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Olympic Sailing: 49ers bow out on a high

Ireland’ two last sailors, Sean Waddilove and Robert Dickson, competed in this morning’s 49er Men’s Race 10, 11 and 12 in Fujisawa

The Irish pair came in this morning needing a miracle to progress to the medal race. After having two of their races disqualified for using a harness that was 90g too heavy, they had an overall ranking of 14th.

In 27 degree heat, 71 percent humidity and nine knots of wind, they needed to climb four more places in the rankings.

Although the odds were against them, Dickson and Waddilive were prepare to show the Olympics their true class.

After a delayed start, the Irish men went out and finished third in race 10, only beaten by the Croatian and German pairs.

They were not so lucky in the second race of the day as many of the underperforming countries brought back their form. In race 11, Dickson and Waddilove completed the circuit in 17th.

Going into the final race of their Olympics, they knew that the medal race was out of their grasp. This did not disparage the team as they pulled out their ‘A’ game.

They dominated the entire race and cross the finish line in first. This gave them an overall finishing rank of 13th.

Sadly, if they were not disqualified from race from good finishes in race six and seven, then they would have qualified for the final medal race.

Although they did not qualify for the final, both young sailors are under the age of 25 and will have bright futures ahead of themselves in sailing.

With a little more experience and training, these two will be a big prospect for the Paris Olympics in three years time.

Olympic Athletics: English and Lavin frustrated

Team Ireland had two more athletes competing in early morning athletics events while they waited for the 400m mixed relay final

Men’s 800m Round 1 – Heat 5 – Mark English

English, starting in Lane 3, had high hopes going into this event. Going by personal bests before the race, he was consider the fourth fastest racer and was well capable of a time under 1 minute 45 seconds.

The major favourites in this race would have been Mexico’s JT Lopez and Poland’s Patryk Dobek.

As the gun started the event, English took up his usual place of just behind the head runners to conserve his energy. After 100m the race became physical, the Irishman began a shoulder tussle with France’s Benjamin Robert.

The pushing calmed as the race continued. Next around the 300m, Dominica athlete Dennick Luke tripped and fell, essentially dooming his race.

The race continued without the athlete but English found himself in a bad position, stuck in the inside lane. In the back of the home straight, he waited for a gap to appear so he sprint forward.

Unfortunately English left it too late and did not have enough time to overtake Poland’s runner. His time of 1:46.75 was also too slow to qualify and his Olympics came to a premature end.

The 28-year-old from Letterkenny will be disappointed with that performance, but an Olympic journey caps off a good season for him.

Women’s 100m hurdles Round 1 – Heat 2 – Sarah Lavin

Lavin started this event in Lane 7, according to season bests she sat as the seventh fastest runner in the heat but only by milliseconds.

This race would go by in the blink of an eye with world record holder Kendra Harrison starting in Lane 5. Her record stands at 12.20 seconds, three quarters of a second faster than Lavin’s recent best.

The French runner was eager to begin, receiving a yellow card for causing a false start.

After lining up again, the race properly began. Lavin started well but her opponents started to pull away as she seemed tense.

USA’s Harrison dominated the race from the start, comfortably making it home first. Lavin finished in seventh in a time of 13.16.

Sadly her personal best, if she had ran it again, then it would have been good enough to qualify for the semi-finals.

This is now also the end of Lavin’s Olympic story but she has made the people of her hometown Limerick proud in Tokyo

Upcoming events

4 x 400m Mixed Relay – 13:35 – Sophie Becker, Cillin Greene, Phil Healy, Christopher O’Donnell

Hurling – Dublin v Cork – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting; TV Coverage

All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-final – Dublin v Cork – 7:00 pm – Sky Sports

Dublin will face-off against Munster rivals Cork in Thurles at Semple Stadium on Saturday, July 31st at 7:00 pm in the second All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-final live on Sky Sports.

This tie is another mouthwatering game after an already entertaining hurling championship season which has seen numerous shocks so far.

Both Dublin and Cork supporters will be allowed to watch the game live, with 4,400 fans set to be in attendance at Semple Stadium in Thurles.

Now, Dublin v Cork will be the second Hurling quarter-final of the 2021 season.

The two sides met in last year’s All-Ireland Qualifiers Round 1, which saw Cork come out on top with a 1-25 (28) to 0-22 (22) victory in Tipperary.

In Leinster, Dublin have been much improved compared to the last few seasons, beating Antrim comprehensively by 18 points in the quarter-finals.

They went on to defeat Galway in a shock upset by 4 points at Croke Park.

