Latest news with #XVs
Irish Independent
21-05-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Munster's Tom Farrell earns recognition from his peers with nomination for Irish player of the year award
Farrell has been Munster's standout player in the Dubliner's first season with the province since joining from Connacht last summer. The 31-year-old, tipped to earn his first Ireland cap on the summer tour to Georgia and Portugal, is one of two Munster players up for the RPI award. Farrell is joined on the shortlist by teammate Tadhg Beirne and Leinster duo Jamison Gibson-Park and Caelan Doris. Regarded as the highest individual honour in Irish men's rugby, the award is voted on by fellow players. Last year's winner was Bundee Aki. In the women's category, Dorothy Wall has received a timely morale boost following news of a long-term injury setback, with her teammates nominating her for the women's XVs players' player of the year. The Tipperary native is shortlisted alongside Amee-Leigh Costigan, Aoife Dalton, and Niamh O'Dowd. Meanwhile, Sam Prendergast is up against Leinster teammate Gus McCarthy and Connacht scrum-half Ben Murphy for the Nevin Spence men's XVs young player of the year, while Ruth Campbell, Aoife Dalton and Erin King, who, like teammate Wall, also recently suffered a long-term injury, are nominated for the women's young player of the year award. The awards will take place at the Aviva Stadium on May 28, with former players Andrew Trimble and Barry Murphy set to host the evening. List of nominees OCC Consultants Men's XVs Players' Player of the Year Tadhg Beirne Caelan Doris Tom Farrell Jamison Gibson-Park OCC Consultants Women's XVs Players' Player of the Year Amee Leigh Costigan Aoife Dalton Niamh O'Dowd Dorothy Wall TritonLake Men's 7s Player of the Year ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Niall Comerford Dylan O'Grady Mark Roche TritonLake Women's 7s Player of the Year Hannah Clarke Kate Farrell McCabe Lucinda Kinghan Nevin Spence Men's XVs Young Player of the Year Ben Murphy Gus McCarthy Sam Prendergast Energia Ireland Women's XVs Young Player of the Year Ruth Campbell Aoife Dalton Erin King MSL Ballsbridge Men's XVs Try of the Year Stewart Moore v Stormers Dan Sheehan v England Dan Sheehan v Ulster (1st try) AIB Corporate Banking Women's XVs Try of the Year Amee Leigh Costigan v England Linda Djougang v Wales Anna McGann v Italy (3rd try) The Zurich Contribution to Irish Society Award and the Druids Glen Hotel & Golf Resort Moment of the Year will also be presented on the night
Irish Examiner
17-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Leo Cullen: 'We are running a business here, it's a self-funding business'
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has defended the province's outlay on foreign players in the wake of criticism from a former Ireland sevens star, and insisted that the club runs on a 'self-funded' model that generates money for the benefit of the wider game. Terry Kennedy, a former World Sevens player of the year, referenced Leinster indirectly in a social media post when giving his reaction to the decision by the IRFU this week to terminate the men's programme in the shorter form of the game. Describing the move as 'absolutely shocking,' Kennedy called it short-sighted, as a financial cost-cutting excuse that is 'complete smoke and mirrors', and then referenced indirectly the most successful of the XVs provincial teams. 'No mention of the millions paid to bring foreign players over on short-term contracts,' he stated at one point, while also declaring the union's nuclear decision as a mark of disrespect to Sport Ireland and the Olympic Federation of Ireland. All of this was news to Cullen who was busy preparing his side for their last regular-season URC game against Glasgow on Saturday. He could have stuck to game talk, but instead launched into a reasoned state of the nation address. 'Sport is a business,' he said at one point. Cullen took us back 30 years, to the dawn of professionalism, when he was a 19-year old aspiring lock and Leinster's HQ was nothing more than a prefab beside the Old Wesley clubhouse in a yet-to-be-redeveloped Donnybrook. That prefab is gone now, replaced by a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence which acts as bridging station between underage rugby and the senior setup down the road in UCD. And that sort of growth is apparent elsewhere. From playing a couple of games per year in front of a few hundred in Donnybrook, Leinster can now fill Croke Park. The revenue being generated, Cullen says, is being used to fertilise all areas, from the pro level down to grass roots. 'In terms of some of the foreign players in our 23 this week, we want to make it exciting for fans. When you move from a few hundred people in Donnybrook back in the day, to the RDS which is being redeveloped, and then this year in the Aviva… You need to get bums on seat. 'We are running a business here. It's a self-funding business. It's not like we're looking for money from outside. It's not like if sevens have a surplus we're looking for their money. That's not how it works. So that's what we're in control of.' It seems the province is taking it in the neck from all angles since their Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton Saints. Cullen has already had to dismiss as 'wild' estimations that their wage bill is up in the region of €17m per year. So it was put to him whether some transparency on the part of the IRFU in terms of funding figures for the provinces might be a way of silencing the whispers. 'It's like me asking what you get paid. Compared to your colleague. These are private things and everyone wants to jump on that private aspect, There are private negotiations with every player and what gives everyone any right to know all this information? 'There's no obligation to say exactly what people get paid. 'Maybe some day that might come in but it's not there currently. So I don't know what the answer is. Even if you did say what certain players were paid that would annoy people. I don't understand what is being helped by answering that question.'
