Written By Unknown on Minggu, 30 Maret 2014 | 23.06
Updated: Sunday, 30 Mar 2014 17:02 | Comments
Jonathan Davies scored the game's opening try for Scarlets
By Tadhg Peavoy
Connacht have been beaten 32-30 by Scarlets in their crucial RaboDirect Pro12 clash at Parc y Scarlets.
Scarlets and Connacht came into the clash in sixth and seventh spots in the league table respectively, with just four points between them.
Under the mooted new qualifying rules for the European Cup, sixth spot will ensure qualification for the continent's premier club tournament next season, adding extra spice to the tie.
And Connacht came agonisingly close to claiming a vital away victory in a superb tie in Wales.
Scarlets led 13-6 at the break as they dominated the opening exchanges, with Jonathan Davies crashing over for a try, allied to kicked points from Priestland.
Two Dan Parks penalties kept Connacht in touch.
The Welsh side also started the better team after the break as they moved into a seemingly unassailable 25-6 lead with further tries from Gareth Davies and Josh Turnbull.
However, Connacht came roaring back with tries from Kieran Marmion, Fionn Carr and Robbie Henshaw. Miah Nikora added a conversion to reduce the arrears to just two points entering the closing minutes.
Just as it looked as though the Westerners would pull off a famous victory, Gareth Maule went over for Scarlets' fourth try, which Priestland converted.
Connacht number eight Eoin McKeon went over for an injury-time try, which Nikora converted, but it was to be in vain as proceedings came to a close with Scarlets recording a crucial victory that leaves them seven points ahead of Connacht in sixth spot in the table.
Brian O'Driscoll's neck injury is minor and he should be fit to play next weekend
By Tadhg Peavoy
Both Leinster and Munster have reported clean bills of health following their RaboDirect Pro12 clash at Aviva Stadium.
Leinster came out 22-18 on top in a bruising interprovincial derby encounter at Irish rugby HQ, but both squads have collected no major injuries ahead of their European Cup quarter-final clashes next weekend.
Leinster's Brian O'Driscoll left the field with a neck injury during the second half of the tie, however, the injury was minor and he is expected to be fully fit to face Toulon.
Cian Healy, Martin Moore, Jack McGrath and Dave Kearney were all rested for the match, but they are all expected to be fit for selection.
Munster's Peter O'Mahony withdrew from the late on with a tight hamstring, but the move was a precautionary measure and he is expected to face Toulouse next weekend.
The southern province had no other major injury concerns to report and will assess the squad further tomorrow.
Cork and Tyrone finished level at 2-14 to 0-20 in a thriller at Páirc Uí Rinn to push for places in the Allianz Football League semi-finals.
Paul Kerrigan banged in an early goal for Cork, but Tyrone led for most of the first half, and six Kyle Coney points had them ahead by 0-12 to 1-05 at the interval.
Substitute Colm O'Neill scored Cork's second goal midway through the second half, but Coney led the Tyrone fightback with his ninth score, and it was substitute Ronan O'Neill who nailed the stoppage time equaliser from a free.
Tyrone were three points up in as many minutes in a high octane start, Kyle Coney, Peter Harte and Darren McCurry all sending over high quality points.
But the home side went level in the fifth minute when Paul Kerrigan cut in from the left, beating three defenders before firing his shot past goalkeeper Niall Morgan.
The Red Hands responded with another volley of scores, Shay providing the creativity for McCurry to bring his tally to three by the tenth minute.
But the pace and movement of the Cork attack caused problems for Tyrone, with Brian Hurley their major threat up front.
The Castlehaven man hit two scores in the space of a minute to edge the home side back in front midway through the half, but Coney's magical finishing had Tyrone level soon afterwards.
Cork scored just one point in the second quarter as the Red Hands channelled extra men back, and broke at pace to pick off quality points.
It was Coney who continued to steal the show, floating over two more gems to bring his tally to six by the halfway stage.
