For the first time since 1995, both Leinster football semi-finals will be played at provincial venues. On Sunday next Kildare will play Louth in O’Connor Park Tullamore with a 2pm throw-in, while two hours later old rivals Dublin and Meath meet in O’Moore Park, Portlaoise.
There was a time in the 1980s and ‘90s when Meath were well able for the Dubs, but not anymore. When Colm O’Rourke replaced Andy McEntee as Meath manager in July 2022 he told Meath followers that the target was to beat Dublin. O’Rourke said: ‘‘Ultimately, we have to beat Dublin. That was the measurement of Meath when I was playing and that hasn’t changed.’’
Well, it didn’t happen under O’Rourke; Offaly knocked Meath out of the Leinster Championship at the quarter-final stage in 2023 and last year Dublin beat them by 16 points also in the quarter-finals. Now it’s the turn of new Meath manager Robbie Brennan to try and beat Dublin in the Leinster championship for the first time since 2010. Fifteen years ago an attendance of 60,000 saw Meath put five goals past Stephen Cluxton in the Leinster semi-final and then Meath beat Louth in the Leinster final where Joe Sheridan’s controversial goal was allowed by referee Martin Sludden. One commentator said it was like a rugby touch-down with Sheridan carrying the ball over the goal line at the Canal End. That was Meath’s last time to lift the Delaney Cup and the Dubs have won Leinster 14 years in-a-row since then.
In recent years there were many calls from various Leinster players and managers for Dublin to be taken out of Croke Park for Leinster championship games; that happened in 2016 when Dublin played Laois in Nowlan Park, but the results have not changed. Meath have already beaten Carlow and Offaly, while Dublin had an easy win over Wicklow. Dublin manager Dessie Farrell has no worries about playing outside of Croke Park. He said: ‘‘Dublin supporters were in great voice down in Aughrim, they love a day out and there is always a great atmosphere in these regional venues. Sometimes Leinster semi-finals in Croke Park, where it can be big and vacuous, can be pretty soulless affairs at times. It is very, very different when we moved out of Dublin.’’ The Dubs have a very good record in Portlaoise and I don’t think Meath will pose a serious threat on Sunday.
Meanwhile the meeting of Louth and Kildare in Tullamore is a harder one to call. Mickey Harte did a great job in Louth and former Dublin player Ger Brennan seems to be continuing the good work, but the Wee County are likely to be without the injured Sam Mulroy. Kildare showed a bit of fight when beating Westmeath in Newbridge, but I think Louth are smarter outfit than Westmeath and should win.
AVIVA SEMI
Leinster will play their Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton Saints at the Aviva on Saturday May 3 with a kick-off time of 5.30pm. Leinster go into the game on a higher after two huge wins, beating a 62-0 win over Harlequins in a Round of 16 tie at Croke Park, followed six days later with a 52-0 win over Glasgow Warriors in the quarter-final. All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett played a big role in that eight-try victory, the second-highest winning margin for a quarter-final in the tournament’s 29-year history. Now Leo Cullen’s team are only 80 minutes away from what would be their 9th final appearance in Cardiff on May 24. The have won the Cup four times in: 2009. 2011, 2012 and 2018, but in the seven years since their last win they have lost four more finals.
Former Irish international Bernard Jackman, now working as a match analyst for Independent newspapers said that the performance of Barrett against Glasgow was one of the best he has seen and felt that the New Zealander, who is with Leinster for only six months, gave a complete performance. Jackman reckons that with Barrett and South African R. G Snyman both in great form, Leinster can win the cup this year. Meanwhile Munster’s conquerors Bordeaux Begles will play French rivals Toulouse in the second semifinal on Sunday May 4. Top seeds Bordeaux will have home city advantage with the semi-final being played at the city’s soccer stadium Matmut Atlantique where the capacity is just over 42,000.
Also Leinster have agreed a deal with All Blacks centre Rieko Ioane and he will join the province next season from Super Rugby the Blues. A clause in his contract allows Ioane to skip one Super Rugby Pacific season with the Blues and despite interest from Japan, he has opted to link up with Leinster side for a six-month period, beginning in December 2025. He follows in the footsteps of fellow All-Black Jordie Barrett who made the switch from Hurricanes to join Leinster for the second half of this season.
SEXTON MOVES UP
AS IRELAND COACH
Johnny Sexton is set to move into a full-time coaching role with Ireland, and the former out-half has also been confirmed as a member of Andy Farrell’s backroom team on the British and Irish Lions. The former Irish captain will be a kicking coach in Farrell’s backroom team for the tour of Australia this summer. which is already heavily populated by Irish coaches. Simon Easterby, Andrew Goodman and John Fogarty have already been announced on the coaching ticket, as well as England’s Richard Wigglesworth and Scotland’s John Dalziel. Also the IRFU have confirmed Sexton will become a permanent member of the Ireland coaching team from next season. The 39-year-old joined the coaching staff on a part-time basis ahead of the Autumn Nations Series, working with the Irish kickers, and appeared to have a more hands-on role during the 2025 Six Nations, while Farrell was on his Lions sabbatical. Sexton will begin his full-time role with Ireland in August where he will be an assistant coach for the men’s national team, although he will also work with the various men’s and women’s national age-grade teams.
TYRONE TAKE
ON CHAMPS
The first of the Ulster football championship semi-finals will be played in Clones on Saturday afternoon when reigning All-Ireland champions meet Armagh play Tyrone. The Red Hand were relegated from Division 1 of the National League last month, but they looked very impressive when beating Cavan 10 days ago. Tyrone are the last team to beat Armagh over 70 minutes of championship football. That was in Omagh two years ago in the round robin stage of the All-Ireland series; last year Armagh lost the Ulster final in a penalty shoot-out against Donegal.
