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Good news for Ulster Rugby after recent Squad Update

The Ulster Rugby Medical Performance team has issued a squad update ahead of Friday’s United Rugby Championship fixture against Emirates Lions at Kingspan Stadium

Ulster Rugby’s new squad update has shown no new injury concerns following last week’s URC match in Belfast. In the game, they showed a strong team performance to beat Benetton at home 28-8 on Friday.

The bonus-point victory brings even more optimism for the fans of Dan McFarland’s team as they continue their winning run this season.

The Ulster Medical team has made an announcement today, giving a very positive squad update for the week ahead.

Marty Moore suffered a concussion in training last week, and he is currently following the concussion Return to Play protocols.

Kieran Treadwell, Rob Lyttle, Eric O’Sullivan, Robert Baloucoune and David O’Connor have all now resumed full team training following their recent respective periods of unavailability.

Ulster’s next match will be a very challenging affair. They will face their first South African opponents of the new URC when they play against the Lions.

The match will kick off at 19:35 on Friday, 15th October in the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast.

To read more in-depth and up-to-date Ulster and provincial rugby news, click here.

Dancer names new-look Ireland side for World Cup qualifiers

Ireland women’s coach Sean Dancer has named an 18-player central panel and two travelling reserves ahead of next week’s vital World Cup qualifying competition which takes place in Pisa from October 21st to 24th.

The eight-team competition will be played in a knock-out format with only one side earning a place at next summer’s World Cup which will be played at venues in Spain and the Netherlands.

Ireland, who are the highest-ranked side in the qualifiers, meet France in their first game on October 21st (10.30 am, Irish time).

The winner going on to play either Russia or Belarus. Scotland, Poland, Italy and Wales are on the other side of the draw.

Dancer’s central panel features 15 of the squad that travelled to the Olympic Games in July with Niamh Carey, Erin Getty and Ellen Curran coming into the line-up.

“I am excited about the future and the balance within the squad,” coach Dancer said of his selection. “We have retained a lot of experience and have a lot of excitement coming through. It sits really nicely.”

For the players coming in, they have been aided by a comprehensive summer program with the Irish development squad, overseen by David Passmore which has been a fruitful avenue for those making the step up.

UCD’s Niamh Carey joins her twin sister Michelle in the panel and is on course to make her first capped international appearance in the quarter-final against France.

She has been part of the panel for most of the past year and lined out against Great Britain in a couple of challenge matches.

Queen’s University’s Erin Getty was one of the guiding lights of the summer developmental series to force her way back into senior international reckoning.

The Queen’s University player earned eight caps in 2017 and 18 before a number of injuries set back her progress.

Pembroke’s Ellen Curran is another to return to the line-up. With 24 caps to her name, she was involved with the Green Army setup in the early phases of 2020, touring South Africa, prior to the postponement of the Games to 2021.

“Niamh has been in and around the senior group previously and has built on her strength on the ball and is scoring goals. She is very dangerous as an attacking player and we hope she will continue that.

“Erin played for Ireland before but never previously with me due to a long term injury which put her out for a while but, to her credit, she has worked really hard to get back into a position to be in the green shirt again.

“For Ellen, she had issues around her calf and ankle which didn’t make things easy for her but, once again, she took that time to work on areas we wanted her to. Credit to her, she staked her claim for a spot now and looking forward to seeing her use her speed and skill to create some havoc.

Of the Tokyo panel, Shirley McCay, Hannah Matthews, Lizzie Colvin and Nicci Daly have since stepped back from the program as have Nikki Evans and Grace O’Flanagan.

Reflecting on that changing of the guard, coach Dancer said it is “a natural” progression for the side in the wake of the Olympic Games, paying tribute to their immense contributions to the cause.

“It’s amazing how much effort the players have put into not just the last three years but the last eight to ten years to qualify for their first-ever Olympics, giving it everything they’ve got,” Dancer said.