Cork lost wing back Tomás Clancy to a black card, and trailed by 0-12 to 1-05 at the interval.
The Rebels started the second half strongly, John O'Rourke springing through to rifle over a point, before Hurley narrowed the gap to two.
Andrew O'Sullivan stepped up his game to give Cork an edge at midfield, and they moved to within a point of their Ulster opponents when Hayes and substitute Colm O'Neill, from a free, hit the target.
Hurley nailed another placed ball to bring the sides level in the 49th minute, and three minutes later, O'Neill collected O'Rourke's pass to blast home Cork's second goal.
Michael Shields was given the job of shadowing Coney, and in a more effective defensive effort, Cork minimised the scoring threat, restricting Tyrone to just two points in the third quarter.
Substitute Barry O'Driscoll edged the Munster men into a four-point lead, but the Red Hands refused to surrender, and came close on two occasions to grabbing a goal, with 'keeper David Hanrahan denying Martin Penrose.
Tyrone staged a storming finish, closing the gap through Penrose, Sean Cavanagh and Coney.
And deep into stoppage time, it was Cavanagh who won the free that substitute Ronan O'Neill clipped between the posts for the equaliser.
Cork: D Hanrahan, E Cadogan, Tom Clancy, N Galvin, Tomas Clancy, M Shields (0-01), J Loughry, A O'Sullivan, F Goold, J O'Rourke (0-02), P Kerrigan (1-00), M Collins, D Goulding, B Hurley (0-05, 2f), J Hayes (0-02).
Substitutes: J O'Sullivan for Tomas Clancy (BC), C O'Neill (1-2, 0-02f) for Goulding, P Kelly for Cadogan, B O'Driscoll (0-01) for Galvin, C O'Driscoll (0-01) for Kerrigan, A Cronin for Hayes
Tyrone: N Morgan (0-02, 1f, 1 '45), A McCrory, R McNamee, R McKenna, T McCann, Mattie Donnelly, P Harte (0-01), C Cavanagh, S Cavanagh (0-01), C McGinley, S McGuigan, Mark Donnelly, D McCurry (0-04, 2f), K Coney (0-09, 1f), C McAliskey (0-01, f).
Substitutes: D McBride for McCann, R O'Neill (0-01, f) for McCurry, M Penrose (0-01) for McAliskey, C Gormley for McGinley, N McKenna for Mark Donnelly, K Gallagher for McGuigan.
Sean Armstrong's accurate kicking was crucial to Galway's win
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Two early goals for Galway paved the way for a four-point 2-14 to 1-13 Allianz Football League Division 2 victory over Armagh in Tuam Stadium.
Eddie Hoare and Michael Martin grabbed those goals within four minutes to set Galway on their way for a crucial victory.
Galway led 2-8 to 0-9 at half-time with Sean Armstrong scoring four points from placed balls, but it was Armagh who dominated the initial stages of the second half.
They were rewarded with a goal from Tony Kernan after 50 minutes but Galway finished strongly with four unanswered points late on to seal a much-needed victory.
Galway captain Paul Conroy opened the scoring straight from the throw-in with a well-taken point. Tony Kernan equalised for Armagh a minute later, and then Galway's two goals came, in quick succession.
Armagh responded with three unanswered points but an Armstrong free kept Galway in control.
Before half-time, Galway had two great goal chances. The first fell to Paul Varley, but the wing-back's shot was well saved by Armagh goalkeeper Philip McEvoy. Armstrong had the second chance and, after a scramble in the goalmouth, his shot was blocked.
Galway custodian Thomas Healy was called into action just after half-time.
The Corofin man saved well from Rory Grugan who was impressing for Armagh at wing-back. Armagh suffered a blow when Gary McCooey was shown a black card after 47 minutes. The substitute had already been shown a yellow card which meant Armagh couldn't replace him as a yellow card and a black card corresponds to a red card.
Despite being down to 14 men, Armagh dominated possession and were rewarded when Tony Kernan rifled a goal past Healy to make it 2-9 to 1-10 with 20 minutes remaining.
