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Irish Open 2021: Preview, Betting, Tee Times and TV Details

The Irish Open will begin on Thursday, July 1st with national stars such as Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry taking part in the European Tour’s event at Mount Juliet, Kilkenny.

5,000 spectators will be in attendance over the weekend to watch McIlroy and co. go up against each other with a €3 million purse at stake.

The four-time major winner will play in the Irish Open for the first time since 2018, the last year it was hosted by the Rory Foundation.

Ryder Cup captain Pádraig Harrington and vice-captain Graeme McDowell join the aforementioned two on the list of Irish major winners in Kilkenny for this week’s tournament.

2020 Irish Open winner Todd Cantlin will also take part and is paired with Rory McIlroy for the opening rounds.

The Mount Juliet golf course, designed by Jack Nicklaus, is an American-style parkland course and will look familiar to courses on the PGA Tour.

It is the first time the golf course has been the venue for the tournament since 1995 when Sam Torrance claimed victory in a playoff against Stuart Gage and Howard Clark.

The venue was expected to host the 2020 Irish Open but last year’s instalment was moved to Galgorm Castle due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Betting

McIlroy comes into the Irish Open as an 11/2 favourite to win the event and is 14/1 to lead after the first day, an achievement not uncommon in a McIlroy victory.

Shane Lowry is viewed as the second favourite to win the Irish Open on 14/1.

Both golfers have previously won the tournament with Rory’s win coming in 2016 at the K Club and Shane Lowry’s triumph being his breakthrough performance as an amateur at the County Louth Golf Club in 2009.

Tommy Fleetwood, who tees off with Rory McIlroy in the opening rounds is also tipped to do well this weekend with odds of 4/1 on a top-five finish.

Two-time major winner and Ryder Cup vice-captain Martin Kaymer is the wild card of the bunch with favourable odds on both a high-end finish and missing the cut.

The German is seen as a possible banana slip by bookies as he sits on 5/2 to finish inside the top 10 for some bookmakers and 5/2 to miss the cut for others.

Irish Open First Round Tee Times For Irish Golfers

8:00 am: Shane Lowry, Jonathan Caldwell

8:10 am: Pádraig Harrington

8:20 am: Simon Thornton

9:20 am: Cormac Sharvin, Paul Dunne

12:50 pm: Niall Kearney

1 pm: Rory McIlroy

1 pm: Rowan Lester

1:10 pm: Graeme McDowell

2 pm: Colm Moriarty

2:10 pm: Caolan Rafferty

2:20 pm: Gavin Moynihan, Mark Power

2:30 pm: Neil O’Briain

2:30 pm: Robin Dawson

Where To Watch

The Irish Open will be available to watch on RTÉ 2 and the RTÉ Player from Thursday with coverage starting at 1:30 pm.

 

Euro 2020: England Shoot Down Germany On Home Soil

England advanced to the last eight of UEFA Euro 2020 after a 2-0 win over old foes Germany at Wembley on Tuesday evening.

It was the national side’s first knockout win over the Germans in a major tournament since their 1966 World Cup win.

The two sides went head-to-head in front of 45,000 England fans in their national stadium.

To clarify, England were the only side with home advantage in the last 16.

Both sides set up in 3-4-3 formations with the Germans opting for an attacking variant of the formation and Gareth Southgate choosing to set his side up in the opposite.

However, Southgate’s plan worked quite well as wing-backs Trippier and Shaw locked down the ever-so-dangerous duo of Joshua Kimmich and Robin Gosens.

The first half was a tense, cagey affair with both sides having the ability to attack but not the ability to finish.

Timo Werner missed a golden opportunity to put his country in the lead but Harry Kane outdid his miss, failing to convert from inside the six-yard box.

Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels was the reason he could not, putting in a fantastic last-ditch tackle to keep the side’s level and scoreless at the break.

Germany dominated possession for much of the second half but failed to fashion a quality chance.

Southgate’s defensive structure irritated the German’s with seven defensive-minded outfield players on the pitch for England.

Jack Grealish was brought on for Bukayo Saka in the 69th minute and suddenly England were able to threaten the German back three.

It must be said that Saka’s energy for those 69 minutes helped the situation as he tired defenders out with his pace.

The Matthias Ginter – Mats Hummels axis was exposed by Grealish, who worked well with Kane and Shaw to stretch them while Raheem Sterling ran into space to slot home the opener in the 75th minute.

Sterling’s ability to get in behind defenders with ease has led to all three of his goals in the competition so far.

His tendency to receive the ball from deep and dribble inside started the move he finished off.

