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Doak set for first Ulster start against Zebre

Ulster head coach Dan McFarland has announced his matchday 23 that will face Zebre at the Stade Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma, Italy on Saturday evening at 5:15 pm BST.

19-year-old scrum-half, Nathan Doak, will make his first competitive start for Ulster as John Cooney is currently out through injury – Doak played 50 minutes against Glasgow after the Ireland international’s withdrawal.

Doak, who scored his first senior try against Glasgow Warriors last Friday, has been named alongside Billy Burns at out-half.

In the midfield, James Hume has been paired up with Stewart Moore while Ethan McIlroy makes a positional switch to the left-wing, with Craig Gilroy coming in to take up the right-wing position, and Will Addison named at full-back.

It’s all change in the front row with Eric O’Sullivan and Tom O’Toole coming in to prop at either side of Rob Herring, who will be just one appearance away from the ‘200’ milestone when he takes the field tomorrow.

Alan O’Connor will skipper the Ulster side and is partnered by former Zebre lock Mick Kearney in the second row.

Matty Rea is selected at blindside flanker, and Nick Timoney switches to openside, with David McCann named at Number Eight.

Brad Roberts, Callum Reid, Marty Moore, Sam Carter and Sean Reidy are the forward options from the bench, and David Shanahan, Mike Lowry and Ben Moxham offer backline cover.

12 players are unavailable for the game, including Cooney, Jordi Murphy and club captain Iain Henderson.

Ulster Team v Zebre

(15-9) Will Addison, Craig Gilroy, James Hume, Stewart Moore, Ethan McIlroy, Billy Burns, Nathan Doak;

(1-8) Eric O’Sullivan, Rob Herring, Tom O’Toole, Alan O’Connor (Capt.), Mick Kearney, Matty Rea, Nick Timoney, David McCann.

Replacements: Brad Roberts, Callum Reid, Marty Moore, Sam Carter, Sean Reidy, David Shanahan, Mike Lowry, Ben Moxham.

Players not considered due to injury or unavailability:

Jack McGrath, Iain Henderson, Luke Marshall, Cormac Izuchukwu, David O’Connor, Jordi Murphy, John Cooney, Stuart McCloskey, Robert Baloucoune, Kieran Treadwell, Ian Madigan, Jacob Stockdale.

Challenge Cup pools and fixtures announced

Ahead of the December kick-off of the European club season, EPCR has announce a rebrand of the Challenge Cup

It will be officially renamed the ‘EPCR Challenge Cup’. This new look and feel have emerged following feedback from fans worldwide and EPCR has stepped up to create an enduring identity for the future.

Content strands celebrating diversity, embracing inclusion, and promoting accessibility. It will be available primarily on a new fan-focused tournament Instagram account epcr_challengecup and this will complement additional material on EPCR’s other social media channels as well as on epcrugby.com.

The rebrand is aimed at engaging a new generation of rugby fans while acknowledging the established supporters of the tournament since its inception in 1996.

How will the new Challenge Cup play out?

A modified format for the 2021/22 season will see 15 clubs with 10 European titles between them competing in three pools of five. Three-time finalists, RC Toulon, two-time winners, Gloucester Rugby, and Saracens, are among the favorites to lift silverware in Marseille next May.

Another former Challenge Cup winner, Biarritz Olympique, is making a welcome return to European competition after an absence of seven years.

The clubs were allocated into three pools based on their rankings from last season’s leagues and the pool stage will be played over five rounds starting on the 10th December and finishing on the weekend 10th April 2022.

A Round of 16 will be played on the weekend of 17th April 2022, followed by quarterfinals and semi-finals, with the final at the Stade Vélodrome, Marseille on 27 May 2022.

One club in each pool will have a bye during each round. A limited number of fixtures will see clubs playing against opponents from the same league.

The three highest-ranked clubs from each pool, and the highest-ranked fourth-placed club, as well as the three clubs, ranked nine to 11 from each of the Heineken Champions Cup pools, will qualify for the Round of 16.

The exact dates of the pool stage fixtures, as well as kick-off times and TV coverage, will be announced shortly.

