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Humphreys steps down as Gloucester director of rugby

Former Ulster and Ireland fly-half David Humphreys has said he will leave his position as director of rugby of Gloucester. He will leave his role at the end of the month.

Humphreys has been with Gloucester since 2014. He has been succesful at the club, winning the European Challenge Cup in his first season in charge. His side finished third in last year’s England Aviva Premiership. However, Gloucester, have only had four wins this campaign from 13 games. The campaign just like most other sports across the world are on hold due to Covid 19. Humphreys will leave the side a month after Johan Ackermann stepped down from his position as head coach.

The former fly-half has obviously thought deeply about the decision. He has opted to  leave  Gloucester can start off with a new coaching ticket. Speaking to the Gloucester Rugby site he said, “It has been a huge honour to have played a small part in the history of this great club.” Humphreys said he loved every minute and that he was fortunate to work with great staff and players. He stated he took time following the departure of Ackermann from the head coach position, to consider his own role at the club, he said, However, following Johan Ackermann’s departure last month, I took some time to review my own position at Gloucester and in light of many new challenges facing professional rugby as a result of Covid-19, I felt it was the right time for me to move on”.

Lance Bradley is said to be on the hunt for the new coach. An appointment and new coaching structure are set to be announced in July. The club chairman Martin St Quinton said. “It’s been a real pleasure getting to know David during his time at Gloucester, both from a professional and a personal point of view”.

Rugby Australia let go third of staff

Rugby Australia have announced they will let go almost a third of full time staff to mitigate the impact of Covid 19 in terms of finances of the union.

The organisation announced that 47 of it’s 142 full time staff will be leaving over the next few months. The news comes after they announced cuts which will include 30 contractors and casual workers who will lose their jobs immediately. Just last month Rugby Australia announced they could be at a loss of $120 million. Furthermore, they let go three players who refused to take pay cuts. BBC Sport that senior staff will take a 5% decrease in salary, while Rugby Australia’s wage bill will by over $5 million dollars. The Australian rugby website has also been cut, rugby.com.au, which is an independent news arm. The Sunday Morning say that Rugby Australia will now push out it’s own content without a dedicated team of reporters.

Interim Chief Executive of Rugby Australia, Rob Clarke said, “We have delivered the news to staff this morning and told them that Rugby Australia values the contribution of each and every one of them, some of whom have given significant service to Rugby Australia and to the game over many years.” Mr Clarke speaking to the Sunday Morning Herald defended the cuts and stated they were “difficult but prudent in the current landscape”.

Clarke said that a key part of financial planning is a successful Wallabies. He said, “A key part of our financial underpinning is a successful Wallabies,” Clarke said. “It’s not everything but it’s certainly a key part of it. We’ll be protecting that as much as possible … to help get the Wallabies where they need to get to as a world ranking”.

Dave Rennie who is the new head coach won’t have to take a pay cut according to the Chief Executive. He said, “Dave hasn’t started yet, so he will be excluded from that,” Clarke said. “All other staff over a certain threshold will be invited to take a five per cent pay cut. It’s a legal requirement and so we’ll be following the law there”. He also stated the National Rugby Championship would not take place this year. However, he said there has been talks regarding the Bledisloe Cup matches. This of course between Australia and New Zealand, with the likely scenario two games in each country. He said the Wallabies will likely host New Zealand, World Champions South Africa and Argentina in a revised Rugby Championship.

 

College Football Game postponed at Aviva Stadium

The Aer Lingus Classic American football game between the Navy and Notre Dame  has been cancelled at the Aviva Stadium. The game will now be played in America according to RTE Sport.

In truth the game was never going to be likely played. This coming after the government in April issued a ban on events and public gatherings of more than 5,000 people. RTE say that organisers of the event told them they didn’t need a licence and therefore that regulation wouldn’t come into effect. A statement on Tuesday said, “Following extensive consultation with the Irish government, medical authorities and the leadership teams at Navy and Notre Dame, the Aer Lingus Classic football game scheduled for 29 August will not be played at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland”.

The statement said the game will now be played in Annapolis and will open the 2020 college football season. It said, “It is the intention of both Navy and Notre Dame to open the 2020 college football season with the 94th consecutive playing of the longest continuous intersectional rivalry in the country at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, USA”.

