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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Watch shocking moment bottle is THROWN at Cork GAA star during heated half-time scenes in All-Ireland hurling final
THIS was the moment a plastic bottle hit Declan Dalton during heated scenes at half-time in the All-Ireland hurling final. The Cork forward was struck by the projectile that appeared to be thrown down from the stands at Croke Park as he was making his way down the tunnel. 1 Declan Dalton was struck by a bottle at half-time in the All-Ireland final Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Dalton and Tipperary's Willie Connors were both yellow carded by referee Liam Gordon for a brief altercation at the interval as tensions boiled over. Moments earlier, Shane Barrett had scored a goal for the Rebels to send them into the break with a 1-16 to 0-13 lead. It added insult to injury for the Premier, who themselves had had a goal ruled out a couple of minutes earlier. They thought that they had reduced the gap to a point when Jason Forde flicked in a long free from full-back Eoghan Connolly. Read More on GAA However, Gordon and his umpires ruled that the Tipperary corner forward had started inside the small square when the ball was hit and the goal was chalked off. Tipperary carried the intensity from the end of the first-half into a ravenous second, as they Five quickfire points at the start of the half brought them back to within a single point. And then John McGrath, a demon for the Cork full-back line, scrambled in a goal to give them a 1-18 to 1-16. Most read in GAA Hurling Tipperary never looked back from there. McGrath was upended by Eoin Downey for a penalty, with the Cork back shown a second yellow card for his sins. Watch RTE pundits' contrasting reaction to full-time whistle of Tipperary's epic win over Kilkenny The Premier full forward got his second goal to all-but put the game to bed, while goalkeeper Rhys Shelly denied Seamus Harnedy and Conor Lehane (penalty) with two huge saves late on. There were tears of joy at the final whistle, while captain Ronan Maher took the time to The beloved Clonoulty-Rossmore man - who made his senior Tipp debut against Cork - died aged 24 in 2022. And in a moment that brought tears to the eyes of his gaffer, Maher dedicated the victory to his former teammate. He said: "To one player who's no longer with us but is so much a big part of who we are: Dillon Quirke. "We carried your spirit with us every step of the way. "You were in the dressing room, you were on the field of play, you were in our hearts. "We hope we did you and your family proud today."
The Citizen
17-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
URC report card: How South Africa's franchises fared in 2024
It was a fairly solid showing for most of South Africa's franchises as three of them reached the URC knockouts, and kept their final appearance run going. The Bulls go over for a try during the URC final against Leinster at Croke Park in Dublin over the past weekend. Picture: Seb Daly/Gallo Images The fourth edition of the United Rugby Championship (URC) came to a conclusion last weekend when Irish giants, Leinster, outplayed Highveld juggernauts, the Bulls, in the Grand Final at Croke Park in Dublin, to lift the trophy for the first time. It has been a relatively successful four seasons in the URC for South African teams, with them being represented in every single final, while the Stormers won the inaugural edition, but the Bulls will be distraught having now lost in three finals. Overall it was a decent past campaign for the South African sides, with three making the competition knockouts, two making it to the semis and the Bulls playing in the final. Here is our report card on each team: Bulls: 8 out of 10 It was an impressive season for the Bulls, with them undoubtedly the strongest SA team in the competition. A superb pool phase saw them finish second on the log with 14 wins and four losses, while they only lost once against foreign opposition in pool play, by a solitary point away against Scarlets in Wales. Their one blip was their struggles against local sides, losing twice, home and away, to the Sharks while they were also beaten by the Stormers in Pretoria, and escaped from Cape Town with a single point win thanks to a late missed conversion from the hosts. But they bounced back from that by clinching a solid semifinal win over the Sharks to reach the final. The Bulls could have received a 9 out of 10 if it wasn't for their effort in the final, as their poor mistake-riddled performance, particularly in the first half, was very unfortunate and allowed the hosts to cruise to the title without much trouble. Sharks: 6.5 out of 10 It is hard not to feel underwhelmed when you look at the talent that the Sharks have at their disposal and compare it to their results. Even with a plethora of Springbok World Cup winners in the mix, it was not a surprise when they were unable to make the final. On paper they should arguably only be second to Leinster in the URC. Obviously due to international commitments and resting protocols the Sharks do have to do without their star players at various stages of the season, but it is when those star players are available and they still underperform that it becomes disappointing. Despite all of that the Sharks did still enjoy their best season in the URC to date. They finished third on the log with 13 wins and five losses, hosted a quarterfinal for the first time, which they won in an historic and dramatic penalty shootout, and made it to their first ever URC semifinal. But with the star power in their ranks, which they continue to bolster every season, it is