Aaron Kernan and Kevin Dyas notched scores for Armagh, who were level with six minutes remaining after substitute Finian Moriarty split the posts from close-range.
Unfortunately for Armagh, they failed to register a further score and it was Galway who took control with late points from James Kavanagh, Paul Conroy, Michael Farragher and Thomas Flynn proving the difference.
Galway: T Healy; K Kelly, F Hanley, D O'Neill; G Bradshaw, G O'Donnell, P Varley; F Ó Curraoin, T Flynn (0-01); M Lundy, E Hoare (1-01), J Kavanagh (0-02); M Martin (1-01), P Conroy (0-03), S Armstrong (0-05, 0-04 frees, 0-01 '45).
Substitutes: C Mulryan for Hanley (57 mins), M Farragher (0-01) for Lundy (60 mins), D Cummins for Martin (64 mins), D O'Connell for Kavanagh (69 mins).
Armagh: P McEvoy; A Mallon, A Findon, M Murray; M Shields, K Toner, R Grugan (0-02); S Harold, P O'Neill; C Rafferty, K Dyas (0-03), E McVerry (0-02); J Clarke (0-01, free), T Kernan (1-03, 0-02 frees), K Carragher.
Substitutes: G McCooey for O'Neill (9 mins), F Moriarty (0-01) for Shields (26 mins), O MacÍomhair for Murray (30 mins), A Kernan (0-01) for Grugan (41 mins), B Mallon for MacÍomhair (60 mins).
Paul Geaney scored 1-04 to help Kerry defeat Westmeath by 2-15 to 0-13 in Mullingar, condemning Paul Bealin's side to relegation from the Allianz Football League Division 1A in the process.
In a continuation of a worrying trend from Westmeath's perspective, their impressive first-half display gave way to a poor showing after the break, as they were outscored 1-09 to 0-04
The key moment came in the 45th minute when Geaney profited from James O'Donoghue's unselfish pass to fire an unstoppable shot past the Westmeath goalkeeper, Stephen Gallagher.
That put Kerry two points clear and from here they never looked back, adding another eight points to complete a comprehensive victory.
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 29 Maret 2014 | 23.06
Updated: Saturday, 29 Mar 2014 14:54 | Comments
Expect a fascinating battle between Simon Zebo and Fergus McFadden in the backline
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By Tadhg Peavoy
Leinster v Munster, Aviva Stadium, 7pm
Graham Henry, New Zealand's 2011 Rugby World Cup-winning coach, has spoken in the past of individual player profiles.
IPPs are targets set for players, which each individual must hit in order to get the best from themselves and in turn win matches for the team collectively.
The two lineups for Leinster v Munster at the Aviva Stadium are jam packed with talent and the game promises to be something of a cracker as both teams gear up for their European Cup quarter-finals next weekend.
There are a multitude of areas that will influence the game – and any game for that matter. However, Leinster–Munster is one of those games that both teams almost invariably front-up for, leading to five- to ten-point spreads. The last three games have been won by margins of four, six and nine points, respectively, with Leinster gaining two of the victories.
Essentially, this tie is one of those days when whichever team hits its IPPs better than the other will garner victory.
Irish rugby is obviously on a high since Ireland secured Six Nations title glory, and that confidence should ooze from the members of Ireland's 2014 squad tonight; however, those that narrowly missed the cut will feel they have much to prove to Ireland gaffer Joe Schmidt, and know this is a huge opportunity to put themselves in the frame for a spot in Schmidt's squad for the tour to Argentina.
To that end, Tommy O'Donnell, who was replaced in the Ireland squad by Leinster's Jordi Murphy, is a key man for Munster; his dynamism around the park will be key to supporting the more industrial nature of Paul O'Connell and Peter O'Mahony's work.
In the front row, Dave Kilcoyne and Damien Varley's battles with Richardt Strauss and Mike Ross, will be key to deciding who gets a better platform off the set-piece. Munster might get the edge here.