“It is natural some will step away and, for others, they needed a good break to refresh and get back to life, work, family and social things. I wanted to make sure everyone got a good break and once all the dust had settled, it’s certainly great to have a lot of experience in the group.

“Anna O’Flanagan, Chloe, Róisín, Ayeisha, Lena, Katie, Deirdre – we do have a huge amount there from the Olympics and beyond. We have to draw on that first of all and expect those guys to stand up under pressure which I certainly know they will.

“The flip side is the excitement. We have players who have never had a test match before; first-ever event and they get to try qualify for a World Cup.”

The tournament also allows for two travelling reserves with Charlotte Beggs and Jane Kilpatrick joining the panel in Pisa.

While first opponents France are the lowest-ranked side in the competition, Dancer is more than wary of what they have to offer. With the Paris Games in mind, they have been working together close to full-time for a number of years and a silver medal at this summer’s EuroHockey Championship II shows they are on the rise.

“France has been preparing well, not just this year, but with 2024 in their sights and getting there as host nation, they have a lot to play for. They did really well in the European Division 2 tournament. First team to meet, it will not be easy but we have to back our experience and what we have done in the last 18 months to get over the top of them.”

Ireland senior women’s panel for World Cup qualifiers (club/caps):
Ayeisha McFerran (SV Kampong, Netherlands, 110)
Lizzie Murphy (Loreto, 13)
Lena Tice (Old Alex, 119)
Róisín Upton (Catholic Institute, 86)
Hannah McLoughlin (UCD, 24)
Sarah McAuley (UCD, 6)
Sarah Hawkshaw (Railway Union, 43)
Michelle Carey (UCD, 7)
Katie Mullan (captain, Ballymoney, 203)
Ellen Curran (Pembroke, 24)
Sarah Torrans (Loreto, 31)
Chloe Watkins (Monkstown, 234)
Zara Malseed (Ards, 4)
Naomi Carroll (Catholic Institute, 119)
Niamh Carey (UCD, 0)
Deirdre Duke (Old Alex, 151)
Anna O’Flanagan (Muckross, 217)
Erin Getty (Queen’s, 8)

Travelling reserves
Charlotte Beggs (Ulster Elks, 0)
Jane Kilpatrick (Belfast Harlequins, 0)

Head coach: Sean Dancer
Assistant coaches: Gareth Grundie, David Fitzgerald
Manager: Lisa Jacob
Physical trainer: Claire Brady
Physio: Stephen Brownlow
Video Technician: Mark Kavanagh

FIH Women’s World Cup 2022 – European Qualifier; Pisa, Italy (October 21 to 24, 2021)
Thursday, October 21: Ireland v France (10.30am, Irish time)
Saturday, October 22: Semi-finals / classification matches
Sunday, October 23: final / classification matches

Donohue announces Under-15 squad to face Poland

Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-15 Head Coach Jason Donohue has named a 20-player squad for the upcoming week of football

The young under-15 team will go into a doubleheader of friendly fixtures against Poland in Dublin this week.

Ireland MU15s will play Poland MU15s at Richmond Park tomorrow, Tuesday, 12th October, and Thursday, 14th October.

It will be their first home games of the season having completed two recent matches away in Montenegro which saw Donohue’s side record a 2-0 victory and 1-0 loss in Podgorica.

Republic of Ireland Men’s Under-15 squad

Goalkeepers: Joe Collins (Bray Wanderers), Jack Ellis (Shamrock Rovers)

Defenders: Olaf Boruc (Shamrock Rovers), Ivan Gramminschil (St. Patrick Athletic), Kaylem Harnett (Wexford), Daniel Mare (Shamrock Rovers), James Roche (Shamrock Rovers)

Midfielders: Marven Chan (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Matthew Moore (Cork City), Sean Moore (Bohemians), Luke Mulligan (Dundalk), Luke O’Donnell (Derry City), Cathal O’Sullivan (Cork City), Richard Vodo (St. Patrick’s Athletic)

