Home Blog Page 340

Colin O’Brien names 20 players for 3-day training camp

Republic of Ireland Under-17 Head Coach Colin O’Brien has called-up 20 players for a three-day training camp at Johnstown House Estate this week.

O’Brien and his backroom team have been hosting a number of assessment days for players in recent weeks as they look to put themselves in the frame for an international double-header at the end of August.

It is part of the build-up for the first round of the UEFA European Under-17 Championship qualifiers that take place in October with Ireland facing Poland, North Macedonia and Andorra at Turner’s Cross.

The group met up today and will play a behind-closed-door friendly on Wednesday.

Republic of Ireland Under-17s training camp squad

Goalkeepers: Conor Walsh (Sligo Rovers), Fintan Doherty (Derry City).

Defenders: Finn Cowper Gray (Klub Kildare), Sam Curtis (Unattached), Cathal Heffernan (Cork City), Luke Browne (Shelbourne), Rudhan Kane (Klub Kildare), Luke O’Brien (Shamrock Rovers), Trisden Hughes (Klub Kildare).

Midfielders: Eanna Fitzgerald (Cork City), Gavin Hodgins (Shelbourne), Justin Ferizaj (Shamrock Rovers), James McManus (Bohemians), Joe O’Brien-Whitmarsh (Cork City), Darius Lipsivc (St. Patrick’s Athletic).

Forwards: Franco Umeh (Cork City), Liam Murray (Cork City), Mark O’Mahony (Cork City), Caden McLoughlin (Villarreal CF), Alex Nolan (St. Patrick’s Athletic).

Olympic Golf: McIlroy and Lowry Preview And Tee-Times

Team Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry will begin their quests for Olympic medals on the morning of Thursday, July 29th at the Kasumigaseki Country Club in Saitama.

Round One of the Olympic Golf tournament is scheduled to begin at 23:30 pm on Wednesday, July 28th – McIlroy and Lowry will tee-off several hours later.

Both golfers will be playing at their first Olympic Games after choosing not to travel to Brazil in 2016 due to the Zika virus outbreak.

McIlroy and Lowry are the two highest-ranked Irish golfers in the world and the latter is the most recent Irish golfer to win a major – The 2019 Open Championship.

The pair will go up against other top golfers in the world such as Justin Thomas and 2021 Championship Golfer of the Year Collin Morikawa.

Rio 2016 Gold Medalist Justin Rose will not compete this year and neither will Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau as both have contracted Covid.

Rory McIlroy comes into the tournament in Saitama off the back of some mixed form which has seen him miss multiple cuts but also get back to winning ways at the Wells Fargo Championship.

His form can be encapsulated by a contrast between the tied-seventh finish at the US Open on a tough Torrey Pines course in June and a poor Open Championship several weeks later on a Links course.

The Northern Irish golfer has been paired with Morikawa, an American, and South Korean prospect Sungjae Im for a 2:25 am tee time on Thursday morning, followed by a 00:25 am start for Round Two.

Shane Lowry enters this year’s Olympics a better player than he was in 2016 and has also been the most consistent Irish golfer at the top level, of late.

Lowry’s solid weekends have seen the Offaly professional post his best-ever finishes at the PGA Championship and The Masters this year, along with a respectable eighth at the high-profile Players’ Championship.

The Clara native will play his opening rounds with Patrick Reed of the USA and Team GB’s Tommy Fleetwood.

The trio will tee-off after McIlroy and co. in both rounds, with a tee time of 2:36 am in Round One and 00:41 am in Round Two.

The two golfers’ groups will be among the last to play the 18 holes on Thursday and among the first to do so on Friday.

Click here to see all the tee times for the opening two rounds of the Olympic tournament.

Click here to see the Olympic schedule for Thursday, July 29th.

Springboks Side For 2nd Lions Test Announced

South Africa has announced the Springboks team that will face Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions in the second Test of the three-game series on Saturday.

Head coach Jacques Nienaber has made three changes to his starting XV and a further three to the bench ahead of this weekend’s pivotal clash.

Two of these changes are in the front-row, where Kitshoff – who made his Test debut against Ireland in 2016 – will make his 50th cap next to Bongi Mbonambi and Frans Malherbe in a new-look combination for the hosts.

First Test loosehead Ox Nché was ruled out due to the neck injury he picked up but fortunately for Nienaber, Mbonambi’s hamstring strain has recovered sufficiently for him to start the match.

Leicester Tigers’ Jasper Wiese earns his first Test start after making his debut off the replacements bench against Georgia earlier this month.