2021/2022 EPCR Challenge Cup Pools

Pool A

RC Toulon, Newcastle Falcons, Zebre Rugby Club, Worcester Warriors, Biarritz Olympique

Pool B

Dragons, Lyon, Gloucester Rugby, Benetton Rugby, USAP

Pool C

London Irish, Edinburgh Rugby, CA Brive, Section Paloise, Saracens

 

2021/22 weekends

First Round – 10/11/12 December

Second Round – 17/18/19 December

Third Round – 14/15/16 January 2022

Fourth Round – 21/22/23 January 2022

Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 (1st leg) and EPCR Challenge Cup Round 5 – 8/9/10 April 2022

Heineken Champions Cup Round of 16 (2nd leg) and EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 – 15/16/17 April 2022

Quarter-finals – 6/7/8 May 2022

Semi-finals – 13/14/15 May 2022

EPCR Challenge Cup final – Friday 27 May 2022; Stade Vélodrome, Marseille

Heineken Champions Cup final – Saturday 28 May 2022; Stade Vélodrome, Marseille

 

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

Ireland U21 Squad Announced For Luxembourg and Montenegro Games

Republic of Ireland Under-21s Manager Jim Crawford has named his squad for the UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualifiers against Luxembourg at Tallaght Stadium on Friday, October 8 and an extended squad for the qualifier against Montenegro in Podgorica on Tuesday, October 12.

With Montenegro on the UK and German red list, current Covid-19 travel restrictions could see Ireland travel to Podgorica with a home-based squad – Montenegro is currently not on Ireland’s red list.

Under the current guidelines in Britain and Germany, any UK or German-based Ireland Under-21 player would be forced to undergo a period in quarantine before returning to their clubs if they travel to Montenegro for the second game of this international window.

FIFA, the Premier League and the English Football League have appealed to the UK Government to relax these rules for professional footballers on international duty this month and the FAI is working closely with their colleagues at The FA on this developing story.

As the FAI awaits a possible ruling in the UK, Ireland Under-21 manager Crawford has named his squad for Luxembourg and the extended squad for Montenegro with 13 home-based players called up for the first time.

The two-game qualifying series will open with the visit of Luxembourg to Tallaght Stadium on Friday, October 8 – the first home game of 2021 and also the first in front of Ireland fans for the Under 21s since November 2019.

Tickets for the Luxembourg game have gone on general sale today priced at €10 for adults, €5 for under-16s.

Republic of Ireland Under-21s squad for Luxembourg U21

Goalkeepers: Sam Blair (Bury Town, on loan from Norwich City), Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), David Odumosu (Drogheda United)Defenders: Joel Bagan (Cardiff City), Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Oisin McEntee (Greenock Morton, on loan from Newcastle United), Mark McGuinness (Cardiff City), Jake O’Brien (Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Tranmere Rovers, on loan from Celtic)

Midfielders: Conor Coventry (Peterborough United, on loan from West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Alex Gilbert (Swindon Town, on loan from Brentford), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Conor Noss (Borussia Möchengladbach), Ross Tierney (Bohemians), Louie Watson (Derby County)

Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Will Ferry (Crawley Town, on loan from Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Liam Kerrigan (UCD), Andrew Moran (Brighton and Hove Albion), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Tyreik Wright (Salford City, on loan from Aston Villa), Colm Whelan (UCD)

Republic of Ireland Under-21 squad for Montenegro U21 (pending UK/German Covid-19 travel restrictions)

Goalkeepers: Sam Blair (Bury Town, on loan from Norwich City), Brian Maher (Bray Wanderers), David Odumosu (Drogheda United)

Defenders: Joel Bagan (Cardiff City), Andy Lyons (Bohemians), Oisin McEntee (Greenock Morton, on loan from Newcastle United), Mark McGuinness (Cardiff City), Jake O’Brien (Crystal Palace), Lee O’Connor (Tranmere Rovers, on loan from Celtic), Ronan Boyce (Derry City), Kameron Ledwidge (Shelbourne) Josh Honohan (Cork City), Alex Murphy (Galway United), Niall O’Keefe (Waterford), Andrew Quinn (Bray Wanderers, on loan from Dundalk), Evan Weir (UCD)

Midfielders: Conor Coventry (Peterborough United, on loan from West Ham United), Dawson Devoy (Bohemians), Alex Gilbert (Swindon Town, on loan from Brentford), Gavin Kilkenny (Bournemouth), Conor Noss (Borussia Möchengladbach), Ross Tierney (Bohemians), Louie Watson (Derby County), Evan McLaughlin (Derry City), Niall Morahan (Sligo Rovers), Darragh Nugent (Longford Town, on loan from Shamrock Rovers), Killian Phillips (Drogheda United)

