Craig Casey happy to lead Ireland into Georgia's ‘hostile environment'
Ireland
completed their preparations for Saturday night's Test match against Georgia at the Mikheil Meskhi stadium (6pm Irish time, Virgin Media One). It arrived in the shape of a brief sprinkle, nothing like the biblical downpour that had caused flooding on the streets of Tbilisi on Wednesday.
The pitch is in remarkable condition; a side-note is that is maintained by an Irish company. The game is anticipated to be a sell-out. There were a couple of hundred tickets left for the 27,223 capacity stadium at Friday lunchtime.
Ireland and Georgia flags stand side by side along the motorway median strip leading into Tbilisi from the city's international airport. Elsewhere the game is less visible but, come kick-off, Ireland will be in no doubt about the Georgian passion for rugby, manifest in the raucous atmosphere that attends all their home games.
Ireland's newest captain,
Craig Casey
, got to hold his first prematch press conference. He spoke about the honour and privilege, and the acute disappointment of missing the
Six Nations,
before offering an insight into his prematch ritual.
READ MORE
'I like to watch an awful lot of video to get my mind in it. I watch a few scrumhalves to get the juices flowing and then I watch my best bits as well.
'I will still continue to do that. I just have to lead a meeting [on Friday night] for the first time. There is a tiny bit of stress with that, but I am delighted with it. I have loved the last two weeks, taking ownership of loads of things and leaning on a good few of the leaders.'
He admitted it would be a 'special day' for him and his family but so too for the six uncapped players in Ireland's matchday squad. 'It's a special week for them and their families, unbelievable for them to make their first caps.
'It's a huge opportunity for all of us, but it's a massive privilege for us to put on the Irish jersey at any stage. So, it's a huge week for them and it's up to the rest of us now to lay down a marker and make it a special one for them.'
The fact that it will be in a hostile environment merely stokes Casey's competitive fire. 'It will be class to play in a hostile environment, that is exactly where you want to be as a player. We are expecting a mental atmosphere for the Georgians.
'It is a special thing to represent your country and every chance you get to do that ... is a huge privilege.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
‘Always proud' – TJ Reid's wife shares heartbreaking photo of him cradling daughter after painful loss
TJ Reid's wife Niamh De Brún-Reid shared a photo of the heartbroken ace being consoled by daughter Harper after Sunday's painful loss. Kilkenny came up just short of making the All-Ireland final in Advertisement 2 Niamh captioned this snap 'Always a proud day for us seeing you play' 2 A happier moment for all three after the Leinster final victory over Galway Credit: @niamhdebrun Despite turning 37 in November, Reid still remains a force to be reckoned with as evidenced by his haul of 0-11 yesterday. While eight of those points did come frees he still demonstrated an ability to win ball out in front of his marker whenever he was supplied with decent passes to work with. The Ballyhale Shamrocks icon did look particularly devastated at However, Advertisement Read More On GAA Derek Lyng's oldest Cat joined the senior panel in 2007 when he was only 19, and is one of the all-time greats. Plenty of global sporting icons have continued to perform no matter how old they are. Portuguese icon Italian AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini played until he was 41, and the NBA's all-time scorer Lebron James is still lighting it up for the LA Lakers at 40. Advertisement Most read in GAA Hurling Comment Dublin stopper Stephen Cluxton is 43, and Cork great Christy Ring hurled for his beloved Cloyne Glen Rovers club until he was 46. Speculation over RTE pundits weigh in on scoreboard controversy that marred Tipperary's dramatic win over Kilkenny He said in April: 'It's mind over matter. If you allow age to dictate your life, you're on a losing battlefield straight away. 'I never think of my age, I always think of how am I performing, how am I moving, how am I feeling, what's my mindset like, do I want this anymore? Advertisement 'Do I want to be going training three or four nights a week? That's the big thing. If that want isn't there, that willingness isn't there, then that's the time to go. 'Most of those guys who are over 35, prolonging their career, they still have that willingness to give it everything. That's the big thing. You look at the likes of Maldini from AC Milan, Lebron, Ronaldo, Messi. "I look at all those top, top class players, they're still dedicating their life to it, and you have to. If you want to reach those barriers, you have to be willing to put in the effort. 