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Rugby League World Cup Postponed Until 2022

The Rugby League World Cup (RLWC) has been postponed until 2022 after New Zealand and Australia withdrew from the competition.

The men’s tournament was scheduled to go ahead alongside the women’s tournament and the wheelchair tournament this Autumn in England.

Ireland had qualified for the men’s tournament and was drawn into Group C with New Zealand, as well as Lebanon and Jamaica.

Australia and New Zealand had said that it is “simply too unsafe” to travel and have further cited player welfare and safety concerns as reasons for their withdrawal.

The RLWC issued a statement on Thursday morning which read: “Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021) and the UK Government have today announced their intention to stage the flagship event in the international Rugby League calendar in 2022.

“The extremely difficult decision was taken by the RLWC2021 Board, which includes representation from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and the International Rugby League (IRL) Board.

“This follows extensive and urgent consultation conducted by RLWC2021 Chief Executive Officer Jon Dutton and his team, which engaged players, competing nations, the Rugby League Players Association (Australia), UK Government, hosts, commercial and broadcast partners.

“Tournament organisers faced several unique and complex challenges with the most significant being the non-release of up to 400 players, match officials and staff members from the NRL competition in Australia. This is despite all requests from international rugby league federations having been met which included the rigorous health measures that have been keeping thousands of elite athletes from around the world safe whilst competing in major sporting events across the UK over the last year.

“Ultimately this decision has been detrimental to the plans and ambitions of many of the competing nations and potential replacement teams. A key factor was ensuring that fans of Rugby League are able to enjoy the best possible tournament, which was not possible under these circumstances.”

Jon Dutton, RLWC2021 Chief Executive Officer, said: “Today is a challenging moment for everyone involved in Rugby League, but most importantly the players and fans of the competing nations.

“Ultimately, time and competing priorities from others forced us to make the most difficult decision in our six-year history. However, we and the sport of Rugby League are resilient, and next year we will deliver our vision of the biggest and best Rugby League World Cup ever.

“We have always prioritised player voice and player choice. We have established a player working group, met with senior players and in the last few days commissioned a player survey to domestic players in Australia and New Zealand that showed more than 85% wanted to compete at RLWC2021 this year.

“However, following the disappointing decision of the ARLC and NZRL to withdraw, and the subsequent impact on player availability for other competing nations, it is apparent that delivering the tournament this year would not be feasible.

“The wellbeing of all those involved in the tournament, particularly players and team officials, has been our priority. I would like to thank the RLWC2021 Board and my team for the relentless hard work and extraordinary measures that had been undertaken to create a safe and secure environment in line with other major sports events that have been successfully hosted in the UK this year.

“I would also like to thank all our committed partners as well as the Rugby League community at large who have been so supportive of our trailblazing event. We appreciate the continued and unequivocal support of the UK Government, as well as the understanding of our competing nations.”

Team Ireland Race Walker David Kenny Achieves Top-30 Finish

Team Ireland racewalker David Kenny has finished 29th in the Men’s 20km Walk event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games on Thursday morning.

Kenny crossed the line in a time of 1:26.54 to seal an impressive Olympic debut in the Japanese capital city.

The racewalker finished one second ahead of his closest opponent, Jose Oswaldo Calel of Guatemala, and was under six minutes behind the winner, Italian Massimo Stano.

The 22-year-old’s result comes less than a month after he picked up silver at the European U-23 Championships.

Kenny finished that race with a time of 1:25.50 to earn the silver medal in Tallinn at the beginning of July.

The Kerryman is also a two-time national champion in the sport, following in the footsteps of his coach, world champion and Team Ireland Olympic bronze medalist Rob Heffernan.

The Olympians have put similar times at the same age and the five-time Olympian also earned a late-twenties finish in his first Olympic Games in Sydney.

Heffernan has gone on record to say that the rising star in race walking is “better than [he] was at that age.”

The Farranfore-Maine Valley athlete has added to an already fantastic season and is expected to move up the world rankings, where he currently resides in 92nd.

To add to his silver medal in Tallinn and the impressive Olympic debut, Kenny has achieved his personal best in the 20km race walk this year.

A strong performance in Dudince, Slovakia in the middle of March saw David Kenny clock a time of 1:23.06.