Nearly 40,000 American visitors were due to attend the game but obviously now that won’t be happening meaning a knock on effort for restaurants, pubs, clubs and hotels. Many are struggling and many remain closed and will be until July. The game was also due to be live on ESPN which would broadcast to a potential 6 million people.

Leo Varadkar said about the game,  College football is one of the greatest spectacles in world sport and we had been thoroughly looking forward to welcoming Navy and Notre Dame here this summer for the first game of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic Series”. He continued “Unfortunately, due to circumstances beyond our control, that is now not possible, but we hope to see both universities return to Aviva Stadium in the coming years.”

Ighalo to remain at United until January

Odion Ighalo will remain at Man United until January according to BBC Sport. Ighalo joined United on loan from Chinese Super League side Shanghai Shenhua which was meant to be until the end of May.

BBC state that United won’t have an option to by the 30 year old  Nigerian international when his loan expires at the end of January. Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, United manager said, “It’s been a dream for him and hopefully he can finish what he started and win a trophy with us”.

Ighalo has had a fantastic few months at Old Trafford. He has scored 4 goals in 8 appearances for the side. He scored in United’s 5-0 trashing of Austrian side Lask Linz in the Europa League meeting between the sides. Incidentally that was the last time Manchester United played a competitve fixture before everything was brought to a halt by the lockdowns and restrictions across Europe and the world due to Covid 19.

Last week it was announced that the Premier League will return on June 17th. Man United currently sit in 5th place in the Premier League standings on 45 points, they are 3 points off fourth placed Chelsea who are on 48 points with nine rounds of matches to go.

Solksjaer’s side will have plenty to look forward to when action resumes. As well as the hunt for the Champions League spot, United will carry that five goal advantage into the second leg at Old Trafford, while they will also play in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

IRFU issue roadmap for rugby

The IRFU have issued a roadmap for a return to rugby for its 217 clubs and will issue more guidelines and details on Friday.

A statement issued by the IRFU said the main reason why the roadmap was drawn up  was to provide high level clarity to clubs and ensure Covid 19 safety measures are taken before activities can take place. The rugby guidelines will be issued on June 5th, in accordance to both the Irish and Northern Ireland governments.

A club Covid 19 safety officer is also appointed to ensure compliance with public health protocols at the club. However, RTE Sport state that they may only return to work only in accordance to government protocols. Director of Rugby Development, Colin McEntee said, “Like everyone else, our community has been following the updates to government roadmaps and recovery plans and asking when clubs can reopen. That’s from junior clubs right up to our men’s and women’s clubs in the Energia All-Ireland League”.

He continued, “Many clubs are already looking at revised operating procedures. This plan is about helping all clubs move forward as one in providing health and well-being opportunities for their community”. Mr McEntee said, “”I’m hopeful our clubs can rise to the challenge. The support will be there for them at both national and provincial level. From there, we can look at a graduated return to rugby with a focus on reduced activities and non-contact forms of the game along the way.”

Let’s hope we can some sort of return to games in the coming days and weeks.

Aidan O’Brien outlines plans for Ballydoyle stable stars

Aidan O’Brien has outlined potential running plans for some of his stable stars ahead of the resumption of behind closed doors racing in Ireland next Monday, 8th June.

O’Brien has confirmed that star mare Magical, a daughter of Galileo, may make her seasonal debut in the Pretty Polly Stakes at The Curragh on 28th June instead of making a trip to Royal Ascot:

“Magical is back in training and I think she might be entered in the Prince of Wales’s, but it’s possible she might not start until the Pretty Polly. We were lucky the lads agreed they would leave her for the year. She’s only five this year and she’s done very well physically.”

The Irish champion trainer has hinted that leading Investec Derby contender Mogul may run in the Derrinstown Derby Trial at Leopardstown on 9th June:

“We are thinking of going to the Derrinstown with Mogul, but obviously these things can change.” O’Brien stated.

Believing his horses with have limited opportunities to run trial races prior to the Investec Derby, O’Brien admits to there being a lot of uncertainty at present regarding some of his other Epsom candidates, among them Amhrán na bhFiann, Arthur’s Kingdom and Mythical:

“A lot of stuff is going to be up in the air. It wouldn’t be a surprise if we had very unexposed horses running in the Derby, along with the more exposed ones.”

