Ireland will play two Test matches in July against Japan and the USA at the Aviva Stadium.
On 3 July 2021, Andy Farrell’s Ireland side will play Japan in Dublin. The sides last met at the Rugby World Cup in 2019 when Jamie Joseph’s side came out 19-12 winners at the Ecopa Stadium in Shizuoka.
On Saturday 10th July 2021, the Irish side will host the USA in Dublin. Ireland were comfortable 57-14 winners over the Americans the last time the sides met at the Aviva Stadium in November 2018.
The fixtures are subject to final agreement and further details will be announced in due course.
Ireland Head Coach, Andy Farrell, said of the fixtures announced:
“We now have two games at home to focus on which will be great for the group. There have been some strong individual performances in the Rainbow Cup over the past couple of weeks and there are plenty of opportunities for players to put themselves in the frame for selection for the international window in July.”
Ireland Fixtures July 2021
IRELAND v Japan
Saturday 3rd July, 2021
Aviva Stadium
IRELAND v USA
Saturday 10th July, 2021
Aviva Stadium
Ireland’s Fittest Family is a must-watch at 6:30 pm on a Sunday and applications have opened for the 2021 TV Show.
Now in its ninth series, this year will see the competition be more challenging than ever before!
We are scouring the country to find the fittest, fastest and strongest families to be coached to victory by our four returning coaches, Davy Fitzgerald, Anna Geary, Derval O’Rourke and Donncha O’Callaghan.
Mairéad Ronan is back to host the highly competitive tournament too. Given the current Covid-19 pandemic, the production will follow HSE guidelines to ensure that strict social distancing and health and safety is adhered to throughout the competition by all crew and families taking part.
Does your family have what it takes to win the €15,000 cash prize and be crowned Ireland’s Fittest Family? If so, apply now!
Requirements:
* Minimum age is 14 years old by 01 July 2021
* Each family must be comprised of four immediate members
* Series will be filmed between July – September, 2021
Please find a link to the Ireland’s Fittest Family 2021 promo here on the RTÉ One Facebook page: https://fb.watch/5qfntKZ-kA/
Where can I watch Rainbow Cup rugby matches? What TV stations will be showing the matches live?
All games will be available live across the Guinness PRO14 network of broadcasters: Premier Sports, Super Sport, eir Sport and DAZN with S4C and TG4 showing selected live free-to-air matches, deferred coverage and highlights throughout the Rainbow Cup.
Full kick-off details for the Rounds 4-6 of the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup are below.
Swim Ireland have confirmed a large team of 24 athletes (20 swimmers and 4 divers) for the LEN European Aquatics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, which begin today at the Duna Arena.
Divers:
Ciara McGing – Ohio State University
Clare Cryan – National Centre (Dublin)
Oliver Dingley – National Centre (Dublin)
Tanya Watson – National Centre (Dublin)
Irish Divers Schedule – ALL TIMES IRISH (Not Hungarian):
Tuesday, May 11 – 11:30 Clare Cryan – 1m Springboard – Final same evening after 18:30
Thursday, May 13 – 11:00 Tanya Watson & Ciara McGing – 10m Platform – Final same evening after 18:30
Friday, May 14 – 11:00 Oliver Dingley – 3m Springboard – Final same evening after 18:30
Saturday, May 15 – 11:00 Clare Cryan – 3m Springboard – Final same evening after 18:30
Swimmers:
Brendan Hyland– National Centre (Dublin)
Conor Ferguson– Larne Swimming Club
Daniel Wiffen– Loughborough University
Danielle Hill– Larne Swimming Club
Darragh Greene– National Centre (Dublin)
Ellen Walshe– Templeogue Swimming Club
Eoin Corby– National Centre (Limerick)
Erin Riordan– National Centre (Dublin)
Finn McGeever– National Centre (Limerick)
Gerry Quinn– National Centre (Limerick)
Jack McMillan– Bangor Swimming Club
Jordan Sloan– Bangor Swimming Club
Max McCusker– Florida State University
Mona McSharry– University of Tennessee
Naomi Trait– Kilkenny Swimming Club
Niamh Coyne– National Centre (Dublin)
Paddy Johnston– Ards Swimming Club
Robbie Powell– National Centre (Dublin)
Shane Ryan– National Centre (Dublin)
Victoria Catterson– Ards Swimming Club
The focus for the divers will be on further preparation for the Olympic Games, with two athletes certain to be invited to Tokyo 2021 at this stage, whilst the other half of the contingent await further clarification on their Olympic status.
