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Gough opts out of 2020 championship due to social distancing

The Independent.ie report that Meath referee David Gough has opted out of reffing in the 2020 championship owing to social distancing. Gough is one of the best referees in the game and took charge of the 2019 All-Ireland football final.

The Independent state that Mr Gough informed Meath county board officials that he won’t be available to take charge of club games in the county. The club games in Meath are due to resume next month, as long as social distancing guidelines are met. Gough says that the same will apply to the inter county games when action resumes in the middle of October. He told the Independent.ie, “I spoke to the referees’ coordinator from the Meath county board this morning (Thursday) and updated him,”.

Gough said he can’t see himself returning to the game as long as social distancing is still in place. He said, “As long as there is social distancing still in place I won’t be taking charge of club matches in Meath for the foreseeable future”. He continued, It’s only two months since two metres seemed to be a life and death matter. If I go to town now I have to be two metres away from someone and wear a face mask at the same time which is HSE advice.

The Slane man continued, “So I don’t understand how I can safely be in a confined space with 30-plus people on a football field and be socially distant. Until that changes I won’t be coming back.” Gough said he thought very hard about the decision, but said it was made in the best interest of his team of officials which is made up of family members. He said,”I thought very hard about it. It’s based on my own personal circumstances and those of my umpiring team and I didn’t want to put them or myself (in harm’s way) based on our personal situations.

City to form guard of honour for Liverpool

RTE Sport report that Manchester City will perform a guard of honour when they host Liverpool next Thursday manager Pep Guardiola has said.

Liverpool were crowned Premier League champions midweek after Man City lost to Chelsea. It meant Liverpool ended their drought of a Premier League title for 30 years. The game against City was earmarked a title decider game but obviously now that has not come to fruition. Pep Guardiola said, “Of course we are going to do it,”. “We are going to do the guard of honour of course he told Sky Sports. 

The Spaniard continued, “Always we receive Liverpool when they come to our house in an incredible way. They cannot complain and of course we are going to do it because they deserve it.” Liverpool have been at their best this season. They have won 28 games from their 31 to date. With 7 games to go they have already wrapped up the title. Many have suggested City’s hunger may have dipped due to securing the treble last season. However, Guardiola rubbished these reports. He said, “A team that wins eight titles (trophies) in the last three years have passion, in every single game, in every competition, everywhere. No one in this country can say that”.

All is not lost for Man City though, they are still in the Champions League and FA Cup. Champions League action doesn’t get back underway until August, while they will face Newcastle in the FA Cup quarter-final on Sunday. Guardiola said, “Right now it is a priority because it is the next game and we can get Wembley again in the semi-final. I saw Newcastle and they have the weapons to punish us”. “The important thing is this game and after you can finish the Premier League as best as possible, finish second, and after that we have time to prepare for (Real) Madrid.”

Treble for Wayne Lordan at The Curragh

Wayne Lordan has been the jockey to follow for the opening two days of the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby meeting at The Curragh, with the Cork rider making it six wins with doubles on both Friday and Saturday.

Lordan claimed the opening two contests on Saturday with Serpentine and Buckhurst respectively.

Serpentine (5/2f) broke quickly in the Dubai Duty Free The Irish Village EBF Maiden and established an early five-length advantage, before the son of Galileo went clear to eventually win by a nine length margin for trainer Aidan O’Brien.

Buckhurst (13/8f) took the Group 3 Dubai Duty Free Jumeirah Creekside Hotel Alleged Stakes for Wayne Lordan and trainer Joseph O’Brien, in what was a disappointing field of three runners. He beat his stable companion Numerian by a length and a half with the race favourite Sir Dragonet from Ballydoyle in third.

Lordan completed his treble in the Group 2 Comer Group International Vintage Crop Stakes, doing it from the front again, as Joseph O’Brien’s Twilight Payment (15/8f) stayed on strongly to take the spoils.

Ancient Spirit (10/3) won the Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise Celebration Stakes for Jessica Harrington and Shane Foley. The Listed Gain First Flier Stakes went the way of the highly-impressive Frenetic under jockey Colin Keane.

Charles O’Brien and Michael Hussey teamed up to win the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships Handicap with Big Gossey (14/1), while Tipperary handler Denis Hogan’s Big Baby Bull (11/1) claimed the Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire Handicap for Joey Sheridan.

Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby Reaction

Séamie Heffernan, who won his fourth Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby with the victory of Santiago on Saturday evening, was full of praise for the recent Queen’s Vase winner, stating:

“He’s a tough horse – a mile and six (in the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot) back to a mile and a half in the Curragh really suited me. I was always comfortable. I would have liked to have had a better draw and a cleaner slot, but it worked out.”

The 47-year-old Ballydoyle jockey continued:

“It wasn’t an ideal draw and I took a gamble in dropping him in, but if you go forward and you get trapped wide he’s a horse that gets competitive. He wants to go and race and win.”

MV Magnier, son of Coolmore supremo John, spoke of the significance of winning the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby from a breeding viewpoint:

“The Irish Derby is the pinnacle of Irish racing. It is a stallion-making race and many great champions have won it over the years.”

The winning handler, Aidan O’Brien, who claimed his 14th win in The Curragh classic, said he believed the 2020 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner was a likely St Leger horse:

“We’re delighted. He’s a lovely horse. We thought he would be a Leger horse we were going to look forward to next year. A lovely, clean-winded, honest horse. The St Leger looks a lovely race for him. We think he will be a lovely Cup horse next year but he has plenty class and travels well.”

The Wexford-native was also delighted with the performance of the runner-up and third-placed horses, saying:

“They are two lovely horses (Tiger Moth and Dawn Patrol) and are two babies, they are progressing. In a month’s time they will be even better we think.”

Image of Santiago and Séamie Heffernan by Patrick McCann/Racing Post, provided by Horse Racing Ireland (HRI).

Santiago wins Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby

Santiago (2/1f) provided trainer Aidan O’Brien with an incredible 14th win in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby on Saturday evening at The Curragh.

The recent winner of the Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot won Ireland’s Premier Classic by a head from his stable mate, Tiger Moth (11/1), giving his rider Séamie Heffernan a fourth success in the Group 1 race.

In what was another great race for Team Ballydoyle, Dawn Patrol (10/1) was third home, ahead of Order Of Australia (33/1), meaning the Co. Tipperary establishment trained the first-four home in the mile and a half contest.

The winning handler said of Santiago post race:

“Santiago is a lovely, straightforward horse. He likes to take his time in his races and Séamus got a lovely run through and stayed very well.”

The Ladbrokes St Leger at Doncaster was immediately mentioned as a next possible race for the son of Authorized.

McCaffrey steps away from Dublin footballers

The inter-county football career of Jack McCaffrey could be coming to an end after news emerged on Saturday that he will not be part of the Dublin side who will be looking for a 6th All-Ireland title in a row.

The Sunday Independent report that the Clontarf club man’s decision isn’t related to the coronavirus pandemic. It is also not linked to his work on the frontline as a medical doctor. The Irish Independent also state that is more “a desire to take a break from the inter-county game”. Additionally the Independent say “There are strong indications” that McCaffrey may retire from inter-county football to focus on club football with Clontarf. Jack also took time out in 2016 when he travelled around Africa working with GOAL in Ethiopia. The flying wing back returned in 2017, however he ruptured his cruciate ligaments in that years All-Ireland Final against Mayo. However, he was back in 2018 where he helped Dublin to another All-Ireland title.

McCaffrey who is only 26, also helped Dublin to a historic five in a row in 2019. He put in a man of the match performance in the drawn game with Kerry where he scored 1-03. McCaffrey played little football throughout the league only making one appearance coming off the bench against Tyrone in Omagh on February 29th. As we know training for inter-county teams is not allowed until September 14th, with the games then starting in mid October. Dublin’s first championship game is not until November 8th where they will face Westmeath in Leinster.

 

Connacht and Ulster to resume training

Connacht and Ulster will be allowed to resume full training on Monday after testing at both provinces earlier this week detected no positive cases of Covid 19.

We reported earlier this week that both Munster and Leinster were back training but they had to adhere to strict guidelines such as that with gym equipment, training in groups of no more than seven and with no access to showers, dressing rooms or video analysis rooms. Players also have a temperature check every day to ensure their temperature is no more than 37.5 degrees. This done through a contactless machine called DAMOC Thermo Check. 