Japan, the four-year-old brother of Investec Derby hopeful Mogul, may run at Royal Ascot on 17th June, according to the Wexford-born trainer:

“With Japan we are thinking of going to the Prince of Wales’s at the moment. Like I say, all these things can change, but I think that’s what we’re thinking at the moment.”

Last year’s Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby victor Sovereign, who has not run since his Classic victory at The Curragh last June, is on the comeback trail and will be aimed at an autumn campaign, according to the Ballydoyle handler.

“Sovereign is back in training,” O’Brien admitted, “he’s done four bits of work back and we’re just trying to go gentle with him and thinking of the autumn with him. He might have a run in the middle of the summer, but that’s what we’re trying to do, aim him at an autumn campaign.”

Kew Gardens, winner of the Long Distance Cup at Ascot last October, looks set to go straight to the Ascot Gold Cup on 18th June, and is in good form according to his trainer:

“If he’s going to Ascot he’ll go there without a run. He was ready to run in Dubai and we were hoping to go to Leopardstown or Navan, but it’s all been a bit of a mess for him really. The plan then was to give him a little rest and come back to Ascot. We’re hoping to get him to Ascot, he’ll be there without a run and we’ll see how we get on after that.”

Another possible Royal Ascot horse O’Brien spoke about is Monarch Of Egypt. While being unsure as to how far the horse will stay, he did concede:

“We think he could be a Jersey horse and if he’s going to go to Ascot it might be getting a little close running him in the Irish Guineas.”

With regard to the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh on 13th June, Armory, Fort Myers and Vatican City are also possible contenders for the Group 1:

“Armory would be a strong possible for the Irish Guineas,” the Master of Ballydoyle said, “Fort Myers might well wait for it. Vatican City (a brother to Gleneagles) is doing everything right. He’s a little bit heavy still but is a possible to start off in the Irish Guineas.”

 

Arizona to lead Ballydoyle challenge for Saturday’s Qipco 2000 Guineas

Aidan O’Brien will likely have four runners in the Qipco 2000 Guineas at Newmarket (3.35pm) on Saturday, the first British classic of the new season.

The Ballydoyle trainer, who will bid to land his fourth successive victory in the Group 1 contest and eleventh in total, currently has Arizona, New World Tapestry, Royal Dornoch and Wichita remaining among the big race entries.

Speaking ahead of the first weekend of racing in Britain since March, O’Brien said:

“We won’t really know where we are until the horses get going. The horses have been ticking over, but obviously every time you think you had a target and put a sight on it, the next thing the target moves and you have to change again, so it’s a little bit tricky and horses do feel that.”

Arizona, a son of No Nay Never, who came home well in his races last season, is the perceived leading Ballydoyle contender for the Newmarket mile event:

“(He’s) been the horse on everyone’s mind all along and everyone is happy with him. He’s in good form and everything has gone well with him. He’s a big, rangy, scopey horse who we always thought would improve from two to three. We always thought a mile was going to be well within his grasp. I’m not sure how much further he will get.”

Bundesliga Round Up: Dortmund still in title hunt

Borussia Dortmund remain in the title hunt in the Bundesliga after an excellent 6-1 win over Paderborn on Sunday. Jadon Sancho grabbed a hat trick as they remain 7 points off leaders Bayern Munich.

Dortmund now sit on 60 points with 29 games played. There are five games left in the current season. Meanwhile, Paderborn are in the relegation zone on bottom of the table. It took 54 minutes for the game’s first goal coming from Belgian international Thorgan Hazard, this was followed up three minutes later by England international Jadon Sancho. Interestingly, Sancho revealed a shirt with the words Justice for George Floyd and was subsequently given a yellow card. 

Paderborn pulled a goal back through Uwe Hunemeier with a 72nd minute penalty, before Sancho stretched the Dortmund lead to two goals with his second of the game on 74 minutes. Achraf Hakimi put the game to bed with his sides fourth goal on 85 minutes. Hakimi also revealed a shirt with support for George Floyd. It was 5-1 minutes with Marcel Schmelzer before Sancho completed his hat trick in added time to complete the rout.

