P.