His selection for the Olympics complimented the achievements he has managed in his career so far and the performance only does so further.

The man who got him into racewalking, Michael O’Connor, was impressed with his performance and gave his thoughts to Radio Kerry.

“Given the conditions, he put up a mighty performance altogether,” O’Connor exclaimed. “A British fella there, Tom Bosworth, he’d be the white hope really of the British – he was 25th, David was 29th – and he was really expected to do pretty well.

“And I think that puts it into context for a young fella. There was seven of them around 22 years of age…it was a mighty performance altogether.”

Olympic Cycling: Downey lands 17th place in punishing Omnium

Team Ireland had one major competitor, Mark Downey,  in the Izu Velodrome this morning for the men’s Omnium races

The Down native was taking part in one of the most gruelling, unforgiving cycling competitions at the Olympics this morning, the Omnium.

The event consists of four 10km/40 lap races in the spaces of a few hours. These races are the scratch race, the tempo race, the elimination race and the points race. For anyone a little confused, they will be explained as they come up for Downey.

This was the 25-year-olds first appearance at an Olympic Games but he had shown his quality in recent years to give him a chance of finishing in the top half of competitors.

Cycling Track – Men’s Omnium

Scratch Race

First up for Downey was the Scratch race which is straightforward, first across the finishing line gets the most points.

The Irishman started well jostling inside the main pack of riders. This worked well to conserve his energy until the last lap where he got stuck behind competitors, unable to manoeuvre for a sprint.

He finished this race in 16th, recieving 10 points. In first place was Great Britain’s Matthew Walls who got 40 points.

Tempo Race

Next up was the tempo race which is all about sprinting. Cyclists will get a point if they are the first person to cross the line after every lap, they will also get 20 points for lapping the field. Those that are lapped will be deducted 20 points.

This was not a good race for Downey, he could not find more energy, just 30 minutes after the Scratch. He failed to win any sprint and was lapped once.

He ended the round in 19th with -20 points, Dutchman JW van Schip finished highest with 30 points.

 

Elimination Race

The third race was the elimination race which is basically a last man standing, every two laps, last place is forced to drop out of the race.

After a slight delay due to a small bike on coach collision on the track, the race got under way.

Downey managed well to avoid last place for the first four laps but could not make a push on in the outside lane to sit in the middle of the pack. He was the second rider eliminated after he was caught off guard by a quick double overtake.

Italy’s Elia Viviani was the last man standing in this event and the points pushed him into sixth place overall.

 

Points Race

Last up is the points race which is the most complicated. Every 10 laps there is a sprint worth five, three, two and one points mid-race with these totals being doubled in the final lap.

Like the tempo race, 20 points are awarded if a rider laps the field and 20 deducted for the rider lapped.
Although Downey did not manage to gain any more points, he was not lapped and jumped into 17th place overall.
The event was officially won by Team GB’s Matthew Walls in the final few laps with 153 points.

Olympic Golf: Meadow Reacts To Improved 2nd Round

Team Ireland golf star Stephanie Meadow was the first of the Irish golfers to hit the course this morning, beginning her round on one-over-par after an opening 72 yesterday.

Meadow was two-under for her last three holes on Wednesday and reached the back nine today on two-under-par for her round and 1-under total.

A bogey on the par-three 10th was followed by birdies on the 14th, 15th, 16th and 18th holes to secure an impressive second-round score of 66 and leave her tied for 11th at the end of the round.

The much-improved five-under performance sees the two-time Olympian join the chasing pack, with the Northern Irish golfer and her Team Ireland teammate Leona Maguire sitting five strokes off second place and a medal.

“I just kind of managed it a bit better today I think,” said Meadow afterwards. “I still didn’t have my best stuff but I gave myself a little bit more room on left pins and didn’t short side myself so that was really the key and is always part of shooting under par.

Meadow started off the second round on a better note than she did the first, posting two birdies on the front nine to set the tone.

Her strong finish only backed up the impressive start and puts the golfer in a good position for the next round.

“I guess I hope I can start like that tomorrow. There’s a lot of wedges on the last few, they’re easy-ish holes and they moved the tee on 18 up today so all of those things contribute but I finally got comfortable, hit good shots and started to see it a bit better.”