In other games, Marcel Thuram and Alassane Plea helped steer Borussia Monchengladbach to a 4-1 win over Union Berlin. They then in turn reclaimed the Champions League spot. Thuram also paid tribute to George Floyd going down on one knee after he scored. Marco Rose manager of Gladbach was delighted with his sides performance he said, “We did what we set out to do,” Gladbach coach Marco Rose said. “When we had possession we were dominant even though we made one or two mistakes more than we should. But we scored four good goals and I am obviously very satisfied with the performance and the result.”

Bayern Munich had a big 5-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf on Saturday. Goals from Robert Lewandowski (2), Benjamin Pavard, Alphonso Davies and an own goal. Bayern manager Hans-Dieter-Flick said, “It was important for us to show we wouldn’t ease off after Tuesday’s match against Dortmund,”. “We still have a few matches ahead of us. We’re in a good position now.”

The Bundesliga was one of the first leagues to resume two weeks ago after a two month break due to Covid 19. Strict measures are in place with games behind closed doors.

Ladbrokes conduct research on sports fans moods

British Horse Racing is set to begin from Monday and with that Ladbrokes have released results of a survey “Sport It’s Good to Have You Back“. The survey carried out on over 2,000 people looked at views of sports fans on what they missed most about watching their favourite sports and what are they most excited now that it’s nearly back.

Interestingly the survey found that 56% of the 2,000 respondents said the lack of sport on television have made them now realise how they love it. Furthermore, 30% said they watch horse racing every week, while 38% said they would watch horse racing behind closed doors as much as possible. The survey which was carried out by Perspectus Global also found that 50% of sports fans will be watching racing on Monday.

40% said they miss seen horses in the paddock, while more than of respondents 54% said they miss having a bet on the races. Furthermore, 32% stated they missed conversation with other racegoers. In terms of racing on television, 17% they missed watching it with friends, 13% watched missing it in the pub and 9% said they missed the build up. Nicola McGeady, Head of Public Relations at Ladbrokes said, “It really is good to have racing back. The crisis hasn’t just halted our enjoyment of sport, whether live or on television, it’s taken away the sociability and sense of togetherness that comes from cheering on a winner, or consoling each other after backing a loser. ”

Racing has not been active since the start of the lockdown in mid March. However, the first ever Virtual Grand National aired on 4th April raised over £2.6 million which was raised for NHS Charities Together.

What are the main features of the English Premier League

It is the most touted competition in the world without any doubt. It deserves its fame and millions of fans due to the thrilling and unpredictable matches it offers every weekend. According to the pundits, all major European leagues have started to lose their identity and features nowadays. It is hard to list unique traits that are valid only for the English Premier League. Anyway, Allfootballpredictions team states it is worth mentioning the more direct style of play, the hard battles we witness every weekend as well as the great abundance of goals. All three define the league as the most spectacular in the world.

 

5 key points when picking your football prediction

 

Many tipsters are not willing to put too much credit on their analysis and predictions in EPL. It is highly competitive and sometimes it is a very hard and long process to pick the best football predictions for the weekend. However, there is 5 key points to consider while preparing your analysis:

  1. The current team’s from – it is an essential factor for all leagues but here tipsters and pundits pay focused attention.
  2. The host factor – when you are supported by always overcrowded stadiums with fanatic fans, then you might feel that you are playing with twelve footballers on the pitch. Allfootballpredictions team recommends never underestimating any English Premier League team when playing as hosts.
  3. Motivation – different teams have different goals throughout the campaign and respectively different motivation to accomplish them. It is influenced by many factors but consider that any coach change, new signing or just a slight tactical change could determine the whole picture of the match.
  4. There are no complete underdogs – tipsters make any mistakes while preparing their analysis and football predictions neglecting the fact that any team in the English Premier League has a stable budget and resources to compete with the rest. The team of Allfootballpredictions could not remember a game where odds for a host win are below 1.20. That constitutes for high competitiveness and unpredictability.
  5. H2H statistics – traditions are always respected by all English. H2H stats may not play a major role in picking your today’s football predictions but it is a factor that should not be neglected.

 

How to bet smart using the Allfootballpedictions tips

 

The team of Allfootballpredictions recommends devoting your spare time in reading football news and analysis of established pundits about English Premier League as much as possible. It is essential to broaden your knowledge for football predictions on a regular basis. Make your own records and follow your personal performance before investing real money.

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