Kerry and Tyrone will meet in the first of two Allianz football league semi-finals to take place this coming Saturday live on TG4.
The Kingdom will be looking to carry on their momentum and book a place in the Allianz league final after their last match, seeing off Roscommon by a comprehensive nine-point winning margin at Dr Hyde Park two weeks ago.
While Tyrone will be looking to bounce back after their exciting draw with Ulster rivals Monaghan at Healy Park in Omagh.
With Kerry reigning league champions, they are coming into this game as the heavy favourites. Easing past Roscommon in their last match, showing resolve to dig out a draw with All-Ireland champions Dublin.
If Tyrone can pose any problems for Kerry, their attack will be crucial to booking their place in their first league final appearance since 2013. With Paul Donaghy looking dangerous and Darren McCurry scoring for fun, Tyrone could easily cause an upset.
The burden will fall upon full-forward starlet David Clifford to cause chaos for the Tyrone back-line. With his performance against Galway a stand-out.
Form — last three results
Kerry — (Win, Draw, Win)
Tyrone — (Loss, Win, Draw)
Players to watch
Kerry: David Clifford (Fossa)
Tyrone: Darren McCurry (Edendork)
Starting/Predicted Teams
Kerry
Kerry (Confirmed) : Kieran Fitzgibbon; Brian O Beaglaoich, Jason Foley, Tom O’Sullivan; Mike Breen, Gavin Crowley, Gavin White; Diarmuid O’Connor, Adrian Spillane; Stephen O’Brien, Sean O’Shea, Paul Geaney; David Clifford, Dara Moynihan, Paudie Clifford.
Subs: Brendan Kealy, Jack Sherwood, Jack Barry, Graham O’Sullivan, Killian Spillane, Tommy Walsh, Paul O’Shea, Micheal Burns, Joe O’Connor, Pa Kilkenny, David Shaw.
Tyrone
Niall Morgan; Cormac Munroe, Ronan McNamee, Rory Brennan; Michael McKernan, Frank Burns, Peter Harte; Mattie Donnelly, Richard Donnelly; Kieran McGeary, Darragh Canavan Conor Meyler; Darren McCurry Conor McKenna, Paul Donaghy
The Irish Show Jumping team finished in fifth place in Friday Longines FEI Nations Cup of France in La Baule.
The Michael Blake-managed team consisted of Shane Sweetnam, Darragh Kenny, Bertram Allen and Cian O’Connor.
Ireland, who are the reigning Longines FEI Nations Cup world champions, were in share of the lead with Switzerland at the halfway stage on a zero score.
Shane Sweetnam was the first Irish rider to enter the arena with Karlin Van’t Vennehof and they left all the fences standing – finishing with just a time fault.
Darragh Kenny then jumped clear with VDL Cartello and that was followed by another perfect clear from Bertram Allen with The Irish Sport Horse Pacino Amiro.
Ireland were assured to finish the first round on at worst just a time fault and in second place with the last line riders left to jump but a clear from anchor rider Cian O’Connor would put Ireland in a share of the lead with Switzerland.
A clear round from O’Connor and the Irish Sport Horse Kilkenny saw Ireland match the Swiss first round effort of a zero score heading into round two. Britain and Italy were lurking close behind in joint third on just a time fault while Belgium were also in the hunt on four faults.
Second Round
Sweetnam got Ireland underway in the second round with a four fault score – the same as the first Swiss rider, meaning the two countries still could not be separated. Italy began to apply the pressure when their first rider in the second round jumped clear.
Darragh Kenny looked set to complete a double clear performance but a foot in the water saw him finish with four faults aboard VDL Cartello. That moved Italy into the lead on a time fault, with Ireland, Switzerland and Belgium then tied for second on four faults with two riders remaining for each team.
Bertram Allen and Pacino Amiro (ISH) also finished with four faults second time out and that put Ireland onto a best possible score of eight faults heading into the last line of riders.
Cian O’Connor and Kilkenny (ISH) came close to a double clear round when last to go, however the very last fence fell to leave them with the same four fault score as his three fellow team members in the second round.
A strong finish by Switzerland saw them claim victory on a four fault score while Italy took runner-up spot on seven faults. Belgium on eight faults took third with Britain fourth (9 faults) just ahead of Ireland in fifth on 12 faults.
Ireland’s next five-star FEI Nations Cup outing in Europe Division 1 will be at Sopot in Poland next Friday, June 18th.