Handre Pollard is in line to equal and possibly break Jackie Snyman’s record of six career penalty goals against the British & Irish Lions when he starts at fly-half.

Nienaber has opted for a six-two split on the bench, which sees Trevor Nyakane and Vincent Koch provide cover at prop, while Marco van Staden takes over from Rynhardt Elstadt as loose forward cover along with Kwagga Smith.

Herschel Jantjies and Damian Willemse will provide support in the backline.

This comes after their unexpected switch to a 5-3 split last week for the first Test.

South Africa Team v Lions 2nd Test

15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 63 caps
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse) – 15 caps
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 16 caps
12 – Damian de Allende (Munster) – 48 caps
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) – 15 caps
10 – Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier) – 50 caps
9 – Faf de Klerk (Sale Sharks) – 31 caps
8 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 1 cap
7 – Pieter-Steph du Toit (DHL Stormers) – 57 caps
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks) – 52 caps
5 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 41 caps
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Toulon) – 87 caps
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 40 caps
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers) – 38 caps

1 – Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers) – 49 caps

Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 35 caps
17 – Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls) – 44 caps
18 – Vincent Koch (Saracens) – 21 caps
19 – Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks) – 46 caps
20 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 3 caps
21 – Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo) – 8 caps
22 – Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers) – 12 caps
23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 8 caps

To see the Lions squad, click here.

Nicholas Quinn: ‘This Is Only A Step In Mona McSharry’s Journey’

Rio 2016 Olympian Nicholas Quinn has praised Mona McSharry for reaching the Women’s 100m Backstroke final and tipped her to achieve bigger things in the latest Swim Ireland swimming review video.

Mona McSharry became the first Irish swimmer to take part in an Olympic final since Michelle Smith in 1996.

McSharry came eighth in the final but Quinn was full of praise for the 20-year-old, who made her dreams come true.

“All these experiences are going to stand to Mona as she moves forward in her career because let’s be clear, this is only a step in Mona’s journey,” Quinn said on his daily review show.

The Irish senior record holder can add Olympic finalist to an already-impressive resumé that includes a World Championship in the 100m Breastroke and high finishes at senior European Championships.

At only 20 years of age, McSharry has her whole career ahead of her and can become an even better swimmer over time.

McSharry swam the final in 1:06.9 and Quinn feels there are a lot of positives she can take from her performance.

“Her dive was probably the best dive she’s done across the three rounds. She turned a 50 in 31.6, which was the same time she turned at the 50 in the semi-final.”

However, he feels that the University of Tennessee student used up the majority of her energy too early and it’s what cost her on the latter 50m.

McSharry’s run to becoming only the second Irish person to swim in an Olympic final has caught the eye of the Irish public.

The Sligo native was the third-youngest woman in the final and, at her age, could have several more Olympic appearances on the cards in the future, form permitting.

Olympian Quinn described the Olympic finalist as an inspiration for a generation.

“Mona won’t realise the impact she has had on others yet, but she will in years to come.”

Lions Announce Team For Second Test v Boks

The British and Irish Lions have announced the side that is set to face South Africa in the second test in Cape Town this Saturday.

Three changes have been made to the side that beat the Springboks 22-17 in the first test of the series last Saturday.

Conor Murray comes into the side at scrum-half in place of Scotland’s Ali Price.

Chris Harris takes the number 13 shirt this weekend ahead of Saracens and England player Elliot Daly.

Mako Vunipola starts at loosehead prop after an appearance off the bench at the weekend.

Alun Wyn Jones will captain the side once again after completing 80 minutes just 28 days after he dislocated his shoulder against Japan.

Man of the Match Maro Itoje remains on the side along with England teammate Courtney Lawes, who also made a big impression with his work rate.

Ball-carrying machine Jack Conan will look to add to his twelve from the first test with a second consecutive start at number eight.

Tadhg Beirne is the only Irishman available off the bench.

The second test against South Africa will be shown live on Sky Sports with the match kicking off at 5 pm.

British and Irish Lions: Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland); Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England), Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland), Duhan van der Merwe; Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints, Wales), Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland); Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland); Maro Itoje (Saracens, England), Alun Wyn Jones – captain (Ospreys, Wales); Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, England), Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, England), Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #839

Replacements: Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales), Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland), Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears, England), Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland), Taulupe Faletau (Bath Rugby, Wales), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland), Owen Farrell (Saracens, England), Elliot Daly (Saracens, England)

Olympic Boxing: Aidan Walsh Beats Ill-Disciplined Mengue Ayissi

Team Ireland’s Aidan Walsh enjoyed a unanimous decision victory over Cameroonian Olympic boxer Albert Mengue Ayissi to progress to the Men’s Welterweight quarter-finals.

