Latest news with #Meehan
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Rory Townsend regains national champion jersey
RORY TOWNSEND WILL once again wear the National Champion jersey after the 29-year-old took the win in the Elite Men's race today, having previously been champion in 2022. The rain that drenched the course for yesterday's Women and Junior Men's races abated but the air remained warm and heavy, making conditions tough for all riders in the race hosted by Navan Road Club and Yellow Furze Road Club. Townsend takes home another Road National Championship 🏆 Read the full report👇 — Cycling Ireland (@CyclingIreland) June 29, 2025 Advertisement Local rider Sean Nolan made an early attack on his home roads but was shut down. The race saw attack after attack for the rest of the race, until a breakaway group of 10 riders got away. The group increased to 20 riders, and saw repeated attacks from Conn McDunphy and both Adam and Darren Rafferty. The sharp climbs on every lap began taking victims, and the average pace of almost 50km/h was too much for many. By the time the last lap came, a lead group of just four riders left the title to be decided by a sprint. Q36.5 rider Townsend got the jump on Jamie Meehan, and took the win ahead of Meehan in second and Patrick Casey in third. Townsend said afterwards: 'It sounds crazy but this just means so much, it's the biggest thing for me, it means everything. 'A National Championship is something you always want to win as a kid, and it makes you feel like a kid when you come back here. It's the only race I come to with my family where they're my support crew, and they have to put up with me the morning of the race, so it's a big relief to pull it off.' Along with taking silver in the overall, Meehan also took the U23 title. The AVC Aix Provence Dole rider took to the top step of the podium, ahead of Casey in second and Bahrain Victorious rider Seth Dunwoody in third. Meehan said afterwards: 'I knew if I could have went one more time, one more move, that that'd be the move, but I just didn't have it. Disappointed to lose out to Townsend in the sprint but still delighted to take home the U23 title.'
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Rory Townsend sprints to victory to claim second national road race title
Townsend and Meehan were part of a large breakaway group that spent most of the day out front before fragmenting on the final 9km circuit around Yellow Furze. This early ten-man move also contained WorldTour duo Ryan Mullen (Red Bull Bora Hansgrohe) and Darren Rafferty (EF Education) and was driven along by local hero Mullen for much of the day. 'For sure, the strongest guy all day was Ryan,' said newly crowned champion Townsend afterwards. 'He really took the race to everyone, rode so strong, but in the end the aggressive nature of the race maybe caught up with him a little bit. It was carnage.' This lead group of ten whittled down to just four in the finale, with Meehan leading them out onto the final lap with just Townsend, Rafferty and Patrick Casey of Israel Premier Tech U-23 Academy able to hang on. From this group, Townsend jumped clear again with 3km to go, with only Meehan able to bridge across to him. At the finish, the bigger more powerful Townsend had the upper hand in the sprint, with Meehan having to settle for silver in the elite race and gold in the U-23. 'There was a rolling section with about 3km to go with a bit of a tailwind that suited me so that's where I clipped away from our group,' said Townsend. 'I saw I was distancing Darren [Rafferty] and, at that point, I was feeling pretty confident. I was a little bit less confident when Jamie jumped across to me, because he's such a talent. 'I just sat on him and then banged him with 300metres to go. It's pretty simple maths – 75 kilos outweighs 50 kilos in a sprint like this. Townsend was emotional after the line and was mobbed by family and friends from Waterford where his father grew up before moving to London, and where the new national champion first took up cycling during his summer holidays. ADVERTISEMENT 'It sounds crazy but this is the biggest race of the year for me,' said Townsend through tears afterwards. 'It's the only one I struggle to sleep the night before and stuff, so it's really special. It's the one race you want to win from when you're a kid, so it makes you feel like a kid every time you come back and gives you the same feeling when you win. 'It's the only race I come to with my family, where they're my support crew and they have to put up with me in the morning before the race. It's a big relief to pull it off and make some apology for my foul mood this morning. 'We've been staying down in Lemybrien. I've been doing the old roads over the last few days. I've got my brother my dad, my uncle, all my family here with me, so it's really special. This is the biggest thing for me.' Second-placed Meehan was philosophical after going home with two medals in the combined elite / U-23 race. 'To get the elite would have been special,' he admitted of his second place on the day. 'Maybe in a few days I'll be happy with winning the U-23 but for now I'm disappointed. I had to fully commit with that group of four, stay out of that big group behind because I don't have a sprint, so I wanted as few as possible with me. 'I knew if I took a chance I could maybe get away, but Townsend put in a dig. I just hit it as hard as I could and got over to him. I went over the top of him, but he jumped on. 'I gave it another dig but he held it and said he wouldn't ride. He put in an attack and I had to give everything to hold the wheel. 'I knew if could have went one more time, that was the move, but I just couldn't go one more time, so I knew coming into the finish with him it was only going to go one way really.' Patrick Casey took third overall and the silver medal in the U-23 race three seconds later, with Darren Rafferty fourth at six seconds and recent Giro NextGen stage winner Seth Dunwoody (Bahrain Victorious U-23) leading home the chase group for fifth, 29 seconds back, and taking the bronze medal in the U-23 race.