'Most people think that psychologically you have to get older to reduce things, but you don't. The time you do reduce it, that's when you get left behind.' Advertisement GYM LIFE A lot has changed for inter-county hurlers since Reid joined Brian Cody's squad 18 years ago. Recovery and nutrition are huge, science around athletic performance has developed hugely and gyms have replaced the pub. Reid runs his own fitness centre on the outskirts of Kilkenny city and admits owning business in the sector has been a massive help. He said: 'I'm whatever age I am, I'm still doing as much as I was 10 years ago, or even more. Obviously, my job is to inspire people to be fitter and healthier. So look, that's a given for myself. Advertisement 'And look, it is easier when you know the industry and you're a professional in that regard. So look, you're tipping away yourself anyway. "And the way modern hurling is, the majority of people have access to gyms now. I know years ago, going back, we used to come back and we used to be two or three stone overweight back in January. 'Now lads are coming back in better shape than they were when they were hurling, because just in modern life, the gym is more of a social thing now, which is great. 'That's where they go and meet instead of going drinking, they go into the gym together. The modern day GAA players, they're looking after themselves way better than they were.' Advertisement
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
GAA president Jarlath Burns aims brutal jibe at split-season critics in programme notes for All-Ireland semi
GAA president Jarlath Burns defended the GAA's decision of scheduling a split-season and challenged critics of the decision. In the programme notes of 3 Burns also spoke about the split-season at the launch of the All-Ireland SHC 3 Maurice Brosnan spotted the interesting takes from the GAA president and shared them on X Credit: @m_brosnan 3 Burns also shared some of the GAA's 'biggest highs' in his programme notes Credit: @m_brosnan Some fans, pundits, players and managers alike have criticised the current GAA calendar. However the Association's president believes the current calendar is best placed to suit both club and inter-county players. He said: 'Our schedule and our season do not suit some vested interests who would prefer the inter-county calendar to dominate with no regard at all for your clubs who supply 100% of our players. "We've made some hard choices on the structure of our season. It is significantly shorter, but the games have not suffered. "The players at county level enjoy the system, and our club players have a structure and certainty that they crave. Read more on GAA The president's address seems to contradict a The former Armagh captain said: "I'm certainly open to the first and third weeks in August from 2027 on." With Croke Park's schedule for summer 2026 already being finalised, there will be no space for All-Ireland finals next August. But Burns claimed he would be interested in future seasons having finals in August. However his programme notes in yesterday's programme suggests otherwise, as he comes across very defensive of the GAA scheduling. Most read in GAA Football In the notes he also addresses criticisms of the thrilling The 1999 Ulster championship winner added: "I can accept that using penalties to decide this year's epic Munster final was a jolt and not to everyone's satisfaction. RTE pundits weigh in on scoreboard controversy that marred Tipperary's dramatic win over Kilkenny "But here's the thing, a replay would have seen the loser have to play three weeks in-a-row or if a window was created for replays, the winner could have been idle for five weeks. "The GAA decided that this scenario was not desirable - even though a replay would have been worth a significant return in gate receipts. "But again, that doesn't suit the narrative that the GAA is only interested in money. "Some people have an issue with how the GAA conducts it's affairs, and that is their right in a democratic organisation. "But no one as of yet has offered a solution to how we might conduct our business in a competitive environment with limited resources. "And how we are able to run the Association and ensure that Gaelic games retains it pre-eminent place in Irish life. His statement on the penalty shoot-out debate also contradicts the speech he made just a month previous. Burnes stated: 'You don't have to talk to me above anybody else about replays and provincial finals. "We've (Armagh) lost three now, two quarter-finals, on penalties. I would be very much in favour of replays where at all possible."
