Linfield's Champions League first leg with Shelbourne to be broadcast live
The Irish broadcaster have revealed that they have added the mouth-watering cross-border tie to their schedule on Wednesday July 9, with the game set for RTÉ2 and the RTÉ Player.
The news will go a little bit of the way to soften the blow that Blues fans received when it was revealed that their away allocation would be limited to just 280 tickets due to a restricted capacity at Tolka Park.
A club statement read: "The club is extremely disappointed at receiving such a limited allocation for such an important and eagerly anticipated game, however this is completely out of our control."
In a statement to the Belfast Telegraph, RTÉ have confirmed that the broadcast will not be geo-blocked and therefore will be available to view in Northern Ireland.
RTÉ have also confirmed that they will not be broadcasting the return leg at Windsor Park, with the Belfast Telegraph revealing last week that BBC Northern Ireland are keen on those rights.
What was already a blockbuster qualifying tie between the Sports Direct Premiership and League of Ireland champions was made even more tasty when Shelbourne manager Damien Duff stepped down from his role on Sunday.
The former Republic of Ireland winger departed the club, who are fifth in the division having won just seven of their 23 games this season and are 14 points adrift of leaders Shamrock Rovers.
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Scotsman
6 hours ago
- Scotsman
How the Scots rated in Lions' big win over Western Force as injury causes concern
Russell composed and creative as tourists score eight tries in first match in Australia Sign up to our Rugby Union newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... A convincing start for the British and Irish Lions down under produced eight tries and a half century of points but the most pleasing aspect from a Scottish point of view was the performance of Finn Russell. The stand-off burnished his Test credentials with a clever and imaginative 60-minute outing in Perth where he was at the heart of the tourists' best moments against Western Force. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The hosts were spirited opponents in the first half but couldn't live with the Lions after the break as the composite side ran out 54-7 winners. It wasn't all sweetness and light for the Lions. They botched a number of restarts and conceded nine penalties, six of them in the first 40 minutes. They also lost two-try scrum-half Tomos Williams to a hamstring injury which will be a concern for head coach Andy Farrell. It may also alert Scotland's Ben White, a potential replacement who is currently in New Zealand with Gregor Townsend's squad. Finn Russell (R) and Sione Tuipulotu of the British & Irish Lions celebrate after their victory during the tour match against the Western Force at the Optus Stadium in Perth. | Getty Images Back in Perth, there was also a try double for full-back Elliot Daly as Dan Sheehan, Garry Ringrose, Joe McCarthy and Alex Mitchell scored the other tries. Nic White, the Wallabies scrum-half, countered early on for Force. McCarthy, Daly, Mack Hansen and Henry Pollock were all stand-outs in red at Optus Stadium and Russell was the creative fulcrum. He was also a physical influence, disrupting the home side's attack, particularly during a frenetic first quarter when Western Force were at their disruptive best, roared on by 46,000 supporters. Russell's discreet hand signal paved way for third try This is Russell's third Lions tour and, at 32, it could be his last. He got a taste of the Test team in the decider against the Springboks four years ago after injury disrupted his time in South Africa but this feels like his moment. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He took two minutes to make an impact against Force, executing a perfect kick-pass to Sheehan who was loitering on the right wing. It is the sort of move Russell makes looks easy and it opened things up nicely for the Irish hooker. The Lions captain for the night popped it back to James Lowe who returned the favour with a smart offload out the back for Sheehan to score the opening try. Russell added the extra two points, his first of five successful conversions. White hit back immediately for the hosts after the Lions lost possession at the restart and Ben Donaldson's conversion evened things up at 7-7. There followed some shaky moments for the Lions. They gave away four penalties in the opening four minutes and were warned by referee Ben O'Keeffe but they weather the storm and a great break from Pollock helped reestablish their lead. The youngest Lion on tour exchanged passes with Josh van der Flier, raced away and then had the awareness to find the supporting Williams who scored. At this point, things became turgid for the Lions and Western Force were enjoying more possession and territory. It took another moment of Russell inspiration to put the tourists in the driving seat. With Force expecting him to kick a penalty, Russell gave a discreet hand signal to his team-mates, tapped and sped towards the line. He was stopped short but managed to offload to Daly for the try. Getty Images Pollock's celebrations in front of the Force players sparked a brief melee and he was yellow-carded soon after but the Lions went in at the turn 21-7 ahead and never looked back. Three tries in an eight-minute spell early in the second half took the game away from the Australians and the Lions' strength from the bench meant they dominated. Williams got his second try but injured his hamstring in the process and Ringrose and McCarthy also got on the scoresheet as the Lions moved 40-7 in front. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Lions debut for Huw Jones Huw Jones came on for his Lions debut and linked up with Sione Tuipulotu in the centre. Jones has been nursing a persistent Achilles injury since the Six Nations but looked sprightly as he intercepted a White pass and chased his own kick. He and Tuipulotu then combined nicely with a move straight out of Scotstoun but Jones was tackled just short. Tuipulotu, who started at inside centre, was busy but not quite as influential as he had been during the send-off match against Argentina in Dublin when he had been at 13. It would be nice to see him starting alongside Jones and that opportunity should soon arise, with the Lions due to play Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday and then the Waratahs in Sydney next Saturday. Getty Images The other starting Scots were in the pack. Edinburgh prop Pierre Schoeman was part of a scrum that struggled at times but looked dangerous in the loose, while Glasgow lock Scott Cummings was culpable during the first-half restarts but was solid in the lineout. Russell made way for Marcus Smith just after the hour mark and the Lions ran in two more tries in the final 10 minutes. Daly nabbed his second after being played in by Smith following good work by the Lions pack and then Mitchell scored the final try with the clock in the red following some smart handling by Daly, Tuipulotu and Hansen. Smith converted both. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It was a satisfactory evening for Farrell, a big improvement on the Argentina game which was lost 28-24, with a caveat around the standard of the opposition. Western Force finished ninth of 11 teams in the Super Rugby standings, winning just four of their 14 games, but they did field six current Wallabies against the Lions. White, their extravagantly moustachioed scrum-half, said he had wanted to 'bash and bruise' the tourists ahead of the Test series. Williams' injury excepted, the Lions came through relatively unscathed and looking a lot more cohesive than they had in Dublin. With Russell at the helm, they will roll on to Brisbane in good spirits. Teams and scorers Scorers: Western Force: Try: White. Con: Donaldson. Lions: Tries: Sheehan, Williams 2, Daly 2, Ringrose, McCarthy, Mitchell. Cons: Russell 5, M Smith 2. Yellow card: Pollock (Lions, 40min). Western Force: B Donaldson; M Grealy, M Proctor, H Stewart, D Pietsch; A Harford, N White (capt); T Robertson, B Paenga-Amosa, O Hoskins, S Carter, D Swain, W Harris, N Champion de Crespigny, V Ekuasi. Replacements: T Horton, M Pearce, T Tauakipulu, L Faifua, R Prinsep, H Robertson, M Burey, B Kuenzie. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad British and Irish Lions: E Daly; M Hansen, G Ringrose, S Tuipulotu, J Lowe; F Russell, T Williams; P Schoeman, D Sheehan (capt), T Furlong, S Cummings, J McCarthy, T Beirne, J Van der Flier, H Pollock. Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, W Stuart, O Chessum, J Conan, A Mitchell, H Jones, M Smith. Referee: Ben O'Keeffe (NZ).
Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Wales Online
Lions player ratings as Henry Pollock pure X factor but Irish duo need to up games
Lions player ratings as Henry Pollock pure X factor but Irish duo need to up games The British & Irish Lions are up and running. British & Irish Lions players react following their rugby match win against the Western Force in Perth (Image: AP Photo/Trevor Collens ) The British & Irish Lions got their tour of Australia off to a winning start with a comprehensive 54-7 victory over the Western Force in Perth. It was by no means perfect and they did endure a ropey first half but Andy Farrell's side seemed to click after the break as they crossed for eight tries in total. There were a number of impressive individual performances, while one or two others were below par and will need to up their game to make the Test side. Here are your player ratings. 15. Elliot Daly 7 A few eyebrows were raised when Daly was named in Farrell's original squad but this was an assured performance from the Englishman. His positional play was first class, while his kicking out of hand put the Force under pressure. Article continues below Daly does the less fashionable things well as he hit some good angles and some neat passing unlocked the Force defence. Grabbed himself a brace of tries. 14. Mack Hansen 7 The Connacht man did not have the best of first halves and was outplayed by Force wing Dylan Pietsch but he was much better after the break. Hansen hit some good lines in the second half while a nice offload to James Lowe ended up with Tomos Williams scoring in the early stages of the second half. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby. He also put in a couple of key defensive interventions and his performance will have pleased Farrell. 13. Garry Ringrose 6 Defended well and brought with his line speed cutting off the Force attack on a couple of occasions during the first half. Ringrose was quietly effective, claiming a try during the second half but will need to up his game if he is to cement a spot in the Test side. 12. Sione Tuipulotu 7 Like many players Tuipulotu was quiet during the first half but came to life after the break. The Scotland star finished the game as the top carrier with 16, while he hit some good angles to rip through the Force defence. It's going to be tight between Tuipulotu and Bundee Aki for the number 12 shirt against the Wallabies. 11. James Lowe 8 The left-wing put in a strong performance on his Lions debut. He may not have got himself on the scoreboard but he played an influential role in five of the tries. A sumptuous offload put Dan Sheehan over, while he made a number of line breaks and his passing under pressure was top class. Lowe was used infield regularly and was effective as a playmaker. 10. Finn Russell 8 This was an assured display from the Lions playmaker who outlined why he is the frontrunner to wear the number 10 shirt against the Wallabies. Russell's range of passing unlocked the Force defence throughout the second half while his decision to take a penalty quickly set up Daly's try. He also kicked 10 points from the kicking tee and controlled the game well. 9. Tomos Williams 8 The Wales scrum-half put in a fine individual performance but it was ruined by an injury in the act of scoring a try. Williams was a constant threat with ball in hand and his support lines resulted in two tries for the Gloucester number nine. The 30-year-old's service was also slick while he got the balance right between when to kick, run and pass. Farrell will be hoping his injury is not too serious because he was excellent in Perth. Join WalesOnline Rugby's WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free 8. Henry Pollock 8 This kid is pure X-factor and has the ability to rip open the tightest of defences. Unlocked the Force defence with a stunning break before offloading to Williams for their second try. Pollock also regathered his own kick to set up the Lions' sixth try to hammer home his point of difference. There are still a few too many errors in his game but with Pollock on the field Farrell knows there will be at least three or four standout moments which can turn a game in their favour. Blotted his copybook with a yellow card. 7. Josh van der Flier 7 The experienced Irishman put in a huge defensive shift with 22 tackles made as he helped keep the Force to just the one try in what was a ferocious onslaught by the hosts during the opening quarter. His counter rucking is an underrated part of the game while he also carried well. But there were no turnovers for the Leinster star with referee Ben O'Keeffe not awarding a single jackal penalty over the course of the 80 minutes. 6. Tadhg Beirne 5 Not his greatest game. The experienced forward wasn't at his dynamic best and conceded too many penalties in the first half. Beirne was effective at the lineout but there were no trademark carries or turnovers from the Ireland star. He can play much better than this and needs to up his game over the next few weeks. 5. Scott Cummings 5 The Scotsman got through a lot of work in making five carries and 12 tackles while he also denied the Force a try at the stroke of half-time by holding the hosts up over the line. This was a tidy performance but he did not set the world on fire either. The Force pack were on top for most of the first half before they tired and the Lions gained the upper hand after the break. Cummings didn't do enough to threaten the Test side. 4. Joe McCarthy (Star man) 9 Outstanding! The Irish lock made some key interventions while the Lions were under pressure in the first half. A tremendous rip at the maul probably saved a try, while he achieved two further turnovers. McCarthy made 15 powerful carries and caused havoc with his counter rucking while he also put in 17 tackles. Claimed a well-deserved try for good measure and has put down a strong claim to partner Maro Itoje at lock for the Tests. 