Agriland
3 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Dairy Focus: Converting to milking to support the next generation
After being 20 years away from dairy farming, Co. Kilkenny dairy farmer, Sean Meehan has made the plunge back to milking cows in order to have something for the next generation. He told Agriland :'I wanted a future for some of the lads and there is no future in sucklers'. Meehan is now in his fourth year of milking after spending the previous 20 years at suckler cows and an off-farm business. As well as having a love for dairy cows, Meehan wanted to go back milking to have a strong farm business that he can pass down to his sons. The only way that Meehan saw this as possibility was milking cows through two robots, which would alleviate a lot of labour and pressure on the farmer. The shed for the cows to access the two robots Sean with the two GEA robots on the farm Meehan is now milking 101 British Friesian and Fleckvieh cows, and hopes to keep his herd number between 100-120 while keeping within nitrates regulations. Speaking about the two robots on the farm, Meehan said: 'You've still work to do, but it's flexible. You don't have to be up at 7:00 in the morning, every morning, and if you want to do other work, you've time'. Dairy herd performance The cows are currently milking on average about 2.4 milkings each day and producing about 29.87kg of milk/day, which equates to 570kg of milk solids/cow year off 8,043L/cow/year. The grazing block is 38ha and is split into an ABC grazing system where cows spend on average about eight hours/day in each block. They go from each block by passing through the robot milking area and getting milked if necessary. To get the ball rolling, Meehan bought 85 heifers in the first year and then climbed his numbers up to 118 the following year. This number proved to be too many the following year for nitrates compliancy, but now – with additional land rented – he hopes to get back up to those numbers. Meehan went with Fleckvieh heifers and Holstein Friesian cows to get a balance in milk production and calf value. He said that in terms of milk, 'There is a much of a muchness between the two. 'From a calf sale point of view, the Fleckvieh is much better.' The herd of cows grazing on the A morning block A closer look at the herd This year due to a lack of bull variety in the Fleckvieh range, Meehan has bought a mixture of Fleckvieh, Montbeliarde, and Friesian straws. He included Montbeliarde in the mix due to their ability to milk and add calf value to the farm, and he felt there was a good range of bulls available through Bó Sires. Meehan uses all artificial insemination (AI) throughout his 12-week breeding season, which commences around the middle of April. He said: 'Friesian cows will get conventional Fleckvieh or Montbeliarde straws and the Fleckvieh will get Friesian sexed semen. 'With the Fleckvieh or Montbeliarde, you don't mind if it's a bull or a heifer.' The reason for this was that, according to Meehan, 'the best cows in the herd are probably the crossbreds' and so he wants to continue crossing to achieve that hybrid vigour. He aims to keep 25 replacement heifer calves each year. Meehan's replacement calves grazing ahead of the cows The next generation of milkers on Meehan's farm The use of the GEA CowScout collars has been a 'revelation' for Meehan for detecting health issues, feed intake, and heat activity, as he believes his conception rates have improved due to getting the timing of AI 100%. In choosing the type of bull to mate to his cows, Meehan said that he is always looking for good milk solids, with good feet and good health traits. For the rest of the breeding season, Meehan is using Aberdeen Angus straws due to their short gestation. He has also used a few Limousin straws on cows not suitable for breeding off at the start of breeding. Meehan aims to start calving around the middle of January and to be finished before April, but highlighted that he is not overly pushed on a tight six-week calving rate. The key to the robots is having a good grazing infrastructure All roadways are in good order with multiple access points to paddocks If there is a few late calvers, it does not bother him, as he milks about 40 cows throughout Christmas, which is easily done with robots but is still achieving a 380-day calving interval. Despite the few cows milking through the Christmas period, he will give every cow at least an eight week dry-off period, and will keep winter milkers on a high quality silage and meal. The ease of robots Meehan is milking through two GEA DairyRobot R9500s, which