logo
Brave Munster to play Origin after his father's death

Brave Munster to play Origin after his father's death

Yahoo3 days ago
The death of Cameron Munster's father Steven has come as devastating news just days out from the State of Origin series decider.
The Queensland captain, in a braveheart decision to honour his dad, will still lead the Maroons on Wednesday night after taking time away to grieve with his family before preparing to lead the side in what will be an emotion-charged occasion.
Maroons coach Billy Slater made a statement to media on Sunday morning.
"Unfortunately we woke to the sad news of the passing of Cameron Munster's father Steven Munster overnight. Cam will exit camp to be with his family before rejoining his team for the game on Wednesday," Slater said. "On behalf of myself, our footy team and the state of Queensland we send our thoughts, our love and condolences to Steven Munster's family and friends, in particular his wife Debbie, his daughter Danielle and of course his son Cameron."
Days before the passing of his father, Munster spoke of his desire to lead the Maroons to what would be an historic victory if they can prevail in Sydney.
No Maroons side in 45 years has lost the first game and won the next two away from home. The 26-24 win in Perth in game two is the first box ticked.
Munster won his first decider on debut in 2017 and was superb. He backed that up in 2020 in a 20-14 win in Brisbane, after which he was named the Wally Lewis Medal winner as player of the series, despite missing most of game two after being concussed in the opening minutes.
Both of those games were in Brisbane. He has played just one previous decider in Sydney, in 2019 when a last-minute James Tedesco try won it 26-20 for NSW.
Munster, 30, was man of the match in his first game as skipper in game two and is determined to back that up in his 21st Origin match.
"There's a lot riding on it and there's a lot of history that needs to be broken, but things tend to get broken," Munster said.
"I'm probably going to need to stand up again for game three and I'll make sure I do.
"I have played in a decider in Sydney when we just got beaten by them in the last two minutes. We had come back in a miraculous way. I think we were down 14 points at one stage, but then Tedesco scored and broke our hearts.
"I know they're a good quality outfit and we're a good quality outfit too. We keep speaking about bringing our best game and we brought it for the first 40 minutes (in Perth) but it's going to take a whole 80-minute performance in Sydney."
The Maroons have retained the Origin shield in a Sydney decider on four occasions, with wins in 1998, 2008 and 2013, along with a draw in 2002 when Dane Carlaw scored in the final minute.
Munster indicated the Maroons will relish being the underdogs in Sydney.
"In Perth, there was a lot of people that wrote us off, so there'll be a lot of people writing us off for game three," he said recently.
"We can only control what we control in the week and get our preparation right.
"We've got to go down there and try and play our hearts out and give it everything."
It will be with a heavy heart for Munster but he has always given his heart and soul for the Maroons and his teammates will be right behind him in what are the toughest of times.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

We have more work to do: Matildas get wake-up call
We have more work to do: Matildas get wake-up call

Yahoo

time22 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

We have more work to do: Matildas get wake-up call

Matildas coach Joe Montemurro is confident he will have his side fit and firing in time for the 2026 Asian Cup despite overseeing a series of unconvincing results in his first camp in charge. Australia were lucky to escape with an error-riddled 3-0 win over world No.38 Slovenia in Montemurro's first game at the helm, and it was followed up by a 1-1 draw against the same opponents. Alarm bells were ringing when the Matildas slumped to a shock 1-0 loss to world No.56 Panama last week, and Australia were 1-0 down in Tuesday night's re-match before a Michelle Heyman brace and Charli Grant's 91st-minute goal rescued a 3-2 win. Charli Grant strikes in stoppage time! ⏰@TheMatildas hit the front at the death - as Grant pokes it home at the back post to grab a 3-2 lead🇦🇺 #AUSvPAN 🇵🇦 is live now on Paramount+ 📺 — Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) July 8, 2025 In fairness, Montemurro was missing a huge chunk of the Matildas' best XI during the four-match stint in WA, with the likes of Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, Steph Catley, Caitlin Foord, Katrina Gorry, Cortnee Vine and Clare Wheeler among the absentees. Other key players such as goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, Ellie Carpenter, Alanna Kennedy and Kyra Cooney-Cross left after the Slovenia series. The Matildas have two more international windows before the Asian Cup kicks off in Perth on March 1. Montemurro's possession-based style comes with teething problems, but the former Arsenal, Juventus and Lyon coach is adamant his team will be ready for the Asian Cup. "I've had less time to prepare teams for big tournaments," Montemurro said. "The good thing about it, we're going to have a lot of players who are in season (for the next window), so they're going to be at least physically - and from a rhythm perspective - in tune. "That was the biggest thing over the last 20 days - you saw the players, the rhythms were up, down, everywhere. "All of them had to be managed physically. "We won't have that problem (next time). So at least we can go forward with players that are ready to go." Montemurro is keen to base the Matildas in Europe for the next international window (October 20-29) before having a home base for the final international window (November 24-December 2) ahead of the Asian Cup. The 55-year-old wants his players to continue to be brave with the possession-based game plan, but he felt the team fell into some bad habits against Panama on Tuesday night. An absolute gem from Arauz 💎Panama strike first in Perth as Ericka Arauz pounces on the turnover to lace one from deep outside the box and make it 1-0🇦🇺 #AUSvPAN 🇵🇦 is live now on Paramount+ 📺 — Paramount+ Australia (@ParamountPlusAU) July 8, 2025 "Today I was a little bit disappointed, because there were things I thought we got rid of over the last three games," Montemurro said. "Obviously we've got some more work to do. "We fell into the trap of wanting to rush the play when we needed to slow it down, and we fell into the trap of slowing it down when we needed to go quick. "That caused a lot of technical errors, because people weren't in position at the right time. "And every time we turned the ball over, Panama looked like they were going to hurt us."