Ireland’s World Cup qualification bid looks set to come down to October’s final qualifier after they could not build on a strong start against England in the EuroHockey Championships’ Pool C.
Pool C: Ireland 1 (D Duke) England 5 (S Evans 2, A Toman 2, E Rayer)
Deirdre Duke’s outstanding early goal had them dreaming of a first win over England since 1983 – and a first in several Euro meetings – but three second quarter goals put paid to those hopes as they ultimately fell 5-1.
As such, barring an unlikely turnaround in fortunes – requiring a heavy England loss to Scotland and a big Irish win over Italy – Ireland will now contest an eight-team qualifier in October for a ticket to next summer’s World Cup.
The Irish survived a tricky opening as the world number fives penned the Green Army back but super first-up defence limited any damage and soon, they started to make inroads at the far end.
The approach was more direct with Naomi Carroll and Katie Mullan finding space to drive on and the opening goal came in the 13th minute. It was a glorious piece of work, created 70 metres out from goal as Anna O’Flanagan chipped a Carroll pass beyond her marker to unlock space.
A quick interchange with Nicci Daly was followed by O’Flanagan’s perfect cross that Deirdre Duke dove onto.
But the game turned England’s way with three goals in a nine minute spell in the second quarter. Anna Toman picked a brilliant line to clatter the backboard from England’s second penalty corner.
Danger-woman Lily Owsley’s baseline run finished with an inviting pass to the back post that Sarah Evans gobbled up to swap the lead. And Evans was on hand to volley in the third just before half-time from Ellie Rayer’s pass, leaving Ireland with a mountain to climb.
And that became steeper in the 42nd minute when Giselle Ansley’s corner shot took a heavy defensive touch to lift out of reach of Ayeisha McFerran and into the goal.
Toman then completed the result with 70 seconds remaining with another strong corner sweep shot.
Ireland will conclude this campaign on Saturday at 3.30pm (Irish time, RTE Player and BT Sport) against Italy.
Ireland:A McFerran, R Upton, N Evans, K Mullan, S McCay, L Tice, N Carroll, H McLoughlin, L Holden, S Hawkshaw, A O’Flanagan
Subs: Z Malseed, M Carey, M Frazer, N Daly, H Matthews, D Duke, L Murphy
England: M Hinch, L Unsworth, S Evans, A Toman, S Townsend, E Rayer, G Ansley, L Owsley, G Balsdon, I Petter
Subs: E Burge, E Sanders, L Neal, J Hunter, C de Ledesma, F Crackles, S Heesh
The International Olympic Committee has named 29 athletes across 12 sports to take part as the Refugee team at the Games in Japan in late July
The IOC has been sending a refugee team to the Olympics since 2016. They walk underneath the Olympic flag as the second nation, behind Greece, during the opening ceremony.
The number of athletes has increased from 10 five years ago. The athletes this year have originated from countries such as Afghanistan, Cameroon, Iraq, Syria, and Venezuela.
Kenyan, Tegla Loroupe will lead the team during this year as the Chef de Mission.
IOC President Thomas Bach has said: “I speak on behalf of the entire Olympic Movement when I say that we cannot wait to meet you in person and to see you compete in Tokyo.
“When you, the IOC Refugee Olympic Team and the athletes from the National Olympic Committees from all over the globe, finally come together in Tokyo on 23 July, it will send a powerful message of solidarity, resilience, and hope to the world.
“You are an integral part of our Olympic community, and we welcome you with open arms.”
The team will be battling for medals in events such as athletics, badminton, boxing, and canoeing.
This team is not to be confused with independent athletes who do not represent a nation.
Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee CEO, Toshiro Muto has said that all athletes and media will be required to be GPS monitored
This system was put in place after the increase of the Covid-19 pandemic in the capital, Tokyo in recent months.
CEO Muto has said that they do not plan to track all the movements of the visitors but to trace them if any problems should occur.
Around 6,000 reporters visiting Japan for the Olympics must provide a list of the areas that they will visit for their first two weeks, such as venues and hotels.
The previously postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are set to start on the 23rd of July.
GPS tracking will be done by using smartphone technology to make sure the media do not leave given routes.
In a press conference, Mr. Muto said: “Using GPS, if they go to places outside their planned destinations, that would become very apparent.
“If they go places they’re not supposed to, we are definitely concerned that it would heighten the risk.”
