logo
Ireland rally to down Scotland as Scott Bemand hails calm comeback after World Cup warm-up

Ireland rally to down Scotland as Scott Bemand hails calm comeback after World Cup warm-up

The Irish Sun3 days ago
SCOTT BEMAND was pleased Ireland kept calm to win their first World Cup warm-up match.
Scotland led 14-0 in Cork but Sadhbh McGrath and Meabh Deely hit back to
2
Ireland came from behind to see off Scotland in their World Cup warm up clash in Cork
2
Head coach Scott Bemand hailed his side's resolve after the victory
The hosts — who start the World Cup against Japan on August 24 — completed the turnaround within six minutes of the restart when Nancy McGillivray dived over.
Centre Emma Orr briefly put Scotland back in front before replacement prop Niamh O'Dowd gave Ireland a 22-21 lead by barging over at the other end.
Ireland sealed the victory three minutes from time when Deirbhile Nic a Bhaird crossed.
And
read more on rugby
IRELAND 27-21 SCOTLAND
SCORERS — Ireland: Tries, McGrath, Deely, McGillivray, O'Dowd, Nic A Bhaird; cons, O'Brien. Scotland: Tries, Thomson, Scott, Orr; cons, Thomson 3.
Australia and Lions rugby stars are forced off the pitch mid-game due to threat of lightning
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Wallabies can take heart from Lions series for litmus Tests against South Africa
Wallabies can take heart from Lions series for litmus Tests against South Africa

Irish Times

timean hour ago

  • Irish Times

Wallabies can take heart from Lions series for litmus Tests against South Africa

If Australian rugby is to take a key learning from the British and Irish Lions tour and adopt a credo for the upcoming Rugby Championship and the road to the 2027 World Cup, Will Skelton nailed it at half-time on Saturday: 'We don't take no itshay.' Skelton's performance was as big as he was in the Wallabies' stirring victory in Sydney. But Skelton's fighting words to his team - 'Keep fighting. Keep fighting for each other. Keep fighting for the jersey' - and the pig Latin catchcry that followed was a crudity that offered perfect clarity to Joe Schmidt's team. By taking no shit from the Lions – showing aggression, attacking from every angle, hurting their enemy in mind and body – Australia rattled their opposition and won ascendancy. Unlike in Brisbane where they found fire only when 24-5 down, or Melbourne where they let the initiative slip when leading 23-5, the Wallabies this time showed the ruthless edge fans have waited so long for, leading for all 80 minutes. As they set their jaws for the flight to South Africa on Friday and twin litmus Tests against the world champions, Australia should be confident of upsetting rugby's number one side. The Springboks have only lightly tuned up for this series with two cantered victories against Italy and one over Georgia. Conversely, the Wallabies are fit and full of fire after smashing the Lions and finding their mongrel mojo. READ MORE The touring squad Schmidt names on Thursday must be as bold as his Sydney 23. He will be without his two first-pick outhalves, with young Tom Lynagh ruled out with another concussion after being illegally cleared out by Dan Sheehan in Sydney, and Noah Lolesio out for the season with a neck injury sustained in the Fiji Test in July. He may also lose his preferred scrumhalf Jake Gordon to the hamstring twinges that cost him an appearance in the third Test. That means the axis of attack in South Africa will again fall to unfamiliar alchemies being forged in the Test furnace. ​​Ben Donaldson will get his chance to start at number 10, after coming off the bench in Brisbane and Sydney, with veteran James O'Connor, 35, the likely wildcard. Nic White's call to retire post-Sydney inspired his side but the little general might be needed for two last outings against the Springboks. Bundee Aki is tackled by Australia's Rob Valetini during the second Test at the MCG in Melbourne. Photograph: William West/AFP via Getty Images Vitally, Rob Valetini will tour. But it is Skelton's name that must be first on the team sheet. Without him and Valetini in the Lions opener in Brisbane, Australia looked timid and tepid. Yet in every minute Skelton was on the field in the Tests that followed, the Wallabies were bossing the scoreboard. Skelton neatly encapsulates the enigma of Australian rugby this past decade. Born in New Zealand to Samoan parents, he was raised in western Sydney and played rugby league for most of his early years before finding union in his mid-teens. Unlike most, he stuck at it, was brought into the Waratahs fold by mentor Michael Cheika aged 21 (his second start was against the 2013 Lions) and won a Test debut in 2014. Skelton's size 17s walked out on Australia in 2017. With Saracens in the English Premiership and, more recently, La Rochelle in France's Top 14, he has since won four Champions Cup medals in Europa. For six years, as Australian rugby hit the skids and their biggest stars joined the exodus overseas, Skelton existed as the Wallabies' lost colossus. Not until 2021 – 1,814 days after his last Test – did he return to the XXXXL gold jersey. A mixed bag of international cameos since then has gradually roused the sleeping giant. Yet at age 33 he has played only 33 Tests. This fortnight has shown the power Skelton wields to inspire his team-mates while intimidating their enemies. Now the big man is rolling, the juggernaut must continue. Schmidt is schmoozing Skelton to delay his return to France to fly on to South Africa. And Rugby Australia chiefs, chief executive Phil Waugh and high performance boss Peter Horne, have told the coach there is 'no impediment to select whoever he wants' from Australians playing around the world. Horne says the Giteau Law – in which only overseas players with 60 Tests could be selected for Test duty – is 'redundant'. Former Wallaby Quade Cooper has long reckoned, 'if we want to compete with the world we need to select the world's best players, regardless of where they play'. It is likely too late to keep three stars of the Sydney Test from heading abroad – Taniela Tupou is joining Racing 92 while man of the match Tom Hooper is off to Exeter and Langi Gleeson to Montpellier – but after years of selecting only home-based talent and not stars plying their trade abroad, the gates are at last open to the barbarians. That includes Skelton. With him at the helm, Australia can challenge South Africa at home, put Argentina to the sword in Townsville and Sydney and even wrest back the Bledisloe Cup from New Zealand for the first time since 2002. And that's no itshay. – Guardian