Chelsea wonderboy Kai Havertz put Thomas Muller through in a quick counter-attack just minutes later but the Bayern star put his shot wide.

Shaw and Grealish were involved in the killer blow for Germany after Muller’s miss, with Shaw finding Grealish in the position the wing-back was in earlier and the Villa star finding Kane who headed the ball in.

Ginter’s positioning for both goals was abysmal and he gave too much space to the goalscorers.

Germany failed to break through the English defences and reply to the two unanswered goals, ending their Euro 2020 run as it began – with a timid loss.

The curtains have closed on Joachim Low’s Germany reign after the exit.

In contrast, Southgate and his men march on with an increased chance of going all the way after their performance.

England will face Ukraine at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, July 3rd at 20:00.

Euro 2020: Shevchenko’s Ukraine Book Date With England

Fourth-best third-placed side Ukraine scored a dramatic extra-time winner against 10-men Sweden to reach the quarter-finals of Euro 2020.

Andriy Shevchenko’s side came into the game as the underdogs in the eyes of the bookies but sustained early pressure led to an opener courtesy of City left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko.

A sumptuous ball from forward Andriy Yarmolenko put it on a plate for the 24-year-old, who volleyed it beyond Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen.

Seb Larsson almost caught out Ukraine’s keeper Heorhiy Bushchan with a quick free-kick but the Ukrainian saved his blushes.

A few minutes before half-time, Alexander Isak laid the ball off for Sweden’s top scorer at Euro 2020, Emil Forsberg, who fired home from 25 yards out.

The Swede’s goal brought his tally for the tournament up to four, one behind current top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and the Swedish single major tournament record holder Kennet Andersson.

Sweden showed their quality in the second half, dominating the game and coming close to finding a winner several times.

Forsberg hit the woodwork twice while Juventus prospect Dejan Kulusevski forced a save from Bushchan and could not convert a late chance.

The final last 16 tie of Euro 2020 became the fourth to go to extra time – the most-ever in a single knockout round in the competition.

Extra-time saw things change for the worse for the Scandinavians when their centre-back Marcus Danielson saw red for a reckless studs-up tackle.

It was the Swede’s first red card of his international career – a yellow was given at first before a VAR review changed referee Daniele Orsato’s mind.

Ukraine’s man-advantage helped them to gain momentum and retain possession throughout extra time.

Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi came close to scoring but scuffed his shot wide.

As the clock ticked and the full-time whistle for the end of extra-time drew near, penalties appeared to be the most likely option.

However, a stunning cross from Zinchenko found the head of Artem Dovbyk who headed in the winner in the dying moments of the game to make history for Ukraine.

Andriy Shevchenko’s side will be the first Ukraine side in the last eight of the European Championships, having become the first to reach the last 16 after their successful group stage.

Sweden failed to deliver on the promise of their Group E win and will go home without the chance to get revenge on England for their 2018 World Cup quarter-final loss.

Ukraine will play England on Saturday, July 3rd at the Stadio Olimpico at 8:00 pm.

Chacun Pour Soi rated best chaser in Ireland or Britain

The Willie Mullins-trained Chacun Pour Soi was recently crowned the best chaser trained in Ireland or Britain in the 2020-21 Anglo-Irish Jumps Classification. His William Hill Champion Chase success at Punchestown in April earned him a mark of 176.

The nine-year-old enjoyed a near perfect season, winning four of his five starts. His wins included the Ladbrokes Dublin Chase at the Dublin Racing Festival and the Group 1 Paddy’s Rewards Club Chase at Leopardstown.

His only defeat of the season came in the Betway Queen Mother Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival. Chacun Pour Soi could only manage only third place behind Put The Kettle On, though he did set the record straight at Punchestown in April.

Chacun Pour Soi sits alone atop the standings this year. The WellChild Gold Cup winner Minella Indo has been given a mark of 175. Trained by Henry De Bromhead, Minella Indo get the better of stablemate A Plus Tard [172]. Al Boum Photo [170], who was seeking a historic third consecutive win in the race, was third

.

Another brilliant Cheltenham performance came courtesy of Allaho, who set pulses racing in the Ryanair Chase to earn a mark of 174 and third place in the standings.

Clan Des Obeaux is highest British-rated horse

The highest-rated British horse in the standings is the Paul Nicholls-trained Clan Des Obeaux, whose thrilling Ladbrokes Punchestown Gold Cup victory in April earned a mark of 172 and rates him the equal of A Plus Tard.

