A winner last time out at Kelso when winning the Premier Chase over 2m7½, Cloth Cap is the firm favourite to land the Grand National to give his trainer a second win in the race with Don’t Push It winning it back in 2012 under AP McCoy. Tom Scudamore will take the ride on the favourite with Burrows Saint his closest rival in the betting.
The Willie Mullins trained 2019 BoyleSports Irish Grand National winner has the Aintree spectacle as his main target now for the past two years. Burrows Saint is the shortest priced runner at 9/1 for the Closutton trainer who has four horses in the race with Acapella Bourgeois 33/1, Class Conti 40/1 and Cabaret Queen 66/1.
The Colin Tizzard trained Mister Malarky has been backed into 33/1 from 40/1 with Jonjo O’Neill junior taking the ride over the 4m2½ trip. The talented Bristol De Mai heads the field with top weight and is a 22/1 chance to win for trainer Nigel Twiston-Davies.
Rachael Blackmore had a fantastic Cheltenham Festival and so did the Irish with Henry de Bromhead’s Minella Times backed into 10/1 from 12/1 to give the talented jockey/trainer duo a first win in the race.
Sarah Kinsella, Spokesperson for BoyleSports commented: “The field has been confirmed for the Grand National at Aintree this Saturday and it’s Cloth Cap who heads the market at 7/2. Burrows Saint is the best chance of an Irish winner according to the odds at 9/1 while Rachael Blackmore could make history on Minella Times at 10/1 from 12/1. It’s a tremendous line-up and we anticipate plenty more support to arrive for Rachael as punters are getting behind her more and more.”
END
Aintree 17:15 ~ Outright Betting, (place terms: 1/5 the first 7)
Star Irish rugby player Beibhinn Parsons is Beibhinn Parsons in Ireland Team to play Wales in Six Nations opener on Saturday.
Ballinasloe native Parsons will start at 11 and looks like the main source for scoring trys against the Welsh in a must-win game. The format this year leaves Ireland looking for a top-two finish to play at least the 3rd/4th playoff.
Head Coach Adam Griggs has named his Ireland Match Day 23 to face Wales in Saturday’s Women’s Six Nations game in Cardiff, with Sevens international Eve Higgins set for her XVs debut in the centre and uncapped backs Emily Lane and Stacey Flood included on the replacements bench.
Ireland will be captained by Ciara Griffin in the opening game of their 2021 Championship campaign at Cardiff Arms Park (Kick-off 5pm, live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player), with Griggs’ starting XV showing three changes to the side that beat Italy at Energia Park last October.
Higgins, who has starred for Ireland on the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in recent seasons, has impressed during Ireland’s preparations for the Six Nations and earns her debut cap in midfield alongside the experienced Sene Naoupu, while Sevens internationals Lane and Flood are included on the bench for their first taste of Championship action.
Eimear Considine returns to the full-back jersey as one of the three changes in personnel from the victory over Italy last time out, with Lauren Delany switching to the right wing and Beibhinn Parsons lining out on the left.
21-year-old Higgins, capped 20 times for Ireland Sevens, partners Naoupu in midfield, while the half-back pairing of Hannah Tyrrell and Kathryn Dane are retained having impressed against the Azzurri.
There is an unchanged front row named by Griggs as Lindsay Peat, Cliodhna Moloney and Linda Djougang once again pack down together, with the fit-again Aoife McDermott returning to the second row alongside Nichola Fryday.
Griffin leads the side from number eight, with Dorothy Wall set for her fifth cap at blindside flanker and Claire Molloy named at openside.
Uncapped duo Lane and Flood provide the half-back cover on the replacements bench, where they are joined by forwards Neve Jones, Katie O’Dwyer, Laura Feely, Brittany Hogan and Hannah O’Connor, with Enya Breen providing the additional backline cover.
Commenting on his selection, Head Coach Griggs says the competition for places within the squad has intensified in recent weeks as the squad stepped up their preparations at the IRFU High Performance Centre.
“We are extremely confident in the squad we have selected,” he said. “We have had a great deal of time to prepare together and this group of players have earned the responsibility to bring the high standards we have set ourselves throughout training into this first game.
“Wales at home will bring a strong challenge and we need to make sure we start the game well and build a platform that allows us to play our game and start this competition off with a win.”
Ireland’s opening game of the 2021 Women’s Six Nations is live on RTÉ and the RTÉ Player in the Republic of Ireland, while there is coverage on the BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport Website for supporters in the UK.
The Galway pentathlete, 27, Sive Brassil qualified for the women’s final at UIPM 2021 Pentathlon World Cup Sofia with plenty to spare.
She finished fourth in her qualification group with 1,002 points to rank fifth overall of 82 competing athletes, easily securing one of the 36 berths in the final on Friday (9 April).
Having finished 4th in her swimming heat with a time of 2:18.09, Brassil managed only 12 victories from her 25 fencing bouts, leaving herself with plenty to do in the Laser Run. But she responded in style in the final discipline, completing her four circuits in 12:54.60 – the second-fastest time in her qualification group.
Brassil’s Irish team-mate Arthur Lanigan-O’Keeffe will compete tomorrow (8 April) in a bid to reach the men’s final on Saturday (10 April).