All four provinces haven’t played a game in over 4 months. Leinster and Munster will meet in the sides first comeback game on August 22nd, this will be followed by Ulster and Connacht on the same weekend which will also take place in Aviva Stadium. Leinster then face Ulster a week later, with Munster taking on Ulster.

A statement by the IRFU confirmed that both Connacht and Ulster will be allowed to resume training from Monday 29th of June. It said, “The IRFU can confirm that the PCR testing of players and staff at Connacht and Ulster produced zero positive results.118 players and staff were tested on Wednesday 24 June in Connacht and Ulster”. The statement continued, “The staff and players have been cleared to access their respective High Performance Centres from Monday 29 June.”

RTE Sport report that 258 tests been done on professional players and staff across the four provinces. With zero positive tests reported. The medical director of the IRFU, Rod McLaughlin said, “The first phase of PCR testing has been successfully completed.The players and staff now enter a period of daily medical screening and assessment.The second phase of testing will take place as players return to contact.”

What Impact Might Solitary Training have on Team Sports?

There are several reasons why team sports are so appealing. While there is no doubt that individual players always shine, a group effort often brings the most profound rewards.

Football and rugby are two common examples. This is also why teams will often train together for hours at a time before an upcoming match. However, what will happen in the event that players are suddenly forced to train alone? Might this have an effect upon how the team is slated to perform in the near future? Let us take a look at several variables to consider as well as why solitary training is not actually as bad as it may initially sound.

The Effects of Solitary Training

To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with solitary training. The main issue here is that football is a group sport. Much of the success of any club revolves around a fact that it puts forth a team effort (the winning streak of Barcelona can largely be attributed to this observation). So, there are concerns that players might not be able to embrace a sense of cohesion if they are forced to train in isolation for extended periods of time.

The good news is that virtual training sessions may be able to slightly help the situation. Not only can these sessions provide players and trainers alike with the ability to instantaneously communicate with other (via platforms such as Zoom and Skype), but players might even be able to develop an ability to self-critique considering the fact that they are not distracted by other teammates. However, this is also likely to depend at least partially around individual personality traits such as the extent to which one considers himself to be an introvert.

 

Other Means to Remain Focused and Motivated: Taking Advantage of the Digital Community

 

There can still be times when athletes need to take a break from a rigorous self-imposed training schedule. This is when the power of the online community will come into play. For example, those who are interested in gambling or sports betting can check out sites such as https://www.irishluck.ie/ in order to read reviews of the most trustworthy portals.

It is likewise possible to download smartphone applications related to specific sports of interest. Platforms such as FIFA Mobile have received rave reviews and there is no doubt that they will provide hours of entertainment for those who enjoy football. Another option is to learn more about a specific team in order to be better prepared for future matches. What strengths and weaknesses are present? Which players are set to perform well in the coming season? This equally applies to those who are nothing more than stay-at-home fans.

 

We can see that there are a handful of benefits associated with solitary training. It will, therefore, be interesting to see how curtailed training sessions have affected the players as well as how long it will take before their personal performance returns to peak levels.

 

“It’s pretty cool to be riding in the race” says Irish Derby debutant Rachael Blackmore

National Hunt jockey Rachael Blackmore will ride King Of The Throne for Emmet Mullins in Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby at The Curragh.

It will be the Killenaule woman’s first time riding in Ireland’s Premier Classic over the mile and a half distance as she become only the third woman, after Joanna Morgan and Ana O’Brien, to ride in the Group 1 contest.

Blackmore is in great form at present having had a double at Roscommon during the week, following on from her recent biggest success on the level when taking the Listed Martin Molony Stakes on Oriental Eagle.

She has also teamed up successfully in recent times with trainer Karl Thornton with whom she won a handicap at Fairyhouse on Oromo, before combining successfully again during the past week at the same venue.

Speaking to Racing TV ahead of her Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby debut, Rachael Blackmore said:

“I can’t believe it really. It’s pretty cool to be riding in the race. Fair play to Emmet for giving me the opportunity to ride in it. It’s a big deal for him as well, having his first runner in the race. It’s very exciting and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Discussing the importance of the race, the Tipperary native continued:

“I feel like I’m an imposter in it really. It’s such an incredibly special race and I never even dreamt of riding in Irish Classics. It really does mean a lot to get the opportunity to ride in a race like this and I’m just very grateful to be given an opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.”