The heat is still a factor, with tournament organisers implementing additional heat mitigation measures including provision of umbrellas on the first tee and roving carts providing ice and cooling towels to players, caddies and officials.

Meadow and Maguire will be in the same group for round three of the Olympic golf tournament and will tee-off at 0:18 am.

Sky Sports announce Bundesliga rights for Ireland in four-season deal

Sky Sports have bought the rights to become the new home of the Bundesliga in the UK and Ireland until 2025

Sky Sports has today announced that it has bought the exclusive rights to show the Bundesliga in the UK and Ireland for the next four seasons.

German top-flight football fans in the UK and Ireland, will be able to watch superstars Erling Haaland and Robert Lewandowski. Bundesliga champions Bayern München, Dortmund and newcomers RB Leipzig will challenge for domestic glory from the 2021/22 to 2024/25 season.

Sky Sports’ coverage of the league will begin at 7.30pm on Friday 13th August with champions FC Bayern München travelling to Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Then, the 2012 league winners Borussia Dortmund take on Eintracht Frankfurt on the Saturday, kick off at 5.30pm.

In addition to the Bundesliga, Sky will also broadcast the German Supercup live. This will have an early “Klassiker” match-up, with Dortmund and Bayern going head-to-head on 17th August.

The premium fixture of each weekend will be shown live every Saturday at 5.30pm.  Further matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports linear or digital channels including Sky Sports YouTube.

Sky Sports Managing Director Jonathan Licht said:

“We’re delighted to have acquired the rights to the Bundesliga. Sky Sports customers will have the opportunity to watch some of the best players in the world as well as some of the leading teams in Europe.

What else will be on offer as well?

The Bundesliga joins an already busy roster of football rights in Sky’s portfolio including the Premier League, EFL, Scottish Premiership.

Bundesliga International CEO Robert Klein added:

“This is a partnership that will deliver the best of the Bundesliga week-in, week-out, through world class production and multi-platform coverage. With Sky as our partner, Bundesliga fans will benefit from a first-class football viewing experience.

“This, paired with the Bundesliga’s trademark attacking style of football, means that fans can expect an action-packed season, featuring some of the world’s best players and the most exciting up-and-coming talent.”

Team Ireland Star Kellie Harrington On Semi-Final Victory

Team Ireland boxer Kellie Harrington will box for gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games this coming Sunday as she put in a tough and gritty performance in her semi-final bout against Sudaporn Seesondee of Thailand this morning.

The lightweight took the win – and a minimum silver medal – on a 3-2 split decision.

They were neck-and-neck throughout, with Kellie taking a 3-2 edge in the opening two rounds, leaving a big closing round ahead.

Patience was key for Harrington though, and it paid off in the third, as she kept her composure against the tricky southpaw, to maintain her 3-2 lead and take the win.

Kellie has now secured a minimum of an Olympic silver medal for Team Ireland and will box for gold this coming Sunday in the Women’s Light (57-60kg) Olympic final.

“It’s fantastic,” she said afterwards. “Olympic silver medallist. That’s the stuff that people dream about.”

Harrington described the bout as a chess match and says her previous fight with Seesondee at the 2018 AIBA Amateur World Championships was like one too.

“It was patience that was key, I kept my patience and she didn’t. And that’s what won me the fight. The coaches were in the corner telling me, ‘stay patient’ and giving me tactics to throw and it worked.”

Reflecting on how it feels to be through to an Olympic final and have a silver medal secured she added that many have tried to get there, many don’t have what it takes to succeed because they don’t have the willpower, the determination, the focus, the dedication.

“I eat, sleep and breathe boxing. I’ve had heartbreak. I know what it is to fail and I know how hard it is to pick yourself back up after that. This is why I am who I am, and why I am here today – because I’m not afraid of failure. I know what it is. I’m Kellie Harrington. I’m myself and I make my own pathway.”

Kellie will face off against Beatriz Ferreira of Brazil in the Women’s Light Olympic final at 6 am Irish time on Sunday.

Team Ireland Boxer Kellie Harrington To Fight For Gold

Team Ireland boxer Kellie Harrington will fight for an Olympic gold medal on Sunday at 6 am after her victory against Thai boxer Sudaporn Seesondee on Thursday morning.

After an assertive third round, the Dublin fighter won via split decision put her in pole position to reach the final.