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Why Tipperary's scoreboard tally doesn't matter and what else we learned from the GAA weekend
The controversy over the scoreboards at Croke Park on Sunday recalled memories of a previous All-Ireland hurling semi-final, the 1998 replay between Clare and Offaly . It was abruptly ended with Clare ahead by three but referee Jimmy Cooney ended the match two minutes prematurely, treated as an abandonment, which triggered a re-fixture in accordance with the rule book. Offaly ended up winning the next day out, as well as that year's All-Ireland final. When it comes to refixing a match for erroneously awarded or disallowed scores, the rules are quite specific – it can't be done. This was tested early in the existence of the Disputes Resolution Authority, the GAA's independent arbitration tribunal. The position on refereeing error is rather clear since the 2005 determination by the DRA. READ MORE A football match in Limerick that year between Fr Casey's and St Senan's gave rise to a challenge from the former, based on a refereeing error in respect of a score. The ruling laid it out plainly: 'If Fr Casey's are correct that there was a mistake in this case and that it changed the outcome of the game, then one must have sympathy for them. However, even if they are right on both of these issues, this cannot allow for an erosion of the principle of referees' control. Tipperary's Noel McGrath after his 70th-minute effort, mistakenly recorded as a point on the scoreboards at Croke Park. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho 'How an error at any particular stage in a game will affect the outcome is something of an imponderable, and the fact that injustice will occasionally result from a blanket protection of referees' decisions is a consequence that must be borne by all. It is the lesser evil.' The only exception is if 'a referee is shown to have had an improper motive amounting to a corruption of his role as an impartial arbiter of fact and rule'. There have been scoreboard errors more recently. Just two years ago the display recorded that Carlow had beaten Offaly by 2-29 to 1-31 in the Joe McDonagh Cup final. The correct score was 2-30 to 1-32 but this did not affect outcome. In 2016, Meath were actually awarded the Christy Ring Cup after their final score, 2-17 to Antrim's 1-20, had been incorrectly recorded as 2-18 to 1-20. After consultations with the GAA management committee, Meath reluctantly agreed to a re-fixture, saying in a statement: 'Asking us to replay a game that we firmly believe we won last Saturday is very disappointing.' However, the county won the re-fixture 4-21 to 5-17. Sunday's issue was not so much the validity of a score – Noel McGrath's phantom 'point' in the 70th minute – but the effect on Kilkenny of believing they were now chasing a four-point rather than a three-point deficit. Green-eyed Tipperary When Liam Cahill took over as Tipperary manager three years ago, scoring goals was high on his manifesto. In his successful years with age-grade teams in Tipp and during his time in Waterford, it had been a discernible pattern. When Tipp's under-20s won the 2019 All-Ireland final under Cahill, they blistered Cork with four goals in the opening eight minutes. Four years later, in his first championship match as senior manager against Clare, Tipp scored five. 'I think from an entertainment point of view too, I think it's nice that you have games with goals in them,' said Cahill on that glorious day in Ennis. 'Spectators need that. While it's lovely to watch fellas picking off points from 70 or 80 yards it can become a bit monotonous at times. We practice it. I won't tell you any different, we do practice it.' In Tipp's next game against Cork, they scored two goals, but then their goalscoring fell off a cliff. In their next seven championship matches, they scored a combined total of just three, including four blanks. Darragh McCarthy celebrates scoring Tipperary's second goal against Kilkenny. Photograph: Leah Scholes/Inpho The storming resurgence in Tipp's form this year has coincided with the rediscovery of their goal touch. The two goals they scored against Limerick were they first they had scored against those opponents during Cahill's time in charge, and if you omit the Cork game – where they played with 14 men for 70 minutes – they have averaged nearly three goals a game. On Sunday, they clearly targeted the Kilkenny full-back line and went for goals from the start. In the first half alone, they created six goalscoring opportunities and converted three. In contrast, Kilkenny failed to score a goal for the first time since round two of last year's Leinster championship. 