50 days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics, the head of the organising committee has insisted that the games will go ahead as planned. #sabcnews
The 1885 Membership Club’s James ‘Sloppy’ Heaslip spoke to some of the new Connacht Rugby coaches after they announced a new coaching structure for the 2021/22 season.
You can enjoy the podcast from which the quotes are from here.
The new coaching structure involves the move of former Defence coach Peter Wilkins to Senior Coach.
To clarify, Mr Wilkins’ new role will make him primarily responsible for Connacht’s attack.
Furthermore, Connacht Rugby has welcomed former Munster player Mossy Lawler as Assistant Attack and Skills Coach.
In addition, former Shannon and UL Bohemians boss Colm ‘Collie’ Tucker joins as Defence and Forwards Technical Skills Coach.
Wilkins, who will be the number two to Head Coach Andy Friend, explained his new role as overseeing training, devising gameplans and “essentially making sure we have that cohesion on the field.”
The incoming Senior Coach likened his position to that of an assistant manager in football.
The other two incoming coaches have also been involved in the Connacht setup for several years before joining the senior team’s coaching staff.
Mr Lawler came on board in 2015 and was involved in multiple roles in the several years since then.
Most notably, he was the Head Coach for the Connacht Eagles.
The former professional told Sloppy that “it was just a natural transition to get into coaching. [He’d] like to think [he] did it from grassroots to green shirts.”
He climbed up the ranks through roles at Árdscoil Rís and UL Bohemians to reach Connacht.
Eric Elwood hired Colm Tucker to work in the academy.
However, his route was slightly different to his first cousin Mossy Lawler.
After neck issues brought an end to his rugby career at 19, Cully started coaching at underage level in Shannon.
In time, he was promoted to Head Coach of the senior side.
Collie then moved across Limerick to UL Bohemians.
At UL Bohemians, he brought Mossy Lawlor on as the Director of Rugby and a player.
The new Defence coach talked fondly about his time coaching in the All-Ireland League.
“Coaching in AIL provided an unbelievable grounding for me to move on…it teaches you so much about time management and prioritisation.”
Tucker thinks it is brilliant for him to work with the man he is stepping in for in his first professional coaching job.
“I can consistently run things by him, and share footage, share clips, discuss clips, challenge each other. That process has already started over the last couple of months where we’ve put together philosophies and principles around how we’re going to defend, how we’re going to attack.”
The Connacht Defence Coach added that all the coaches are working hard to get themselves on the same page.
Wilkins paid tribute to his predecessors on the podcast: “Coaches give everything to the cause and at some point, they will move on. It’s important to build on the success and the good things they brought to the environment but also keep the team moving forward.”
One coach absent for the podcast was Connacht’s new forwards coach Dewald Senekal.
The South African joins Connacht Rugby from Stade Francais and comes to Galway with a lot of promise.
“He’s got that South African edge – he wants us to ply on the edge, play fairly but bring that aggression, that composed physicality to what we do”, said Peter Wilkins when asked by Sloppy about the incoming forwards coach.
Wilkins feels that Senekal will be valuable to the team.
He added that he thinks the players are excited to get to work with the 40-year-old.
The excitement about the future spreads beyond the players, as said on the podcast.
Wilkins believes that the consistency Connacht maintained away from home and their final performace showed the province’s progress under Andy Friend.
Finishing the season on a high felt important to Wilkins.
He told Sloppy that “it’s always important to finish the season with a win.
“It just changes the perspective going into an offseason, particularly when you are farewelling people who are leaving.”
Mossy Lawler also talked about the future crop of Connacht Rugby players that are yet to make the step up.
He found it rewarding to help produce the next batch of Connacht players.
Lawler sees it as recognition of the work done throughout the province.
The new Skills Coach named several players he believes fans will see make the step up in 2021/22.
Paul Ford, Shane Jennings, Donnchadh Byrne, and Oisin McCormack were given the nod by Lawler.
Connacht will only grow further thanks to their increased focus on academy products in the province.
Mossy Lawler summed up the feeling from fans and coaches alike on the podcast – “I think the future’s really bright.”
Ireland under-20’s prospect Alex Kendellen was announced as team captain for the upcoming 2021 U-20 Six Nations Championship in Wales.
The Munster back-row made his competitive debut for the province three months ago against Scarlets.
The 20-year-old spoke about how he feels about being captain for the tournament.