In the backline, the battle between Simon Zebo and Fergus McFadden will be fascinating for similar reasons. McFadden offers stability and reliability in almost everything he does, but the spark Zebo brings to a game is something few players have.
In a tight game, as this one is likely to be, Zebo having one of his on-days could be prove a match-winning difference. Conversely, if he doesn't shine, Munster could struggle to get the X-factor they need away to Leinster.
Conor Murray and Eoin Reddan's personal battle at nine is another of the contrasts. Reddan's pace and snipe are his unique selling points, but Murray's power and physicality often give him an edge against most scrum-halves he plays against.
But Leinster do appear to have edges in vital areas going into this one. Jamie Heaslip's consistent from looks like getting the better of James Coughlan, whose form has been mixed of late.
In the midfield, the Ian Madigan, Gordon D'Arcy and Brian O'Driscoll partnership looks to have an edge on Ian Keatley, Denis Hurley and Casey Laulala. The latter three may have more impact and force, but the creativity supplied by Madigan and the knowledge and ability to open up space for their team-mates that D'Arcy and O'Driscoll create are game changers.
Munster may shock the Aviva crowd and overturn Leinster, with coach Rob Penney getting his players to hit their IPPs to the extent that Leinster cannot contain them. Furthermore Leinster might have an off day but if they play to their potential, as they should, then Matt O'Connor's charges will likely record a tenth straight victory and maintain top spot in the table.
Verdict: Leinster to win by eight.
Cardiff Blues v Ulster, Arms Park, Saturday, kick-off 6.30pm
Ulster, despite being away from home, come into this tie as favourites.
Cardiff are languishing tenth in the table and were hockeyed 34-9 by arch rivals Ospreys last time out.
They are unlikely to be that bad again, pride in performance will prevent that, but whether they have the quality to stop the Ulster machine at present is questionable.
Ulster roared home 39-21 when the sides met at Ravenhill; Mark Anscombe's men will not win by such a big scoreline this time, but if Ulster can replicate their ability to be hugely consistent in the pack and also to display a creativity and link play that is one of the best in Europe, Blues will run out of ideas in terms of how to break them down.
John Afoa, Johann Muller, Dan Tuohy, Stephen Ferris, Chris Henry and Nick Williams are all named in a superb looking pack.
Cardiff have Gethin Jenkins, Filo Paulo, Josh Navidi and Robin Copeland as their spine – also a decent quarter of players.
Out back for Ulster, it is as you would want it with Paddy Jackson, Andrew Trimble, Luke Marshall, Darren Cave, Tommy Bowe and Jared Payne all named to start.
It is here that they should gain the upper hand. Cardiff have Gareth Davies in at ten, while Isaia Tuifua at 12 and Alex Cuthbert at 14 are their main danger men.
Cardiff will have to produce their best performance this season to stop Ulster and claim a first win over the Irish province since February 2012. All signs point to an away win.
Verdict: Ulster to win by 12.
Sunday's clash between Connacht and Scarlets to be previewed tomorrow.
Craig Williams riding Gordon Lord Byron during the George Ryder Stakes
Gordon Lord Byron made a dream start to his Australian stint when winning the $1mAUS Group One George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill in Sydney.
Tom Hogan's six-year-old landed the Betfred Sprint Cup at Haydock last year and was last seen finishing fourth in the Hong Kong Mile back in December.
Despite those recent Group One exploits, he was sent off an 18-1 shot under Craig Williams in the seven-and-a-half-furlong heat but he came with a powerful run after being settled in the early stages.
He swept to the front inside the final half-furlong to edge out Speediness by a short neck with El Roca a further three-quarters of a length away in third.
The run was a warm up for next month's inaugural Championship meeting, with Hogan having the option of tackling either the Doncaster Mile or the six-furlong TJ Smith Stakes at Randwick on April 12.
