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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ireland legend claims Jack Crowley ‘not getting any love' and ‘everything is being handed to Sam Prendergast'
ANDREW TRIMBLE claimed Jack Crowley has "not been getting any love" amid his battle with Sam Prendergast for Ireland's No10 jersey. 2 Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley are competing for the Ireland No10 jersey Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile 2 Andrew Trimble gave his take on the duel Credit: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile It started well, as he helped However, an underwhelming performance against the All Blacks that November has seen The 22-year-old started in all but one of Ireland's Six Nations games this year, with Crowley getting the nod from This has continued into the summer series, with Prendergast starting the win over Georgia while Crowley replaced him in the starting XV in the Read More on Ireland Rugby Speaking on Virgin Media Sport before the latter, Andrew Trimble expressed sympathy for the Munster man, who he believes has not done all that much wrong. The former Ulster wing said: "It has been difficult and I suppose as Irish rugby commentators or people who are interested, we are often obsessed with 10. "We were obsessed with Johnny Sexton for years. "We felt like, okay, Jack Crowley stepped up, won a Six Nations, filled the shoes of Johnny Sexton. Okay, we can stop talking about this for a while. Cue Prendergast. Most read in Rugby Union "It's been complex, it's been difficult to get your head around exactly what is going on or what the mechanisms are." Trimble believes Crowley has fallen victim to Farrell's ruthlessness, while suggesting Sam Prendergast has not had it as hard. Craig Casey shares hilarious 'fear' weighing on him before captaining Ireland for first time vs Georgia He added: "Farrell is known for reading the room, understanding people, connecting with people, but he's also lesser known for being ruthless. "On this occasion, I think we have seen the ruthless version of Farrell because we have not heard from Crowley. "He has gotten absolutely no love from internally. "Everything has been handed to Prendergast and I think their graphs have crossed a little bit." The 40-year-old praised Crowley for responding to circumstances with aplomb. In the Portugal game that followed Trimble's comments, he kicked 12 of 15 conversions. And the former Ireland international said: "I think we have seen a very good version of him. "I think we have seen a lot of character in him that maybe we haven't seen from other people if they were in the same circumstances. "Prendergast probably dropped off towards the end of the season and then the debate has raged as a result but I think Crowley has really handled himself admirably. "Looking in from the outside, it doesn't look apparent and obvious what he has done wrong. "You can only assume there is something; maybe he hasn't led the team correctly. maybe he hasn't managed the week correctly behind the scenes. "I don't know but certainly what you see on the pitch, it seems tough his last six or nine months since Prendergast got that start."
The 42
17-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Colin Keane wins opening day feature race at Royal Ascot
FIELD OF GOLD lit up the first day of Royal Ascot with a dominant display in the St James's Palace Stakes. John and Thady Gosden's colt had been a fast-finishing second behind Ruling Court in the 2000 Guineas before easily winning the Irish equivalent, while the French Guineas winner Henri Matisse was also running. There was no doubt who emerged as the best of the three though, as Colin Keane breezed through on the 8-11 favourite before bursting clear to beat Henri Matisse by three and a half lengths, with Ruling Court back in third. 𝐖𝐨𝐰. 𝐖𝐨𝐰. 𝐖𝐨𝐰. Field of Gold absolutely storms home in The St James's Palace Stakes under Colin Keane! ☘️ — Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) June 17, 2025 Advertisement Field Of Gold has now charted the same route as his sire Kingman, who also suffered defeat at Newmarket before gaining Irish redemption and adding Royal Ascot glory when trained by John Gosden. 'Like father, like son,' said Gosden, in reference to Kingman's win in 2014. 'The nerves may have got to the trainer beforehand but thankfully not to the horse or the jockey. 'It was great, a great performance and Oisin (Murphy) did a nice job on Windlord setting an even pace and he came to the head of the straight and he had a lot of horse. 'For a moment I was thinking 'whoops, this is Ascot and it climbs and have we gone a bit soon'. I wasn't watching him, I was looking back as you always have to do here, but fortunately none of the dangers were coming to get him. 'He always impressed as a two-year-old but he was a big boy and slightly outgrew himself. We ran him in France which was a mistake in itself and I should have run him in the Dewhurst and I regret that. But this year he has been exemplary in everything he has done and he's a pleasure to train because he is a pretty relaxed character.' Gosden admitted the Irish 2,000 Guineas had not originally been part of Field Of Gold's intended campaign, which could influence where the colt heads next. He added: 'It was never the plan to go to Ireland and he's had a trial and two Guineas and now this which is a lot of racing and we're not even halfway through the season yet. 'Maybe (we'll) freshen him up now and go to the Sussex, but we will see. If we hadn't gone to Ireland, I would have been keen to go to the Eclipse. 'When they win like that and make it look easy they do take a lot out of themselves and I don't want to be someone seen running him back quick in an Eclipse straight off the back of this.'