Irish Examiner
17-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Cullen: 'We are running a business here, it's a self-funding business'
Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has defended the province's outlay on foreign players in the wake of criticism from a former Ireland sevens star, and insisted that the club runs on a 'self-funded' model that generates money for the benefit of the wider game. Terry Kennedy, a former World Sevens player of the year, referenced Leinster indirectly in a social media post when giving his reaction to the decision by the IRFU this week to terminate the men's programme in the shorter form of the game. Describing the move as 'absolutely shocking,' Kennedy called it short-sighted, as a financial cost-cutting excuse that is 'complete smoke and mirrors', and then referenced indirectly the most successful of the XVs provincial teams. 'No mention of the millions paid to bring foreign players over on short-term contracts,' he stated at one point, while also declaring the union's nuclear decision as a mark of disrespect to Sport Ireland and the Olympic Federation of Ireland. All of this was news to Cullen who was busy preparing his side for their last regular-season URC game against Glasgow on Saturday. He could have stuck to game talk, but instead launched into a reasoned state of the nation address. 'Sport is a business,' he said at one point. Cullen took us back 30 years, to the dawn of professionalism, when he was a 19-year old aspiring lock and Leinster's HQ was nothing more than a prefab beside the Old Wesley clubhouse in a yet-to-be-redeveloped Donnybrook. That prefab is gone now, replaced by a state-of-the-art Centre of Excellence which acts as bridging station between underage rugby and the senior setup down the road in UCD. And that sort of growth is apparent elsewhere. From playing a couple of games per year in front of a few hundred in Donnybrook, Leinster can now fill Croke Park. The revenue being generated, Cullen says, is being used to fertilise all areas, from the pro level down to grass roots. 'In terms of some of the foreign players in our 23 this week, we want to make it exciting for fans. When you move from a few hundred people in Donnybrook back in the day, to the RDS which is being redeveloped, and then this year in the Aviva… You need to get bums on seat. 'We are running a business here. It's a self-funding business. It's not like we're looking for money from outside. It's not like if sevens have a surplus we're looking for their money. That's not how it works. So that's what we're in control of.' It seems the province is taking it in the neck from all angles since their Champions Cup semi-final loss to Northampton Saints. Cullen has already had to dismiss as 'wild' estimations that their wage bill is up in the region of €17m per year. So it was put to him whether some transparency on the part of the IRFU in terms of funding figures for the provinces might be a way of silencing the whispers. 'It's like me asking what you get paid. Compared to your colleague. These are private things and everyone wants to jump on that private aspect, There are private negotiations with every player and what gives everyone any right to know all this information? 'There's no obligation to say exactly what people get paid. 'Maybe some day that might come in but it's not there currently. So I don't know what the answer is. Even if you did say what certain players were paid that would annoy people. I don't understand what is being helped by answering that question.'