The focus for the swimming contingent will be on Tokyo 2021 relay qualification – this will be an attempt to qualify an Irish relay to the Games for the first time since 1972.
The quartet that competed for Olympic qualification at the FINA Diving World Cup in Japan last week will once again form the diving team, with Oliver Dingley, Clare Cryan, Ciara McGing, and Tanya Watson aiming for big performances after an exciting return to competition in Tokyo.
No Olympic qualification is available to the divers on this occasion, but the swimming team have been selected with a specific and clear aim of grabbing some of the remaining Olympic relay spots, which are still open to the world at large until the qualification period ends on May 31.
Olympic Relay Qualifying
The Olympic relay qualification process sees the 12 highest finishing nations in each Olympic relay event at the 2019 FINA World Championships (held in Gwangju, South Korea) having automatically qualified for the Games.
With a total of 16 Olympic slots available per relay, each event has four positions still available, with Ireland currently sitting in two Top-16 positions leading into this competition.
The Irish Men’s 4x100m Medley relay finished 14th at the 2019 World Championships, whilst the Men’s 4x200m Freestyle relay finished 16th.
These positions must be secured further with faster times produced than those achieved in Gwangju, with the Championships in Budapest being the last opportunity for European nations to achieve this.
An Irish team in the Mixed 4x100m Medley relay has also been selected for Budapest, as has a quartet for the Women’s 4x100m Medley and 4x100m Freestyle relay events.
Ireland’s hopes and chances of qualifying one or more of these teams to Tokyo could not be more evenly spread across these five key events, with many other European nations feeling that a similar opportunity is also in their hands.
Swimming Team Line-Up
The Irish Team includes the four swimmers who have already achieved Olympic Consideration Times for individual events – Shane Ryan, Darragh Greene, Daniel Wiffen and Mona McSharry – as well as Irish Senior Record holders Brendan Hyland, Conor Ferguson, Danielle Hill, Ellen Walshe and Jack McMillan and Irish Junior Record holders Paddy Johnston and Eoin Corby.
Bangor’s Jordan Sloan brings key experience as a member of seven of the eight relay teams who hold Irish Senior Records in 50m competition and seven of the 10 relay teams which hold Irish Senior Records in 25m competition.
National Centre Dublin’s Niamh Coyne also holds multiple Irish relay records, as does Victoria Catterson, who will be making her European Championships debut.
Ireland’s most recent Irish Senior Record-holder Finn McGeever will also be making his debut appearance at a European Championships, as will Gerry Quinn, Naomi Trait, Erin Riordan and Max McCusker.
McGeever, who trains at National Centre (Limerick), earned his first Irish Senior Record at the Irish National Team Trials last month with a surprise 3:53.83 in the 400m Freestyle.
Ireland has ‘clear intent and purpose’
Swim Ireland’s National Performance Director Jon Rudd said: “For our swimmers, this event has an explicit relay focus as far as we are concerned, and the athletes are aware that this is the absolute priority for these Championships.
“There is nothing more honourable in our sport than representing your nation in a relay event and this team have been selected with one purpose in mind – that of Olympic relay qualification.
“The team is littered with high quality athletes, and we will be doing all we can to see at least one Irish relay team feature at an Olympic Games for the first time in 49 years.
“For our divers, it’s off a plane from Tokyo and onto a plane to Budapest in the quest for much needed international competition leading into the summer, something that we have all missed so much in the last 14 months.
“Across swimming and diving, it is a large team, and it has been selected with a clear intent and purpose.”
Three Senior Irish rowing crews will be looking to qualify their boats for the Tokyo Olympics in Lucerne this weekend to add to the four Irish boats already qualified from the 2019 World Rowing Championships. The competing boats are the Men’s Single, Lightweight Women’s Double and Women’s Four.
Daire Lynch will be competing in the Men’s Single in Varese. There are twenty six crews entered to compete in the Men’s Single Scull. There are two qualifying spots available in this category. Daire had a very successful 2020, winning Gold (U23 ERC) and Bronze (ERC) alongside Ronan Byrne. Daire won five Irish championships (four singles, one pair) and previously placed 8th at the Junior World Championship. Daire raced in the Men’s Single at the 2021 European Rowing Championships and finish 2nd in the C Final.
