Cian Tracey: Tough slog awaits inexperienced Ireland pack as heavy rain batters Georgia
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Irish Examiner
5 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Leinster make history while Ulster bounce back
Leinster completed a remarkable four-in-a-row as they took the Men's Interprovincial title at Knightsbrook after victory over Connacht on the final day of action. It was an emotional win for their Captain Harry McAlinden who has been with this team all of the way, and he hinted at potentially stepping aside ahead of the drive for five next year. But it was another fantastic triumph for an experienced side while the Ulster Women won back the crown they last captured in 2023 as they also got the better of Connacht. Despite the difficult conditions it was another enthralling day of golf served up by all four regions across the Men's and Women's Interprovincials, but Leinster's success created its own bit of history. 'It means a huge amount, apparently it's the 1960s since it was done. It's a big achievement,' said McAlinden. 'They're a great bunch of lads who give their all. We make it hard on ourselves, we lose the first day but then we come back strong. 'We had four newbies on the team this year and you wonder how they are all going to blend in but they blended in fantastically. The senior players take them under their wing and guide them through it. 'I don't know who will be leading us (next year). I have four years done now so my time might be up.' The reigning Men's champions looked in trouble when they were beaten by Munster first time out but they bounced back against Ulster yesterday. And with wins for Paul Coughlan, Keith Egan, Robert Abernethy and Eoin Murphy in the singles, they were comprehensive 8-3 winners against Connacht. Ulster women's team and management members (back row) Deirdre Savage, Aoife Browne, Katie Poots, Zoe Miller, Molly O'Hara Oonagh McLure, with (front row) Holly Hamilton, Kate Dwyer and Louise Coffey celebrate. Picture: Tom O'Hanlon/Inpho The Ulster Women also got the better of their western counterparts on Friday, after taking a 2-1 lead following the morning foursomes. Victories over Leinster and holders Munster had put Ulster in the ascendency this week and they only needed a result against Connacht to win back the trophy. Katie Poots, Holly Hamilton and Kate Dwyer duly obliged in the afternoon to seal a memorable win for Oonagh McClure's side, who were narrow 5-4 winners. 'It's fantastic. The girls have worked so hard all week. They work hard all year at their golf but this week to see it all come to fruition it's fantastic,' said McClure. 'It was very tight against Connacht. You can't underestimate any of these teams. Everybody has real depth in their teams. It was a real battle. 'It's great for the team of girls. It's a new team. It's not the team that it was back in 2023 and it's great for them. It's great for the girls.' In the other matches on Friday, Munster women lost 6-3 to Leinster, while Ulster men defeated Munster 6.5-4.5.
Irish Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Davy Fitzgerald - Pressure on Derek Lyng unfair while Liam Cahill looks secure
From the outside looking in, it feels as though there's a bit of pressure on Derek Lyng as the Championship heads for its conclusion. I don't think it's fair, what it's worth. He's come in after the greatest manager in the history of the game and won three Leinster titles, but All-Irelands are what really count in Kilkenny. They haven't won one in 10 years and if they don't see it through this year, it'll be their longest ever drought. That shouldn't be pinned on Lyng and this particular group of players, but if it happens on their watch it's something that they'll be associated with, rightly or wrongly. Liam Cahill, by contrast, has probably done enough this year to ensure that he gets another season in Tipperary having brought the team back to Croke Park after a six-year gap and from a position where they looked to be dire straits 12 months ago. But you couldn't be so sure about Lyng if things don't work out tomorrow. To be fair to him, he's put his own stamp on the team. They vary their game more now with the short and long ball. The puckout strategy has evolved beyond what it was under Brian Cody and, in Eoin Murphy, they have a goalkeeper that can adapt to that with relative ease. Kilkenny-Tipperary games were always man-to-man combat but there will be a bit more to this match on the tactical side as both counties have moved on. I still expect hard tackling, plenty of running and lots of nice hurling. This