Irish captain Johnny Sexton, who had to go off with a thigh injury in the second half of Ireland’s Grand Slam win over England on March 18, should be fit to line-out for Leinster in their Champions Cup Round of 16 game against Ulster at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
Garry Ringrose, who was carried off during the Scotland game, and Hugo Keenan and Ronan Kelleher, who both picked up injuries in the England game, should all be fit. Ulster second-row Iain Henderson, who missed the Grand Slam game through injury, should be also back for what looks like will be a full house at the Aviva.
For the first time in the history of the Champions Cup, two Round of 16 matches will be played in South Africa. Following the conclusion of the pool stage eight, highest-ranked clubs in each pool have secured their places in the Round of 16 which will be played next weekend. The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool will have home advantage, this includes the Sharks and Stormers. The Sharks will host Munster at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday at 1.30pm. It has been a mixed season for Munster, but coach Graham Rowntree says he is looking forward to the trip to South Africa. He said: “It’s a challenge, we like a challenge at this club at the moment, If you are going to win this competition you’ve got to go places and win games like this. What we are proving is that we have got form on the road, so I’m looking forward to it.’’ Munster pair Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony were given a week off after the England game, but should be back in the red of Munster at the weekend.
‘SHORTS NOT SKORTS,’
SAYS LONDON CLUB
The Thomas McCurtains club in London has launched a “Shorts not Skorts” campaign to raise awareness of the issue ahead of Camogie Congress, which takes place in Tipperary next weekend. Currently, camogie players are expected to wear skorts, a combination of skirts and shorts, but the east London club have changed to shorts after comprehensive results from an in-house survey, and they hope that will add a further spotlight to an issue set to be debated at Congress Thomas McCurtains, now in its eighth year, interviewed 240 players and found that 82 per cent preferred a move to shorts with 75 per cent saying that the skort does not reflect current society. Player manager Kelly Ann Brennan said: ‘‘It’s no surprise that over 70 per cent of those surveyed prefer shorts over skorts. Skorts in their essence were invented to make activities more comfortable for women yet now, for us do the complete opposite. It’s the embarrassment of having to pull the shorts down after sprinting for a ball, the unflattering fit and the uncomfortable nature of the fabrics with which they are made.’’
Aoife Prendergast celebrates Kilkenny’s All Ireland title win at Croke Park on Aug. 7, 2022. A London club is recommending a camogie dress-code change. [Inpho/James Crombie]
KATIE’S DREAM
IS SCALED BACK
It will not be the homecoming that many people had hoped for, but Katie Taylor will fight in Dublin on May 20. It will not be a full house of over 80,000 fans at Croke Park against Puerto Rican Amanda Serrano, but a fight against English champion Chantelle Cameron at the Point Theatre, now known as Three Arena, where the capacity is 8,000. Katie did worry that this was never going to happen, that she would somehow go through her glittering career without ever fighting at home as a professional. So, when the Serrano fight was called off, she contacted Cameron via social media suggesting they meet in Dublin. The Northampton-born boxer, who will celebrate her 32nd birthday the week before the fight is the undisputed super light-weight champion, a weight above Katie. It will be Taylor’s first fight in Ireland since beating American boxer Queen Underwood in an amateur exhibition in the Brandon Hotel, Tralee back in February 2016. Taylor boxed at The Point back in 2009 on the undercard the night Bernard Dunne beat Ricardo Cordoba to win the WBA super-featherweight title when she beat Pan-American champion Caroline Barry.
ALL-STAR CANADA
TOUR IS CANCELLED
The proposed Camogie All-Star tour to Canada, scheduled for May has been cancelled. The Camogie Association has informed counties that the planned six-day tour will not now go ahead after Cork’s All-Star winners made it clear that they would not be travelling so close to the start of the championship in June. That position was also subsequently taken by players from Kilkenny, Galway and Waterford, the other three counties that would have made up the touring party. There was talk about an alternative to the scheduled May 19-26 dates, but last week the decision was taken to cancel the tour completely.