Irish Independent
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Independent
League of Ireland: All tonight's action as it happens with Shelbourne v Shamrock Rovers the pick of the games
Live | Ben Blake Today at 14:00 It's another action-packed evening in the League of Ireland with four Premier Division games up for decision. Follow all the action as it unfolds in our liveblog. Premier Division (All kick-offs 7.45pm) Derry City v Galway United Cork City v Bohemians St Patrick's Athletic v Drogheda United Shelbourne v Shamrock Rovers First Division Athlone Town v Kerry Dundalk v UCD Finn Harps v Wexford Treaty United v Bray Wanderers 3 minutes ago Bradley on the "hectic schedule" ahead The Hoops boss has been speaking to Virgin Media's Bernard O'Toole pre-game: "I always like the break, whether you're playing games or not, winning games or not. It's about the bigger picture over the course of the season. "We saw last year, we went to late December. We're hoping to do that again so every time you get a chance to have a break, you take it." Virgin Media Sport on Twitter / X 🗣 "We've a heavy schedule ahead of us, we'll use everybody."🗣 "I always like the break, whether you're playing well or not, it's about the bigger picture."Stephen Bradley to @BernardOToole ahead of kick-off at Tolka Park. Played off the Damien Duff question. 😅 Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) June 13, 2025 9 minutes ago Aidan Fitzmaurice looks ahead to the four top-flight clashes, with injury news, talking points and predictions 10 minutes ago Bad news for Drogs' European aspirations Having qualified through their FAI Cup triumph, Drogheda United are facing expulsion from the Uefa Conference League due to sister club Silkeborg IF competing in the same competition. The club said yesterday that they are devastated by the news, believing the decision would be 'harsh and unfair'. In a statement, they added that the new rule changes have been 'inconsistently communicated and enforced across various clubs.' Drogs are now set to bring their case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Here's the latest on a developing story: Drogheda owners spending six-figure sum to fund legal challenge of decision to kick them out of Europe Drogheda United's American owners will spend a six-figure sum in legal fees to fight Uefa's decision to kick the club out of Europe. 11 minutes ago Burke's stellar contribution in May recognised Shamrock Rovers forward Graham Burke had a major hand in his club's return to the Premier Division's summit with four goals and the Ireland international was yesterday named the SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland player of the month for May. Graham Burke wins player of the month for May after leading Shamrock Rovers charge Shamrock Rovers striker Graham Burke has been named SSE Airtricity/Soccer Writers Ireland player of the month for May. 14 minutes ago Hello and welcome along. Following the conclusion of the mid-season break, the League of Ireland is back with a bang this evening. The televised game on Virgin Media Two pits defending champions Shelbourne against current leaders Shamrock Rovers at a sold-out Tolka Park. Meanwhile, second-placed Drogheda United travel to Inchicore to take on St Patrick's Athletic, who sit fourth after their 1-0 win over Sligo Rovers last time out. Elsewhere, Bohemians, third, are hosted by a Cork City side desperate to make up ground on eighth place under recently-appointed manager Ger Nash. At the Ryan McBride Brandywell, Galway United could draw level on points with tonight's opponents Derry City with a win. While the likes of Josh Honohan (Ireland), Cathal O'Sullivan, Jad Hakiki, Warren Davis (all Ireland U-21s) and Joseph Anang (Ghana) have been on international duty in recent days, much of the league should be returning refreshed from the time off – despite Damien Duff suggesting it was an excuse for players to enjoy 'a week on the gargle'. In the First Division, leaders Dundalk entertain UCD, while new Athlone Town manager Ian Ryan begins his tenure at the basement club at home to Kerry. Kick-off across the eight matches is 40 minutes away and the Irish Independent LOI live blog will keep you up to speed with all the action from around the grounds.