The crew of Fiona Murtagh, Eimear Lambe, Aifric Keogh and Emily Hegarty will be competing in the Women’s Four. The Women’s Four will be competing against seven other crews. There are two qualifying spots for the Olympics available in this category. Fiona, Eimear, Emily and Aifric won Silver at the 2021 European Rowing Championships last month in Varese. Last year Fiona, Eimear and Aifric won Bronze in the Women’s Four alongside Aileen Crowley at the 2020 European Championships. Fiona recently won Bronze at the 2020 European Rowing Championships in Poznan and has won the Head of Charles two years in a row. Eimear has been competing internationally since 2015 and won Silver at the 2019 U23 World Rowing Championships. Aifric has been a member of the high-performance team for several years, has won at the Irish Championships and has set new World Records on the ergometer. Emily has been competing internationally for several years after she started rowing in 2009. Emily previously won the Silver Medal at the 2019 World U23 Championships in Sarasota and a bronze medal in the Women’s Pair at the U23 2020 European Rowing Championships alongside fellow UCC athlete Tara Hanlon.
Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey will be racing in the Lightweight Women’s Double in Lucerne. There are sixteen crews entered in the Lightweight Women’s Double category. There is three qualifying spots available for the Olympics. They finished 5th in the A Final at the 2021 European Rowing Championships. Last year they won the Silver Medal in the same category at the European U23 Rowing Championships. Margaret and Aoife have competed together for several years and won Silver in this event at the Junior European Championships in 2017. They finished second in the LW2x B Final at the 2020 European Rowing Championships in Poznan.
Racing will start on Saturday with the Heats kicking off around 10am. The Quarter and Semi Finals will be on Sunday and the Finals on Monday morning. A full breakdown of times will be available after the draw on Friday afternoon.
Irish Crews
M1x Top Two Finish to Qualify
Daire Lynch (Clonmel)
W4- Top Two Finish to Qualify
Fiona Murtagh (NUIG)
Eimear Lambe (OCBC)
Aifric Keogh (UCC)
Emily Hegarty (UCC)
LW2x Top Three Finish to Qualify
Margaret Cremen (UCC)
Aoife Casey (UCC)
Staff Team
Antonio Maurogiovanni – High-Performance Director
Fran Keane – Rowing Ireland Coach (not travelling)
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the British Champions Series. The 2021 edition got underway at the beginning of this month, with the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. The Series continues throughout the flat season, culminating in British Champions Day at Ascot in mid-September. And for those excited punters, the latest racing results can be found online.
And to celebrate all things British Champions, the first official Hall of Fame for British flat racing was revealed last month. Immortalising the greats in history – both human and equine – from the 1970s onwards, the inaugural champions were announced, and there were no real surprises, with the first two inductees being legendary jockey Lester Pigott, and British thoroughbred, Frankel.
Piggott – first jockey to be inaugurated
Piggott was an 11-time Champion Jockey between the years of 1960 and 1982, amassing 4,493 winners during his career, including 30 British Classis victories. With nine victories in the Epsom Derby, he is the most successful jockey by some way, and it’s unlikely his record will ever be broken.
Ascot was a happy hunting ground for Piggott. He also holds the record for the most victories at Royal Ascot, with 116. He accumulated those wins back when the meeting last four days rather than the five we have become accustomed to. And in its current format, Frankie Dettori is the most successful active jockey, with 73 winners – proving Piggott’s legendary status within the sport.
Further to those accolades, Piggott was the last winner of the famous Triple Crown, comprising the 2,000 Guineas, The Derby and the St Leger Stakes. It was back in 1970, that the 5 ft. 8 in. man, often jokingly referred to as ‘The Long Fellow’ due to his height, rode Nijinsky to victory. It was the first time in 35 years that the feat was managed, and it has since yet to be replicated.
On being listed, Piggott, who rode his first winner at the age of 12, and his last when he was 59 years old, said:
“I feel fortunate to have spent many brilliant years riding such incredible horses and I’m touched to see my story so well preserved through this initiative.”
Frankel – first horse to be inaugurated
Frankel was unbeaten in his 14-race career, and it was his astonishing performance in the 2,000 Guineas, a decade ago, that will always be remembered. Named the clear favourite before the race, the three-year-old with Tom Queally in the saddle, charged into the lead – and such was Frankel’s blistering pace, no-one else could keep up all race. He went on to win by six lengths, recording a time of 1 minute 37 seconds.