Forwards: Bez Agbontaen (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Christian Donlan-Goncalves (Mayo SL), Darragh Marshall (Shamrock Rovers), Mason Melia (Bray Wanderers), Ike Orazi (Shamrock Rovers), Denzel Obenge (Cork City)

International Friendly Fixtures

Tuesday, 12th October

Republic of Ireland MU15 v Poland MU15 – kicks off at 15:00 – Richmond Park

Thursday, 14th October

Republic of Ireland MU15 v Poland MU15 – kicks off at 15:00 – Richmond Park

 

To read more in-depth and up-to-date Irish and international football news, click here.

Leinster confirm Harry Byrne and Rory O’Loughlin out of Scarlets game

Leinster have confirmed that fly-half Harry Byrne and centre Rory O’Loughlin have been ruled out of the side’s upcoming United Rugby Championship clash with Scarlets.

Leinster will play Scarlets at the RDS Arena on Saturday, October 16 in round four of the league after 10,400 supporters experienced Saturday’s 43-7 win against Zebre Parma.

Harry Byrne will have further assessment on a hip injury today having been injured during the first half against Zebre Parma.

Rory O’Loughlin, who injured his shoulder in the 7-6 win over Dragons, also requires further assessment this week.

However, there is a lot of positive news for the defending champions as several players have stepped up their recovery.

Cullen confirmed that Jordan Larmour (groin) and Adam Byrne (hamstring) came through the game against Zebre Parma with no issues and will train as normal this week.

The pair scored three tries between them at the weekend in the 36-point win over the Italians.
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Also making a return to training this week will be Josh Murphy who has recovered from a calf injury.

There was also further positive news for Jack Dunne who aims to return to full training this week as he returns from an ankle injury.

Ciarán Frawley and Scott Penny picked up soft tissue injuries (dead leg) against Zebre Parma on Saturday and will be further assessed this week before a final decision is made on their availability for the game against Scarlets.

There are no further updates on: Dave Kearney (ankle), Michael Milne (calf), Will Connors (knee) and Thomas Clarkson (hamstring)

Munster lock RG Snyman suffers second ruptured ACL in two seasons

Munster lock RG Snyman has ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in as many seasons since joining the Irish province for the 2020/21 season from Honda Heat.

Snyman left the field at Parc y Scarlets nine minutes after coming on as a substitute with an injury that has been confirmed to be another ACL rupture.

The 26-year-old made his fourth appearance for the Stags at the weekend and his third in as many games after returning from his first ACL injury.

The South African lasted only seven minutes on his debut for the club before suffering an injury that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

He has played for only 54 minutes in the famous red shirt and will spend a lengthy period on the sidelines before he can pass the hour mark.

Snyman scored his first try for Munster last week against the DHL Stormers at Thomond Park in front of fans.

The World Cup-winning Springbok will meet with the specialist next to discuss surgery and management.

Commenting on the injury blow, Munster Rugby Head Coach Johann van Graan said: “We are all hugely disappointed for RG.

“After doing everything that was asked of him and working so hard to get back into great shape everyone feels for him right now.

“While this is a setback, we know RG is young and resilient given everything he has gone through in the last year so there is a strong sense of perspective here.

“We have seen what other world-class players have done in this position before and they have come back to reach the successful heights of their careers and I would expect no different for someone of RG’s class and standing.”

RG commented on the news on his Instagram story, stating “Here I go again #Round2Fight.”

Cricket Ireland give injury update on Andrew Balbirnie

Cricket Ireland have provided an injury update on captain Andrew Balbirnie, who went off injured in the third test against the United Arab Emirates after being struck on the foot by the ball.

Balbirnie received treatment on the field and left it during his innings in the seven-wicket defeat to the UAE on Sunday.

Ireland lost the third game of the T20I series against the host nation, succumbing to a 3-0 series defeat.

They will play Papua New Guinea twice in a warmup series before taking part in the T20 World Cup, which starts on Sunday, October 17.