Forwards: Evan Ferguson (Brighton and Hove Albion), Will Ferry (Crawley Town, on loan from Southampton), Joshua ‘JJ’ Kayode (Rotherham United), Liam Kerrigan (UCD), Andrew Moran (Brighton and Hove Albion), Ollie O’Neill (Fulham), Tyreik Wright (Salford City, on loan from Aston Villa), Colm Whelan (UCD), Johnny Kenny (Sligo), Brandon Kavanagh (Bray Wanderers, on loan from Shamrock Rovers), Cian Kavanagh (Waterford), Dean Williams (Longford Town, on loan from Shamrock Rovers)

UEFA Under-21 European Championship Qualifiers – Group F 

Friday, October 8 | Republic of Ireland U21 v Luxembourg U21, Tallaght Stadium, KO 5.15pm

Tuesday, October 12 | Montenegro U21 v Republic of Ireland U21, Gradski Stadion, Podgorica, KO 4.30pm (Irish time)

URC launch attracts record number of viewers

The launch of the United Rugby Championship (URC) last weekend attracted a record number of viewers for a single league round.

Early figures show that domestic audiences alone surpassed the old global record of 853,511 from a derby round in 2017/18 and will continue to climb until all consolidated reports and international viewing figures are in.

Round 1 of the URC represented the first airing for the league’s new hybrid model of Free-to-Air (FTA), Pay TV and OTT which is geared towards making the sport as accessible as possible in its core territories and in international markets.

FTA is a fundamental component of the URC’s new broadcast strategy and rooted in fan feedback projects which identified increased FTA coverage in domestic markets as a priority for the new league.

Round 1 saw the return of RTÉ and BBC Wales which complemented the reach of existing partners TG4 and S4C while BBC Northern Ireland will screen league action once again when they begin their coverage in Round 3.

Mediaset also made its debut in Italy as FTA access made a welcome return with a strong opening audience.

In the UK, Premier Sports continue to be the only place to watch all 151 URC games live while they also began their Irish coverage for the first time.

SuperSport brought the new league into the homes of fans in South Africa for the first time as all four of their teams made their bow in the URC.

Round 1 also marked the successful launch of URC TV, the league’s OTT streaming service that is available domestically in the Republic of Ireland and internationally where fans in the US, Australia and many other worldwide territories can watch all their team’s games live and on-demand throughout the season.

Reacting to the record viewership, CEO Martin Anayi, said: “To achieve this milestone based only on domestic viewers in the first weekend proves the interest fans have in our players and teams and we firmly believe we will grow to audiences of over 1 million domestic viewers per round very quickly.

“Round 1 showcased everything the URC can be with fans back in the stadiums watching some thrilling rugby created by so many different playing styles.

“We saw sharp presentation across all of our broadcasters who do a terrific job in bringing the stories of our games and players to life with engaging personalities and insightful analysis.

“In a ground-breaking move for our league, we saw the launch of URC TV which allows us to offer fans across the world a direct channel to watch their favourite teams on their terms.”

Chelsea v Southampton – Preview, Betting & Probable Starting Teams

After a tough seven days, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea will look to turn their form around at home to Southampton in the Premier League

Chelsea v Southampton will kick off at 15:00 on Saturday, 2nd October in Stamford Bridge with Martin Atkinson as referee.

Chelsea is in desperate need of a win. They have had two poor 1-0 losses in the last week against Juventus and Manchester City. They still stand in third place in the league, only one point off Liverpool in the top spot.

The Blues’ injury list is not too long but they will be without Ngolo Kanté (Covid-19) and Mason Mount (Knock) who also missed the Champions League tie midweek.

Ralph Hasenhutl has managed to form a solid Premier League squad after the loss of Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings. They are still without a win in the top-flight this season but have ground out four draws, including against Man City and West Ham.

Southampton most recently lost to Wolverhampton last week and the game showcased their main problem; their lack of composure in front of goal.

Southampton fans have not been looking forward to this fixture. In their last 20 meetings, Southampton has only won three matches and Chelsea has been victorious 11 times. This game will also be a precursor for the EFL Cup Round 4 match taking place later this month.