Australia-born Lion Hansen faces 'pinch-me' moment against old team
Australia-born Lion Hansen faces 'pinch-me' moment against old team

Yahoo

time9 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Australia-born Lion Hansen faces 'pinch-me' moment against old team

Australia-born British and Irish Lions wing Mack Hansen will line up against his old club ACT Brumbies (DAVID GRAY) Australia-born Mack Hansen says lining up for the British and Irish Lions on the wing against his old club ACT Brumbies on Wednesday will be a "pinch-me" moment. The 27-year-old, whose mother is Irish, grew up in Canberra and spent three seasons with the Super Rugby club before a move to Connacht in 2021. Advertisement A Test call-up followed from Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, now in charge of the Lions, and Hansen has not looked back. He has started two of the Lions three games in Australia so far and is set to come off the bench against the Brumbies, Australia's strongest provincial side although they are without a slew of top players on Wallabies duty. "It's incredible," said Hansen of being back in Canberra. "It is a bit of a pinch-me moment -- not in my wildest dreams could I imagine I would be back here playing for the Lions, so it is very special. "I've got about 30 friends or family coming, I've had people coming out the woodwork asking for tickets for a while now." Advertisement Hansen will come face-to-face with "two of my best mates" in Ryan and Lachlan Lonergan, who are both in the Brumbies starting XV. "I haven't played against them in a while so it will be a nice switch-up," said Hansen. "It will be an interesting experience, I don't know how I will feel until I'm out on the field." Scrum-half Ryan Lonergan is Brumbies captain for the day and said it would be "super special" to face-off against his boyhood friend. "We've been great mates since we're about 12 really," he told reporters, adding that he was proud of what Hansen had achieved. Advertisement "We had a pretty set back three here at the time and he just took a stab and went overseas and we're all happy for him." The Lions won their two opening tour games with ease, crushing Western Force 54-7 and the Queensland Reds 52-12, but they met resistance from the NSW Waratahs in a grinding 21-10 victory. Farrell has named a strong side led by Maro Itoje to face the Brumbies, with Tommy Freeman and James Lowe starting on the wings. mp/dh

How to watch rugby in the USA — streaming details, TV channels and upcoming events
How to watch rugby in the USA — streaming details, TV channels and upcoming events

Tom's Guide

time10 hours ago

  • Tom's Guide

How to watch rugby in the USA — streaming details, TV channels and upcoming events

It's Christmas time for rugby fans — of both codes. In rugby league, we're approaching the business end of the Super League and 2025 NRL season, while New South Wales could complete a first State of Origin clean sweep since 2000. In rugby union, the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour is ramping up to the three climactic Tests, we've got a full slate of Summer Internationals to look forward to, including France's controversial tour of New Zealand and England's clash with the U.S. on American soil, and the 2025 Currie Cup is just around the corner. In the U.S., a multitude of different networks have a slice of the rugby broadcasting pie, which means following your favorite teams and competitions isn't as straightforward as you'd think. Read on as we explain how to watch rugby in the U.S. from anywhere in the world. Before we get into where to watch your US rugby services, should you be out of the States and want to watch your usual rugby stream it is pivotal you get a VPN. A virtual private network, makes it look as if you're surfing the web from your home country, rather than the one you're in. That means you can access the streaming services you already pay for, from anywhere. VPNs are totally legal, inexpensive and easy to use. We've tested lots of the best VPN services and our favorite is NordVPN. It's fast, works on loads of devices, and even offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. There's a good reason you've heard of NordVPN. We specialize in testing and reviewing VPN services and NordVPN is the one we rate best. It's fast, has top-level security features, and is outstanding at unblocking streaming services like Sling. With over 7,000 servers across 110+ countries, it's easy to recommend. Get over 70% off with this NordVPN deal Using a VPN is incredibly simple. 1. Install the VPN of your choice. As we've said, NordVPN is our favorite. 2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN app. For instance if you're an American overseas and want to view your usual rugby stream, you would select U.S. from the list. 3. Sit back and enjoy the action. Head to the relevant service and stream rugby wherever you are. The broadcasting rights for rugby union and rugby league's biggest competitions and games are splintered to the extreme. If you're unable or unwilling to subscribe to all of the above, it's worth noting that Fubo provides streaming access to CBS, ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, FS2 and Fox Soccer Plus, for $84.99/month after a 7-day FREE trial, though new users get $20 off their first month. You'll need the $6.99 International Sports Plus add-on for Fox Soccer Plus. July 9 — Brumbies vs British & Irish LionsJuly 12 — Invitational AU & NZ vs British & Irish LionsJuly 11 — Fiji vs Scotland July 12 — Japan vs Wales July 12 — New Zealand vs France July 12 — South Africa vs ItalyJuly 12 — Portugal vs IrelandJuly 12 — Argentina vs EnglandJuly 18 — Samoa vs ScotlandJuly 19 — Australia vs British & Irish LionsJuly 19 — New Zealand vs FranceJuly 19 — South Africa vs GeorgiaJuly 19 — USA vs EnglandJuly 19 — Argentina vs UruguayJuly 22 — First Nations & Pasifika XV vs British & Irish LionsJuly 26 — Australia vs British & Irish LionsJuly 26 - September 20 — Currie Cup 2025 February 13 - October 11 — Super League 2025March 1 - October 5 — NRL 2025July 9 — State of Origin Game 3 We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.

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