The match-up was a rematch of the 2018 AIBA Amateur World Lightweight Championship final and the scorecards led to the same conclusion – 3-2 to Harrington.

The Dubliner is now guaranteed a silver medal after reaching the final of the division and could win the first Irish silver medal of Tokyo 2020 or the second Irish gold after Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy’s win.

The tense first round saw Harrington come out on top after her early jabs were deemed enough for a 3-2 round win.

However, her nimble opponent, Seesondee, fought back in the second round to even proceedings.

A reoccurring right hand was a constant in the Thai boxer’s gameplan as she got into the groove of things in round two.

Yet, Harrington’s power proved too much for her rival to handle and a tough third round showcased that.

In contrast to her opponent, the Portland Row native’s left hand was her main weapon, and it was used often in the final round as she regained control of the bout.

Harrington’s split decision win saw three judges edge her on their scorecards with a 29-28 score but it was enough for the Irish woman to reach the final.

Harrington becomes the first Irish boxer to reach the final of an Olympic boxing division since John Joe Nevin at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The 31-year-old will fight 41-year-old Brazilian Beatriz Fereira for the gold medal on Sunday morning.

Her five-nil unanimous decision win over Finnish pugilist Mira Potkonen alludes to a very enticing affair between the two finalists.

Team Ireland star Kellie Harrington’s gold medal bout will be shown live on RTÉ Two and will take place at 6 am on Sunday, August 8th.

All Blacks team named for opening Test against Australia

The All Blacks team has been named to play Australia in the opening Bledisloe Cup Test presented by Steinlager at Eden Park on Saturday 7 August, kick-off 19:05

The All Blacks and Australia will be playing their 171st Test against each other with Aaron Smith knowing the Wallabies well; he has played them 25 times. New Zealand has won 117 of those matches, Australia 45 with eight draws.

The last Test between the two sides was a narrow 24-22 win to Australia at Suncorp Stadium, last year.

The world ranked number two’s Head Coach Ian Foster said:

“There is huge excitement in our group at what lies ahead this weekend. There is such a huge history with the Bledisloe Cup, the rivalry between the All Blacks and Australia goes back a long, long way, and it’s always a massive contest.

“The Cup isn’t ours; we have to go out and win it again. We can’t wait for the weekend.”

The starting front row is unchanged from the last Test outing against Fiji, with loosehead prop George Bower, hooker Codie Taylor and tighthead Nepo Laulala running out.

Brodie Retallick is back at starting lock alongside captain Samuel Whitelock, with Scott Barrett on the bench.

To round out the forward line, in the loose forwards, Ardie Savea is at eight, with Dalton Papalii at seven and Akira Ioane in the six jersey.

In the backs, Richie Mo’unga is again at ten, outside Aaron Smith. David Havili and centre Anton Lienert-Brown are the midfield combination for this game.

Rieko Ioane moves to the left wing, Sevu Reece is on the right and Damian McKenzie is at fullback.

Props Joe Moody and Ofa Tuungafasi weren’t considered for selection as they return from injuries, while the selectors have also taken a considered approach with outside back Will Jordan’s return from a slight hamstring strain.

It will be a special night for halfback Aaron Smith, who will play his 100th Test, after making his Test debut against Ireland back in 2012.

On Aaron Smith’s special milestone, Foster said:

“He’s a special man, he’s achieved so much in the black jersey and has been an iconic player for us over the last decade. We know it’ll be a special night for him, his wife Teagan and his family.”

The All Blacks have held the Bledisloe Cup since 2003 and will look to hold onto it for another year.

The matchday 23 is (Test caps in brackets).

1. George Bower (3)
2. Codie Taylor (58)
3. Nepo Laulala (31)
4. Brodie Retallick (83)
5. Samuel Whitelock (125) – captain
6. Akira Ioane (4)
7. Dalton Papalii (5)
8. Ardie Savea (50)
9. Aaron Smith (99)
10. Richie Mo’unga (24)
11. Rieko Ioane (37)
12. David Havili (5)
13. Anton Lienert-Brown (50)
14. Sevu Reece (10)
15. Damian McKenzie (30)
16. Dane Coles (76)
17. Karl Tu’inukuafe (18)
18. Angus Ta’avao (16)
19. Scott Barrett (42)
20. Luke Jacobson (5)
21. Brad Weber (9)
22. Beauden Barrett (91)
23. Jordie Barrett (25)

 

Modern Pentathlon: Coyle fences into third in Ranking Round

The Olympics Modern Pentathlon began this morning and Ireland’s Natalya Coyle started with fencing in the Musashino Forest Plaza

This will be the Meath woman’s third Olympic Games, most recently she finished 6th overall in Rio 2016. The 30-year-old will be looking to improve on this yet again this year.