Chelsea v Southampton Probable Starting Teams

Chelsea

Formation

4-3-2-1

Probable Starting 11

Mendy (GK), Chalobah, Rudiger, Christensen, Alonso, Saul, Jorginho, Hudson-Odoi, Ziyech, Havertz, Lukaku.

Injuries / Suspensions

Pulisic (Ankle), Mount (Knock), Kanté (Covid-19), James (Ankle)

Southampton

Formation

4-4-2

Probable Starting 11

McCarthy (GK), Livramento, Bednarek, Salisu, Walker-Pieters, Djenepo, Ward-Prowse, Romeu, Redmond, Adams, Armstrong.

Injuries / Suspensions

Broja (Personal reasons), Stephens (Knee), Armstrong (Calf), Smallbone (Cruciate ligament injury)

 

Betting

Chelsea 1/3

Draw 15/4

Southampton 8/1

 

Score Prediction

Hasenhutl may still be looking for his team’s first win of the season but that will be very hard to come by away in Stamford Bridge. Tuchel will have drilled his players and they will be looking for nothing less than 3 points well-secured.

Expect this game to end 3-0 to Chelsea.

To read more in-depth and up-to-date national and Premier League football news, click here.

List of Irish Sports Fixtures Taking Place In October 2021

This is a list of all major Irish sports fixtures scheduled for October 2021.

Friday, October 1st 2021 – Rugby: Connacht v Vodacom Bulls 7:35 pm, The Sportsground – United Rugby Championship.

Friday, October 1st 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Derry City 7:45 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 2nd 2021 – Rugby: Zebre v Ulster 5:15 pm, Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 2nd 2021 – Rugby: Dragons v Leinster 2:00 pm, Rodney Parade – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 2nd 2021 – Rugby: Munster v DHL Stormers 7:35 pm, Thomond Park – United Rugby Championship.

Tuesday, October 5th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Tuesday, October 5th 2021 – Hockey: Ireland v Malaysia, 6:30 pm, Lisnagarvey HC – Friendly.

Wednesday, October 6th 2021 – Hockey: Ireland v Malaysia, 7:30 pm, Lisnagarvey HC – Friendly.

Thursday, October 7th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v UAE 6:00 am, ICC Academy Ground.

Thursday, October 7th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v UAE 6:00 am, ICC Academy Ground.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Derry City 7:45 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Rugby: Ulster v Benetton 7:35 pm, Kingspan Stadium – United Rugby Championship.

Friday, October 8th 2021 – Football: St Patrick’s Athletic v Bohemians, 7:45 pm, Richmond Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Rugby: Leinster v Zebre 1:00 pm, RDS – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Football: Azerbaijan v Republic of Ireland 5:00 pm, Baku Olympic Stadium – FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers.

Saturday, October 9th 2021 – Rugby: Connacht v Dragons 5:15 pm, The Sportsground – United Rugby Championship.

Sunday, October 10th 2021 – Rugby: Scarlets v Munster 2:00 pm, Parc y Scarlets – United Rugby Championship.

Sunday, October 10th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v UAE 6:00 am, ICC Academy Ground.

Monday, October 11th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Zimbabwe 9:30 am, Zimbabwe – One-Day International.

Tuesday, October 12th 2021 – Football: Republic of Ireland v Qatar 7:45 pm, Aviva Stadium – International Friendlies.

Friday, October 15th 2021 – Rugby: Ulster v Sigma Lions 7:35 pm, Kingspan Stadium – United Rugby Championship.

Friday, October 15th 2021 – Football: Bohemians v Dundalk 7:45 pm, Dalymount Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Friday, October 15th 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Sligo Rovers 7:45 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 16th 2021 – Rugby: Leinster v Scarlets 5:15 pm, RDS – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 16th 2021 – Rugby: Munster v Connacht 7:35 pm, Thomond Park – United Rugby Championship.

Monday, October 18th 2021 – Cricket: Ireland v Netherlands 11:00 am, Sheikh Zayed Stadium – ICC T20 World Cup.

Wednesday, October 20th 2021 – Cricket: Sri Lanka v Ireland 3:00 pm, Sheikh Zayed Stadium – ICC T20 World Cup.