Facing Kilkenny in the Leinster final, putting up a resilient performance but faded in the end, losing by 9 points.

Cork on the other hand has had a mixed campaign as of yet. Facing All-Ireland champions Limerick in the Munster semi-final losing 2-22 (28) to 1-17 (20).

Their last game was against Clare in Round 2 of the All-Ireland Qualifiers, winning in a close game by 2 points with the scoreline 3-19 (28) to 1-23 (26).

The winner of this game will meet the all-conquering and reigning All-Ireland champions Limerick in the semi-final.

Conclusion

During this stage of the championship, anyone can beat anyone, especially in hurling.

The Rebels have beaten the Dubs the last three times they have faced off in the championship.

Starting off in 2013 in the All-Ireland semi-final, winning 1-19 (22) to 1-24 (27).

They faced off again in the 2016 All-Ireland Qualifiers Round 1, with Cork getting over the line with a 3-point victory. They faced off in last year’s All-Ireland Qualifiers Round 1, which saw Cork come out on top again.

Based on the recent history between the two teams and how hot and cold Dublin are when it comes to the big games, a Cork win is more likely.

Prediction: Cork by 11 points

Starting Teams – To Be Confirmed

Dublin

Image

 

Cork

 

Betting

Dublin: 4/1

Cork: 1/4

Draw: 11/1

To stay up to date with all things Hurling, make sure to read new breaking news stories as they happen right here.

Hurling – Tipperary v Waterford – Starting News, Live Scores, Betting; TV Coverage

All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-final – Tipperary v Waterford – 1:30 pm – RTÉ

CLICK HERE FOR LIVE SCORES ON TIPPERARY V WATERFORD

Tipperary will face-off against Munster rivals Waterford in Cork at Pairc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday, July 31st at 1:30 pm in the first All-Ireland Hurling Championship quarter-final live on RTÉ.

This tie is set to be an exciting bout between two of hurlings most iconic counties.

Now, Tipperary v Waterford will be the first Hurling quarter-final of the 2021 season.

The two sides have a combined total of 30 senior All-Irelands between them, Tipperary (28) to Waterford’s (2).

Waterford has not won the Liam McCarthy cup since 1959, which saw them defeat Kilkenny in a replay with a scoreline of 3-12 (21) to 1-10 (13).

Comparing that to Tipperary, whose last All-Ireland triumph was in 2019, also against Kilkenny with the scoreline 0-20 (20) to 3-25 (34).

Both sides had a mixed campaign in the Munster championship, with Waterford being eliminated in the quarter-final to Clare in June.

Clare went onto face Tipperary in the semi-finals, losing by four points in an all-time classic with a scoreline of 3-23 (32) to 2-22 (28).

In the Munster final, All-Ireland favourites Limerick overcame Cork by 5-points in yet another classic.

In July, both sides qualified for the All-Ireland quarter-finals after making it through the Qualifiers.

Galway was shockingly thrown out of the championship by Waterford in Thurles.

While Cork beat Clare by 2-points in a back and forth game.

The winner of this game will meet the most successful team in hurling history, 36-time All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the semi-final.

Conclusion

It is a very difficult game to call for many fans and pundits, but given how much better Tipperary are in almost every position.

A better bench to call upon, more experience in the crunch games of the championship season and a higher expectancy.

Tipp should come out with the spoils.

Prediction: Tipperary by 7 points

Waterford (All-Ireland SHC v Tipperary): Shaun O’Brien; Ian Kenny, Conor Prunty, Shane McNulty; Calum Lyons, Shane Bennett, Kieran Bennett; Jamie Barron, Peter Hogan; Jack Fagan, Jack Prendergast, Stephen Bennett; Dessie Hutchinson, Austin Gleeson, Patrick Curran.

Subs: Billy Nolan, Kevin Moran, Darragh Lyons, Billy Power, Shane Fives, Michael Kiely, Neil Montgomery, Jake Dillon, Colin Dunford, Ciaran Kirwan, Mikey Kearney.

Betting

Tipperary: 8/15

Waterford: 15/8

Draw: 10/1

To stay up to date with all things Hurling, make sure to read new breaking news stories as they happen right here.

Connacht Rugby signs Prop Sam Illo

After losing a few older players in recent weeks Connacht Rugby is looking to rebuild. They have announced the signing of Irish U20 international prop Sam Illo

Illo represented Old Wesley RFC and has played at underage level at Leinster Rugby, before going on to feature at tighthead in all five of Ireland’s U20 Six Nations games this summer.