is a game that will have everything - but plenty of variation too, perhaps unlike their meetings of yesteryear. The match-ups will be of particular interest to me and while the Tipperary inside line of Darragh McCarthy, John McGrath and Jason Forde have had a fine season, they will have it all to do coming up against Mikey Butler, Huw Lawlor and Tommy Walsh. I would have Lawlor and Limerick's Dan Morrissey down as two of the finest defenders in the game. For me, it's most likely that Lawlor will pair off with McGrath, Butler will take Forde and Walsh will pick up McCarthy. In terms of who Cahill needs to tie down at the other end, TJ Reid, Adrian Mullen and Eoin Cody immediately spring to mind and then you have John Donnelly, who works exceptionally hard, can win ball, get scores and has a massive all-round influence on the Kilkenny attack. If TJ plays inside, Eoghan Connolly is one option that Cahill will probably have considered. He's been really good this year, strong in the air and tight but if you give TJ space, even at his age, he'll hurt you. Ultimately, though, I think they'll give that job to Michael Breen and, on balance, it would appear to be the right call. He's more experienced and will be that bit tighter than Connolly. Robert Doyle has had a great year but taking on Cody would be his biggest test yet, presuming the Ballyhale man is fully fit and firing. McGrath has been written off for the last few years but it's great to see him back to his best. Again, he'll have it all to do against Lawlor. Ronan Maher would seem a good match for Donnelly but I'm not sure that Cahill will opt for that. In terms of how it will all play out, I can see Forde edging it on Butler. Not many get the better of Butler but Forde is playing with serious confidence. But could I see McGrath and McCarthy doing the same on Lawlor and Walsh respectively? It's a possibility, of course, but less likely. So Kilkenny should have the edge back there, even allowing for the good form that those Tipperary players bring into this game. And I think they will up front too. You could see Breen containing TJ, but Doyle and Craig Morgan tying down Cody and Mullen as well seems a stretch. It's important to state that these are largely 50-50 battles and it's not about one player completely obliterating the other, more which team can shade enough of them to give their side the edge. And I believe the advantage lies with Kilkenny in that respect for the most part. But then that could be offset by Tipp seemingly having a bigger impact off their bench - and that's a point that cannot be overstated. You have Noel McGrath's know-how and experience coming in and the likes of Oisin O'Donoghue, a big powerful man who came up with a goal against Galway. But, ultimately, Kilkenny aren't Galway and this game won't be loose in the way that that one was. Kilkenny to edge enough of those key battles around the field and return to the final. ======= Cork find themselves with a massive opportunity and they owe much of it to their resilience. They suffered a gut-wrenching defeat to Clare in last year's All-Ireland final and were hammered by Limerick only a few weeks ago, but they've stuck to their task and come to Croke Park as Munster champions and All-Ireland favourites. Deservedly so. It's a big year for this team, 20 years since Cork last scaled the summit. They are a side that thrives on confidence and winning Munster fuels that all the more. There are two key differences that I've noted with them this year. Firstly, they are pressing the opposition half-forward line a lot more, something they didn't do in last year's All-Ireland final, to their cost. I remember watching Mark Coleman that day standing on his own on the Cork 65, playing zonally. Meanwhile, David Fitzgerald picked up a mountain of ball, got a few scores and set up a few more. Coleman either needed to press or drop and protect his full-back line. By playing zonally, he was doing neither. This year, Cork are pressing but that comes with its own dangers and I would be wary of all three half-backs doing it at the same time with no cover for the full-back line. You need one to sit deeper to offer that protection and ideally that would be Robert Downey, presuming he lines out at centre-back. Secondly, there's a much greater work ethic from their forwards. They are tracking and blocking and that unselfish element of their game makes a big difference. Dublin will pose them a different challenge, however. Their pace in the middle third is unreal and they are very good at building the play from the back with the short ball. Sean Brennan has won his