“[It’s] a huge honour, not just for myself but for my family and support network, my friends, my coaches at Munster, the school, it’s a huge honour for them as well.”
His Munster debut gave him a similar feeling of honour and pride.
The Munster back-row made his competitive debut for the province three months ago against Scarlets.
There was no crowd there, but the Munster academy product still sees it as one of the highlights of his career so far.
Kendellen noted: “It was a massive moment in my career, personally, as well as for my family, my friends, all my support network around me.”
In terms of leadership, Kendellen believes that his actions speak louder than his words.
He noted that he will not change this after becoming captain.
“I’m here to lead on the pitch, my actions speak a lot more than my words, I think.”
As for the side’s approach towards the upcoming tournament, the captain said that they are going to take it game-by-game.
The Munster man’s eyes are focused on what lies ahead in the Scotland game.
The squad showed how good they were during the training camp they took part in, according to Kendellen.
Furthermore, Kendellen feels that there were more than the 34 announced that put their hands up for a spot.
However, the captain said that “the best 34 are going over and they’re looking to win this competition.”
The U20 Six Nations will use a six-day turnaround for this year’s championship.
The Ireland squad will have to get used to it as they do not have much experience with short turnarounds.
“Recovery will be key for everybody. It’s what we have to deal with in these situations with Covid and we are all looking forward to it,” Kendellen added.
The UCC number eight complimented those from the Munster setup who gave him tips ahead of the tournament opener.
The 20-year-old singled out veteran lock Billy Holland as one of these people.
“I chatted to Billy Holland during the week. We all know he’s packing it in soon enough. He’s been very good to me and not just the last six weeks but back in Munster for the last year as well. He’s had an arm around me and brought me along.”
Kendellen will want to lead by example in his first game as captain, as mentioned above, and get Ireland off to the best start possible with a victory against Scotland next week.
Ireland Squad for 2021 U20 Six Nations:
Forwards:
George Saunderson (Sullivan Upper School/Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
Jack Boyle (St Michael’s College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
Temi Asewunmi Lasisi (CBS Enniscorthy/Lansdowne FC/Leinster)
Mark Donnelly (CBC Cork/Garryowen RFC/Munster)
Eoin de Buitléar (Scoil Chuimsitheach Chiáran/An Ghaeltacht/Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
Lee Barron (St Michael’s College/Dublin University FC/Leinster)
Ronan Loughnane (Cistercian College Roscrea/UCD RFC/Leinster)
Sam Illo (Wesley College/Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
Darragh Murray (Colaiste Chiaran/Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
Harry Sheridan (Sullivan Upper School/Dublin University FC/Ulster)
Mark Morrisey (Blackrock College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
Alex Soroka (Belvedere College/Clontarf RFC/Leinster)
Oisin McCormack (Garbally College/Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
Alex Kendellen (PBC Cork/UCC RFC/Munster)(Captain)
Reuben Crothers (Wallace High School/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
Donnacha Byrne (Summerhill College/Sligo RFC/Connacht)
Jack Kelleher (PBC Cork/UCC RFC/Munster)
Daniel Okeke (Ard Scoil Ris/Shannon RFC/Munster)
Liam Bishop (Trent College/Nottingham University/IQ Rugby)
Backs:
Conor McKee (Sullivan Upper School/Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
Nathan Doak (Wallace High School/Banbridge RFC/Ulster)
Ben Murphy (Presentation College Bray/Old Wesley RFC/Leinster)
Tim Corkery (St Kieran’s College, Kilkenny/UCD RFC/Leinster)
James Humphreys (Dean Close School/Queen’s University Belfast RFC/Ulster)
Cathal Forde (Colaiste Iognaid/Corinthians RFC/Connacht)
Ben Carson (Wallace High School/Banbridge RFC/Ulster)
Shane Jennings (Garbally College/Buccaneers RFC/Connacht)
Ben Moxham (Larne High School/Ballymena RFC/Ulster)
Conor Rankin (Campbell College Belfast/Ballynahinch RFC/Ulster)
Chay Mullins (SGC Filton/Bristol Bears/IQ Rugby)
Josh O’Connor (St Peter’s College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
Jamie Osborne (Naas CBS/Naas RFC/Leinster)
Chris Cosgrave (St Michael’s College/UCD RFC/Leinster)
Jude Postlethwaite (RBAI/Banbridge RFC/Ulster).
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