Mack Hansen ruled out for remainder of URC season
The Ireland winger will be sidelined for five weeks for an ankle injury, missing the final two United Rugby Championship games at home to Edinburgh and away to Zebre.
However, he should recover in time to be eligible for selection for Andy Farrell's Lions squad, which will be unveiled on Thursday.
While Hansen's absence is a blow, Connacht have been boosted by the return of Bundee Aki, Caolin Blade and Denis Buckley, all of whom missed the trip to South Africa, where the westerners lost to the Stormers and the Lions.
Connacht currently lie 14th in the URC table, requiring a maximum 10 points from their final two games while needing other results to go their way.
Meanwhile, Jack Carty has signed a one-year extension at the province, after a season where he fell out of favour with former head coach Pete Wilkins.
The 32-year old international out-half appeared set for the exit this summer after a prolonged spell on the sidelines, with Josh Ioane preferred in the starting No. 10 slot.
However, Wilkins' resignation last month has seen Carty return to prominence, with the Roscommon man impressing in the narrow defeat to the Stormers in Cape Town.
Elsewhere, Andrew Smith has signed a one-year deal with Munster for the 2025-26 season.
The former Ireland U20 international joined Munster on a short-term deal in March, scoring three tries in four appearances, the first coming in the memorable Champions Cup win over La Rochelle and then two in the quarter-final loss to Bordeaux Begles.
Smith recently added an All-Ireland League winners medal late last month, featuring for Clontarf in their victory over Cork Constitution in the Aviva Stadium decider.
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Irish Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Ireland hero keen for third Lions test to be unforgettable
Tadhg Furlong is set on making Saturday's third Test against Australia a memorable one, as it will likely be his last appearance for the British and Irish Lions. Although Furlong hasn't completely dismissed the possibility of a fourth tour, he acknowledges that the Accor Stadium showdown is probably the final chapter in his Lions journey, marked by his nine consecutive Test starts. When reminded that he would be 36 years old for the next tour to New Zealand, the Ireland prop responded: "Just about to turn 37. Could you imagine? 'My motivation is obvious. I'm not going to say I won't….I probably won't play for the Lions again. 'The Lions have been very good to me. They've been very good to my career. You want to play well. 'I'm kind of leaving a lot of that emotional stuff behind, without being clinical about it. You want to give the best version of yourself to it. 'Sometimes the last memory is the lasting memory you have in a jersey. I want it to be a good one.' Only seven other players have made nine successive Test starts and Furlong is the second to reach that mark in the professional era, a startling achievement for a tighthead who will return home as a Lions great. Willie John McBride heads the list with 15. 'It wasn't something I overly thought of or knew about. I just wanted to try to get on tour and play rugby and see where it got me,' Furlong said. 'It's class to be up there. When I was young and you think of Lions, you don't see yourself there to be mentioned in the same breath as them – and I probably feel the same way now.' Furlong's first tour was as a 24-year-old to New Zealand in 2017 and his development as a player in the intervening years has been significant. 'The game has changed, definitely. Rugby was so different back then. You're around the corner, you're just working hard and then the game got into one-out carriers and I found my mould there,' he said. 'Then the game changed to more of a pass and options at the line and that changed my game. At the minute it's changed into a hybrid of all of them at the minute. You try to change your game as the game changes.' The series was won with a game to spare following last Saturday's 29-26 victory in Melbourne, posting the first successful tour since the 2013 visit to Australia. 'It's such a hard thing to do and history tells you that. When you play for the Lions, you understand why, in terms of moulding everyone together and trying to get them on the same track, and the schedule and travel,' Furlong said. 'As an achievement, as a team, there's not a massive body of work. You have eight weeks of work to show for it. It's probably one of the more satisfying achievements that I've been a part of.'
The 42
3 hours ago
- The 42
'I probably won't play for the Lions again. I want this to be a good memory'
EVEN THOUGH HE jokes that he'd prefer if Tadhg Furlong wasn't starting for the Lions tomorrow, Joe Schmidt has as much respect for the Wexford man's achievement as anyone else. Starting nine Lions Tests in a row in a magnificent feat, all the more so in a position as demanding as tighthead prop. At the age of 32, Tadhg Furlong is already a great of Irish rugby, even if being a prop means he won't be as regularly mentioned as others in those kinds of discussions. And the Leinster man's status as a Lions legend is now well beyond debate. 'He's such a gifted player and such a good character,' said Wallabies boss Schmidt, who was the Leinster head coach when Furlong joined the province. 'The first time I met him, he came in with his Mum and Dad with Collie McEntee, who was coaching the Leinster academy. I was coaching there, and he got brought into the office and introduced himself. He blocked the sun briefly, and those shoulders haven't got any smaller since. 'He's certainly an impressive young man and a world-class player, so if he wants a day off on Saturday I'd be happy to see that.' Schmidt remembers tough times for Furlong at the start, initially due to injuries and then the kind of teething problems that any young prop faces in professional rugby. Ireland's tour of South Africa in 2016 was 'a baptism of fire' for Furlong at scrum time, recalled Schmidt, but he soon began to thrive and by 2017, he was the Lions' first-choice tighthead. Furlong and Schmidt with Ireland in 2017. Bryan Keane / INPHO Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO Schmidt gave Furlong his Ireland debut in 2015 and benefited massively from the Wexford man's 'multi-purpose' ability in the years that followed. 