The British thoroughbred, who listed as the favourite in every race he entered, went on to win a total of 10 Grade One races, including the St James’s Palace Stakes, the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and the Champion Stakes. It was in the Champion Stakes at Ascot that Frankel’s emotional farewell took place – in front of Her Majesty the Queen and a sell-out crowd. In winning the race, the legendary horse, trained by the late Sir Henry Cecil also secured an official rating of 147 by Timeform – the highest rating awarded to a Flat horse.
“I’m pleased that Frankel’s unblemished career has been acknowledged by the new Hall of Fame initiative, and I’m especially delighted that he is the first racehorse to be given the accolade. I will always fondly remember the moments I spent with him.”
The centre-back currently plays for Wolfsburg u19s.
18-year-old Anselmo García McNulty – who’s represented Ireland up to u17 level – is being closely monitored by 5th placed Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt, according to Sky Sources. García McNulty currently plays for Wolfsburg who are currently two places ahead of Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga table.
He joined the German side from Spanish outfit Real Betis two years ago, having grown up in Spain to an Irish mother and Spanish father.
Since joining Wolfsburg, García McNulty has become captain of the club’s u19’s side and impressed with his performances at both club and international level.
The centre-back is eligible for Spain and Ireland, but has only represented Ireland to date. He has appeared for Ireland at multiple age levels, progressing from from the u15s to the u17s – a trend which will likely continue given his impressive development since moving to Germany. Its as impressive as playing best casino games where you can make a few extra quid.
Eintracht Frankfurt have significantly improved over recent years and particularly this season, owing a lot to their impressive recruitment which has seen players such as Sébastien Haller, Lukáš Hrádecký and Ante Rebić appear for the club in recent years. The fact they’re reportedly heavily interested in García McNulty is a testament to his current ability and potential.
García McNulty isn’t the only Irish underage international impressing abroad – meaning outside of Ireland & the UK – either.
There are a number of young Irish footballers playing for clubs in some of Europe’s top leagues, which makes a change from the almost completely domestically & UK based underage squads from years gone by.
Caden McLoughlin (16) mightn’t be the most well-known example of said footballers, but he’s certainly one of the most impressive.
The forward started his youth career at Málaga but transferred to Villarreal last summer where he’s impressed to such an extent that he’s already earned his first professional contract, which he signed just last month. He will have plenty of cash to play real money online casinos now he has a contract.
McLoughlin has also showed his quality for Ireland at u15 level with a number of magnificent performances, including scoring and assisting in a 3-1 win against England.
Others which Irish football fans may or may not know of include; John Joe Patrick Finn (17), Deji Sotona (18), Ryan Nolan (22) and Conor Noß (20).
Goals from Oliver O’Neill, Anselmo Garcia McNulty, Sinclair Armstrong and Evan Ferguson saw #IRLU17 defeat Israel 4-2 today in Cork in the Qualifying Round finale!
Connacht second row Quinn Roux is heading for France at end of the season with Toulon the most likely destination.
The second row joined Connacht from Leinster in the summer of 2014 and earned 106 caps over 7 years. His performances also saw him earn 16 Ireland caps while representing the province.
Head Coach Andy Friend says they are disappointed to lose Roux, but that the club respects his decision:
“It’s no secret we would have liked to see Quinn stay at the club beyond this season. We entered into discussions but unfortunately as matters progressed, we were unable to reach a final agreement with him that worked on both sides. As a result, Quinn has decided at this stage of his career to explore other opportunities and we fully respect his decision in that regard.
Everyone at Connacht wishes him and his young family all the very best for the future, and to thank him for his many years of commitment to Connacht. He will always be welcome back to The Sportsground.
We have already begun the process of recruiting a new second row and we will obviously make an announcement about that in due course.”
Quinn Roux has released the following statement:
“This has been a really tough few months as I made a decision on my future. There were a lot of factors at play, but most importantly I had to make a decision that was best for me and my wife Rentus and my daughter Rhemy. Rhemy is still very young and we feel the timing is right to go and experience something new as a family.
I’ve been lucky to work with excellent coaches at Connacht and Ireland, and my thanks to them for all their guidance down the years, as well as the Connacht S&C, medical team and wider staff for their help.
