Latest news with #TomAhern
Irish Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Munster's versatile Tom Ahern hopes he can live up to ‘Slim Reaper' moniker in summer Tests
Simon Zebo refers to Tom Ahern as the 'Slim Reaper' whenever the opportunity arises. Given the fusion of a slim, 6ft 9in build with a knack of scoring tries, it's a moniker that fits. US basketball great Kevin Durant beat Ahern to the nickname, but the American star is less well known in Youghal, Dungarvan and Waterpark circles. Ahern is part of the Ireland squad for the two Test summer series in Georgia and Portugal. He's been within arm's reach of a first cap in the past only to be denied by injury. And it is that bedfellow that's unfortunately looming in the background. Connacht's Josh Murphy has been called in to train with the Ireland squad in advance of next Wednesday's departure to Georgia as Ahern looks to shake off a hamstring niggle. He'll be managed carefully. READ MORE Two years at Irish under-20s and a place on the first Emerging Ireland tour underlined his potential. Being called up for the week leading into the Scotland match in the Six Nations this year provided not only a confidence boost, but Ahern also took some impetus back to Munster. 'It's a fantastic, exceptional group and I was buzzing when I got called up to the Six Nations, even though it was just a week,' Ahern said. 'I was delighted to be up here, just working with the class coaches, class players, and it definitely gave me a bit of confidence to push on the rest of the season [in the hope] of ending up back here.' The default setting for most players is to try to be philosophical about injuries, acknowledging these as a byproduct of playing sport. In that respect, the 25-year-old is no different. Shoulder surgery, an ankle issue and concussion are just some of those hurdles he's had to negotiate. He describes the setbacks 'as tough moments', but doesn't dwell on them. Life has taught him to surround himself with good, positive people as this helps in discarding disappointment as quickly as possible, whether that's personal or from a team perspective. There was an element of frustration to how Munster's season finished, but there's no worthwhile baggage to be carried forward. Ahern's rangy athleticism was honed initially in the GAA, playing football and hurling for his local club Ardmore, where there was a family background in the sport. A summer camp in his mother's hometown introduced him to rugby. He loved it and he kept playing in Youghal, Dungarvan and Waterpark, before being chosen for the Munster academy and provincial and national age-grade teams. Munster's Tom Ahern scores a try in March's URC match against Connacht. Photograph: James Crombie/INPHO Last year he doubled up with Munster, playing in the backrow as well as secondrow, a versatility that has stood to him in much the same way as it has Tadhg Beirne or Ryan Baird. Ahern didn't have to look too far for help in broadening those horizons. 'I have good lads in Munster. I've got Pete [O'Mahony] who was very helpful towards my game when I was playing six. I have Leams [assistant coach Denis Leamy] as well, very helpful, so definitely a lot more comfortable playing [six] this season,' he said. Ahern was asked whether there was large-scale similarity in detail between Munster and Ireland and what differences they were in terms of the two positions. 'I suppose down in Munster it's a bit different from up here [with Ireland],' he said. 'I think up here everybody in the pack is kind of in the middle of the field working together. While back down in Munster it's usually the two backrows are kind of holding the edges a bit more, so you're playing [out wide] a bit more. So, it's only really different down in Munster; up here whether you're playing secondrow or backrow it's similar enough.' The Ardmore native is surrounded by several familiar faces in terms of the coaching team with Leamy and Mike Prendergast , and the tour captain, scrumhalf Craig Casey . Ahern was also asked about Casey's leadership qualities. 'He's a fantastic leader on and off the field. There's not a more dedicated man in this sport. All the stuff he does off the field goes unseen to most people, but he's such a good leader, a good guy in general. He's the perfect person for this tour because everybody gets behind him and there's great energy around the place,' he said. 'Mike's a class coach and I think he's done very well since he's been up here, same with Leams, same with Collie [Tucker, who also coached Ahern at Irish 20s]; I think they've all been fantastic. They're all kind of just finding their bearings as well at the same time. It's a new environment for all of them, but I think they've done an excellent job so far.' Ahern will be keeping fingers crossed that the hamstring injury goes away. He deserves his chance to take a giant stride forward in career terms.