For live competition coverage visit UIPM TV, the UIPM website or download the “UIPM Central” app.
Following a run of excellent results primarily at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Florida, several Irish Show Jumping riders have made big gains on the latest Longines FEI World Rankings released this week.
Reigning FEI Nations Cup champions Ireland pictured following victory in the 2020 FEI Nations Cup final in Barcelona (ESP) in 2020. (L to R) Paul O’Shea, Peter Moloney, Rodrigo Pessoa, Darragh Kenny and Cian O’Connor. (Photo: Sonya Hennessy)
Offaly’s Darragh Kenny remains the highest-ranked Irish rider at No.9, while Cork’s Shane Sweetnam has climbed five places to No.26. Tipperary’s Denis Lynch is at No.29, with Wexford’s Bertram Allen now at No.35. Limerick’s Paul O’Shea is at No.39, with Derry’s Daniel Coyle also inside the top 50 at No.44.
Among the 12 Irish riders inside the top 100, Meath’s Cian O’Connor has made the biggest gain, moving up a massive 49 places to No.74. Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat remains the World No.1, just ahead of Germany’s Daniel Deusser at No.2.
The Eventing and Dressage World Rankings remain largely unchanged after a period of limited competition activity. Galway’s Cathal Daniels remains Ireland’s top-ranked Eventing rider at No.14, while Kildare’s Judy Reynolds is Ireland’s highest-placed Dressage rider at No.22.
One runner who will be making his debut over Aintree’s unique Grand National fences is the Paul Nolan-trained Discorama, fancied by many to run a big race and currently trading at around 18-1.
The eight year old has placed on three separate occasions at the Cheltenham Festival during his career and while Nolan conceded that he is frustrated not to have won more races with his charge, he is hopeful of a good run here.
He said: “It’s a bit frustrating that the horse has only won twice in his life (considering his talent), he’s won a maiden hurdle and a beginners’ chase, and yet he’s so nearly won some nice races.
“We’ll be dropped out and we’ll hunt him around and hope to God he’ll get into the race at some stage and we’ll take it from there, but you never know with the National. You’re happy if you’re still there with a circuit to go, but hopefully we’ll get a bit of luck.
“We hope he’s in good form and hopefully he gives Tom Friel and Andrew Gemmell (owners) a good run for their money. So many people spend so much money to just have a runner in the National. This horse was an inexpensive purchase and he’s given the boys some great days out, so they wouldn’t swap him for anything.”
Leinster and Ulster continue their European adventures on Saturday with the pair facing Exeter Chiefs and Northampton Saints in the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, respectively.
Leinster will have fresh legs after a week off courtesy of a positive Toulon coronavirus test which led to the four-time Champions Cup winners being awarded a bye.
Johnny Sexton may return after failing his head injury assessment against Munster in the Pro14 final, but Leinster has strength in depth if he does not make the squad with the Byrne brothers on the books.
The mix of rising stars and established veterans as players like Rhys Ruddock and Scott Penny have shone for the provincial outfit this season.
Exeter Chiefs will look to continue the defense of their European title against Ireland’s European giants.
Rob Baxter’s men have not looked as strong as last season with three losses in their last seven games but will be fired up at the chance to make a statement against Ireland’s only side remaining in European competition.
The Chiefs’ seven-try showing at home to Lyon in their most recent game, however, could be a taster of what is to come this weekend at Sandy Park.
Later that night in the Challenge Cup, Northampton Saints will host Ulster, who are looking to win their first Challenge Cup in their first-ever Challenge Cup campaign.
Both sides have a history of success in Europe with two Champions Cups between them.
The teams have fallen from the top tier of Europe’s elite but will look to move a step closer to regaining that status with a win on Saturday night.
The Saints came from behind to steal the game from the Dragons at Rodney Parade last weekend, but they will need to iron out their inconsistency if they are to topple Dan McFarland’s Ulster.
The former Scotland assistant coach has Ulster on a positive trajectory as they are now challenging for silverware on a consistent basis.
Having finished runners-up in the Pro 14’s Conference A, the northern province will want to take advantage of the opportunity they have to earn their first piece of silverware in 15 years.
An eight-try rout of Harlequins displayed the attacking rugby that the Ulstermen are capable of, but they may find it tougher against Lewis Ludlam and co. this weekend.
Exeter Chiefs and Leinster kick-off at 5:30 pm on Saturday with Ulster’s game against Northampton starting later at 8 pm.
JOSEPH McEvoy is a track and field athlete preparing to move to the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) in America this year. The decathlon and heptathlon athlete has reached a new high in his young career, but it was not always this easy for him.
In July 2017 Joseph was flying high only two weeks away from competing in the European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Gyor, Hungary as well as training with the Underage Munster Rugby team when he took a fall.
He was running the 110m hurdles in the National Outdoors Athletics Championships when he was knocked over onto his ankle crossing the finish line. An MRI revealed that he had torn two ligaments in his left ankle, ruling him out of the sport for a couple of months.
“It was pretty instant, basically the guy in the lane next to me after the finish line, knocked into me and it knocked me over and I instantly felt pain in my ankle,” Joseph said.