hard to not expect more from them. Stormers: 6 out of 10 It was another tough season for the Stormers as they struggled with injuries and depth, while stalwart Steven Kitshoff was forced into an early retirement. It was also a Jekyll and Hyde campaign, with the Cape side starting off poorly, but finishing off strongly, although they saved arguably their worst game of the season for the playoffs. After 11 games the Stormers were languishing in the bottom half of the log, with four wins against seven losses, putting them in a massive scrap for the top eight. But a superb finish to the pool phase, which saw them win six of their last seven games, lifted them up the table to finish comfortably fifth and send them over to Glasgow for a second consecutive season for their quarterfinal. Despite them being full of confidence due to their top form and Glasgow going into the quarterfinal off the back of three straight pool defeats it was the defending champions and hosts who turned up for the knockout game and powered to an impressive win, which ended the Stormers' season on a very low note. Lions: 2 out of 10 It isn't unfair to call the Lions season an unmitigated disaster, after they failed to reach the competition knockouts for the fourth consecutive season. Although they don't have the depth or star power of the other South African franchises, the Lions had a solid mix of exciting youngsters and experienced veterans in their ranks and were expected to qualify for the playoffs. In fact Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen was so confident of his team's ability that he made the bold declaration that his team were targeting a place in the URC top four come the end of the season. And that might have been the problem. Instead of trying to break into the top eight, which they had never managed to do before, they were arguably aiming too high. The Lions did start brilliantly though, winning their opening four matches of the competition which saw them sitting pretty near the top of the log, but that was as good as it got for their Lions as just four wins against 10 losses in their next 14 games tells the story of their season. Late season home defeats against Benetton and Scarlets, with their season and playoff hopes on the line, were hugely disappointing.
Extra.ie
08-06-2025
- Sport
- Extra.ie
Leinster respond after recent criticism clearly touched a nerve
It's been 36 days since Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton. Yesterday, the home side played like a team who were fed up of hearing about it. The entire operation has been copping it since their seemingly unstoppable charge to a fifth and belated European title was derailed in Dublin on May 3. All the recent criticism has clearly touched a nerve. On the night before this game, the province's media team put up a 30-second video showing some less than complimentary headlines in the wake of the flawed Scarlets win, with the caption: 'We're not here to prove people wrong. We're here to prove ourselves right.' Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile The mental fortitude of this injury-hit squad has been questioned in recent times. Had they checked out after their latest Champions Cup failure? Those noises grew louder in the wake of last week's laboured, nervy and error-strewn quarter-final win against Scarlets. This was a resounding response to all the recent flak. There were just 15,762 spectators in attendance for yesterday's game. There were vast swatches of empty seats. This felt more like a pre-season game than a URC semi-final. We wondered how this Leinster team would pitch up against an in-form Glasgow side, the reigning champions, who fancied their chances, especially when they learned that Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan had joined Caelan Doris, Robbie Henshaw, Garry Ringrose and Tadhg Furlong on the sidelines this week. Still, Leo Cullen was able to name a matchday squad featuring eight Oz-bound Lions, an All Black and a Springbok. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And no shortage of the big names fronted up. Dan Sheehan was the pick of the bunch. Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton were in attendance and the Lions head coach – and one of his right-hand men in Australia – will have pencilled Sheehan in to start the first Test against Joe Schmidt's Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19. Porter, Ryan, Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe won't be far from the Test team either. It would be fascinating to hear what Farrell and Sexton made of Sam Prendergast's performance. On a day of so many positives, the Leinster No10 delivered another mixed display. Yes, Prendergast ran a rejuvenated attack with real presence but he had an off day with the boot while his defence will be scrutinised again. It's worth remembering that Prendergast is only 22 and still learning on the job in a team with such lofty ambitions. That's the thing about Leinster and all the recent criticism. A lot of it has been justified. This team should be winning trophies. They should go on and claim a first league title since 2021 next weekend. They should be stockpiling URC trophies, especially when they play like this. Leinster have a dozen Lions in their ranks. They have set the bar high. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile There was an urgency about Leinster yesterday which had been sorely lacking in recent weeks. There was real venom in every carry, clearout and kick chase. Save for George Horne's early try, Leinster dominated possession and territory during a first-half display which was laced with intent. Glasgow looked lost long before they found sanctuary in the dressing room at the break. Save for the brilliant Sione Tuipolutu, they struggled to make an impact. When Horne fumbled a routine pass in the dying minutes of the first half, it summed up a fairly miserable opening 40 minutes for the visitors. It was fitting that Sheehan was the one credited with Leinster's fourth try of the first half after the Leinster pack – and half the home backline – had mauled they way over the Glasgow line. The Leinster hooker was a force of nature and caused Glasgow all sorts of problems with his carrying and energy. It was Sheehan who breached their line after just two minutes, scything through without a hand on him. It was the fourth time that Sheehan had carried the ball during a relentless opening attack. It was an ominous sign of what was to come. Sheehan was one of the standout performers but Andrew Porter, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Jordie Barrett and Jimmy O'Brien weren't far behind. Tommy O'Brien and James Lowe were brimming with energy and purpose. Jamie Osborne was having a big game, too. The young midfielder has been denied a try at one stage but made amends a few minutes later when he was the beneficiary of some slick handling from Barrett, O'Brien and Lowe. That score was the epitome of Leinster's approach yesterday. It was slick, direct and devastating. It felt like the hosts were exorcising a few demons in real time. This didn't look like a team which had checked out. The 25-5 half-time score told its own story. Franco Smith replaced his out-half Adam Hastings with Stafford McDowall at the break, the Glasgow boss hoping the powerful centre's presence might halt some of the one-way traffic in the second half. Leinster players after their Champions Cup defeat by Northampton. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Leinster didn't let the foot off the pedal. They continued to attack in waves. Smith replaced half his front five to inject some much-needed energy into a team which looked overwhelmed. When Osborne crashed over for his second try, you wondered if Leinster were going to better the 52-0 rout of the same opponents at this venue in April. Cullen then called Sheehan, Porter, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan and Barrett ashore with 25 minutes left to play. Thoughts were already turning to Saturday's final at Croke Park. Soon Ciaran Frawley – one of the second-half cavalry – was crossing for another try. The floodgates had well and truly opened. This was a procession long before the final whistle. Even the concession of few late tries and a late downpour couldn't dampen the mood inside the stadium. A repeat of the same intensity, cohesion and accuracy next weekend will finally secure some coveted silverware. The URC was not the title this squad craved this season but they need something to show for their efforts. The scar tissue from the Champions Cup remains but this felt like the beginning of the healing process. This was some response after a difficult time for the club. Shame there weren't more people here to witness it. Leinster are box office when they're in this kind of mood.
The Irish Sun
01-06-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Rugby legend compares Leinster to ‘Ferrari spreading silage' as he sends warning after ‘rudderless' win over Scarlets
DONNCHA O'CALLAGHAN has compared Leinster to a "Ferrari spreading silage" after their "rudderless" win over Scarlets. Leo Cullen's men set up a Glasgow Warriors with a 2 Leinster beat Scarlets to advance to the URC semi-finals Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile 2 Donncha O'Callaghan was critical of their performance Credit: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Aviva Stadium. They were aided by second-half yellow cards shown to Alec Hepburn and Vaea Fifita after the visitors went into the break trailing by just 15-14. However, Donncha O'Callaghan was less than impressed at what he saw from the Irish province, bringing out an unorthodox metaphor to illustrate his point. He told RTE: "It looked rudderless. Read More on Leinster Rugby "As ex-players, we are always really tough on players, but I would say management and coaches need to have a look at the performance there. "You have players like [Jordie] Barrett, one of the greatest player to ever play the game. "You have the likes of Hugo Keenan and James Lowe and all we're seeing at this point in the competition is them kicking the ball. "I know you got to win games an and find a way, but honestly, it's like having Most read in Rugby Union The game played out in front of a miserly attendance of 12,879 at Lansdowne Road . And O'Callaghan added: "It is really frustrating and you can see it with this crowd, like another poor turnout here today. Simon Zebo brutally trolls Rob Kearney after Leinster loss to Northampton "The Aviva is our home. This is where rugby should light up. You should be excited to come here. "You couldn't fault the crowd there for watching that type of rugby and it's a concern for me." Leinster have a quick turnaround to the semi-final, with next Saturday. The Blues beat the Scottish side 13-5 in the URC regular season last month, and also hammered them 52-0 in the And head coach he told RTE: "What we know is that they're kicking the ball quite a bit, even at the end, pinning us back in our end, and I think Glasgow will be doing something similar next week as well. "It's like this time of year now, making sure that we're nailed on for every moment within the game. "I don't think we quite did that today, but it's making sure we recover well now and turn the page quickly, and it's not one of those games that you're going to spend a huge amount of time reviewing."