Irish Examiner
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
Munster's Tom Ahern eyes Ireland debut amid injury setbacks
Anyone who has watched the progress of Tom Ahern's rugby career will have emitted another sigh at Friday's Ireland squad update ahead of next Saturday's Test against Georgia. The Munster lock/flanker's efforts to make his Ireland debut have been repeatedly stymied by injury over the last two years and the latest news that the reason Connacht's Josh Murphy had joined Paul O'Connell's squad prior to Wednesday's departure for Tbilisi was to provide cover for Ahern's tight hamstring suggested a similar fate may befall the Waterford man's latest bid for Test recognition. The 25-year-old has not been ruled out and may well earn his first international cap over the next two Saturdays with Ireland set to face Portugal in Lisbon on July 12. Ahern has been nothing if not resilient in the past and spoke of his national squad travails earlier this week when he faced the media in camp at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Abbottstown. Named by head coach Andy Farrell as one of three uncapped training panellists alongside provincial team-mate Oli Jager and a certain Sam Prendergast ahead of the 2024 Six Nations, he was concussed against Northampton Saints in the match prior to entering camp. Then, a little more than four months after a string of strong performances for Munster had placed him in the frame for a spot in the summer touring squad to face the Springboks in South Africa, an ankle/lower leg injury against Ulster in the final round of the URC regular season scuppered his hopes of boarding the plane. 'Look, it's happened a couple of times now and obviously initially you're very disappointed but it's the nature of the game. You've got to pick yourself back up,' Ahern said. 'I've got a good support system around me and I'm going to move past that eventually and focus on the next job and try to eventually get back up here again.' Ahern did just that and is aiming to embrace his latest opportunity in the national camp. 'I'm buzzing to be honest. I've been unlucky with a couple of injuries but that's the nature of the game to be fair. 'I'm just taking these next couple of weeks in my stride and just delighted to be up here. 'I think the overall feeling is excitement. First, I'm excited to be up here and I think likewise with everybody else. A lot of lads getting their first opportunities up here and there's a great buzz around the place.' Ahern's candidacy for a place in the matchday 23 to face the Georgians remains strong and Munster's strong if ultimately disappointing end to the season has sent its 10-player contingent, led by tour captain Craig Casey, into camp in confident mood. Two big wins in their final URC league encounters secured Champions Cup rugby for next season and booked a return to play-offs, where the Sharks edged them out at the quarter-final stage in a goal-kicking shootout after the tie had finished 24-24 after extra time. 'It obviously didn't end the way that we wanted it, it's a tough way to go out but we were playing good rugby towards the end of the season and a lot of the lads that are up here were playing good ball as well,' Ahern said. 'So, we can take the confidence from everybody individually playing well and so hopefully we can bring it up here now.' With good fortune, that tight hamstring will not stand in his way, and if anyone deserved a slice of that, it is Ahern.
Irish Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Hopes high at Munster's Tom Ahern will travel and get his Ireland cap
Tom Ahern is hoping to lay the jinx that has followed his fledgling Ireland career around the Waterford-born second/back-row is 25 years-of-age now, made his Munster debut against Dragons in 2020 and was almost ever-present for the rest of the season, playing 19 times all told, 10 of them as wasn't a Munster fan across six counties doubting he was a chip off the right red block and the view was Andy Farrell-endorsed as was called into Ireland panel on a trainee-invite in November continued as he was with Emerging Ireland in South Africa in September/October 2022 and, unusually, was involved in all three games leading to him being selected for the Ireland A squad that a shoulder injury intervened and,chosen again for the Ireland A to play England earlier this year injury intervened having been selected for the Ireland tour to Georgia and Portugal this summer he is on tenterhooks as a tightening hamstring is threatening his participation, so much so the IRFU called in Connacht's Josh Murphy as cover - just in case."I've been unlucky with a couple of injuries, it's happened a couple of times now and obviously initially you're very disappointed but that's the nature of the game to be fair," he says."I was buzzing when I got called up to the Six Nations again this year even though it was just a week, I was delighted to be up here, just working with the class coaches, class players ."It definitely gave me a bit of confidence to push on the rest of the season and hopefully end up back here."You've got to pick yourself back up. I've got a good support system around me and I'm going to move past that eventually and focus on the next job and try to eventually get back up here again.''I'm just taking these next couple of weeks in my stride and overall just delighted to be up here.'To have been chosen for Ireland was a post-season boost following a trying time at Munster in both the Champions Cup where they lost an away quarter to Bordeaux and the URC where they lost in a quarter-final penalty shoot at Sharks.'It obviously didn't end the way that we wanted it. It's a tough way to go out but we were playing good