The 20-year-old has signed a two-year deal and will link up with the Connacht squad next week as they continue their pre-season preparations.

Speaking on his newest signing, Head Coach Andy Friend says:

“Sam’s arrival to Connacht is another boost for us ahead of the new season. He was one of Ireland’s standout performers in the U20 Six Nations and has a very bright future ahead of him.

I’m confident that at Connacht he will be able to take his game to the next level and give us further options in the front row.”

Playing in four of the five u20 Six Nations matches this year, he starred scoring one try. He is a physical player standing at 6’1” and weighing 118kg, he will be a big presence in Connacht next year.

Sam Illo has shown his excitement for joining the team, he said:
“I’m over the moon to be joining Connacht Rugby and I’d like to thank Andy and all the coaches for giving me this opportunity.

I’m especially looking forward to linking up with Colm Tucker after working closely with him while with the Ireland U20s. To sign my first pro contract is a dream come true and I can’t wait to get started with the rest of the squad.”

To read more about Connacht rugby news during this summer and their Heineken Cup draw, click here.

Team Ireland Swim Team Has Most Successful Olympics Since 1996

The Team Ireland swim team completed their most successful Olympic Games in 25 years on Friday with one final and five Irish senior records.

They signed off from Tokyo 2020 in style as Team Ireland athlete Daniel Wiffen smashed the Irish Senior Record in the 1500m Freestyle with a time of 15:07.69, his second such Record of the Games.

The 20-year-old from Magheralin had set a new Irish Senior Record of 15:16.90 at the Irish National Team Trials in April, days after qualifying for the Olympic Games in 800m Freestyle with another new Irish Senior Record of 7:52.68.

Wiffen again set two new records at the Games in these events, taking the 800m down to 7:51.65 and impressively wiping nearly 10 seconds off the 1500m mark.

Based at Loughborough University, Wiffen also won his heat in both events and moved up six places in the rankings in the 1500m to finish 20th overall.

He said: “I loved it! It was a fun race, I enjoyed it, taking it all in and got a nine-second personal best time as well!

“My target was to go and PB and try and get closer to the 15-minute barrier. I’m obviously closer now, seven seconds off. The tactic was just to get in, if there’s a racer, race with them. If not, I had to assess it during the race and pick it up if I wasn’t going fast enough.”

He added: “It’s been great! I’ve been having so much fun here, I’m so happy to be here. Next, I’m definitely going to have a long break, maybe go on holiday!”

Fellow Olympic debutant and Team Ireland swimmer Danielle Hill also finished her Tokyo 2020 campaign on Friday in the 50m Freestyle where she posted 25.70 to be sixth in her heat and 33rd overall.

Hill said: “Although I may be the fastest woman in Ireland, it’s a very different field out here – it was nice to gain that experience.

“As I said before I went in, you sit in the house and you watch the Olympics and this is the event that you want to do. It’s the one you want to be successful in.

“I’m not quite there yet, but I can walk away with a few things to improve and definitely looking forward to next year.”

The 21-year-old from Larne now looks ahead to making her International Swimming League debut with multiple World and Olympic Champions Katinka Hosszu’s Team Iron.

She said: “I just took a chance and entered myself into the draft. I was so lucky to have two teams looking for me. I decided to go with Team Iron because of the atmosphere that they create and the guys that I will be training with as well – it’s going to be phenomenal.”

Speaking about her first Olympic Games, she added: “I still don’t think it’s sunk in that I qualified six weeks ago. It’s been a whirlwind experience, right from the Trials in April through the Europeans and second Trials and now here. I don’t think I’ve had a chance at any point to breathe and take a step back.

“For anyone who knows the journey I have been on in the past two weeks just to get here and be standing is something that I can be proud of. It’s been a great experience, and I can’t wait for many more.”

National Performance Director Jon Rudd gave his thoughts on Team Ireland’s swimming team’s performance at the Games.

“This is our best Olympic swimming result for a long time and I am extremely proud of these nine athletes and all that they have achieved,” he said.

“The staff here have been amazing in preparing them across the course of three weeks and we also have to thank and congratulate the coaches in the home programmes that got them here and helped us en route.

“An Olympic Final plus the equivalent of two semi-finals (Top-16 finishes) is outstanding for us, as is achieving five Irish Senior Records across seven days of racing.

“We had 15 swims in total and in 13 of them, we rose through the rankings or held our pre-meet position. It’s all fantastic work from and within this team – and we are excited at what this team can achieve in three years time when Paris comes calling”.

