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Connacht v Ospreys – Preview & Starting teams

Guinness PRO14

Connacht v Ospreys

The Sportsground, Galway – Sunday 24th January 2021 @3pm

This rearranged fixture fell victim to a Covid case within the Osprey’s camp the first time around. Originally scheduled to be played on Saturday 28th November. This clash has been rescheduled twice since. It was initially penciled in to be played on Saturday 13th February. This would have deprived both sides of their star players, falling as it did, during the Six Nations. However, the postponement of the back to back rounds of Champions Cup games freed up this new fixture window.

Connacht coach Andy Friend will be anxious to get back to winning ways at the Sportsground. Interpro losses at home to both Ulster and Munster as well as a Champions cup defeat to Bristol at the Sportsground mean that Connacht have now lost three on the spin at home.

What is their form coming into this game?

During the week Friend categorised the three Interpro fixtures as the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good was their superb performance at the RDS in a historic 24-35 win for the visitors. The bad was their poor second-half performance against Ulster. Dan McFarland’s side made better use of the conditions to turn a 14-9 half-time deficit into a convincing 19-32 win for the visitors. The ugly was the scrappy loss to Munster last time out. Despite being outplayed for large parts of a fractured game, Connacht butchered a two-man advantage off a penalty scrum in the last play of the game. It should be added that they would have still needed to convert the try for the win, so that may have played on their minds as they crashed the ball up short, rather than using their numerical advantage out wide.

How about the visitors?

The Ospreys narrowly lost their local derby on St.Stephen’s day. A late Angus O’Brien try saw Scarlets edged it 16-14. The Ospreys bounced back well in their two January fixtures, as they recorded back to back away wins over Cardiff (17-3) and Dragons (28-20). The visitors now sit 3rd in Conference A, albeit 20 points adrift of Leinster and 25 behind leaders Ulster.

Team News

Connacht

Number/Name/Caps
15. John Porch (29)
14. Peter Sullivan (7)
13. Tom Daly (36)
12. Peter Robb (45)
11. Alex Wootton (11)
10. Conor Fitzgerald (28)
9. Kieran Marmion (174)
1. Denis Buckley (190)
2. Dave Heffernan (136)
3. Finlay Bealham (148)
4. Ultan Dillane (106)
5. Quinn Roux (106)
6. Jarrad Butler (65) (c)
7. Conor Oliver (12)
8. Paul Boyle (48)

16. Shane Delahunt (88)
17. Matthew Burke (18)
18. Conor Kenny (9)
19. Gavin Thornbury (48)
20. Abraham Papali’i (4)
21. Caolin Blade (120)
22. Bundee Aki (105)
23. Matt Healy (142)

Ospreys

Ospreys

15. Dan Evans

14. George North

13. Owen Watkin

12. Keiran Williams

11. Mat Protheroe

10. Stephen Myler

9. Rhys Webb

 

1.Rhodri Jones

2. Sam Parry

3. Ma’afu Fia

4. Adam Beard

5. Rhys Davies

6. Will Griffiths

7. Justin Tipuric ©

8. Dan Lydiate

 

16. Ifan Phillips

17. Gareth Thomas

18. Tom Botha

19. Lloyd Ashley

20. Morgan Morris

21. Reuben Morgan-Williams

22. Josh Thomas

23. Keelan Giles

Conference Tables

Did you know?
• Connacht’s last three matches in the Guinness PRO14 have all strangely been won by the away side on the day.
• Connacht have lost their last three matches at The Sportsground in all competitions since beating Benetton there on 4 December.
• Ospreys have lost just once in any tournament since mid-November: 14-16 against Scarlets in Llanelli on 26 December.
• Ospreys only victory in their last thirteen matches against Irish provinces in the PRO14 was 26-24 at home to Ulster in February 2020.
• Ospreys most recent victory away to an Irish province was over Connacht at The Sportsground in September 2016.
• Connacht have won their last two matches against Ospreys and have only once before won three in succession against the Welshmen, between 2003-2004.

Live AFL Women’s – Once again TG4 lead the way

TG4 has always lead the way with live sports coverage and now they are adding weekly matches and highlights from the upcoming Australian Football League Women’s (AFLW) season.