Thursday, October 21st 2021 – Hockey: Ireland v Russia 4:00 pm, Sport Wales National Centre – 2023 FIH Hockey World Cup – European Qualifier.

Thursday, October 21st 2021 – Football: Republic of Ireland v Sweden 7:00 pm – FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Friday, October 22nd 2021 – Cricket: Namibia v Ireland 11:00 am, Sheikh Zayed Stadium – ICC T20 World Cup.

Saturday, October 23rd 2021 – Rugby: Glasgow Warriors v Leinster 3:00 pm, Scotstoun – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 23rd 2021 – Rugby: Connacht v Ulster 5:15 pm, The Sportground – United Rugby Championship.

Saturday, October 23rd 2021 – Rugby: Ospreys v Munster 7:35 pm, Liberty Stadium – United Rugby Championship.

Monday, October 25th 2021 – Football: St Patrick’s Athletic v Dundalk 7:45 pm, Richmond Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Monday, October 25th 2021 – Football: Finn Harps v Sligo Rovers 8:00 pm, Finn Park – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Tuesday, October 26th 2021 – Football: Finland v Republic of Ireland 4:15 pm – FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.

Friday, October 29th 2021 – Football: Derry City v Bohemians 7:45 pm, Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Friday, October 29th 2021 – Football: Shamrock Rovers v Finn Harps 8:00 pm, Tallaght Stadium – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Saturday, October 30th 2021 – Football: Sligo Rovers v Drogheda United 7:45 pm, The Showgrounds – League of Ireland Premier Division.

Leicester City continue poor form with loss to Legia Warsaw

Leicester City looked like a shell of the side that won the FA Cup and reached the UEFA Europa League last season as they suffered a 1-0 defeat in the Polish capital of Warsaw on Thursday night.

The loss to Polish Ekstraklasa champions Legia Warsaw, who currently sit 15th in their domestic league, only adds to a poor run of form Brendan Rodgers’ side have been experiencing lately.

The side were predictable and sluggish as they prodded around the pitch for 90 minutes, failing to overturn the deficit the hosts had given them half an hour into the match.

New signing Mahir Emreli got off the mark in the group stage after three goals in the qualifying rounds.

The Azerbaijani forward found himself with the ball on the edge of the Leicester box and shrugged off utility player Daniel Amartey to fashion a chance and fire home through centre-back Jannik Vestergaard’s legs.

This was only one example of Legia supremacy throughout the first half as the side looked dangerous and threatened the Leicester defence several times, with the 3-5-2 formation proving to be ineffective for the Foxes.

Luke Thomas, particularly, had a rough night at left wing-back and Caglar Soyuncu did not do a great job of cleaning up anything that got past Thomas on that side.

Ayoze Perez was the most positive player on the night for a side that looked down on their luck but he could not find a finishing touch.

That clinical ability in the final third was lacking, even though Legia goalkeeper Miszta looked beatable.

Rodgers brought Jamie Vardy and Ademola Lookman on to attempt to salvage the game but ended up without anything to show for it.

After their draw to Napoli at the King Power Stadium, the result puts Leicester into a tough spot in Europe as they sit bottom of their group, needing a win against Spartak Moscow to keep their European dream alive.

However, they may not be able to do so if they continue playing like they did on Thursday night.

Lineups

Legia Warsaw (3-5-1-1): Miszta – Jędrzejczyk, Wieteska, Nawrocki – Johansson, Slisz, Kharatin, Martins, Mladenović – Josue – Emreli.

Subs used: Abu Hanna, Kastrati, Lopes, Pekhart.

Leicester City (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Amartey, Soyuncu Vestergaard; Castagne, Soumaré, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Thomas; Perez, Daka.

Subs: Lookman, Barnes, Maddison, Vardy.

CFM Group to sponsor Basketball National League and National Cup

Irish Insurance company CFM Group has signed a three-year deal with Basketball Ireland to become a major sponsor across the National Leagues and National Cup.

The announcement was made at Thursday’s launch of the 2021/22 National League season at the National Basketball Arena.

The men’s Super League and Division One will now be known as the InsureMyVan.ie Super League and InsureMyVan.ie Division One.

The women’s Super League and Division One will be named the MissQuote.ie Super League and MissQuote.ie Division One.

Basketball Ireland’s prestigious National Cup is now called the InsureMyHouse.ie Cup at all levels of the game.