1News
16-05-2025
- Sport
- 1News
Woodman-Wickliffe to start for Black Ferns in Canada revenge match
Portia Woodman-Wickliffe will start on the right wing against Canada in Christchurch as the Black Ferns attempt to gain revenge for their Pacific Four Series defeat to the nation last year. It will be Woodman-Wickliffe's first XVs Test since the 2022 World Cup final. After recently reversing her decision to retire from the game, Woodman-Wickliffe spoke about a desire to play in the midfield but director of performance Allan Bunting has elected to play the 33-year-old in her specialist position. 'I'm really excited for Portia to again represent her country in front of friends and whānau," he said. "It will be a special moment for her. It's been awesome seeing the joy in her eyes and everything she does to enhance our environment. Her willingness to learn and grow is contagious; we look forward to seeing her play this weekend against Canada." Woodman-Wickliffe is two tries away from reaching 200 points in a Black Ferns Test to become only the third Black Fern to reach the milestone. There is no room in the match-day squad for any of the sevens players who recently won the world championship by beating Australia in Los Angeles. Woodman-Wickliffe and Amy Rule's start along with the return of Liana Mikaele-Tu'u to No.8 are the only three changes to the starting team that beat Australia last weekend. Following her stellar two-try debut last Saturday, rising star Braxton Sorensen-McGee returns for another week at fullback. In the front row, prop Rule will start alongside Chryss Viliko, while Tanya Kalounivale celebrates her 20th Test match with Kate Henwood off the bench. Georgia Ponsonby starts at hooker and the locking duo of Alana Bremner and Maiakawanakaulani Roos remains unchanged. Co-captain Ruahei Demant and Maia Joseph will again wear 10 and 9 jerseys respectively, while Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai'i Sylvia Brunt and Amy du Plessis combine again in the midfield. Powerful wing Ayesha Leti-I'iga joins Woodman-Wickliffe and Sorensen-McGee to complete the back three. Canada are ranked second in the world and secured their first-ever win over the Black Ferns (22-19) in Christchurch last year, which saw them claim the Pacific Four Series 2024 title. England lead the rankings, while New Zealand are third. 'Last Saturday was a great stepping stone towards where we want to be, and we look forward to seeing how we build off that this week against a quality Canadian side," Bunting said. "We are excited to play our first Test at home.' 1. Chryss Viliko, 2. Georgia Ponsonby, 3. Amy Rule, 4. Alana Bremner, 5. Maiakawanakaulani Roos, 6. Layla Sae, 7. Kennedy Tukuafu, (Co-captain), 8. Liana Mikaele-Tu'u, 9. Maia Joseph, 10. Ruahei Demant (Co-captain)y, 11. Ayesha Leti-I'iga, 12. Logo-I-Pulotu Lemapu-Atai'i Sylvia Brunt, 13. Amy du Plessis, 14. Portia Woodman-Wickliffe, 15. Braxton Sorensen-McGee. Reserves: 16. Atlanta Lolohea, 17. Kate Henwood, 18. Tanya Kalounivale, 19. Maama Mo'onia Vaipulu, 20. Kaipo Olsen-Baker, 21. Iritana Hohaia, 22. Hannah King, 23. Mererangi Paul.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ireland men's sevens team to be cut in savings drive
The Ireland men's sevens team is to be cut at the end of the 2024-25 season. The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) says the move is "part of a broader strategic effort to ensure long-term financial sustainability". The women's programme, however, is unaffected and will remain a "key development pathway" for the women's XVs game, the union added. In November, the IRFU's financial results showed an 18m euro (£15.1m) deficit for the 2023-24 season. The IRFU also said its assessment concluded that the men's sevens programme "does not contribute as a development pathway for the XVs game", adding that the provincial academy structures are offering "greater development opportunities". "The financial situation we face is challenging, and it's crucial that we take decisive action to secure the long-term success of Irish Rugby," said IRFU high performance director David Humphreys. "While the decision to end the men's sevens programme is a difficult one, it is necessary in order to ensure that our resources are focused on the areas that will have the greatest impact on the future of the game in Ireland. "We are committed to making sure that this transition is handled with the utmost respect for all those who have contributed to the success of the sevens programme." The men's sevens side played their last tournament in Los Angles earlier this month, finishing 11th and suffering relegation in the World SVNS Series. They reached two Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and in Paris last summer, finishing 10th in Japan and sixth in France. Ulster trio Nick Timoney, Robert Baloucoune and Zac Ward all played for Ireland's sevens side as did established Ireland 15s international Tadgh Beirne. Ward, alongside Leinster and Ireland 15s international Hugo Keenan, featured in the sevens Olympics squad in Paris. IRFU CEO Kevin Potts said that he was "very proud" of everything the sevens side has achieved. "We would like to thank everyone who has contributed to the success of the men's sevens programme, especially in achieving qualification for the Tokyo and Paris Olympic games. "Their unwavering dedication, hard work and skill played a vital role in elevating the profile of sevens rugby in Ireland."