Team Ireland now turns its aquatic attention to diving, which begins on Monday when Rio 2016 Olympian Oliver Dingley competes in the preliminary round of 3m Springboard.

On Wednesday, Tanya Watson becomes Ireland’s first-ever female diver to compete at the Olympic Games when she steps up for the preliminary round of the 10m Platform.

IRFU Outline Difficult Road Ahead at Council Meeting

The Annual Council Meeting of the Irish Football Rugby Union has been advised that the IRFU is still at significant financial risk due to the persisting impact of COVID 19

This is despite ongoing work across the professional and domestic game to ensure the continuing safe participation in rugby.

Patrick Kennedy, Honorary Treasurer, told delegates at the online meeting that despite many positive developments such as the ongoing vaccination rollout, successful pilot test events and the gradual relaxation of government restrictions, that rugby is “far from out of the woods”.

Kennedy outlined that without the assistance and commitment of government, sponsors, broadcasters, and patrons the IRFU would not have survived as it has, and that continued support remains vital.

The IRFU’s financial year end would move permanently to 31th July, to ensure alignment with the new global season. Kennedy confirmed that a full financial update will be issued from the Union in November.

At the meeting it was confirmed that current President, Des Kavanagh, Senior Vice President, John Robinson and Junior Vice President, Greg Barrett, will remain in their respective roles for the forthcoming season.

On the day that Munster’s Fiona Steed and Connacht’s Yvonne Comer were appointed to the Union Committee, delegates were reminded that, from 2023 a minimum of one in four nominees to the IRFU Committee from each Province must be female.

Speaking of the challenging environment Philip Browne, CEO, told irishrugby.ie:

“Irish Rugby is continuing to grapple with the most significant financial crisis in our history and we are expecting to report another year of losses in 2021, when our audited accounts are released later this year.”

Why are the IRFU losing money?

The key issue remains the absence of fans at provincial grounds and the Aviva Stadium. The IRFU continues to address this particularly through its active participation in the cross-sport working party on return of fans to stadiums.

“We have made encouraging progress in recent weeks with the return of increasing numbers of supporters to various sporting and cultural events, which leaves us hopeful that fans may return in meaningful numbers to our grounds in Autumn.

“As the only sporting organisation fully supporting a professional game, we are dependent on the national and provincial teams’ ability to generate revenues which have been decimated by the impact of COVID restrictions since March 2020.” Browne added.

Looking back at his most challenging season at the helm of Irish Rugby, Browne said that the IRFU had to implement a 10% permanent cost base reduction, approved by the Union in March of this year and with that came some difficult decisions.

“As in many industries, regrettably we have had job losses and pay cuts across the organisation for the last 12 months while we also eliminated all non-critical overheads.” Browne added.

Further government funding needed

Browne also outlined that the IRFU will be making a submission for further government funding in 2021 if possible.

The meeting heard that the bulk of the 2021 losses are already realised as the 2020/21 season has now concluded. The IRFU, alone, has suffered a 47% reduction in turnover for the six months to the end of June 2021, compared to the first half of 2019.

Browne explained: “Our two largest income-generating home games every two years against England and France were held behind closed doors with a loss of match income of over €16m. These are the games that keep Irish Rugby going.”

“Without additional government funding in 2021, and a return of fans to our stadia in meaningful numbers later this year, the IRFU would once again have to review all activities and swiftly implement another round of very unpalatable cost reductions. Further cuts, if necessary, would have a significant impact on the organisation and all activities from grassroots to pro game pathways.”

Irelands Favourite Sports Betting Options

Ireland is a country with great heritage and some exciting sports including the likes of hurling and Gaelic football that has even led to the rise of some modern sporting stars like Jack Grealish who found his start in the sport before moving to more traditional football – it’s certainly a country that loves to place a bet too  at some of the best American express casinos and betting sites, with some of the biggest sports in the world being amongst the most represented – but which are the favourites for wagering in the country?

Football – No surprises at all, but the biggest sport in Europe is the most bet sport in Ireland too. Whilst not having a huge history with international success, it has helped to produce some of the all-time greatest in football who have went on to find success in the likes of the Premiere League and English national team with names like Roy Keane, Robbie Keane, and George Best too. There are some exciting odds on regional games too, so certainly worth checking out if you haven’t explored away from the more traditional options of the likes of the Premiere League before, then it may certainly worth be checking out.