place back in goals and brought off the save of the season from Aaron Gillane. Their full-back line is solid but how they cope with Patrick Horgan, Alan Connolly and Brian Hayes will likely define the game. The midfield battle will be fascinating. Conor Burke was sensational for Dublin against Limerick but Darragh Fitzgibbon is flying it too. I was very impressed by Dublin when Antrim came up against them, how well organised they were, their pace, the variation in their game and, most of all, how they play for each other. That variation is manifest in their ability to go long to John Hetherton or Ronan Hayes, whichever of them is on the edge of the square. Hetherton provided impact off the bench the last day but I would start him this time. He takes a lot of marking and Cork struggle with big men who are good in the air. The trade-off for Dublin is that they probably wouldn't get the full game out of him, but the start of this game will be crucial. If Dublin can get Sean Currie working effectively off Hetherton then they'll be in business. Dublin are here on merit, but while they survived heroically without Chris Crummey last time, he'll still be a massive loss. He's a good defender in his own right but he builds the play so well and causes problems for opposition going forward. Their ability to back up a strong performance with another is also in question. It's something that dogged Clare in the early years of my playing career. We came from nowhere to beat Limerick and Cork in 1993 but tanked against Tipperary in the Munster final. The following year we beat Tipp but were hammered by Limerick. We recognised that when you're built up after a big win, you just have to come back with as much appetite the next day. We finally cracked it in 1995 then. Back-to-back performances would be the biggest indicator of Dublin's progress. They're not coming in under the radar this time. But I think Cork will thrive back in Croke Park. The space will suit them. They haven't produced a top level performance over 70 minutes in this Championship yet but I feel that it's coming. I expect Dublin to turn up, but Cork to win.
Irish Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Skipper Craig Casey - real danger in Georgia as Ireland select six debutants
Ireland start two and have a further four new caps on the bench as they open their summer tour against Georgia in Tbilisi this O'Connell takes charge of the side in the absence of Andy Farrell and Simon Easterby while the relatively callow line-up reflects 16 players away on Lions duty and another two injured. Of the sextet Leinster's Tommy O'Brien, just turned 27, has positively starred at provincial level since returning from injury and is a powerhouse right-winger many feel will be both Leinster and Ireland's first-choice next Darragh Murray has just turned 24 and was a surprise selection for the squad in the first place. However, standing 6'7" and weighing in at 115kgs, the Connacht has particularly impressed Paul O'Connell in this are a further four potential news caps on the Michael Milne, 26, completed a Leinster-Munster move last April. A mobile loosehead prop, if the switch came with a promise first-team rugby would help him with international aspiration, it has worked Jack Aungier, 26, made a similar switch from Leinster to Connacht in 2020 and hasn't looked back since. Understudying Finlay Bealham at his province he has nonetheless made 21 appearances (eight starts, 13 sub) this season. Tom Ahern, 25, has been one of the breakthrough youngsters at Munster in recent times and has, notably, been working between second and back-row at his province. Survived a late hamstring scare to make the Ben Murphy, 24, is another to have benefitted from leaving Leinster and his landing at Connacht at the start of the season coincided with a burst of form and a number of Man of the Match Jacob Stockdale is a specifically interesting selection on the left-wing. He needs one more try to move him to Ireland's outright 6th leading all-time the Richard-Cockerill coached Georgia have nine players France-based in their starting line-up with another six playing for Black Lions, a composite side made up from players in Georgia and who have an EPCR invite to play European Challenge Cup rugby."We are expecting Georgia to be probably up the walls with physicality and bring their game to us," says Ireland skipper Craig Casey. "They've got some really big threats."I their no15 David Niniashvilli really is a high class player. To be fair, he's shown it in the Top 14, he showed in Europe out-half is at Castres in the Top 14, the scrum-half at Oyonnax