This season’s modern pentathlon has 36 athletes and consists of a five disciplines: swimming, fencing, riding, running and laser shooting.

The beginning of the ranking process was 35 fencing bouts for each athlete spread across three and a half hours this morning. Each athlete would score points for their victories which would be totalled up for their ranking position.

Coyle has shown her determination and excitement to be at these Games, to read more about Team Ireland Triple Olympian Natalya Coyle Ready For Tokyo, click here.

Modern Pentathlon – Women’s Fencing Ranking Round

Coyle started poorly getting two loses in her first two bouts but picked herself up and won the next five. It is clear to see that fencing is something that the Meath woman focused on in preparation for these Games.

At the halfway stage of 18 bouts, the Irish woman had beaten her opponents 13 times. After this point, the athletes began to tire and this became a war of attrition.

As Coyle fought to keep up with the demanding fitness needed for the event, some of her performances suffered. She started losing every second match as she pushed herself hard for victory.

Coyle found another burst of energy when there was an end in sight two hours later as she won her last five bouts. She finished the round of matches with a total of 23 victories, showcasing her fencing talents.

These hard fought performances had gotten Coyle a joint third place finish at the end of the fencing Ranking Round with 238 MP points.

The only other athletes to better her were South Korea’s Sehee Kim and Germany’s Annika Schleu with a staggering 274 points.

Nothing is won yet and the ranking round in fencing does not express an athlete’s overall strengths. Coyle will need to rest and recuperate for the finals coming up tomorrow, knowing she has put in a tough shift this morning.

Upcoming Schedule for the Women’s Modern Pentathlon finals

Friday, August 6 (Irish time)

Swimming – 06.30

Fencing Bonus Round – 07.45

Riding – 09.15

Laser Run – 11.30

Olympic Diving: Watson dives out in semi-final

Team Ireland’s sole female contender in the diving at the Tokyo Olympics was in action in the 10m platform semi-final this morning

Tanya Watson qualified for this stage of the competition after coming in 16th place in preliminary rounds yesterday. The 19-year-old would need to improve to be in top 12 to make it to the finals.

To read more about Tanya Watson’s Olympic diving journey, click here.

The semi consists of each diver performing five dives, all to be scored by judges and added together to find the highest ranked athletes.

The final will take place later today at 08:00.

Women’s 10m Platform – Semi-final

Watson decided that she was going to start her routine with one of her most demanding dives; a Back two and a half somersault with one and a half twists.

She performed the move to almost complete perfection and was awarded 64 for her attempt, an improvement of 1.6 on the same dive she did yesterday. She now sat in a good position in ninth.

Next in round two and she kept up her good form. She added to her total with 63 more points completing a neat tuck and causing little splash.

Round three would be Watson’s downfall, she attempted a Back two and a half somersault, difficulty 2.9. This move had worried her the previous day and the nerves continued as she scored badly.

She over rotated, smacking the tops of her feet of the water and only receiving 39.15 from the judges. The narrow margin of a few inches mean so much in this event as she dropped to 15th at the end of the round.

For round four she calmed herself with a Reverse two and a half somersault. It was her easiest dive but the teenager was pleased with her result of 56 more points.

In her final round, the qualification places seemed just too far out of reach. She went for another hard difficulty dive, 3.2 degree; an Inward three and a half somersault.

This was a good end to her program, showing a tidy entry into the water. Another 56 points meant that she would finish in 15th place with an overall score of 278.15, less than 25 off of 12th.

China’s Quan and Chen stole the show, leading the pack with scores of 415.65 and 407.75 respectively. These young women are the two major favourites to battle for gold later today.

Watson managed to improve her placement today from the preliminary rounds, which is a major accomplishment for the teenager. Paris cannot come sooner for this Irish diver, we can see she has a bright future ahead of her on the platform.

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