Saturday’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby is the penultimate race of an 8-race card at The Curragh, going off at 7.15pm, with live coverage on both RTÉ and Racing TV.

Super Rugby Aotearoa – Week 3 Fixtures

It’s week 3 of Super Rugby Aotearoa with the unbeaten Blues hosting Highlanders at Eden Park on Saturday (kick-off 8.05am Irish time) and Crusaders entertaining the Chiefs at Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch, the following day (4.35am Irish time).

Saturday, 27th June 2020: Blues v Highlanders at Eden Park, Auckland (8.35am Irish time).

Referee: Paul Williams, AR1 Brendon Pickerill, AR 2 Ben O’Keeffe, TMO Mike Fraser.

Match Stats

The Highlanders have won 11 of their last 15 Super Rugby matches against the Blues (L4); although just four of those 11 wins have been by a double-digit margin.

The last eight Super Rugby matches between the Blues and Highlanders at Eden Park have seen each team pick up four wins apiece, despite the Highlanders leading at half-time in six of the games in that span.

The Blues have scored 30+ points in each of their last two Super Rugby home games (W2), the last time they scored 30+ points in more consecutive home games was a three-match span in 2014 (W3) which included a 30-12 win over the Highlanders.

The Highlanders defeated the Chiefs (28-27) in their opening game of Super Rugby Aotearoa and will out to secure back-to-back wins against fellow New Zealand opposition for the first time since June 2018.

The Blues have won their last three Super Rugby matches against fellow New Zealand teams, with each of those games seeing the teams separated by just a single point at half-time on the day.

Nine of the Highlanders’ last 11 completed Super Rugby away matches have been won by the team leading at half-time on the day, the Dunedin-based side picking up just two wins in that stretch (L9).

The Blues (21 in first quarter) are the only team to have scored 20+ points in any quarter of matches in this Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign so far.

The Highlanders won 11 turnovers last time out against the Chiefs, the last time they won 10+ in back-to-back games was Rounds 13 & 14 of the 2017 Super Rugby season.

The Blues’ Caleb Clarke (10) is the only player in Super Rugby Aotearoa (min. 2 appearances) with an average metres gained per carry in the double figures.

The Highlanders’ Shannon Frizell (3) is the only player to have made more than two offloads in this Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign so far.

Sunday, 28th June 2020: Crusaders v Chiefs at Orangetheory Stadium, Christchurch (4.35am Irish time).

Referee: James Doleman, AR1 Ben O’Keeffe, AR2 Mike Fraser, TMO Brendon Pickerill.

Match Stats

The Chiefs have won each of their last two Super Rugby matches against the Crusaders, despite trailing at half-time in each of those games.

The Crusaders have won their last three Super Rugby home matches in succession against the Chiefs, as many as they had won the previous eight times they had hosted them (L5).

The Chiefs have lost each of their last three Super Rugby matches, as many as they lost in their 12 games prior (W8, D1).

The Crusaders have won 17 of their last 19 completed Super Rugby matches against other New Zealand teams (L2); although, the Chiefs handed them each of their two defeats in that time.

The Chiefs have averaged 43 points scored per game in their last five regular season away matches in Super Rugby, winning four of the games in that span (L1).

The Crusaders have lost only two of their last 45 Super Rugby home matches (W42, D1); however, the Chiefs (Rd 1, 2016) were responsible for one of those two defeats.

The Chiefs have made fewer than 10 clean breaks in three of their last four Super Rugby matches against New Zealand opposition, as many times as they did in their previous 22 games prior.

The Crusaders had a tackle success rate of 91% in their last Super Rugby meeting with the Chiefs, the only time in their last 18 matches the Christchurch-based squad has had a tackle success rate above 90%.

Chiefs’ pair Lachlan Boshier (57) and Aidan Ross (47) have hit the most and second most effective rucks respectively of all players in the 2020 Super Rugby Aotearoa campaign.

Sevu Reece (Crusaders) has scored five tries in his last five Super Rugby games against New Zealand opposition, including two braces in that time.

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