TG4 is famous for their sports coverage with Wimbledon, Tour De France, Basketball finals, IABA national finals, and of course both men and ladies’ GAA.

The agreement between TG4 and the Australian Football League (AFL) will see matches being broadcast deferred each weekend as well as weekly highlights. The coverage will begin on TG4 on Saturday 30th January at 5.10pm (the full schedule for February is below).

There will be fourteen Irish players playing in this season’s NAB AFL Women’s Competition which is Australia’s national semi-professional Australian Rules Football league for female players.  The first season of the league in 2017 had 8 teams; the league expanded to 10 teams in the 2019 season and expanded to 14 teams in the 2020 season. The league is run by the Australian Football League (AFL) and is contested by a subset of clubs from that competition.

AFL Head of Women’s Football Nicole Livingstone said she was pleased with the announcement and looked forward to the NAB AFL Women’s Competition being broadcast in Ireland.  “We are proud to expand the AFLW broadcast to Ireland, a significant announcement for Australian Football given the impact Irish footballers have had on the NAB AFL Women’s Competition,” Ms. Livingstone said.

“We have 14 Irish players currently on AFLW lists and it is great to know that their family and friends back home will be able to watch them in action this season.”

TG4’s Head of Sport Rónán Ó Coisdealbha said: “We are extremely pleased that TG4 have agreed a deal with the Australian Football League (AFL) to broadcast matches from the NAB AFL Women’s Competition. There are a lot of players from Ireland who play in the AFLW and we would like to thank the AFL for giving us the opportunity to showcase their sport in Ireland.”

The fourteen Irish players confirmed for the AFL 2021 season are as follows:

Sarah Rowe (Collingwood / Mayo)

Cora Staunton (GWS Giants / Mayo)

Aileen Gilroy (North Melbourne / Mayo)

Grace Kelly (West Coast Eagles / Mayo)

Niamh Kelly (West Coast Eagles / Mayo)

Sinéad Goldrick (Melbourne FC / Dublin)

Niamh McEvoy (Melbourne FC / Dublin)

Lauren Magee (Melbourne FC / Dublin)

Aisling McCarthy (West Coast Eagles / Tipperary)

Orla O’Dwyer (Brisbane Lions / Tipperary)

Ailish Considine (Adelaide Crows / Clare)

Áine Tighe (Fremantle Dockers / Leitrim)

Bríd Stack (GWS Giants / Cork)

Aishling Sheridan (Collingwood / Cavan)

DATES FOR NAB AFL WOMEN’S SEASON:

Round 1  –  Weekend of 28 / 29 / 30 / 31 January

Round 2  –  Weekend of 5 / 6 / 7 February

Round 3  –  Weekend of 12 / 13 / 14 February

Round 4  –  Weekend of 19 / 20 / 21 February

Round 5  –  Weekend of 26 / 27 / 28 February

Round 6  –  Weekend of 5 / 6 / 7 March

Round 7  –  Weekend of 12 / 13 / 14 March

Round 8  –  Weekend of 19 / 20 / 21 March

Round 9  –  Weekend of 26 / 27 / 28 March

Finals series / Elimination finals  –  Weekend of 4 April  (3rd place v 6th place & 4th place v 5th place)

Finals series / Preliminary finals  –  Weekend of 10 April  (Semi-Finals,  Winner of 3rd vs 6th plays team that finished 2nd,  Winner of 4th vs 5th plays team that finished 1st)

GRAND FINAL  –  Saturday 17 April

TG4 Coverage in February

Saturday 30 January     5.10pm – full deferred coverage from a top match in the 1st round.

Monday 1 February       8pm – highlights from the weekends matches from the 1st round.

Saturday 6 February     5.10pm – full deferred coverage from a top match in the 2nd round.

Monday 8 February       8pm – highlights from the weekends matches from the 2nd round.

Saturday 13 February    5.10pm – full deferred coverage from a top match in the 3rd round.

Monday 15 February      8pm – highlights from the weekends matches from the 3rd round.

Saturday 20 February    5.10pm – full deferred coverage from a top match in the 4th round.

Monday 22 February      8pm – highlights from the weekends matches from the 4th round.

Saturday 27 February    5.45pm – coverage from a top match in the 5th round.