3. Tadhg Furlong 5 This was not his greatest game. It will probably go under the radar due to the margin of victory but the Lions scrum struggled and Wallabies loosehead Tom Robertson had Furlong under huge pressure. The experienced Ireland tighthead was also not as prominent as usual around the park. He needs to up his game. 2. Dan Sheehan 6 The Lions captain put in a solid performance with 12 tackles and five carries. Sheehan also scored the opening try with and put in a big shift around the park even if he did not set the world alight. On the whole the lineout was a lot better than it was against Argentina in Dublin which is credit to Sheehan. Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here. 1. Pierre Schoeman 5 The Scotland prop was industrious if not spectacular with 10 tackles and four carries. But he was under severe pressure at a couple of scrums and another referee would have penalised the Lions. Needs to do better if he is to have a chance of overtaking Ellis Genge and Andrew Porter for the Tests. Replacements 16. Ronan Kelleher 6 Only got 14 minutes on the field but got a few powerful carries, while the lineout functioned well. 17. Andrew Porter 6 Solid upon entering the fray with a couple of decent carries and scrummaged well. 18. Will Stuart 6 The Gallagher Premiership winner was solid and will fancy his chances of putting pressure on Tadhg Furlong for the Test team. 19. Ollie Chessum 7 The England star looked very prominent after coming onto the field and ensured the lineout ran smoothly. 20. Jack Conan 6 A couple of powerful carries but also fumbled the ball forward once when the Lions had momentum. 21. Alex Mitchell 7 Looked sharp after replacing Williams and finished a try superbly at the death. 22. Huw Jones 6 The Scotland centre looked dangerous will ball in hand and will surely get a start against the Queensland Reds in midweek. Article continues below 23. Marcus Smith 7 Did well after replacing Russell with his vision and passing helping to add a few extra tries. Also contributed four points from the kicking tee.
Scottish Sun
8 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Western Force 7 British & Irish Lions 54: Tourists run riot in Perth but Tomos Williams hands worrying injury scare
Scroll down to see the scorers Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Henry Pollock announced himself to the Aussie public as the Lions romped to an eight-try win to get the tour up and running. But there was an injury scare when scrum-half Tomos Williams limped off with hamstring trouble after pulling up after scoring his second try after 47 minutes. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 The British and Irish Lions roared to a 54-7 thrashing of Western Force Credit: Getty 2 But Tomos Williams handed the Lions a major injury scare Credit: Getty And that could spell bad news for the Lions with Jamison Gibson-Park currently sidelined and Alex Mitchell the only other nine here. Northampton back row Pollock made a try, got involved in a scrap with Western Force lock Darcy Swain, got yellow carded and threw a horror pass to James Lowe behind his own line. And that was just in the first half. If the Australians did not know who Pollock is they do now and it looks like he is going to be making plenty of noise down under for the next few weeks. The 20-year-old was one of the Lions to stand up - despite his card – and was always involved in the thick of the action and must have a fighting chance of making the Test 23. It took just 16 minutes for Pollock to let the Australians know he had arrived when he set up Tomos Williams' score and he never went away. Farrell was fuming after last Friday's 28-24 defeat to Argentina in Dublin which got the tour off on the wrong foot and nothing but a thumping win would do here. The boss had seven familiar Irish faces in his starting line-up including captain for the day and hooker Dan Sheehan as the countdown to the first Test in Brisbane in three weeks started properly. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Western Force finished ninth of 11 in Super Rugby this season and were missing some players who had been kept in Wallaby camp by Aussie head coach Joe Schmidt. But if the travelling fans were expecting an easy ride they had an early alarm call after skipper Dan Sheehan had finished off from Finn Russell's cross kick and a one-two with James Lowe after 95 seconds. 'Cried like a baby didn't ya-' - Watch Andy Farrell embarrass Ireland star over reaction to Lions call-up Force have not played for a month but it didn't show as they put the tourists under the pump and former Exeter scrum-half Nic White dived it over to level it on four minutes. But then came Pollock with a storming run after playing a one-two with Josh van der Flier. Pollock was caught short of the line but popped the ball up for Williams to score. Then Elliot Daly scored after Finn Russell's crafty quick tap and run and Pollock and Swain had some afters following the Englishman's celebration. Then Pollock was carded for playing the ball on the floor but he took one for the team there as the Lions were on a warning. It was over as a game when Williams went over for his second and with Garry Ringrose's score, it was 33-7 before Joe McCarthy helped the tourists get to 40 after Pollock's kick had pinned Force back. Daly added a second as tourists cruised past 40 and Force were done with Mitchell bringing up the 50. Scorers: Western Force: Try: White; Con: Donaldson British & Irish Lions: Tries: Sheehan, Williams (2), Daly (2), Ringrose, McCarthy, Mitchell; Cons: Russell (5), Smith (2)