rugby towards the end of the season and a lot of the lads that are up here were playing good ball as well.'So, we can take the confidence from everybody individually playing well and so hopefully we can bring it up here now.'There were also some eyebrows raised initially as the club coaching staff began to ease him from second-row to the far more dynamic back-row slot.'Definitely got a lot more comfortable there, I've had good lads in Munster, the likes of Pete (O'Mahony), who's very helpful towards my game, when I was playing no6. "I've Denis Leamy who is very helpful to me as well so definitely a lot more comfortable there this season. It's whichever for me, I'm happy to do either."I suppose down in Munster it's a bit different to up here, I think up here everybody in the pack is in the middle of the field working together, while back in Munster it's usually the two back-rows that are holding the edges a bit more."So you're playing out wide a bit more and it's really different down in Munster. Up here it's kind of similar enough playing second-row or back row.'An interesting observation given his non-rugby background."Nobody played rugby in my family, it was all GAA, a big GAA family. I played hurling football with my local club, Ardmore, until I was about 16 and then once I kind of got into the East Munster set-up."It was just I'd gone to a rugby summer camp in the town where my mum's from and got a love for it there and just kept playing all the way up through, down in Youghal, down in Dungarvan, down in Waterpark. "That's kind of my underage background before I moved up to Limerick and into the Academy and played for Shannon then as mentioned that Ireland A and Ireland senior cap has been within reach but that does mean hasn't played against top international opposition - there was the Munster-All Blacks game in October 2024, quite the close run thing."What they definitely brought that day was a lot of physicality and it kind of initially caught us off guard and we didn't perform how we wanted on that day but I'd say the big takeaway was the physicality aspect."They were quality players we played that day and we had the front up and like I said the physicality aspect and the speed of ball was a serious pace as well."I'd imagine they'd (Georgia/Portugal) be similar enough now in the next couple of games. Both those teams work off massive physicality, it would be an increase in tempo from the club game." 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 (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)*, Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)(10), 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)
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Murphy added to Ireland squad as Ahern injury cover
Connacht second row Josh Murphy has been called up to train with the Ireland squad as injury cover for Tom Ahern. In a squad update issued on Friday morning, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) said Munster's Ahern was dealing with "hamstring tightness". The uncapped Murphy will remain with the squad in Dublin before Wednesday's departure to Tbilisi ahead of Tests against Georgia on 5 July (18:00 BST) and Portugal in Lisbon on 12 July (19:00 BST). The 30-year-old, who can operate in the second and back rows, has played 39 times for Connacht after joining from Leinster in 2022. Having taken a year out of professional rugby in 2023-24, he returned last year and made 21 appearances - 17 of which were starts - for Connacht, scoring four tries. Murphy is one of six training panellists in interim head coach Paul O'Connell's squad, alongside Brian Gleeson, Diarmuid Kilgallen, Evan O'Connell (all Munster), Jude Postlethwaite and Zac Ward (both Ulster).
The 42
04-06-2025
- General
- The 42
Casey captains Ireland squad including 11 uncapped players
IRELAND HAVE INCLUDED 11 uncapped players in their 32-man squad for next month's Tests against Georgia and Portugal, with Craig Casey named as the Irish captain. Tom Ahern, Michael Milne, Shayne Bolton, Nathan Doak, Ben Murphy, Tommy O'Brien, Alex Kendellen, Darragh Murray, Paddy McCarthy, Stephen Smyth and Hugh Gavin will all hope to win their first Ireland caps. Three other uncapped players – James McNabney, Jude Postlethwaite and Zac Ward – will link up with Ireland as additional 'training panellists' ahead of the tour. With Andy Farrell, most of his assistant coaches, and 15 Ireland players away on Lions duty, the new-look Irish squad will be led by interim head coach Paul O'Connell. Advertisement Munster scrum-half Casey will captain Ireland for the first time on their summer tour as he returns to the international fold having missed this year's Six Nations due to injury. Ireland have confirmed that Ulster duo Iain Henderson and Rob Herring were not considered for selection having only recently returned from injuries, allowing them a full pre-season, while Leinster centre Robbie Henshaw was ruled out due to injury. The IRFU says that broadcast details for the match against Georgia in Tbilisi on Saturday 5 July and against Portugal in Lisbon on Saturday 12 July will follow once confirmed by the host unions. Ireland squad for 2025 summer tour: Forwards (18): Tom Ahern (Shannon/Munster)* Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster)(27) Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht)(51) 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) Backs (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)* Calvin Nash (Young Munster/Munster)(10) 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) Training Panellists: James McNabney (City of Armagh/Ulster)* Jude Postlethwaite (City of Armagh/Ulster)* Zac Ward (Ballynahinch/Ulster)* *denotes uncapped