Manchester City in pursuit of Ireland u17 star Sinclair Armstrong

The forward currently plays for QPR having joined from Shamrock Rovers in October.

Demand is high for Ireland u17 international Sinclair Armstrong.

The forward is being monitored by Celtic, Crystal Palace and Manchester City according to Nizaar Kinsella of Goal.

Armstrong only joined QPR in October. He was previously on the books of Shamrock Rovers, and appeared for Shamrock Rovers II in the League of Ireland First Division a number of times last season.

Armstrong only signed a short-term deal with QPR keeping him at the club until the summer, a decision they may come to regret. The aforementioned clubs are reportedly keeping a keen eye on the Irish international with the possibility of snapping him up on a pre-contract deal.

He has yet to make a senior appearance for QPR but has impressed since joining their u18 side, scoring a handful of goals in the process.

Non-English clubs can sign players on pre-contract deals six months before their contract expires, meaning Celtic have the advantage as it stands.

However, Armstrong may be tempted by the possibility of playing Premier League football, particularly Man City. The Citizens have given gametime to youngsters such as Liam Delap, Tommy Doyle and Phil Foden in recent times which shows that while there is intense competition for places, there’s a pathway available to these players.

Crystal Palace have also been known to give youth a chance, the most high-profile examples over the past few years being Wilfried Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Celtic, on the other hand, have struggled to develop players in recent years, particularly Irish players, it seems. Luca Connell, Jonathan Afolabi and Lee O’Connor were all seen as bright prospects when they joined Celtic, but have seen little to no gametime since their arrival.

There is a long way to go in the negotiation process yet. QPR, though, will find it hard to keep hold of their man with substantial interest elsewhere.

Paul Pogba moment of brilliance clinches win for Manchester United

The Red Devils reclaim top position after tonight’s win.

Manchester United had the chance to reclaim their position on top of the league tonight with a win over Fulham.

Leicester City and Manchester City had overtaken them with wins over the past couple of days.

United needed a win to go 1st once again.

FIRST HALF

It wasn’t the start Manchester United had in mind.

Fulham opened the scoring after just 5 minutes. Ademola Lookman was the goalscorer, he latched on to a Zambo Anguissa lofted ball and took a couple of tidy touches before producing a placed finish into the corner.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka was partly to blame for the goal. His poor positioning allowed Lookman to time his run to perfection before putting the ball into the back of the net.

There wasn’t too much in terms of chances for United in the first half, but when an opportunity presented itself, it fell to exactly the right person.

Edinson Cavani was in the right place at the right time as he equalized from an Alphonse Areola mistake caused by a Bruno Fernandes cross. The Portuguese international struck the post just moments earlier with a thunderous strike from outside the box.

Both teams had a handful of half chances thereafter, none of which ended up in the back of the net.

The first half finished level. Fulham gave a good account of themselves and would have been pleased with their first half performance.

SECOND HALF

Fulham started the second half well and nearly caught United out on the break on numerous occasions.

That said, however, United’s quality showed in the end. Moreover, Pogba’s quality. He received the ball and beat a couple of defenders on the edge of the area before unleashing a piledriver from the edge of the box.

Cavani nearly got his brace just moments later. He met a cross with a brilliant header inside the box but Alphonse Areola produced a brilliant save to atone for his previous error.

Rub Loftus-Cheek caused United problems on occasion and he could have got the Fulham equalizer in the 74th minute. The Chelsea loanee shot from inside the box but unfortunately for him and Fulham, his shot was comfortably saved by David de Gea.

Loftus-Cheek again had a chance to equalize in the 82nd minute. The ball fell nicely to Loftus-Cheek’s feet inside the box but he failed to make appropriate contact. Instead, he blazed his shot over the bar.

The match finished 2-1 to Manchester United as Fulham were unable to conjure up any further chances.

They move up to top position in the league after tonight’s win.

Shamrock Rovers wonderkid Kevin Zefi set for Inter Milan

A deal for the 15-year-old is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

Inter Milan have been hot on the trails of Kevin Zefi for months and it appears they’ve finally landed their man.

Zefi is one of the most highly touted prospects in Irish football and was reportedly involved in a tug-of-war between Inter, PSV Eindhoven and Juventus in recent months. It now appears that Inter have come out on top with the move set to be announced shortly.