Mark Rausa, Head of Physiotherapy and Medical Services for Cricket Ireland, said: “Andrew left the field of play during his innings today after being struck on the foot by the ball – specifically a direct blow to the 3rd, 4th and 5th toes.

“Initially, he could not bear weight and reported high levels of pain. The decision was made for him to retire hurt for immediate assessment and treatment.

“He has undergone an X-ray this evening in Abu Dhabi and we are currently awaiting the radiologist report to rule out a fracture to the toes, and will shortly confirm once we receive the report.

“I would like to thank the ICC and BCCI for their help in facilitating Andrew’s transport and assessment swiftly and safely during this period of heightened restrictions and biosecurity measures in the lead up to the T20 World Cup.”

Ireland begin their T20 World Cup campaign on Monday, October 18 when they face the Netherlands.

O’Brien stars but Ireland lose T20I series to UAE

Kevin O’Brien scored a half-century but it as not enough for Ireland as they fell to the United Arab Emirates for the third game in as many tests.

The series was played in preparation for the upcoming T20I World Cup – Ireland’s campaign begins on Monday, October 18 when they face the Netherlands.

The visitors batted first and started strongly but were reeled in by Rohan Mustafa, who encountered a purple patch.

The UAE did not look back after this and powered through to win by seven wickets with 23 balls remaining, with Muhammad Waseem registering a century for the side.

Ireland had started 76-0 before Mustafa brought his side back into it with the reliable duo of Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien.

The bowler started his tenure on the field by catching Stirling’s hit to send the Irishman walking after just three balls against Mustafa.

The stand ended in the 13th over at 85, the 12th partnership above 50 in T20Is between O’Brien and Stirling.

In men’s cricket, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson and Martin Guptill and Scotland’s George Munsey and Kyle Coetzer are the only pairs with as many, and no duo has more.

Mustafa bowled out Gareth Delany in the next over, setting the tone for a strong UAE comeback.

O’Brien brought up his half-century in the 15th over but he was the next to fall as Mustafa beat his attempted loft.

Curtis Campher began his at-bat inventively, playing a reverse lap sweep for four off his first ball.

However, that shot was Ireland’s sole boundary in the last 10 overs of their innings as their impressive start could not be sustained.

Waseem led his side to victory with an unbeaten 107 to seal a 3-0 series win for the hosts in Dubai.

Graham Ford’s side end the series without a win and will now face Papua New Guinea in a two-game warmup series before taking part in the T20I World Cup.

Flick gives positive fitness update for Chelsea defender Rudiger

The German national team manager has announced that Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger is likely to play their next international match

Flick announced today that Rudiger is back in contention to play against North Macedonia after missing recent training sessions.

The former Roma player played all 90 minutes in Germany’s World Cup qualifier against Romania. After a stunning Ianis Hagi goal, Serge Gnabry and Thomas Muller spared the team’s blushes in a 2-1 win.

After that match, the Chelsea defender was absent from training over the weekend. Reports in Germany claimed that he was struggling with a back injury and would be doubtful to play.

In a pre-match press conference Flick told the media that Rudiger was undergoing treatment for a back problem but that it would not rule him out of Germany’s next match.

This will be great news for German and Chelsea fans as the 6’2” center-half is in the form of his life. He has shown that he is one of the best defenders in the world, being a major part of the Blues’ Champions League victory.

He is still yet to extend his contract at Chelsea with his deal running out in June. If the Stamford Bridge board cannot agree to make him the highest-paid defender in the league then he may still leave.

Some of Europe’s major teams have already started circling with rumors of Bayern Munich and PSG wanting the player. As it stands, the now Chelsea defender will focus on his next game for Germany.

Die Mannschaft will travel to North Macedonia for their upcoming game in the World Cup qualifiers. This top-of-the-table clash kicks off tonight, 11th October at 19:45 in Skopje. It will also be shown live on Sky Sports Premier League Ireland.