Shishkin and Energumene each earned marks of 169 during campaigns full of promise. Shishkin, switched to the larger obstacles having won the previous year’s Sky Bet Supreme Novices’ Hurdle, was undefeated in five starts. His season culminated in winning the Sporting Life Arkle Chase and Doom Bar Maghull Novices’ Chase at Aintree for trainer Nicky Henderson and jockey Nico De Boinville.

Energumene, meanwhile, missed out on a run at Cheltenham but was otherwise unbeaten in four starts, including a pair of Grade 1s at Leopardstown and Punchestown.

Hurdlers

In the Hurdle division, it was the brilliant Honeysuckle leading the way with a rating of 165, clear of a trio of fellow Irish-trained stars on 164, Sharjah, Flooring Porter and Klassical Dream.

Andrew Mealor, BHA Hurdle team leader, said:

“Honours were shared in the staying division between Stayers’ Hurdle winner Flooring Porter and impressive Punchestown scorer Klassical Dream (both 164), and hot on their heels were the leading British stayers Paisley Park (163) and Thyme Hill (162) who served up a cracking finish to the Long Walk Hurdle earlier in the season.

“Overall, 2020-21 was another low-key season for the established hurdlers in ratings terms with Honeysuckle the only hurdler to rate 165+, though we did see some standout performances in the novice division, notably at Cheltenham from Appreciate It (160) and Bob Olinger (159), who both top their respective categories.

Irvine named captain of Ireland’s Olympic boxing team

Belfast flyweight boxer Brendan Irvine will captain the seven-man boxing team heading to Tokyo in July

Team Ireland made the official announcement today along with confirming the seven boxers that will be traveling to Japan for the Olympic Games.

This is a very new team with six of the boxers making their debuts at the Tokyo Games. Irvine is one of the more experienced athletes with him being part of the Rio 2016 team.

The majority of the team confirmed their place at the games at the European Olympic Qualifier this month.

European Games Champion Kurt Walker also confirmed qualification after the close of rankings.

Speaking at the announcement, Irvine said:

“We are excited to just get stuck in now. We have a strong team, with every single person going into the Olympic Games with a real opportunity to do something special.”

Former Olympic Champion Bernard has also taken over as Team Ireland Boxing Performance Director.

Along with rowing, boxing is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport. This team comes into the competition with great confidence after three of them won medals in Paris earlier this month.

“The Olympics are like no other tournament, and I’m lucky to be going to my second. We all know that these Games will be different and that it will be a new experience for each of us, but especially on the back of what has been a tough and testing year, we are ready,” added Irvine.

Team Ireland boxing team

Brendan Irvine (Flyweight 52kg)

Kurt Walker (Featherweight 57kg)

Aidan Walsh (Welterweight 69kg)

Emmet Brennan (Light Heavyweight 81kg)

Michaela Walsh (Featherweight 57kg)

Kellie Harrington (Lightweight 60kg)

Aoife O’Rourke (Middleweight 75kg)

Joe Canning on brink of All-Time Scoring Record

Galway hurling forward Joe Canning is on the brink of dethroning Henry Shefflin and becoming Hurlings all-time scorer.

The forward is on the brink of the all-time scoring record.

Canning (32) is just 14 points shy of Kilkenny legend Henry Shefflin’s championship record.

The Portumna man has scored a grand total of 27-471 (552 points) in 60 championship games for Galway since his debut in 2008.

While Shefflin, who retired in 2015 after making his debut in 1999, is the top-scorer in championship history with 27-484 (565 points) in 71 games.

With Canning still an integral part of the Galway panel, he will inevitably reach Shefflin’s thought to be an out-of-reach record in 11 fewer championship games.

Canning has been a benchmark in Galway’s forward line since his debut, averaging at least 66 points per season, with his highest-scoring season being the 2017 season. Scoring 102 points in the league and championship.

He has shown a level of consistency in his last three seasons while struggling with injuries and a nasty concussion which saw him stretchered off against Limerick in last years All-Ireland Semi-Final.

Prior to his accidental clash with team-mate Joseph Cooney, he had scored 12 points and was the tribesman biggest threat.

In the same season, he scored an impressive 0-14 in Galway’s Quarter-Final win over Tipperary and again in their 2-point defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster Hurling Final.

It is only a matter of time before the Galway forward breaks the record, but Canning has played down the hype surrounding his scoring record.

“When you’re a kid, all you’re thinking about is winning All-Irelands. That’s what you’re out in the yard and out in the field practising for,” he insists.

“You’re imagining you’re in an All-Ireland final. Getting the winning score. You’re not thinking, ‘I want to end up as the top scorer.’

“That stuff doesn’t come into it. It’s only when people have started to say it to me the last while that it’s a reality. But still, it’s not a big deal really.”