Mengue Ayissi was the aggressor in the fight with Walsh more than happy to sit back and enjoy a defensive, counter-attacking role.

The Cameroonian swung wild and dangerously throughout the fight, getting docked points twice in the three rounds for dangerous hits.

Four of the five judges working at the match scored the first round in favour of Aidan Walsh after a strong finish to the round displayed the differences in quality between the two fighters.

The 24-year-old from Belfast stuck to his gameplan and continued to cut a frustrated figure out of his opponent, who couldn’t get the better of Walsh.

The Olympic boxer’s sister, fellow Olympian Michaela, was audible throughout the fight, cheering her brother on as promised.

The Cameroonian’s first point-docking was given out in the second round for hits to the back of the head.

His constant counter-jabs picked away at Mengue Ayissi and earned the respect of the judges, who all scored the second round in favour of the Irishman.

Mengue Ayissi earned a second deduction at the start of the third round and it gave the boxer some urgency to secure a grand finish but it was too little, too late for the Olympian.

Walsh was even more conservative in the final round after the second deduction, knowing the fight was won if he stayed on his feet.

The judges awarded the Belfast boxer a unanimous decision win (30-25×3, 29-26, 28-27) over his opponent and gave the Team Ireland athlete a ticket to the Welterweight quarter-finals.

Walsh will face Mauritius’ Merven Clair in the quarter-final after the latter beat number-four seed Zeyad Ishiash from Jordan, with the fighters close to Olympic bronze.

The fight will take place in the early hours of Friday morning.

Ireland Reach 9th-Place Final After Win Over R.O.Korea

The Ireland Men’s Sevens team won their second game in a row on Tuesday morning and booked their place in the ninth-place final after a strong 29-0 win over the Republic of Korea in the semi-final.

The side was knocked out of contention for a medal after their victory over Kenya was not enough to take them through but did not let that trouble them.

The five-try performance was a great response to the disappointment of missing out on the quarters.

Mark Roche got the ball rolling with the first try for the boys in green, but not before Ian Fitzpatrick had to leave the field through injury.

Moments later, Conroy was in for his first score of the tournament after a frustrating pool stage for the Tullamore speedster.

Both conversions were missed and Anthony Eddy’s side went into the break with a solid 10-0 lead.

Korea started the second-brightly but could not make any of their possession pay.

Ireland soaked up their pressure and retaliated with three late tries to ensure their spot in the ninth-place final tomorrow morning.

Gavin Mullin notched two of the side’s final tries with Conroy doubling his personal tally in the game too.

Their tries were complemented by three conversions to cap off a strong display from the Olympians.

Ireland will now face Kenya for the second time in the tournament to determine ninth-place after the Shujaa beat Japan 21-7 in the second ninth-place semi-final on Tuesday morning.

The two teams will play for the title of best-of-the-rest at 1:30 am on Wednesday, July 28th.

Olympic Sailing: Big boost for Murphy’s chances

The Rio Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy took to the water for her third day of sailing in Fujisawa this morning

Ireland’s Murphy came into this race with her chances of grabbing another Olympic medal very low after the Rathfarnham sailor scored a 24th and discarded a 37th the last morning.

The weather had calmed drastically since the typhoon that hit Japan’s coast earlier in the day but was still very challenging.

The competitors faced 13 knot of of wind in 25 degree heat with 72 percent humidity but Murphy looked unfazed.

As the race five began, she went hard knowing she needed to pick up some positions in these two races if she wanted any chance of silverware in Tokyo.

The Irish sailor turned on her class finishing the fifth race scored all the way at ninth. This was a vast improvement of her previous days sailing.

The 31-year-old tried to maintain that position in the sixth race following shortly after. She dropped slightly into 10th but have still left herself in an alright place for the fourth day of racing.

She is currently ranked 20th overall but with four races to go, this could still change a bit. This morning was already a major improvement of her rank of 31st before today.

She will need to break into the top ten in rankings if she wants to be a part of the medal race.

Switzerland’s Maud Jayet won the sixth race with a quick, stellar performance. The 25-year-old is turning heads at her first Olympic Games and has made herself one of the favourites for the competition.

The Laser Radial women’s race seven in Fujisawa will take place at 04:15 on Thursday 29th July shortly followed by race eight.

The final day of sailing will take place on the morning of Friday 30th July.