'When you concede four and you know if I was asked before the game if we hit 30 points I would have said we wouldn't have been too far off,' said Derek Lyng after the game. On Sunday, nothing mattered more than goals. – Denis Walsh Righ t man for t he job Wherever the Dublin hurlers go from here, it feels certain they have the right man to lead them. That might sound like an overly generous assessment of Niall Ó Ceallacháin when his team has just shipped a 20-point beating in an All-Ireland semi-final but you'll spend a long time looking if you're trying to find a Dublin hurling supporter with misgivings. Ó Ceallacháin didn't put a tooth in it afterwards on Saturday night. He rattled off the three competitions Dublin entered in 2025 and was up front about the fact that they didn't make the final of any of them. They came third in Division 1B, which saw Offaly and Waterford promoted to 1A. They lost to Kilkenny and Galway in Leinster and so didn't make their provincial final. They were wiped on Saturday. Niall Ó Ceallacháin after Dublin's semi-final defeat to Cork. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho Of the three, walking face first into the Cork windmill was clearly the most forgivable. How a team can fail to get out of 1B in the spring before beating Limerick in the summer is a bewildering show of inconsistency. And yet, a familiar one. Job number one for Ó Ceallacháin in 2026 will be eradicating that tendency towards hot-and-cold performances. He's not the first Dublin manager to have that at the top of his to-do list. He does at least have the innate steadiness to suggest a future that is about more than one-off big days. – Malachy Clerkin Reid's s t ill go t i t TJ Reid was the last player to leave the pitch at Croke Park on Sunday. After his Kilkenny team-mates had shuffled down the tunnel, Reid remained on the pitch with his daughter, Harper. Wearing Ronan Maher's Tipp jersey turned inside out, having swapped at the final whistle, Reid spent several minutes playing with Harper and walking around the pitch with her in tow. He's 37 now and the end of Kilkenny's season will naturally raise questions as to whether we will see Reid back in black and amber in 2026. His legacy as one of the greatest players of all time is already guaranteed and again on Sunday he raged against the dying of the light. Kilkenny's TJ Reid with his daughter Harper after the semi-final defeat to Tipperary. Photograph: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho It was Reid who won possession from Paddy Deegan's hit-and-hope boomer down the field in the final moments of the game. Reid came out from a forest of bodies with the ball, shimmied away from some Tipperary tackles and offloaded to John Donnelly, creating what appeared to be a match-saving goal chance only for Donnelly's shot to be saved on the line. Reid's accuracy from placed balls was also a significant factor in Kilkenny amassing 0-30 – he finished the game with over a third of their scores, 0-11 (eight frees and one 65). His long distance free-taking was superb. So, there seems little doubt Reid – who made his Kilkenny senior debut in 2007 – could still operate at the highest level next year if he so chooses, but, as with all players, there are many other factors to be considered. Whatever way it plays out, it has been a pleasure to see him in full flight. – Gordon Manning Fu t ure focus Tyrone's production line rolls on, showing the sort of alacrity and can-do spirit that would make some Chinese factories look like havens for layabouts. Sunday's All-Ireland minor final victory over Kerry means they've done the underage double in 2025, having tidied away the under-20 title in May. Scroll back through history and you'll find this is only the sixth time the minor and under-20/21 double has been done. Kerry did it in 1975, Cork in '81, Tyrone themselves in 2001, Dublin in 2012, and Cork again in 2019 were the others. Take out the most recent Cork one and you're looking at the launch pads for all four counties' greatest football eras. Those doubles didn't guarantee senior success but they fairly added to the tide. Tyrone's Peter Colton celebrates after scoring a goal for Tyrone against Kerry in Newbridge on Sunday. Photograph: Tom Maher/Inpho It's Tyrone's fifth All-Ireland minor title since the turn of the century, allied to their sixth under-20/21 crown. Omagh CBS have won two of the last three Hogan Cups as well. Throw in last year's Sigerson Cup win for Ulster University, which featured nine Tyrone players in the final, and it's clear that Malachy O'Rourke isn't going to run short of options any time soon. All that's left for them in 2025 is for the senior team to get past Kerry on Saturday and then see off either Donegal or Meath in the final. Simple! If they somehow manage to pull it off, it would only be the second time in history that any county has completed the treble in one year. You have to go back 50 years for the other one – Kerry in 1975. Those lads did all right, you might recall. – Malachy Clerkin