 

 

 

A History of England v Germany

Today is the last day of the Euro 2020 round of 16, at 17:00 in Wembley Stadium one of international football’s greatest rivalries will take place, England versus Germany

Two great conquering nations in both history and sport are destined to be rivals when it comes to international football. England is set to meet Germany for the sixth time in a knockout competition this evening.

To compare trophies the Germans have won an immense four World Cups and three European championships. Competitors England hold only one solitary World Cup from 1966.

“I would never describe England as Germany’s biggest rivals,” former German player Dietmar Hamann told the Daily Telegraph.

“Our big rivals have always been seen as the most likely to challenge us.”

That day in London in 1966 sparked this entire rivalry that has only grown more exciting and passionate with every game since.

England 4 – Germany 2, 1966 World Cup Final, England

England’s first home World Cup and their legendary team was to face Germany. This game contained everything football fan want, extra time drama, great goals, and infamous referee decisions.

Although many were happy to see Bobby Moore lift the Jules Rimet Trophy, the game will be remembered for a Geoff Hurst ‘goal’ that clearly landed on the line. This gave the Three Lions the lead in extra time, a lead which they held till the end.

Although, Germany will have their chance for some revenge later down the line.

Germany 3 – England 2, 1970 World Cup Quarterfinal, Mexico

Four years later, the Germans had their revenge. A complacent England team let their two-goal lead slip and the game went to extra time again.

This time Geoff Hurst had a goal mysteriously ruled out and Gerd Muller scored a fantastic volley to win them the match.

 

Germany 3 – England 1, 1972 Euros Quarterfinal, Over two legs

The English side seemed to have their confidence shattered from the World Cup defeat two years earlier.

They poorly lost in Wembley 3-1 and the return leg in Munich ended 0-0 to seal the win for Germany. The Germans’ efficiency showed throughout with England never looking like winning the tie.

 

Germany 1 – England 1, 1990 World Cup Semi-finals, Italy

Germany’s confidence was sky-high; their reunification process had just begun and with Franz Beckenbauer as head coach, they were one of the favourites of the competition.

England posed a threat as Gary Lineker scored an equalizer to send it to extra time. After David Platt’s winner was ruled out, the game was decided with penalties.

This moment began a dismal legacy for the Three Lions as England continued their dismal penalty record and Germany was as calm as ever. Germany won the penalty shootout 4-3.

Germany 1 – England 1, 1996 Euros Semi-final, England

This game was a repeat of the match played six years earlier except this time England had much more confidence. Tournament top scorer Alan Shearer opened the scoring after less than five minutes. This was canceled out by Stefan Kuntz and the game went to penalties.

Eleven penalties were scored until the new England manager, Gareth Southgate stood up to take his spot-kick. That miss sealed England’s fourth lose in a row to the German’s at major competitions.

 

Germany 4 – England 1, 2010 World Cup Round of 16, South Africa

What looks like a dominant victory by the Germans could have actually been a much closer game. A perfectly good Frank Lampard goal was not given before half time that would have left the scores a 2-2.

With VAR and goal-line technology not in use, Germany finally had the perfect revenge for 1966.

 

The match today seems like it could go either way. Both sides have not had the best performances in the tournament so far.

Can this young English team banish the demons of their past or will the Germans be as efficient as ever?

The match kicks off at 17:00 with RTE 2 starting their build-up at 16:30.

Patrick Vieira set to become Crystal Palace Manager

Former Arsenal captain and Nice manager Patrick Vieira is set to become Crystal Palace Manager after Lucien Favre decided against taking the job at the last minute.

While nothing official has been announced, the Frenchman is expected to sign his contract in the coming days and will be the third manager in three weeks that have agreed on personal terms with the Eagles.

Palace owner Steve Parish and his board were on the verge of announcing former Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre last week, but due to a dramatic late U-turn last week, the Swiss pulled out of negotiations and Vieira was approached shortly after.

With the majority of Premier League clubs due back for pre-season training on the 5th of July, Palace is keen on having a manager set in place to beginning proceedings.

Vieira will be taking over from Roy Hodgson, who left the South London club at the end of last season, after four years in the dugout.

It was reported that former Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santos would become their next manager, but due to disagreements over finances and back-room staff, the deal collapsed.

Leaving Vieira as the next candidate to take over at Selhurst Park.

Patrick Vieira Managerial Career

With Patrick Vieira set to become Crystal Palace manager, what has his managerial career been like;

The World Cup winner started his managerial career with MLS side New York City FC in 2016, taking his side from 17th in 2015 to 5th in his first season and in his final season finishing as runners-up in 2017.