The agreement with CFM will also see the company support Ireland’s national teams, as they return to FIBA EuroBasket qualification in November.

InsureMyVan.ie is to become the lead sponsor of the men’s team and MissQuote.ie are a lead sponsor of the Ireland U20 women’s team and a supporting partner of the Irish senior women’s team.

Basketball Ireland’s Commercial Manager Conor Meany welcomed the new deal. “The timing of this announcement couldn’t be better, as we head back into competitive domestic basketball for the first time in 18 months.

“It is a major endorsement of what we believe is possible in the sport and it is fantastic to have found a company that shares that vision.

“CFM Group are on a similar trajectory to us and have been growing rapidly over the past decade.

“We’re looking forward to working alongside them to grow their suite of brands and our sport over the coming years.”

Jonathan Hehir M.D. of CFM Group said: “CFM Group with market-leading brands InsureMyVan.ie, MissQuote.ie and InsureMyHouse.ie are proud to partner with Basketball Ireland, to support the growth of the most popular indoor sport in the country.

“As an Irish company employing local staff, our success is built upon a young Irish team of fully trained insurance specialists, motivated to be the best in the sector, delivering high-quality low-cost insurance to our customers.

“We are delighted to embark on this basketball sponsorship covering the National League, National Cup and international teams, supporting young men and women participating across the length and breadth of the country.”

The National League returns next week after an 18-month absence due to Covid-19 – the first fixture of the season take place on Friday 8th October, with The Address UCC Glanmire hosting Team Garveys St. Mary’s in the Missquote.ie Super League.

DCU Mercy were the 2019/20 women’s Super League champions, their opening game is a home tie against WIT Waterford Wildcats, on October 10th.

Head coach Mark Ingle is itching to get back on the court: “We at DCU Mercy are really looking forward to the start of the women’s Super League on October 10th.

“It has been a long time trying to get back on the court, but onwards and upwards now for all involved.

“It should be a really exciting season, as I’d imagine all the players are hungry for the game as they have missed it.”

Defending men’s Super League champions Belfast Star also don’t play until Sunday 10th October, when they host UCD Marian at De La Salle College.

Head coach Adrian Fulton is eager to begin the defence of their Insuremyvan.ie Super League title: “We are very much looking forward to getting back to the cut and thrust of the league. It’s obviously nice to be going in as defending champions, but that really counts for very little at this stage.

“Most teams will have very different playing rosters, including ourselves, and I’m sure the league will be as closely contested as in the previous few seasons, with lots of teams in with a shot at the title.

“We hope that the fans will take the opportunity to come out and support their teams and create a great atmosphere, as they have done in previous years. From my perspective, we are definitely behind in our preparation.

“I hope we can be as competitive as possible in the opening month and will try to improve as the season develops.”

The draw for the InsureMyHouse.ie Cup takes place on Tuesday 5th October – Division One clubs will learn their opponents from 1 pm, with the draw streamed live from the National Basketball Arena on Basketball Ireland’s Facebook channel.

The draw for Super League sides is live from RTÉ studios and will be broadcast on ‘Game On’ on RTÉ 2fm from 6:30 pm.

Cage Warriors 127 – Preview, Full Card, Odds, Where To Watch

Cage Warriors

Cage Warriors 127 is the first event in the promotion’s fifth trilogy series and the card takes place on Thursday night.

Dominique Wooding and Nathan Fletcher will go to battle to crown a new bantamweight champion in the main event.

Wooding comes into the fight in patchy form, with two wins and two losses in his last four fights – both of those losses came by unanimous decision in his final Bellator fights.

However, Wooding has had a bright start to life at Cage Warriors, beating Cameron Hardy at Cage Warriors 124 to earn the opportunity to fight for the belt at 135 lbs.

The card will be held at the York Hall Leisure Centre in London and ‘Black Panther; will hope that the belt remains in the city after the fight.

Nathan Fletcher is the 25-year-old’s unbeaten opponent, with a 6-0 record to his name.

Fletcher is a known submission artist, choking out five of his six opponents on the road to the bantamweight title bout.

His performances as an amateur on the undercard of Cage Warriors events showcased this ability and on Thursday night, he will get to display them in the promotion’s biggest bantamweight fight of the year.