Combat Sports – It’s much easier to follow a sport if you have a big representative from your home country, and in recent years Ireland have certainly had plenty to celebrate from combat athletes. Conor McGregor is of course the big name here, being a huge draw for the biggest MMA events in the UFC and a huge betting favourite throughout much of his career, whilst not a character that everyone can get behind, he did certainly help to put Ireland on the map in terms of combat sports prowess. Similarly, whilst not born in Ireland, the self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ Tyson Fury was born to an Irish family and shows his pride when he steps into the boxing ring, often considered to be one of the best heavyweights of all time and another huge betting favourite for fans in Ireland too.

(Image from sport360.com)

Rugby – Unlike football, the Irish national team for Rugby has a stellar list of performances within the sport and a string of results all the way back to 1987 where they’ve made it to the quarter-finals nearly every single year. Whilst not being able to take it all the way, they have certainly shown their talent in the sport leading to many fans growing up to want to be Rugby players rather than the more traditional football player – having won the grand slam trophy in 2009 it certainly gave plenty of fans something to be excited about too, and another big betting favourite in the country.

There are of course honourable mentions like horse racing too which is likely the biggest in the country, but as this falls outside of the typical sporting environment it is a little different to mention.

Irish Sailing React To ‘Emotional Day’ In Tokyo

Friday’s racing marked the end of Irish sailing star Annalise Murphy’s third Olympic Games following two light wind races on Sagami Bay in the women’s single-handed class.

Despite her recovery of form on Thursday when she scored a race win and a second-place, Friday saw her finish the ten race series in 18th place overall, outside the top ten for Sunday’s medal race final.

Murphy noted after the race to RTÉ that she “can’t see [herself] going to another Olympics”, possibly ending a fruitful period for Irish Sailing.

“Over two decades, Annalise has made a massive impact on our sport and is certainly Ireland’s greatest Olympic sailor ever,” said James O’Callaghan, Performance Director with Irish Sailing.

“She has been a European champion and competed in three Olympic Games, won races in each and won a Silver medal.  Her legacy lives on in the dozens of female and male athletes inspired by her performances.”

The Irish squad gathered at the dinghy park in  Enoshima Harbor where there was an informal tribute gathering held to honour the National Yacht Club sailor.

Ireland still has one boat competing with the final three races of the Men’s 49er skiff event scheduled for Saturday afternoon.

Robert Dickson (Howth YC) and Sean Waddilove had two top ten results and an 18th on Friday and lie 14th overall.

Saturday’s three races are crucial to their prospects of achieving a place in Monday’s medal race final.

“We have moved on and are completely focussed on the remainder of the regatta,” said O’Callaghan, after the sailors’ times were disqualified yesterday after they used illegal equipment.

“When we fully debrief what has occurred with the equipment issue plus every aspect of our preparations, we will strengthen our processes to ensure this sort of thing cannot happen again.”

Team management will also be engaging with World Sailing and the International 49er Class Association to provide feedback about equipment rules and their application of them by measurers and International Juries in future.

Team Ireland Swimmer Wiffen Breaks Another Irish Record

Team Ireland swimmer Daniel Wiffen broke another Irish senior record this morning – this time in his Men’s 1500m Freestyle heat.

The Magheralin man swam the first heat with a time of 15:07.69, a time nine seconds greater than his previous record in the event – 15:07.90

However, his time is not enough to progress to the final and he finished 20th overall.

All four heats are now completed with the eight fastest swimmers progressing to the final.

The 20-year-old had previously broken the Irish senior record in his Men’s 800m Freestyle heat but also did not progress in that event.

The Irishman clocked in a time of 7:51.65 to win his heat and break the first of two Irish senior records.

The Loughborough University swimmer ends his first Olympics with two Irish senior records from just two swims and has an impressive future ahead of him.

Speaking to RTÉ after his race on Friday morning, Daniel Wiffen said: “Over the moon with that race. I would have liked to have been a bit faster but we can’t ask for much more than a PB and [I’m] happy to improve my record by just under 10 seconds as well. It’s great.”

Wiffen puts his improvements down to a lot of hard work and his move to Loughborough.

Fellow Team Ireland athlete Danielle Hill also competed in her second event of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games this morning.

The Larne swimmer finished sixth in her Women’s 50m Freestyle heat with a time of 25.70.

Hill was disappointed with her performance on Friday morning and looked downbeat in her post-race interview with RTÉ.

The Olympian said that she felt the need to breathe after 35m, which is not always a good sign.

“[The Olympic experience has] been nice,” Hill said.

“I’ve been so caught up in the emotions of swimming and what happened beforehand that I don’t think I fully enjoyed the experience, but then again it hasn’t been a full Olympic experience.”

Both swimmers will now look towards Paris 2024 after their time in Tokyo.

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