There is also full round of round robin hurling games in Munster and Leinster this weekend. Most focus will be on Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday where Tipperary will be hoping to curb the Cork goal-scoring machine. When the counties last met in the National League final at the Ballintemple venue on April 6 Cork blew Tipp away with three quick goals before half-time. Also on Sunday Waterford, who were recently crowned Division 1B champions, will begin their championship campaign at home to Clare in Walsh Park.
DUFF TO STAY
IN DUBLIN
Shelbourne manager Damien Duff has ruled out ever moving abroad to take up a coaching job as he insists his loyalty is to his family and to Shelbourne. Duff, who won the EPL twice with Chelsea after joining them from Blackburn Rovers in 2003, says he is very happy with Shelbourne whom he lead to win the League of Ireland Premier Division last season. Duff was highly regarded as a coach in the UK following his time on the staff with Celtic, but he says he is very happy in Ireland where is the most experienced manager ever to manage a League club with 100 Irish caps.
Last year Duff revealed that he was approached by a “big club” in England, thought to be Bolton Wanderers, through his assistant Joey O’Brien, but he said he was not interested. Duff said: ‘‘I was coaching at Celtic for over a year without my two children, I will never do that again. Football is my life and I referenced the Bill Shankly quote recently, ‘football is more important than life or death,’ but when you strip it all back, no. I’m staying with my kids and it’s that simple, I don’t look or picture myself anywhere else but Ireland.’’
NO RACING ON
REPUBLIC ROADS
Championship motorcycle road racing will not take place in the Republic of Ireland for the third year in-a-row as costs of insurance cover have soared €720,000. Since 2022, there have been no motorcycling road races in Kells, Cork, Athea in Limerick or in Skerries because clubs don’t have the funds to meet the costs. Motorcycling Ireland’s road race convenor Diarmaid Corcoran said the clubs were fighting a long battle to get races including trials, motocross and endurance disciplines back in the Republic. Corcoran said: ‘‘The insurance costs, which are split between the disciplines, are far beyond even our fundraising ventures. Last year we couldn’t meet the insurance quote of €650,000 and it has risen to €720,000 this year. We haven’t had road racing in the Republic since 2022 when insurance cost €200,000 for the year so in three years, the insurance has almost quadrupled. There are about 2,000 race licence holders in the Republic who are unable to race here and it is stopping new talent from getting into motorcycling sports.’’ Traditionally cyclists from the Republic and even more from Northern Ireland travel to the Isle of Man every year to take part in their famous TT trials.
WILKINS QUITS
AFTER ABSENCE
Connacht’s English-born coach Phil Wilkins quit last week having missed the province’s last four games as he was on sick leave. The 45-year old had faced uncertainly over his position, but it was expected that he would remain in charge until the end of the season. He was previously defence coach under both Kieran Keane and Andy Friend from 2017 to 2022. Cullie Tucker will remain as interim head coach for the rest of the campaign and the Connacht say they will now begin the process of recruiting a new head coach for the 2025/26 season.
KING IS OUT OF
IRELAND TEAM
The Irish Women’s Rugby team have been dealt a major blow ahead of the Women’s Rugby World Cup later this year, with confirmation that Erin King will miss the tournament due to a serious knee injury. The 21-year-old backrow suffered the injury during the Six Nations defeat to England in Cork and going to be out for at least six months. King said: ‘‘I am heartbroken to have suffered a serious knee injury that means I will miss the rest of the Six Nations along with the Rugby World Cup. It feels very unfair right now but I’ve had the best few months with this team.’’ King had played every minute of Ireland’s first three games in this year’s Six Nations and was their chief lineout option.
NORTH VS. SOUTH
GAME PROPOSED
Former Irish international Niall Quinn has suggested a charity game should be played in 2028 between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland at the Aviva with the proceeds being shared by the Players’ Benevolent Associations north and south. A new players’ benevolent association was formed in Dublin in October 2023 to assist former Irish players, both male and female, who are facing financial and health challenges. Already 30,000 euro has been raised and on Monday next Quinn will join two other former Irish internationals Liam Brady and John Giles at a live question and answer show in Dublin’s Vicar Street to raise more funds. 2028 will be the 40th anniversary of the first-ever meeting between The Republic and Northern Ireland at senior level — a European Championship game at Lansdowne Road that ended 0-0.
RHASIDAT BOOST
FOR IRISH HOPES
Ireland's hopes at next month’s World Athletics Relays have been given a huge boost with the inclusion of Rhasidat Adeleke in a 14-strong team for the event in China. The Paris Olympian will return to national team colours over the weekend of May 10-11 in Guangzhou as all three Irish 4x400m teams, women, men and mixed, look to lock down qualification places for the 2025 World Athletics Championships which take place in Tokyo next September. Adeleke's inclusion means that the entire Irish quartet who finished in an impressive but agonising fourth place in the Paris 4x400m Olympic final will travel to China with Sharlene Mawdsley, Sophie Becker and Phil Healy all named to take part in both the women’s and mixed 4x400m events. After a 2024 season which saw Irish teams claim historic global medals, hopes are high that the curve can continue to move upwards.
SEAN MURPHY, 92
The death occurred last week of for Kerry footballer Dr Seán Murphy has died at the age of 93. Named on the GAA's team of the century and team of the millennium, the wing-back starred for the Kingdom during the 1950s and 1960s. Murphy played in five senior All-Ireland finals, winning three of them, including the 1959 decider against Galway, which became known as the “Seán Murphy final,” such was the quality of his display at right half-back. He went on to win the Texaco Footballer of the Year award for 1959, becoming the first Kerry player to receive that accolade.
The death also occurred of former Bohemians manager Billy Young. Billy played for Bohs from 1962 to 1969 when they were an amateur team and later managed the Gypsies from 1973 to 1989.