The week before Joseph got his MRI, he was “quietly confident” that he could recover and continued to go to the EYOF training camps with his teammates.
Due to his injury, he could not go on the flight to Hungary although he would have liked to go with his friends. It would have been a chance for him to see new people and places.
Joseph added: “It definitely sucked, especially because I knew a lot of the guys going, I watched it on TV and it was hard to watch but you get over it, I guess you have to, there’s nothing you can do about it.”
Junior & U23 Championship 2020 Highlight ⚡
Joseph McEvoy (Nenagh Olympic A.C.) wins the Junior Men 60mH in a time of 8.20!
Joseph was lucky that his father, Johnson, is a physio and was able to help him with his recovery. He began by wearing a large medical boot until his ligaments fused together properly.
When he was able to start running on the leg again in September, he wore tape and a large brace as support for his leg.
He has now focused his all-roundedness in athletics to doing decathlons allowing him to perform in multiple track and field events.
Joseph holds no anger against the runner who caused his injury saying: “obviously it sucked, it came at a really bad time… but things happen when you play sport, it was just an accident by him so no, I wouldn’t hold any resentment to him, then or now.”
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea were victorious on the night.
One of the best Champions League games in recent years took place tonight at the Allianz Arena where a resilient Paris Saint-Germain managed to defeat current holders Bayern Munich 3-2 despite being on the back foot for much of the game.
PSG hit the front with just 3 minutes on the clock through who else but Kylian Mbappe. He was played through by another superstar in Neymar and left with plenty of space to get his shot off just outside the 6-yard box. That’s just what he did, firing low into the back of the net to put his team 1-0 ahead. Manuel Neuer, normally so reliable in goals for Bayern Munich, was partly at fault for the goal. He dived early towards the far post thinking that’s where Mbappe was aiming. Instead, Mbappe’s effort went straight down the middle of the goal and through Neuer’s legs as he dived to his right.
Bayern had a number of opportunities afterwards, including clear cut chances for both Leon Goretzka and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting who both failed to make it count, the former’s effort going straight at the ‘keeper and the latter shooting wide.
Their missed opportunities would come back to haunt them as Paris Saint-Germain extended their lead in the 28th minute. Neymar was heavily involved once again, lifting a beautiful ball into the box and catching out the Bayern Munich defence as they attempted to advance up the pitch. Marquinhos was alert to Neymar’s creativity and made a perfectly timed run into the box, took the ball down expertly and finishing with aplomb past Manuel Neuer to make it 2-0.
Bayern Munich were knocking at the door for much of the match and were perhaps slightly unfortunate to be down 2-0. They eventually made their pressure count, though, as they pulled one back in the 37th minute. Benjamin Pavard swung a great cross into the penalty area and Choupo-Moting – replacing the injured Robert Lewandowski – got his head to the ball and diverted his effort past Keylor Navas into the net.
The half-time whistle sounded with Bayern Munich behind 2-1 despite controlling much of the contest. The difference between the two teams being the clinical edge as PSG took the few chances they had.
After such an exhilarating first half, few would have expected the second half to reach the same intensity. However, it proved to be just as entertaining, if not more.
PSG had the first big chance of the half just minutes after it commenced. Mbappe managed to steal the ball off Leroy Sane which led to the ball ending up at Neymar’s feet. The Brazilian shot at goal but Manuel Neuer produced a brilliant save, atoning for his earlier mistake. Di Maria got a shot off on the rebound but Alphonso Davies cleared off the line.
Bayern Munich begun to dominate again after that opportunity and managed to grab their equaliser in the 60th minute. Kimmich, who was quietly controlling the game to that point, lofted a great ball into the box which was met by the head of Thomas Muller and directed into the bottom left corner. 2-2.
Again, Bayern were completely controlling the game. However, they failed to deal with PSG’s counter attacks time and time again. One man that you don’t want running at you on the counter is Kylian Mbappe, but that’s exactly what he did in the 67th minute, charging at the Bayern defence before cutting inside and finishing precisely at the near post to make it 3-2.
The pace of the game slightly slowed down afterwards but Bayern still managed to create a handful of half chances before the full-time whistle. But, as was the story of the night, they failed to capitalise on those chances.
The match finished 3-2 to PSG who came away with a win and 3 vital away goals.
Throughout the 90, Bayern managed 31 shots to PSG’s 6. However, the result is the only thing that matters and Pochettino will be presumably be very happy with the night’s proceedings.
In the other match tonight, Chelsea took on Porto who defeated Juventus over two legs in the last round to book their place in the quarter-finals.
They were unable to overcome Chelsea on the night, though.
Mason Mount scored the first goal in the 32nd minute, turning fantastically before driving his shot low towards the far post and past the Porto ‘keeper.
Ben Chilwell wrapped up the victory in the 85th minute with an equally impressive goal. He charged down the left flank, stole the ball from the Porto defender before advancing towards goal, taking it around the ‘keeper and slotting easily into the net.
The two away goals on the night could prove crucial in the return tie. Porto must score at least 3 goals to guarantee automatic qualification to the semi-finals.
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