To read more in-depth and up-to-date club and international football news, click here.

Conor McGregor Praises Fury-Wilder Trilogy Bout

Conor McGregor Praises Fury-Wilder Trilogy Bout

UFC superstar Conor McGregor took to Twitter on Sunday in high praise of WBC champion Tyson Fury and former champion Deontay Wilder following their classic trilogy bout in Las Vegas, before throwing shade at rival Dustin Poirier.

A back and forth affair, saw both men pick themselves up off the canvas numerous times, with Fury knocking down Wilder in third.

Before Wilder viciously came back knocking down the champion twice in round 4.

Fury overcame adversity once more, knocking down Wilder in round 10 before catching Wilder on the ropes with a picture-perfect KO in the 11th round to retain his WBC belt and finishing off what has been an all-time great rivalry.

McGregor posted on Twitter with a couple of tweets, praising both fighters for their ”honourable showing” calling them both winners.

The Irishman said;

“Great fight that”, both warriors, both winners. Hard to not be impressed with Deontay there. Against the much larger man and almost got it done. Great fight. Fair play both men there, very enjoyable fights they have had together. Respect.”

He went on to further congratulate both fighters and their partners on the iconic match-up;

Congrats Tyson and Paris. Me and Dee are so happy for you and the kids. Congrats Deontay and Telli also. Was great meeting you guys recently. A real proud showing that was, and could have went either way. Amazing! Happy Sunday now today with the cheddar and the memory’s God bless

However, McGregor did manage to take a sly swipe at long-time rival Dustin Poirier after his celebration during the pair’s own trilogy bout at UFC 264, which saw McGregor lose via doctor’s stoppage after a horrific leg break.

The tweet read;

“Their skill levels are unique but very close”, he continued. “A great heavyweight trilogy that was. I love when it gets set for certain and both have an honourable showing. Not the fam in the ring fake celebrating after a freak injury etc etc. You know the gig, God bless the real in this world.”

Conor McGregor Praises Fury-Wilder Trilogy Bout

For more News and Stories on all things Combat Sports, click here.

Neymar admits the 2022 Qatar World Cup ”will be my last”

Neymar admits the 2022 Qatar World Cup ”will be my last”

Brazil icon Neymar has admitted that the next World Cup will be his last representing the Canarinho as he is sceptical rather or not he will be able to ”mentally endure” another.

The 29-year-old made these comments in the documentary Neymar & The Line Of Kings by OTT platform DAZN.

His quotes were made public by the channel’s Twitter feed on Sunday, leading to mass speculation about the players overall future in the sport.

The full quote is here;

“I think it (2022) will be my last World Cup,” Neymar said. “I am facing it like the last World Cup because I don’t know whether I will be able to, mentally, to endure more soccer.”

“I will do everything possible to get there very well. I will do all I can to win it with my country and realize my dream, the biggest since my boyhood.”
In Brazil’s last competitive match, Neymar featured in a 0-0 draw against Colombia in a World Cup qualifying match after missing last week’s 3-1 win versus Venezuela due to suspension.
Brazil currently sits top of their group, winning nine and drawing one, picking up an impressive 28 points from 10 games.
In recent weeks, Neymar’s form and attitude have been questioned, with his last performance seeing him underperform massively. Losing possession 30 times and pulling off 17 missed passes.
Neymar so far in his glittering career, has played at two World Cups. With his first being in 2014, captaining his side until a serious back injury kept him sidelined for his team’s 7-1 home loss to Germany in the semi-final.
In 2018, Brazil were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Belgium.
Brazil manager Tite has come out in support for his star player in a recent interview;
“He is an exceptional player because he makes exceptional plays, he does it exceptionally and not ordinarily,” he said. “He is a special player, we know it. And he was also well marked, sometimes by two players.”
“I don’t know what else I need to do with this shirt for people to respect Neymar.” 
Neymar admits the 2022 Qatar World Cup ”will be my last”
For more News and Stories on all things Football, click here.
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