Compensation for the move has not been revealed yet, but given Zefi is just 15 yet, it’s not likely to be much.

Zefi is of Albanian parentage but grew up in Ireland and has represented Ireland at youth level.

In fact, his performance against the likes of England for Ireland u15s significantly enhanced his reputation from a relative unknown to a superstar in the making.

One of his biggest achievements to date was becoming the youngest ever goalscorer in the League of Ireland as he netted for Shamrock Rovers II against Longford on the 4th September 2020. He was just 15 years and 216 days old at the time goal.

It will be intriguing to see how Zefi’s career unfolds in the coming years.

Could Frank Lampard get the sack?

The Chelsea boss is under increasing pressure having lost 3 of his last 5 league games.

Chelsea spent – by some distance – the most money on players during the 2020/21 summer transfer window, reaching a total £222 million.

Despite their exploits in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Thiago Silva among others, they’ve failed to enjoy similar riches on the pitch.

They currently sit 9th in the table after a demoralising loss to Leicester tonight.

Contrastingly, Leicester have performed well above expectations this season. Their win tonight propels them to 1st in the table, for the time being at least.

There have been reports that the Chelsea board are unhappy with Lampard’s performance as manager in recent weeks. Tonight’s result will do him no good in terms of his standing with the higher-ups.

Roman Abramovich and co. have also been noted over the years for their lack of patience in terms of managerial success.

Incredibly, Chelsea have had 14 managers since José Mourinho first departed the club in 2007.

Lampard’s legendary status at the club may earn him some much needed time to get results back on track, but the unpredictability of the Chelsea board never ceases to amaze.

Chelsea’s next Premier League fixtures comes against Wolverhampton Wanderers on the 27th January.

Wolves are also enduring a poor spell of Premier League form, much due to the absence of Raúl Jiménez who’s still recovering from a head injury suffered in November.

A loss for Lampard in that match could have disastrous results for Lampard, that is if he’s still in the job at that time.

JP McManus Pro-Am postponed until 2022

The JP McManus Pro-Am is postponed until 4-5 July 2022.

The event’s Steering Committee today confirmed the rescheduling of the 2021 tournament, which was due to be held this July (5th & 6th) at Adare Manor, Co. Limerick.

The postponement comes amid the continuing uncertainty around large-scale gatherings taking place both in Ireland and across the globe. It was decided the event would be better facilitated in 2022 as over 40,000 spectators were expected to attend.

The tournament sold out before its initial scheduling (July 2020) and all caps purchased to date will be valid for the 2022 tournament, as will all on-site parking and Park & Ride passes.

Spectators who wish to be refunded for their ticket caps are advised to visit www.jpmcmanusproam.com.

Eight of the world’s top 10 players had been confirmed for the 6th edition of the JP McManus Pro-Am.

The impressive list of players set to attend included Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Jon Rahm.

The 2019 British Open Champion Shane Lowry, Sergio Garcia, former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley, former Major winners Graeme McDowell and Pádraig Harrington were also to participate.

The JP McManus Pro-Am Committee will release more information about the rescheduled tournament in due course.

The Pro-Am will now take place on July 4th and 5th 2022 at the Tom Fazio redesigned golf course. Charitable organisations in the Mid-West will benefit from the 2022 event.

Acapella Bourgeois tops weights for Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase

Acapella Bourgeois heads the weights announced for the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase at Gowran Park on Thursday, January 28.

The topweight is owned by the Slaneyville Syndicate, successful owners in the race last year with Total Recall.

The 11-year-old Acapella Bourgeois was sixth in the race last year. His most recent run was when finishing to Al Boum Photo at Tramore on New Year’s Day.

Willie Mullins has eight horses among an initial entry of 45 for the historic contest.

The Closutton trainer has also entered the Syndicates.Racing-owned Munster National and Kerry National winner Cabaret Queen. Last year’s second, Class Conti, recent hurdles’ winner Koshari and Brahma Bull are also entered for the race.

Monbeg Notorious, Gordon Elliott and Jack Kennedy first win in the Goffs Thyestes Handicap Chase in 2018, is among an Elliott-entry of 13.