The Frenchman’s last club was Ligue 1 club Nice, becoming manager in the summer of 2018. Only lasting seven months in charge and being sacked in December following five consecutive defeats in all competitions.

The Frenchman was linked with also linked with Newcastle back in 2018.

South Africa Side Announced For Georgia Test

South Africa have announced their 23-man team to face Georgia this Friday, July 2 at 6 pm in Loftus Versfeld.

Ox Nché will start at loosehead prop, working alongside the experienced Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane in the front row.

Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert will be huge figures in the lineout and the scrum when they line up alongside each other in the second row.

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and 2019 World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph Du Toit will be a huge presence at the breakdown from flanker while Kwagga Smith starts at number eight in place of the injured Duane Vermuelen.

Cobus Reinach and Handre Pollard will don the nine and 10 shirts respectively with Francois Steyn and Jesse Kriel filling out the midfield.

Willie Le Roux will provide safe hands at full-back and be a leader for debutants Aphelele Fassi and Rosko Specman in the back three.

Leicester Tigers’ Jasper Wiese is set to make his debut off the bench alongside the likes of Herschel and Elton Jantjies, among others.

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports Action with coverage starting at 5:30 pm.

Springboks Team v Georgia

Backs

15. Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz)

14. Rosko Specman (Cheetahs/Free State Cheetahs)

13. Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles)

12. Francois Steyn (Cheetahs/Free State Cheetahs)

11. Aphelele Fassi (Sharks)

10. Handre Pollard (Montpellier)

9. Cobus Reinach (Montpellier)

Forwards
  1. Ox Nché (Sharks)
  2. Bongi Mbonambi (Stormers/Western Province)
  3. Trevor Nyakane (Bulls/Blue Bulls)
  4. Eben Etzebeth (RC Toulon)
  5. Franco Mostert (Honda Heat)
  6. Siya Kolisi C (Sharks)
  7. Pieter-Steph Du Toit (Stormers/Western Province)
  8. Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Jubilo)
Replacements

16. Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears)

17. Steven Kitshoff (Stormers/Western Province)

18. Francois Malherbe (Stormers/Western Province)

19. Marvin Orie (Stormers/Western Province)

20. Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers)

21. Herschel Jantjies (Stormers/Western Province)

22. Elton Jantjies (Lions/Golden Lions)

23. Damian Willemse (Stormers/Western Province)

Euro 2020: La Roja Run Rampant In Eight-Goal Thriller

Spain ran out 5-3 winners after extra time in their UEFA Euro 2020 Round of 16 match-up with Croatia.

The two sides had flattered to deceive in their group games until they both earned convincing wins in their final matches to earn progression.

Both sides’ faults were clear throughout the game, but so were their strengths.

Pedri’s own goal was a horrible outlier in an otherwise fantastic debut international knockout game performance for the Barcelona starlet.

His 49-yard mistake is the longest-ever own goal in the European Championships and the first own-goal to be scored outside of the box.

However, Pedri and his side recovered to march into a 3-1 lead deep into the second half.

The Croatian defence struggled to contain Luis Enrique’s Spanish side, who are known for creating chances.

Cesar Azpilicueta became Spain’s oldest goalscorer at the competition while Ferran Torres became the youngest to score and assist at a major tournament for Spain since Cesc Fabregas v Russia at Euro 2008.

Dinamo Zagreb star and slayer of Tottenham Hotspur had something to say in reply.

The 28-year-old netted his side’s second after a desperate scramble in the Spain box and assisted their injury-time equaliser, a Mario Pasalic header.

Pasalic became the fifth Atalanta player to score at Euro 2020, with the club becoming only the fourth to reach that achievement.

Enrique’s failure to utilise players on his bench with the ability to help close games out (Marcos Llorente and Thiago Alcantara) cost him.

However, his decision to bring on Dani Olmo put the game back in the hands of the Spaniards as the RB Leipzig star crafted two excellent goals to kill the game in extra time.

As well as Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini, Julian Nagelsmann can take pride in Euro 2020.

Patrik Schick has been on fire in the competition and Dani Olmo’s performance adds to the list of Leipzig players with good performances at the competition.

The game is the second-highest-scoring match in the history of the competition, after France 5-4 Yugoslavia in 1960.

Spain also became the first side to score five goals in consecutive matches at the competition, after beating Slovakia 5-0 last Wednesday.

They march on to the quarter-finals, where a date with hard-working Switzerland awaits.

Switzerland v Spain kicks off at 5 pm on Friday, July 2nd.

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