A special thank you to all the teammates I’ve played with at provincial and international level. I’ve made some life-long friends and it’s been nothing but a pleasure sharing a pitch and locker room with them. Having the opportunity to represent my adopted country is something I’ll always be grateful for.
I’m also very thankful for the support from people close to me over the last few months. The players and people I work with closely fully understand and respect my decision which has made a hard decision somewhat easier.
We’re really excited about the opportunities ahead, but it’ll also be tough leaving a place we’ve called home for the last 7 years. The people of Connacht have been so welcoming and supportive, and I’d like to sincerely thank them for everything they’ve done for me.
I will miss Galway, but we have a home here that we plan to return to and raise our children. I very much look forward to when that day comes.”
Head Coach Leo Cullen has issued injury updates ahead of Friday’s Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup game against Ulster Rugby at the RDS Arena (Kick Off: 8.15pm – live on Eir Sport & RTÉ Radio).
Injury Update – Available for Selection:
Jimmy O’Brien: has returned to full training after recovering from his hamstring injury
Caelan Doris: is due to return to full training this week after recovering from a minor calf issue
Injury Update – Further Assessment Required:
Jamison Gibson-Park: still being managed with a hamstring injury and will be further assessed this week ahead of selection
Jack Conan: went off for a Head Injury Assessment against Connacht Rugby and will follow the Graduated Return to Play Protocols this week
Injury Update – Unavailable for Selection:
Ciarán Frawley: injured his shoulder and his hamstring against Connacht Rugby and will be unavailable for selection this week
No New Injury Update – Unavailable for Selection:
Rhys Ruddock (calf), Harry Byrne (hamstring), Johnny Sexton (concussion), Will Connors (knee), Jack Dunne (ankle), Adam Byrne (quad), Dan Leavy (knee), Conor O’Brien (knee) and Max Deegan (knee)
We have the list of rugby matches and highlight programs that are live on TG4 from the Pro14 Rainbow Cup.
The Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup is a new rugby competition which brings the existing PRO14 teams and South Africa’s former Super Rugby teams together for the first time. These inter-hemisphere clashes are poised to serve as a tasty prelude to the British and Irish Lions tour to South Africa later in the summer.
TG4will broadcast a selection of live free-to-air games, deferred coverage, and highlights programming throughout the Rainbow Cup including live coverage of the Final on Saturday 19 June.
Please see below the dates and times of TG4’s coverage for the first three rounds (with more matches and coverage to be announced for the next three rounds later).
ROUND DATE TEAMS / Broadcast times
1 Friday 23 April Ulster v Connacht – Full deferred coverage at 10.25pm
1 Saturday 24 April Leinster v Munster – Full deferred coverage at 9.45pm
2 Friday 7 May Munster v Ulster – Full deferred coverage at 10.25pm
2 Saturday 8 May Connacht v Leinster – Live at 7.35pm
3 Friday 14 May Munster v Connacht – Deferred at 8.30pm
3 Friday 14 May Leinster v Ulster – Highlights at 10.30pm
4 Friday 28 / Saturday 29 May
5 Friday 4 / Saturday 5 June
6 Friday 11 / Saturday 12 June
FINAL Saturday 19 June – *Live onTG4
Starting on April 23 with three weekends of derbies in each country, the Guinness PRO14 Rainbow Cup will then see the existing Guinness PRO14 teams play southern hemisphere teams including the Vodacom Bulls, the Emirates Lions, Cell C Sharks and DHL Stormers.
A total of six rounds (eight games per round) will take place, with all teams ranked in a single league table. After 57 games in total, the two top teams will play in the final on Saturday 19 June. The action-packed tournament will take place in Europe and will be subject to Government guidelines and coronavirus travel restrictions.
The Rugbaí Beo team, lead by presenter Máire Treasa Ní Dhubhghaill, will feature expert analysis from Eimear Considine, Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird, Niamh Ní Dhroma, Marcus Horan, Ronan Loughney, Eoghan Ó Neachtain and Eamonn Molloy along with a host of others.
Rónán Ó Coisdealbha, TG4 Head of Sport said “TG4 is delighted to bring this new cross-hemisphere tournament to Irish viewers for the very first time. During what has been a challenging time for sport, TG4 has continued to provide live, free to air sporting entertainment for Irish audiences. We are looking forward to seeing the South Africa ‘Super’ teams become part of our Rugbaí Beo line-up.”
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