has taken the pressure off labour and enabled him to be more efficient in managing his spring calving herd. As well as improving the lifestyle on the farm, Meehan chose automatic milking as it made sense with the existing shed, which lent itself to a conversion complemented by an additional building to house the robots. The reason Meehan went with the GEA robots was he was impressed with the fact that 'you can get down into the pit with the cows and you can manage and stay with heifers when training them'. A closer look at the GEA robot The race and access gates coming from the robots Another deciding factor was the layout of the robots. He wanted a layout that was simple, as the cows go out a single race when finished milking. He said that these little details were the deciding factor after he looked at all types of robots over three years. The cows are free to enter the robot at any time, but only animals meeting time or yield-based criteria are then milked and fed. Meehan told Agriland : 'The whole secret to yield and the robots is good grassland management.' He highlighted that through his ABC grazing system, 'you get great clean outs'. The type of residuals being achieved on the farm There are multiple access points to both paddocks and water troughs Meehan said that the cows have three different grass allocations with fresh grass in each, which he feels boosts performance through higher grass intakes and that 'the cows get used to grazing out paddocks fully'. Meehan fed the cows about 1.5t of meal/cow last year and made the rest of the diet up with quality grass. He insisted that 'the robots improve your grassland management', as keeping fresh grass in front of cows is what entices the herd to go in for milking.
Winnipeg Free Press
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Canada rugby coach Stephen Meehan names 42-man camp roster ahead of July tests
Canada rugby coach Stephen Meehan has called 42 players into camp in Edmonton ahead of July test matches against Belgium and Spain. Meehan, an Australian, was named coach in December, succeeding Kingsley Jones, who stepped down after seven years on the job. Meehan, who officially started in April, makes his coaching debut with the 24th-ranked Canadian men against No. 22 Belgium on July 12 and No. 17 Spain on July 18, with both games at Edmonton's Clarke Stadium. The final roster of 32 will be announced in early July 'Players and staff alike are really eager to get on the pitch and get the season started, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in with this squad in Edmonton,' Meehan said in a statement. 'This time together will be extremely valuable as we make our final selections for the July tests and build a strong foundation as we strive towards Rugby World Cup qualification later this year. 'We have invited a mix of experienced players and new talent and are looking forward to seeing what they each bring to camp.' After the July tests, the Canadians begin Pacific Nations Cup play Aug. 22 in Calgary against the 15th-ranked U.S. before facing No. 13 Japan on Aug. 30 in Sendai. The Pacific Nations Cup playoffs start Sept. 14 in Denver, with the finals set for Sept. 20 in Salt Lake City. The six-team tournament, which also includes No. 9 Fiji, No. 14 Samoa and No. 19 Tonga, represents Canada's first opportunity to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. The Canadian men missed out on the 2023 tournament for the first time. Meehan had previously named a 59-man long list, featuring 20 players who were uncapped in 15s. The new list features 14 uncapped players, including Jamie Armstrong, Morgan Di Nardo, Kyle Tremblay and Ethan Turner, who are capped in sevens play but not 15s. The Canadian players are scheduled to arrive in Edmonton on Friday with camp starting Saturday. The exceptions are seven members of the New England Free Jacks, who look to win a third-straight Major League Rugby title on Saturday when they take on the Houston SaberCats at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. The Free Jack players will then join the Canada camp. New England rallied to edge the Chicago Hounds 21-20 in the MLR Eastern Conference final on Saturday. Chicago's Lucas Rumball, Matt Owuru, Jason Higgins and brothers Mason and Noah Flesch all made the Canada camp roster. The Canada squad also includes Evan Olmstead, a 34-year-old forward who last played for Canada at the 2019 World Cup. The six-foot-five 247-pounder is currently playing for SU Agen in France's second tier. Olmstead was born in Canada but moved to Australia when he was three. There is also a