'I'll never forget the deft little offload he gave to Bundee Aki to go through a gap to give CJ Stander a try at Twickenham [in 2018],' said Schmidt. 'Those skills he has with the ball, his ability to carry himself, and he's very good, quite dynamic in the defensive line. 'We were here [in Australia] on tour in 2018 and I remember David Pocock was just about to decide to get over the ball and Tadhg Furlong put him back a couple of metres from the ball. Advertisement 'He's a pretty well-rounded, literally well-rounded, character.' Furlong himself would probably laugh at that last tongue-in-cheek comment from Schmidt. He has always come across as someone with an endearing, self-depracating humour. Not that he's not entirely serious about his craft. Furlong's work ethic and resilience have helped him to get to this point of a huge achievement with the Lions. He is a smart rugby player, someone whose role in the Ireland and Lions leadership groups isn't about shouting and roaring, but more about providing calm messages and contributing to discussions around how the team should play. Not all tighthead props are as tactically aware as Furlong. Even the way he describes how he has had to change with the game across three Lions tours illustrates that. 'Rugby was so different back then,' said Furlong of his first tour in 2017. 'You're around the corner, you're just working hard and then the game kind of got into one-out carriers and I found my mould there. Furlong celebrates the Lions' second Test win. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO 'Then the game changed to more of a pass and options at the line and it kind of changed my game. 'And it's changed in a way to a hybrid of all of them at the minute, I feel. So, you try to change your game as the game changes.' Many people doubted that Furlong would get to this point where he has started all three of the Tests on this tour. That was down to the recurring hamstring and calf issues he had all season, meaning he only played once for Ireland and eight times for Leinster. But Furlong always had faith he would be right for the Lions tour. 'It wasn't a big enough injury to warrant it,' said Furlong. 'It was like, we need to get back and play here, lads, because it's on your calendar. You want it so badly. I think the cruel thing is when you go on one, you just want to go on more. You go on that first one, and you take it all in. 'The second one is kind of like you want to perform and the third one, you just want to appreciate it all because you don't want it to pass you by, you know that kind of way? 'There was a stage this season where we were having conversations with medical staff. It's like, 'What is going on here? We need to nip this stuff in the bud.' They managed to do that, and Furlong has thrived. Lions boss Andy Farrell had faith that the experienced tighthead would deliver on the big occasions. Furlong at the Lions captain's run today. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO Furlong has been rooming with Ireland and Leinster team-mate Thomas Clarkson this week as the latter continues to gain valuable experience while remaining on tour with Farrell's men. There's no one better for Clarkson to be learning from. Furlong is still only 32 and he'll hope that this tour is only the start of a period of better luck on the injury front. But he senses that tomorrow's Test will be his final one for the Lions. 'I'm not going to say I won't, I probably won't… I probably won't play for the Lions again. 'It's been very good to me. It's been very good to my career. You want to play well in it. 'I'm kind of leaving a lot of that emotional stuff behind us. Without being clinical about it, you want to give the best version of yourself to it. 'Sometimes the last memory is the lasting memory you have in a jersey. I want it to be a good one.'
The 42
3 hours ago
- The 42
Dublin and Meath name teams for All-Ireland final showdown
DUBLIN AND MEATH have named their starting teams for Sunday's All-Ireland ladies senior football final. Dublin have made one change in personnel, with Orlagh Nolan replacing Caoimhe O'Connor, while Meath are unchanged. Nolan is in line for a first inter-county start since the 2024 All-Ireland series after recovering from an ACL injury. O'Connor suffered a hamstring setback in Dublin's All-Ireland quarter-final win over Galway, but she's fit enough to make the bench. Nolan replaced O'Connor after 27 minutes on that occasion to make her return, capping an impressive substitute appearance with 0-1 — and an assist for Carla Rowe's brilliant back-heel goal in extra-time. Meath have announced the same starting fifteen that dethroned Kerry in the semi-final — and for the seventh successive game — but key defender Katie Newe is a doubt after suffering a knee injury that day. Rivals Dublin and Meath renew their rivalry in a repeat of the 2021 final, when the Royals ended the Drive for Five to win their first All-Ireland title. Advertisement Throw-in at Croke Park on Sunday is 4.15pm, with the game live on TG4. Dublin 1. Abby Shiels (Lucan Sarsfields) 2. Jess Tobin (Cuala), 3. Leah Caffrey (Na Fianna), 4. Niamh Donlon (St Oliver Punkett ER) 5. Sinéad Goldrick (Foxrock-Cabinteely), 6. Martha Byrne (Cuala), 7. Niamh Crowley (Fingallians) 8. Éilish O'Dowd (Na Fianna), 9. Hannah McGinnis (Skerries Harps) 10. Nicole Owens (St Sylvester's) 11. Carla Rowe (Clann Mhuire — captain), 12. Orlagh Nolan (Ballinteer St Johns) 13. Hannah Tyrrell (Na Fianna), 14. Niamh Hetherton (Clontarf), 15. Kate Sullivan (St Sylvester's). Meath 1. Robyn Murray (Navan O'Mahonys) 2. Áine Sheridan (St Michael's), 3. Mary Kate Lynch (Summerhill), 4. Katie Newe (Ratoath) 5. Aoibhín Cleary (Donaghmore Ashbourne, captain), 6. Sarah Wall (St Peter's Dunboyne), 7. Karla Kealy (Dunshaughlin Royal Gaels) 8. Orlaith Sheehy (Dee Rangers), 9. Marion Farrelly (St Michael's) 10. Megan Thynne (Dunsany) 11. Niamh Gallogly (Dunshaughlin Royal Gaels), 12. Ciara Smyth (Skryne) 13. Emma Duggan (St Peter's Dunboyne), 14. Vikki Wall (St Peter's Dunboyne), 15. Kerrie Cole (Na Fianna) ***** Laois and Tyrone, and Antrim and Louth, have also named their teams for the intermediate and junior finals. You can see them here. Dublin's full matchday squad is available to view here. *****