Sunday World
20-05-2025
- Sport
- Sunday World
Damien Duff on ‘grassy knoll' pic that went viral – ‘It was an embarrassing photo for the league, not me'
IMPACT | Shelbourne boss insists global impact of Dalymount Park photograph is bad PR for League of Ireland Shelbourne manager Damien Duff stands on a grassy back at Dalymount Park during the SSE Airtricity Premier Division defeat to Bohemians last Friday. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile And while the Shels boss admits that he has issues to deal with close to home and on the pitch, after the champions were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Drogheda United on Monday as their search for a goal goes on, the former Ireland international fears that the image sent out by last week's derby has damaged the league. Serving a touchline ban due to amassing yellow cards, Duff was restricted in terms of where he could watch their game away to Bohs and opted to observe from a grassy hill behind the Des Kelly Stand in Dalymount, but a picture, taken by Sportsfile photographer Seb Daly, of Duff certainly caught the eye – not in a good way as far as Duff is concerned. Shelbourne manager Damien Duff stands on a grassy back at Dalymount Park during the SSE Airtricity Premier Division defeat to Bohemians last Friday. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Aidan Fitzmaurice and Seán O'Connor look back on a big night of action in the two Monday games 'I'm not on the socials, obviously, but I'm not stupid, I'd imagine it got a lot of airtime, probably a lot of laughter. I'm sure an awful lot of people thought I was embarrassed, I wasn't one bit embarrassed. I find it a deeply embarrassing photo for the league,' Duff said after the scoreless draw with Drogheda United. 'I fought as much as anyone for the league for four years, so you could say I'm mortified - 'Oh, Damien is mortified for himself' - I'm not one bit mortified for myself, I'm mortified for the league. 'We call it the greatest league in the world, I call it the greatest league in the world, but a picture has gone to a lot of countries around the world, some big people in the football world have texted me, laughing. 'I think for too long now people have laughed at Irish football and everything about us. Let's not all fool ourselves and get carried away, the league is in a great place, a wonderful place. 'Yeah, great, the fans coming like you've never seen before, wonderful tight games, the most watched game, I think, in TV history, last year up in the Brandywell, the most exciting league finish in years upon years, but let's not get carried away, it was an embarrassing photo for the league, not me.' Asked by the Irish Independent if his reaction was a comment on the state of facilities at Dalymount Park and the fact that there were not many options for him in terms of staying within the confines of his touchline ban, he said: 'Read into it what you want, it's not me having digs. 'Like I said, it's probably got a lot of traction. I'm stood in a meadow on top of a hill. Here, as the Beatles sing, I was probably the fool on the hill. 'But again, I was probably the butt of the jokes, but I shouldn't be. Because it was an awful reflection of the league. 'A photo can speak a million words. You seen intrigued that I'm saying this I find it an awful photo for the league. That's all I'm saying. Embarrassing. 'Like I said, you can read into that what you want. I said it before, I said it after, because I utterly believe it.' Duff and his club had just come through a bruising 90 minutes at home to Drogheda, their fourth game in five matches without a goal scored and the Shels boss admitted that the champions didn't do enough to deserve a win as confidence has taken a hit. 'It's disappointing, we huffed and we puffed, did we do enough for me to come in here and say we deserved to win the game? I don't think so, we dominated possession, maybe three-quarters of the possession but did we do enough with the ball,' said Duff, who had to call on back-up keeper Lorcan Healy for most of the game as No. 1 Conor Kearns was forced off with a calf injury after half an hour. 'Drogheda, they are set up so well and work so hard for each other, brilliant, they have their way, it's a very efficient way, with Drogheda you have to wear them down, grind them down, and we didn't do that enough. 'They [Shels players] are maybe in a vulnerable time, not on a good run, as disappointing as tonight is, it's the many other games this season that we have let go by and dropped points is where you suffer, there have been more disappointing nights, for sure there's a lack of belief, a lack of spark and all we can do is stick together and keep working hard, as I told them at the end of the game. Read more