in ProD2."You've got Luka Matkava at no10, who kind of runs the ship for them."Vasil Lobzhanidze at no9, I've seen an awful lot of him. He's played for Georgia since he's been quite young, and he's been at a few World Cups so he kind of runs the show very well, he's kind of their go-to man."I think their right winger, Akaki Tabutsadze, has scored 50 tries in 51 games so they are a high quality back line and, obviously, their forward set the platform for them."They've got a back-row that are going to contest probably every breakdown. They like to do a lot of work in the broken field from their back-three so there's a lot of threats there."We will need to be all over those. I think if we're on our breakdown, we'll have a good day but we'll have to do a lot of work there."So they'll bring their game, I imagine their fans are going to make it a special occasion for them and they'll be delighted to have Ireland over and try and knock us off."Casey is looking forward to captaining Ireland for the first time."It's a special honor, it's class to get that kind of recognition with those type of players so I'm delighted, it is a special day for my family and everyone that has put a lot of work into me."We have got six debutants, hopefully it's a good one opportunity for them in this game and I don't think we've changed anything for them."It's a special week for them and their families. I think it's unbelievable for them to make their first caps. It's a huge opportunity for all of us."It's a massive privilege for us to put on the Irish jersey at any stage. So it's a big 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 everyone."Georgia (v Ireland, Tbilisi, 5pm Irish, Virgin TV): 15 Davit Niniashvili; 14 Akaki Tabutsadze, 13 Demur Tapladze, 12 Giorgi Kveseladze, 11 Sandro Todua; 10 Luka Matkava, 9 Vasil Lobzhanidze; 1 Giorgi Akhaladze, 2 Vano Karkadze, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 4 Mikheil Babunashvili,5 Lado Chachanidze, 6 Luka Ivanishvili, 7 Beka Saghinadze, 8 Tornike Jalagonia,Replacements: 16 Irakli Kvatadze, 17 Giorgi Tetrashvili, 18 Beka Gigashvili, 19 Giorgi Javakhia, 20 Ilia Spanderashvili, 21 Mikheil Alania, 22 Tedo Abzhandadze, 23 Tornike 15 Jimmy O'Brien; 14 Tommy O'Brien, 13 Jamie Osborne, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale; 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Craig Casey; 1 Jack Boyle, 2 Gus McCarthy, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 4 Cormac Izuchukwu, 5 Darragh Murray, 6 Ryan Baird, 7 Nick Timony, 8 Gavin CoombesReplacements: 16 Tom Stewart, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Jack Aungier, 19 Tom Ahern, 20 Cian Prendergast, 21 Ben Murphy, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Calvin Nash. IRELAND SUMMER TOUR SCHEDULESaturday, 5th July: Georgia v Ireland, Mikheil Meskhi Stadium, Tbilisi (kick off 9pm local time, 6pm Irish time);Saturday, 12th July: Portugal v Ireland, Estádio Nacional do Jamor, Lisbon (kick off 7pm local, same Irish time)Ireland Men's Squad – Summer Tour 2025, departing for Tbilisi on Wednesday, 2nd July. Player/Club/Province/CapsBacks (14): Shayne Bolton (Connacht)*, Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(captain)(18), Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(24), Nathan Doak (Banbridge/Ulster)*, Ciaran Frawley (UCD/Leinster)(8), Hugh Gavin (Galwegians/Connacht)*, Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(19), Ben Murphy (Clontarf/Connacht)*, Dermot Kilgallon (Munster)*, Jimmy O'Brien (Naas/Leinster)(8), Tommy O'Brien (UCD/Leinster)*, Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(7), Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(8), Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)(38) Forwards (18): Tom Ahern (Shannon/Munster)*, Jack Aungier (Lansdowne/Connacht)*, Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(27), Jack Boyle (UCD/Leinster)(2), Thomas Clarkson (Dublin University/Leinster)(6), Gavin Coombes (Young Munster/Munster)(2), Max Deegan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(2), Cormac Izuchukwu (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(1), Alex Kendellen (UCC/Munster)*, Gus McCarthy (UCD/Leinster)(4), Paddy McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)*, Michael Milne (UCD/Munster)*, Darragh Murray (Buccaneers/Connacht)*, Tom O'Toole (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(16), Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(4), Stephen Smyth (Old Wesley/Leinster)*, Tom Stewart (Ballynahinch/Ulster)(2), Nick Timoney (Banbridge/Ulster)(3), Scott Wilson (Queens University/Ulster)* *denotes uncapped