The 42
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The 42
England booed off as Kane (just about) spares blushes against world #173 Andorra
HARRY KANE SPARED woeful England's blushes as his second half strike sealed a lacklustre 1-0 win against minnows Andorra in Saturday's World Cup qualifier in Barcelona. Thomas Tuchel's side were booed off by England fans in the RCDE Stadium after failing to impress against a team ranked 173rd in the world. Kane's 72nd international goal ensured England avoided the ultimate embarrassment of failing to beat such lowly opposition. Tuchel is the first England manager to win his first three competitive games without conceding a goal. But given the paucity of opposition provided by Andorra, Latvia and Albania in the Group K qualifiers, that achievement rings a little hollow after this miserable display. England take the lead 🏴 ⚽ Harry Kane — Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) June 7, 2025 Tuchel had warned that England's tired stars should not be expected to thrash Andorra after gruelling domestic seasons. The German cited the motivational difficulties posed by the summer international break, just before nine of his players jet off to the Club World Cup in the United States. His fears proved prescient as England laboured to establish any rhythm in a soporific match with the feel of a pre-season friendly. Advertisement It was a far cry from the pulsating drama produced by Spain and France in their recent Nations League semi-final, underlining the task facing Tuchel as he builds up to the 2026 World Cup. Tuchel didn't help England's cause by fielding an experimental side. Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones started at right-back and Chelsea right-back Reece James featured at left-back. With Declan Rice rested, Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, 34, made his first England start since 2023, becoming the Three Lions' oldest player since Frank Lampard 11 years ago. Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka was left out after only completing one training session this week, leaving Noni Madueke, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer to line up behind striker Harry Kane. Full Time in Barcelona Andorra 0-1 England 🇦🇩 🏴 — Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) June 7, 2025 - Bereft of ideas - Chelsea winger Madueke impressed but Palmer and Rogers were underwhelming. Andorra hadn't scored an international goal for more than two years and they quickly settled into a defensive formation that allowed England to monopolise possession. As Tuchel had predicted, England didn't find it easy to prise open a massed Andorra defence featuring nine men behind the ball at all times. Madueke's drive from the edge of the area was pushed away by Andorra keeper Iker Alvarez. Kane should have broken the deadlock with a close-range chance from Jones' cut-back, but the England captain prodded wastefully wide. Biel Borra fired over from distance in a rare Andorran venture into the England half, which ranked as an improvement on a defeat without mustering a single shot against Albania in March. Given Tuchel's desire to see his player perform in the warm Catalan temperatures ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, it was instructive to see England struggle to find the energy and purpose required to make Andorra uncomfortable. They moved the ball too slowly, and were reduced them to hopeful efforts from distance, with Jude Bellingham's 25-yard shot comfortably saved by Alvarez. By the time Bellingham's header failed to beat Alvarez on the stroke of half-time, England looked bereft of ideas and the fans were beginning to grumble. Kane eased the mounting pressure when the Bayern Munich striker made the breakthrough five minutes after the interval. After Kane's initial shot was saved, Madueke alertly guided a low cross back into the six-yard box for the England captain to tap into the empty net. It was a modest way to reach a milestone for Kane, who has a remarkable 450 career goals for club and country in 697 games. England still couldn't find any momentum and were nearly punished in the closing stages when Guillaume Lopez's shot was blocked by Ezri Konsa. – © AFP 2025
The Journal
07-06-2025
- Sport
- The Journal
Sarah Healy storms to stunning Diamond League win in Rome
IRELAND'S SARAH HEALY has won the Women's 1500m at this evening's Diamond League meet in Rome. The in-form Dubliner clocked 3:59.17 to secure a famous win at the Stadio Olimpico. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐲'𝐬 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐞. 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐫! 🇮🇪♦️ — Virgin Media Sport (@VMSportIE) June 6, 2025 Healy, 24, timed her run to perfection, finishing strongly to claim her first-ever Diamond League victory. Having opened her outdoor season with a 3000m PB in Rabat two weeks ago, the UCD AC star dug incredibly deep in a thrilling close to the race. Australian duo Sarah Billings (3:59.24) and Abbey Caldwell (3:59.32) both clocked personal bests as they settled for second and third respectively. 'I'm obviously really happy to come away with the win,' Healy told Diamond League channels afterwards. 'It was a really competitive field. I kind of thought it wouldn't be crazy quick tonight, and it wasn't. It was quite crowded, I think we're all capable of running around the same time so there were a lot of bodies. I was a little further back, I wanted to be the whole time. I just tried to stay patient. Advertisement 'In the last lap, I had to make a good few moves, which I'm happy with, especially on the home straight.' Athletics Ireland. Athletics Ireland. 'I know my shape is good,' she continued. 'I ran a big 3k PB three weeks ago, so I know I'm really fit. Hopefully a PB in the 1500m [currently 3:57.46] is coming for me soon, but today I wanted to just compete for the win. 'I know I'm good at hard, fast races, but races like this have probably been more where I struggled, so I'm really, really happy to win tonight. It's really cool.' Healy said she hopes to compete in the 1500m at World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September, and she is really enjoying racing at the minute. 'I'm having a lot of fun, which is the main thing, and probably why I'm running so well,' Healy added, while confirming her attendance at the Paris Diamond League on Friday, 20 June. Elsewhere at the meet, Cathal Doyle knocked over a second off his 1500m personal best and secured his first automatic qualifier for a World Championship. The Dubliner ran 3:32.15 as he finished 14th, clocking the second fastest 1500m ever by an Irishman, behind only national record holder Andrew Coscoran (3:30.42). Written by Emma Duffy and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won't find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women's sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here .