place for Edmonton forward Kaden Duguid, the older brother of former Canadian international Tyler Duguid, who has switched international allegiance to France where he plays his club rugby. Tyler Duguid started for France 'A' in a 26-24 win over England 'A' on Saturday at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium. Uncles John and Luke Tait both represented Canada and played professionally in Europe. John Tait, formerly the Canadian women's sevens coach, is B.C. Rugby's technical director. Meehan will be assisted by defence coach Phil Mack and restart and breakdown coach Anthony Mathison. Canada Training Camp Roster (x denotes uncapped player, y- denotes capped in sevens but not 15s) Forwards Andrew Quattrin, Holland Landing, Ont., New England Free Jacks (MLR); x-Austin Creighton, Edmonton, James Bay AA; x-Caleb Ashworth, Crowborough, Harlequins FC (England); Calixto Martinez, White Rock, B.C., Old Glory DC (MLR); Callum Botchar, Vancouver, NOLA Gold (MLR); Cole Keith, Sussex N.B., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Dewald Kotze, Edmonton, Seattle Seawolves (MLR); Donald Carson, Tsawwassen, B.C., Britannia Lions; x-Emerson Prior, Brockville, Ont., Utah Warriors (MLR); Evan Olmstead, Vancouver, SU Agen (France); Foster Dewitt, Courtenay, B.C., New England Free Jacks (MLR); x-Griffin Phillipson, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, City of Armagh RFC (Northern Ireland); Izzak Kelly, White Rock, B.C., Capilano RFC; James Stockwood, Bowmanville, Ont., Oshawa Vikings; x-Jeffrey Young, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Kaden Duguid, Edmonton, NOLA Gold (MLR); x-Karl Hunger, Beaconsfield, Que., Pacific Pride; Kyle Steeves, Winnipeg, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Lucas Rumball, Toronto, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Mason Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Matt Heaton, Godmanchester, Que., RFC LA (MLR); Matthew Oworu, Calgary, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Piers Von Dadelszen, Vancouver, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Siôn Parry, Cardiff, Wales, Ebbw Vale RFC (Wales); Tyler Matchem, Pictou County, N.S., NOLA Gold (MLR). Backs Ben LeSage, Calgary, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Brock Gallagher, Edmonton, Seattle Seawolves (MLR); Cooper Coats, Halifax, NOLA Gold (MLR); y-Ethan Turner, Maple Ridge, B.C., Kalinga Black Tigers (India); Isaac Olson, Vernon, B.C., New England Free Jacks (MLR); x-Jamie Armstrong, Ottawa, University of Ottawa; Jason Higgins, Cork, Ireland, Chicago Hounds (MLR); x-Josh McIndoe, Victoria, Greerton Marist Rugby Club (New Zealand); y-Kyle Tremblay, White Rock, B.C., Pacific Pride; x-Luke Toroca, Nadi, Fiji, Langley Rugby Club; x-Maddox MacLean, Brisbane, Australia, Souths Rugby Club Brisbane (Australia); y-Morgan Di Nardo, Toronto, University of Victoria; Nic Benn, Caves Beach, Australia, Utah Warriors (MLR); Noah Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Peter Nelson, Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Dungannon RFC (Northern Ireland) x-Stephen Webb, Toronto, UBC; Talon McMullin, White Rock, B.C., UBC. Head Coach: Stephen Meehan. Assistant Coaches: Phil Mack, Anthony Mathison. — This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025
Hamilton Spectator
25-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Canada rugby coach Stephen Meehan names 42-man camp roster ahead of July tests
Canada rugby coach Stephen Meehan has called 42 players into camp in Edmonton ahead of July test matches against Belgium and Spain. Meehan, an Australian, was named coach in December, succeeding Kingsley Jones, who stepped down after seven years on the job. Meehan, who officially started in April, makes his coaching debut with the 24th-ranked Canadian men against No. 22 Belgium on July 12 and No. 17 Spain on July 18, with both games at Edmonton's Clarke Stadium. The final roster of 32 will be announced in early July 'Players and staff alike are really eager to get on the pitch and get the season started, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in with this squad in Edmonton,' Meehan said in a statement. 'This time together will be extremely valuable as we make our final selections for the July tests and build a strong foundation as we strive towards Rugby World Cup qualification later this year. 