Jorge Costa, captain of Jose Mourinho's Porto 2004 Champions League winners, dies aged 53
Jorge Costa, captain of Jose Mourinho's Porto 2004 Champions League winners, dies aged 53

The 42

timean hour ago

  • The 42

Jorge Costa, captain of Jose Mourinho's Porto 2004 Champions League winners, dies aged 53

JORGE COSTA, who captained FC Porto to Champions League glory in 2004 under Jose Mourinho, has died aged 53. Costa suffered a cardiac arrest at Porto's training ground today, the club have said, paying tribute to 'a key figure in the club's history'. 'The legendary FC Porto captain and current director of professional football, passed away this Tuesday following a cardiopulmonary arrest,' the club said in a statement. The former Portuguese international defender collapsed on Tuesday morning at the club's training ground. He was rushed to hospital, where he died shortly after arriving, according to local media. Advertisement Costa spent most of his playing career with the club, winning eight league titles and the Champions League in 2004 under Jose Mourinho. He played 50 times for the Portuguese national team. José Mourinho explains the difference between a captain and a leader, using Jorge Costa as an example. Farewell, Jorge Costa. 🕊 — IM🇵🇹 (@Iconic_Mourinho) August 5, 2025 He belongs to the golden generation of Portuguese players who won the 1991 U20 World Cup, alongside Luis Figo. 'It's a shock,' Prime Minister Luis Montenegro wrote on social media, hailing Costa as 'an example of dedication and commitment'. Porto's rivals Benfica and Sporting Lisbon also paid tribute. 'Portuguese football is poorer,' Benfica said in a statement, saluting 'a key figure in football and national sport, first as a player, then as a coach, and, more recently, as a manager'. – © AFP 2025

Roscommon GAA club ‘shocked and heartbroken' at the loss of Don Connellan
Roscommon GAA club ‘shocked and heartbroken' at the loss of Don Connellan

Irish Independent

timean hour ago

  • Irish Independent

Roscommon GAA club ‘shocked and heartbroken' at the loss of Don Connellan

Kilmore GAA have paid a lengthy and heartfelt tribute to Mr Connellan following his passing at the age of 51. Mr Connellan was a standout player for Roscommon throughout the 1900s and featured in their 2001 Connacht final victory over Mayo. He played primarily at midfielder or in the half-forward line and featured in three senior county finals (1998, 1999 and 2001) for Kilmore GAA. After he finished playing, he moved into management with Moycullen GAA in County Galway. After six seasons in charge of their senior team, he stood back from his position in 2023 due to health difficulties after leading them to two senior county titles and an All-Ireland club semi-final in 2022. He had been suffering with illness when he passed away earlier this week. In a statement, Kilmore GAA said: 'Our club and our community are shocked and heartbroken at the devastating news of the sudden passing of our great friend and true Kilmore legend, Don Connellan. 'No words can truly do justice to what Don meant to Kilmore GAA. He represented our club with distinction over many years — as a player, coach, and manager — showing immense pride, honesty, integrity, and leadership both on and off the pitch. Don was a key player for us on countless occasions and played a vital role in the senior team that reached three County Senior Finals in 1998, 1999, and 2001, narrowly missing out on claiming the Senior championship title.' As well as representing Roscommon at all age grades, Mr Connellan represented Connacht in the Railway Cup and won a Sigerson Cup medal with UCG in 1992. He was part of NUI Galway's All-Ireland winning Sigerson Cup team in 2022. 'Away from the GAA, Don was an exceptional person — a loyal friend to so many and someone who lived his life with the utmost integrity,' continued Kilmore GAA. 'His passing leaves a void that we, as friends and a community, will struggle to come to terms with in the days, months, and years ahead. 'But perhaps Don's greatest quality was the love he had for his family and home. From his childhood in Clooncoose to his life in Moycullen, home and family meant everything to him. Nothing brought him more joy than his regular visits back to Kilmore to see his parents — his late father Donal and his mother Nellie — his brothers Adrian and David, the wider Connellan family, and his many friends in Kilmore. 'Don loved Kilmore, and Kilmore loved Don.' The club paid tribute to his contribution to Moycullen GAA, where he lived with his wife Linda and sons Eoin and Conor for the past two decades. 'As a club and community, we are devastated by Don's loss. But our grief is nothing compared to the unimaginable pain that Linda, Eoin, Conor, Nellie, Adrian, David, and the extended Clancy and Connellan families are feeling. We extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to you all,' added Kilmore GAA 'In the days, weeks, and months ahead, we will do everything we can to bring some comfort and light during this dark time. 'Don, you will be deeply missed by all of us who were lucky enough to know you. 'Rest easy, Don - you were one of the best.' Moycullen GAA have also paid tribute to Mr Connellan, who was a member of An Garda Síochána. His funeral details have yet to be announced.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store