 

Olympic Swimming: McSharry finishes 8th in final

Sligo swimmer Mona McSharry took to the block for the 100m women’s breaststroke final in the Tokyo Aquatics Centre early this morning

The 20-year-old McSharry had already made history by being the first Irish swimmer to make an Olympic final since Michelle Smith in 1996.

She came into the race as the slowest swimmer in the semi-finals but knew that she could knock at least another two tenths of a second from her time based on her national record and personal best.

The young swimmer was also to face the Olympic record holder, USA’s Lily King and the World record holder, South Africa’s Tatjana Schoenmaker.

As McSharry had said herself after the semi-final, the medals are up for grabs and the winners would have to earn them in the final.

Women’s 100m Breaststroke – Tokyo Aquatic Centre – 27th August

At 03:17 McSharry lined up on the blocks beside the best of the best in world swimming, starting in lane eight.

The Sligo swimmer swam another consistent race but it was not enough to beat the world class line up. She managed a time of 1:06.94, only less than half a second slower than her qualifying time.

This final is where the USA athletes turned on their class with 17-year-old Lydia Jacoby grabbing a surprise gold medal in a time of 1:04.95.

She was followed by South African Schoenmaker for silver and USA’s King taking the bronze medal.

McSharry understandably left the pool with mixed emotions, hoping to have clocked in a faster time but also very proud to have been there.

As the third youngest women in the race with winner Jacoby and Russia’s Evgeniia Chikunova, the future is looking very bright for her.

The next Olympics in Paris is only three years away and McSharry has now left her mark on the swimming world showing that she means business with the rest of her career.

Her Olympics are still not over as she will now compete in the 200m breaststroke heats on Wednesday.

This is still a major achievement for someone who only took up swimming at the age of five because she fell into a lake in Austria, needing her father to rescue her, so her parents wanted her to be able to swim.

McSharry has made her country proud as one of Ireland’s best swimmers to date and we can only expect more from the 20-year-old Sligo star.

 

Olympic Triathlon: Bermuda win first ever gold, Hayes gets top 25

At 06:45 in the morning in Tokyo, after a 15 minute delay, the women’s triathlon commenced in typhoon weather

Caroline Hayes from Newcastlewest, Limerick was Ireland’s sole representative in the women’s triathlon this year. She wore no. 40 alongside 53 other athletes.

The race was forced to begin a quarter of an hour late due to an ongoing typhoon in Japan that hampered with other events as well. This weather led there to be very tough conditions of rain, wind but also 24 degree heat.

This race would consist of a 1500m swim split into two laps, a 40km cycle split into eight laps and a 10km run finishing in four laps.

Women’s Triathlon – Odaiba Marine Park – 27th July

The swim started and Team GB’s Jessica Learmonth took a early lead which she held onto throughout the water segment.

Ireland’s Caroline Hayes began slowly dropping into 43rd place but catching up two places by the end of the swim.

As they transitioned into cycling, the race split up into three packs and with the conditions, it would be very hard to catch up in between each pack.

After 20km of the cycling, Hayes had improved greatly, jumping up to 33rd place. The wet roads proved to be dangerous with a few falls and flat tires.

A top pack of cyclist was now led by the United States athlete Katie Zaferes. The 32-year-old was a whole 4:51 ahead of Hayes at the end of the cycling.

Moving into the final 10km run and Bermuda’s Flora Duffy found a new burst of energy. The small island country of less than 65,000 residents had never won a gold Olympic medal before, only one bronze in boxing in all their history.

The 33-year-old Duffy never slowed as she was pushed by her entire nation back home. She made it to the end in a total time of 1:55.36, well ahead of any other competitor.

In second place was Great Britain’s Georgia Taylor Brown and in a close third was USA’s Zaferes.

Hayes did Ireland proud by pushing up to 23rd in the final rankings, finishing six minutes 30 seconds behind Duffy. She showed a valiant display overtaking 20 competitors and not falling in a race that seven women failed to finish.

In the end, this will be a day that will live long in the memory of Bermuda and their hero Flora Duffy.

1...339340341...610Page 340 of 610

EDITOR PICKS

POPULAR POSTS

POPULAR CATEGORY

ABOUT US

SportsNewsIreland is an Irish website launched in 2009 to offer sports fans in Ireland an alternative and independent source to keep them up to date with all the news from around the country. Every week we bring you live score updates from all levels of GAA, rugby, soccer, racing and athletics. Contact

Contact us: Email: info@sportsnewsireland.com

FOLLOW US

Design by SportsMediaIreland.ie