'We have invited a mix of experienced players and new talent and are looking forward to seeing what they each bring to camp.' After the July tests, the Canadians begin Pacific Nations Cup play Aug. 22 in Calgary against the 15th-ranked U.S. before facing No. 13 Japan on Aug. 30 in Sendai. The Pacific Nations Cup playoffs start Sept. 14 in Denver, with the finals set for Sept. 20 in Salt Lake City. The six-team tournament, which also includes No. 9 Fiji, No. 14 Samoa and No. 19 Tonga, represents Canada's first opportunity to qualify for the 2027 World Cup. The Canadian men missed out on the 2023 tournament for the first time. Meehan had previously named a 59-man long list, featuring 20 players who were uncapped in 15s. The new list features 12 of those uncapped players, including Jamie Armstrong, Morgan Di Nardo and Kyle Tremblay, who are capped in sevens play but not 15s. The squad includes seven members of the New England Free Jacks, who look to win a third-straight Major League Rugby title on Saturday when they take on the Houston SaberCats at Centreville Bank Stadium in Pawtucket, R.I. The Free Jack players will then join the Canada camp. New England rallied to edge the Chicago Hounds 21-20 in the MLR Eastern Conference final on Saturday. Chicago's Lucas Rumball, Matt Owuru, Jason Higgins and brothers Mason and Noah Flesch all made the Canada camp roster. The Canada squad also includes Evan Olmstead, a 34-year-old forward who last played for Canada at the 2019 World Cup. The six-foot-five 247-pounder is currently playing for SU Agen in France's second tier. Olmstead was born in Canada but moved to Australia when he was three. There is also a place for Edmonton forward Kaden Duguid, the older brother of former Canadian international Tyler Duguid, who has switched international allegiance to France where he plays his club rugby. Tyler Duguid started for France 'A' in a 26-24 win over England 'A' on Saturday at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium. Uncles John and Luke Tait both represented Canada and played professionally in Europe. John Tait, formerly the Canadian women's sevens coach, is B.C. Rugby's technical director. Meehan will be assisted by defence coach Phil Mack and restart and breakdown coach Anthony Mathison. Canada Training Camp Roster (x denotes uncapped player, y- denotes capped in sevens but not 15s) Forwards Andrew Quattrin, Holland Landing, Ont., New England Free Jacks (MLR); x-Austin Creighton, Edmonton, James Bay AA; x-Caleb Ashworth, Crowborough, Harlequins FC (England); Calixto Martinez, White Rock, B.C., Old Glory DC (MLR); Callum Botchar, Vancouver, NOLA Gold (MLR); Cole Keith, Sussex N.B., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Dewald Kotze, Edmonton, Seattle Seawolves (MLR); Donald Carson, Tsawwassen, B.C., Britannia Lions; x-Emerson Prior, Brockville, Ont., Utah Warriors (MLR); Evan Olmstead, Vancouver, SU Agen (France); Foster Dewitt, Courtenay, B.C., New England Free Jacks (MLR); x-Griffin Phillipson, Ballymoney, Northern Ireland, City of Armagh RFC (Northern Ireland); Izzak Kelly, White Rock, B.C., Capilano RFC; James Stockwood, Bowmanville, Ont., Oshawa Vikings; x-Jeffrey Young, Toronto, Toronto Nomads; Kaden Duguid, Edmonton, NOLA Gold (MLR); x-Karl Hunger, Beaconsfield, Que., Pacific Pride; Kyle Steeves, Winnipeg, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Lucas Rumball, Toronto, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Mason Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Matt Heaton, Godmanchester, Que., RFC LA (MLR); Matthew Oworu, Calgary, Chicago Hounds (MLR); Piers Von Dadelszen, Vancouver, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Siôn Parry, Cardiff, Wales, Ebbw Vale RFC (Wales); Tyler Matchem, Pictou County, N.S., NOLA Gold (MLR). Backs Ben LeSage, Calgary, New England Free Jacks (MLR); Brock Gallagher, Edmonton, Seattle Seawolves (MLR); Cooper Coats, Halifax, NOLA Gold (MLR); y-Ethan Turner, Maple Ridge, B.C., Kalinga Black Tigers (India); Isaac Olson, Vernon, B.C., New England Free Jacks (MLR); Jamie Armstrong, Ottawa, University of Ottawa; Jason Higgins, Cork, Ireland, Chicago Hounds (MLR); x-Josh McIndoe, Victoria, Greerton Marist Rugby Club (New Zealand); y-Kyle Tremblay, White Rock, B.C., Pacific Pride; Luke Toroca, Nadi, Fiji, Langley Rugby Club; x-Maddox MacLean, Brisbane, Australia, Souths Rugby Club Brisbane (Australia); y-Morgan Di Nardo, Toronto, University of Victoria; Nic Benn, Caves Beach, Australia, Utah Warriors (MLR); Noah Flesch, Cobourg, Ont., Chicago Hounds (MLR); Peter Nelson, Dungannon, Northern Ireland, Dungannon RFC (Northern Ireland) x-Stephen Webb, Toronto, UBC; Talon McMullin, White Rock, B.C., UBC. Head Coach: Stephen Meehan. Assistant Coaches: Phil Mack, Anthony Mathison. —- This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025