Nathan trains at Next Gen, the gym where UFC stars Molly McCann and Paddy Pimblett hail from, and he will be looking to follow in their footsteps and become a Cage Warriors champion.

In the co-main event, Kurban Khriziev and Josh Reed will meet in a catchweight bout after both men missed the mark of the originally agreed upon 135lbs.

However, they came to a gentleman’s agreement and the fight stays on the card as the third catchweight bout of the event.

Rory Evans and Weslley Maia agreed to a catchweight bout earlier this week and Adam Wilson and Kingsley Crawford will open the main card with one.

Irishman Ryan Shelley will kick-off the action at 8:15 pm when he faces Liam Molloy in his second professional MMA fight.

The main card will begin at 9 pm.

Cage Warriors 127 – Full Card

Main Event (Bantamweight title bout) – Nathan Fletcher (134.7 lbs) vs. Dom Wooding (134.8 lbs)
139 lbs Catchweight – Josh Reed (136.8 lbs) vs.  Kurban Khizriev (138.7 lbs)
139 lbs Catchweight – Rory Evans (137.9 lbs) vs. Weslley Maia (138.6 lbs)
Welterweight – Oban Elliott (169.6 lbs) vs. George McManus (171 lbs)
140 lbs Catchweight – Adam Wilson (138.5 lbs) vs. Kingsley Crawford (138.9 lbs)
Prelims
Bantamweight – Jack Clarke (132.7 lbs) vs. Bakhtyaar Oryakhail (134.5 lbs)
Featherweight – Liam Molloy (146 lbs) vs. Ryan Shelley (146 lbs)

Odds

Wooding 3/2 vs 1/2 Fletcher

Reed 3/2 vs 1/2 Khizriev

Evans 7/4 vs 4/9 Maia

Elliot 2/5 vs 2/1 McManus

Wilson 3/2 vs 1/2 Crawford

Clarke 2/1 vs 2/5 Oryakhail

Shelley Even vs Even Molloy

Where To Watch 

The full card will be available to watch on UFC Fight Pass which has a cost of €9.99 a month.

Legia Warsaw v Leicester City – Preview, Starting Teams, Odds, Where To Watch

Leicester City have travelled to Poland to take on Legia Warsaw in Group C of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday evening.

The home side leads the way in the group after a 1-0 victory over Spartak Moscow in the opening round.

Leicester, on the other hand, will be looking to leapfrog Legia with a win after a 2-2 draw against Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli.

However, Brendan Rodgers’ side will be without several key players for their upcoming European fixture against the Polish champions.

Northern Ireland centre-back Jonny Evans will not feature for the Fixes as he continues his recovery from a foot issue.

Defensive midfielder Wilfried Ndidi will be suspended for the clash after his late red card against Napoli.

It is expected that new signing Boubakary Soumaré will take the Nigerian’s place in the starting lineup against Legia.

Kelechi Iheanacho will also be unavailable for Leicester as he was unable to get past the Polish border control.

“We’ve had an issue with Kelechi,” Rodgers said to lcfc.com. “His documentation coming into the country wasn’t suffice, so unfortunately he isn’t available to play, which is a shame because he would have played in the game.

“He will be unavailable for the game. The paperwork didn’t allow him into the country. It’s unfortunate, but we’ll have to look into that when we get back.”

Legia’s injury doubts, Matthias Johansson and Luquinhas are expected to be in the squad as they trained this week.

Lineups

Legia Warsaw (3-5-1-1): Miszta – Jędrzejczyk, Wieteska, Nawrocki – Johansson, Slisz, Kharatin, Martins, Mladenović – Josue – Emreli.

Subs: Tobiasz, Holownia, Rose, Abu Hanna, Ribeiro, Skibicki, Celhaka, Kastrati, Muci, Lopes, Pekhart, Kostorz.

Leicester City (3-5-2): Schmeichel; Amartey, Soyuncu Vestergaard; Castagne, Soumaré, Tielemans, Dewsbury-Hall, Thomas; Perez, Daka.

Subs: Jakupović, Ward, Benković, Bertrand, Ricardo, Choudhury, Albrighton, Lookman, Barnes, Maddison, Vardy.

Odds

Legia Warsaw 5/1

Draw 10/3

Leicester City 1/2

Where To Watch

The game will kick-off at 5:45 pm and will be available to watch on BT Sport 2 – coverage starts at 5:15 pm.

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