Milan Native, Aforementioned, Roaring Bull and Dounikos, all notable handicap chase winners, are also engaged. The 2019 Thyestes runner-up Alpha Des Obeaux, Leopardstown third Farclas and Braeside and Coko Beach have also been entered.

Last year’s third Minella Fair, Tout Est Permis and Dream Conti make up a strong entry for Noel Meade. The Mags Mullins-trained Agusta Gold, a recent Grade 3 winner at Fairyhouse, is another interesting entry.

Other notable entries include Gearóid O’Loughlin’s Ulster National winner Space Cadet and Denis Hogan’s Moyhenna. The Ted Walsh-trained Any Second Now is entered, as is Pat Fahy’s Dunvegan. Tim Duggan Memorial Handicap Chase winner, The Long Mile, is also on the entry list.

The Thyestes Chase will be televised live on RTÉ and Racing TV.

2021 European Tour Golf Schedule

The European Tour’s 2021 schedule will feature a minimum of 42 tournaments in 24 countries, with the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open seeing a large increase in prize money.

Running from January to November, the European Tour schedule features 18 returning tournaments that were either postponed or cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19.

The Rolex Series

The 2021 season’s Rolex Series will features the European Tour’s four premium events spread across key points in the global golfing calendar, each one enhanced by a prize fund increase and elevated Race to Dubai points.

The Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship (January 21-24), the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open (July 8-11) and the BMW PGA Championship (September 9-12) will each now have a prize fund of US$8million – an increase of $1million. They will also all have 8,000 Race to Dubai points available, the same as on offer at the four World Golf Championship events.

The prize fund for the fourth and final Rolex Series event of the season – the DP World Tour Championship, Dubai – also increases by US$1million to US$9million. The European Tour season-ending finale will also continue to feature the largest winner’s cheque in the world of golf – US$3million – with, additionally, 12,000 Race to Dubai points available, some 2,000 points above those on offer at the four Major Championships.

Prize fund increases

Prize funds for the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open and the Italian Open will each rise to €3million, from €1.25million and €1million respectively.

The European Tour has also confirmed that prize funds for all four UK Swing events in July and August will be increased. Prize funds for the new tournaments in Tenerife and Gran Canaria in April will each be €1.5million; the Portugal Masters, which follows these two events, will also increase to €1.5million; prize fund for the Betfred British Masters will rise to €2million from €1.25million.

Along with the traditional group of tournaments in the Middle East at the start of the year, the schedule also includes the return of the Iberian Swing in April and the UK Swing in July and August, which follows on from the run of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open and The Open Championship. Also next to each other on the schedule are the Open de España and the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters in Spain in the first two weeks of October followed by the Trophée Hassan II in Morocco the following week.

Keith Pelley, Chief Executive of the European Tour, said: “I am incredibly proud to announce our 2021 global schedule, one that once again sees us journey through continents and across the world.”

Richard Keogh nearing move to Huddersfield Town

The ex-Ireland international has been playing for MK Dons since the summer.

Richard Keogh is set to make a return to Championship football according to reports. Huddersfield Town – who currently occupy 14th in the league – are reportedly very close to a deal for the centre-back.

Keogh’s last appearance in the Championship came on the 21st September 2019 for Derby County. Just days later he was embroiled in a controversial drink driving incident which led to the termination of his contract.

Keogh’s last appearance for his country, Ireland, came just weeks beforehand on the 5th September. He hasn’t made an appearance for the national team since his Derby contract was terminated.

Keogh took over a years break from football and remained a free agent until MK Dons picked him up in August 2020.

He has impressed since joining the club, so much so that Huddersfield look likely to secure his signature in the coming days.

Young Irishman Warren O’Hora – who was on loan at MK Dons from Brighton – was signed permanently by the League One club today. This could be a signal that MK Dons are preparing for Keogh’s departure by signing a long-term replacement.

Could Keogh’s impending return to the Championship reignite his Ireland career?

As well as being a consistent performer for Derby, Keogh very rarely put a foot wrong in an Ireland shirt. His partnership with Shane Duffy was formidable and no doubt earned Ireland more than a point or two.

That said, though, John Egan will be hard to replace. Despite Sheffield United struggling in the league, Egan has established himself as one of Ireland’s better players.

Nevertheless, he should prove a good option for the national side.

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