ROVERS STILL
WITHOUT WIN
The League of Ireland Premier and First divisions resume on Friday next after the international break. Shamrock Rovers, who are bidding to win the Premier Division for the fourth season in-a-row, will be hoping to get their first win of the campaign when they travel to Oriel Park to play Dundalk. After six series of games only Rovers and bottom club UCD have yet to win a game. Before the break it was thought that St Patrick’s Athletic might change managers, but after a good performance against Rovers in their last game it looks like manager Tim Clancy is safe for now. UCD have just one point, while Rovers and Pat’s have five points each.
EX-STAR ARGUES FOR
SCHOOLS-BASED PLAN
Former Cork footballer Tony Davis thinks the GAA can learn from the Irish under 20 rugby team’s back-to-back Grand Slams. He said, “The key to producing top players in all sports is a strong schools system. That victory by the Irish under 20 team Grand Slam was another example. Maybe the GAA could invest more in the schools system to maintain top quality competition. I believe it beats development squads to a certain level.”
PLAYER OF YEAR
JOINS AUSSIE CLUB
Donegal Ladies footballer Niamh McLaughlin is the latest Irish player to join an Aussie Rules club. McLaughlin, who was named Ladies GAA Player of the Year, is joining Gold Coast SUNS. She becomes the SUNS’ second Irish signing after Down’s Clara Fitzpatrick, who has joined them from St Kilda ahead of the 2023 AFLW season. McLaughlin has also represented the Republic of Ireland soccer team at under 17 and under 19 level and had spells with Newcastle United and Sunderland in England. The 29-year-old said: “I’m thrilled to have been given this opportunity and the chance to push myself into something new.’’
LEINSTER, SYRACUSE
BECOME PARTNERS
Leinster Rugby and Syracuse University have announced a wide-ranging partnership allowing both organisations to utilise the on- and off-field expertise of the other. Founded in 1870, Syracuse University has 45 sports clubs, including rugby union and this is the first such partnership for their rugby programme. Syracuse University RFC was established in 1969 and as part of the partnership, Leinster Rugby will appoint a coach to live and work on campus full-time, offering student athletes attending Syracuse University access to Leinster Rugby coaching and training expertise. The partnership will also see the establishment of the Leinster Rugby School of Excellence summer camps bringing young players from around the States to Syracuse, and will create coaching development programmes for Syracuse and for Leinster Rugby coaches.
GUNNERS TO TAKE ON
ROONEY’S DC UNITED
EPL leaders Arsenal will play DC United, who are managed by former Manchester United and England star Wayne Rooney on July 19. The game will be played in Washington DC at Audi Field, the home of DC United, who Rooney has been in charge of since last summer. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “It’s great that we will be playing against the MLS All-Stars in Washington DC in July. Our US tour last summer was very good preparation for the season and we are looking forward to once again visiting our amazing supporters in the USA. The match against the MLS All-Stars will be a good test ahead of the 2023-24 season.”
WORLD ATHLETICS SAYS
NO TO TRANS WOMEN
Transgender women will no longer be allowed to compete in female track and field events regardless of their levels of testosterone. World Athletics president Sebastian Coe made the announcement last week, citing fairness over inclusion. Coe said no female transgender athlete who had gone through male puberty would be permitted to compete in female world-ranking competitions from March 31. Speaking after a meeting of the global track and field federation's decision-making body, Coe said World Athletics had consulted with stakeholders, including 40 national federations, the International Olympic Committee and trans groups about the issue of transgender athletes. He said: The majority of those consulted stated that transgender athletes should not be competing in the female category. Many believe there is insufficient evidence that trans women do not retain advantage over biological women and want more evidence that any physical advantages have been ameliorated before they are willing to consider an option for inclusion into the female category. The judgement we took was, I believe, in the best interests of our sport."