"It was great - a good achievement," said Hogan. "It was a bit unusual using a Group One as a prep for another race, but it worked out and he won it well.
"It give us options for next month and we will make a decision in the next few days about which race to go for. Craig said he could go for either. It's great to win though."
Ryan Brennan: 'I had it in my head as it came across the box that I was going to sky it over the bar'
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Man of the match Ryan Brennan revealed that he almost panicked before scoring the winner for Shamrock Rovers against Sligo Rovers last night.
The Hoops edged the SSE Airtricity League tie 1-0 thanks to Brennan's first goal for the club in the 14th minute, a tap-in from close range.
The former Drogheda United player told RTÉ Sport: "I was surprised myself. I had it in my head as it came across the box that I was going to sky it over the bar but lucky enough it went in.
"[It's] another three points on the board, [we'll] try and stay at the top as long as we can and push on and move on to next week," added Brennan, whose side moved on to 10 points and lead the table on goal difference over Cork City, who beat Athlone Town 3-0 in Lissywoolen.
Sligo slip to tenth with just three points after four games.
Wayne Rooney scores a penalty, his second goal for Manchester United
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David Moyes ended a difficult week on a high as Manchester United cruised to an easy 4-1 win over Aston Villa in their Premier League clash..
An airborne protest over Old Trafford did not have any effect on the United team as a Wayne Rooney double, a goal from Juan Mata and another from Javier Hernandez lifted the pressure on Moyes.
A group of United fans had clubbed together £840 to pay for a plane to be flown over Old Trafford. The message behind it spelled out their thoughts on the United manager: 'Wrong One - Moyes Out', it read.
But if the fans thought it would help turn the tide of public support against Moyes then they were wrong.
The home fans inside Old Trafford booed as the plane circled overhead and Moyes' name was sang on several occasions.
This was far from a vintage display and United are still huge outsiders for a top-four finish. But at least the margin of victory will provide Moyes and his players with some breathing space.
Ashley Westwood gave Villa an early lead but Rooney scored twice, once from the penalty spot, to ease nerves.
United turned on the style after the break. Mata bagged his first goal for the club and Hernandez wrapped up the victory in injury time.
Moyes received a warm welcome when he emerged from the tunnel and the grateful United manager showed his appreciation by waving to all four corners of the ground.
The plane emerged just after the start of the game – and in the 11th minute United were behind.
Rafael barged over Christian Benteke on the edge of the box to earn a booking and Westwood responded by sending a dipping free-kick over the wall and beyond a stretching David de Gea.
The home fans went silent. The only noise heard inside the ground game from the plane, which was still buzzing around above the stadium and the Villa fans, who proclaimed Moyes as a "football genius".
De Gea fluffed a clearance thanks to a poor backpass from Alexander Buttner, almost allowing Benteke to double Villa's lead.
Then Rooney took the game by the scruff of the neck, finding space in the box and getting on the end of Shinji Kagawa's pinpoint cross to head past Brad Guzan.
The England striker would have a second soon after had it not been for a last-ditch tackle from Ciaran Clark and some impressive defending from Ron Vlaar.
United had increased the pressure on the away side, but they still lacked quality and imagination in the final third. Too often it was a case of hit and hope for Moyes men.
The game seemed destined for a half-time stalemate before Mata was brought down in the Villa box and Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot.
Rooney held his nerve to power the ball to Guzan's left and the home crowd started to relax.
Moyes brought on Michael Carrick at half-time for Rafael. The England international slotted in at centre-back, with Phil Jones moving to right-back.
Carrick proved his worth at centre-back against West Ham last weekend and he did so again here, sticking his boot in to deny Benteke a milisecond after the Belgian completely missed the ball going for a volley.
Benteke missed another glorious chance soon after, heading over from six yards while unmarked.
The home supporters began to fear a Villa equaliser but they started to breathe easily again when Mata scored his first goal for the club.
Buttner's header found Marouane Fellaini in the Villa box and he clumsily worked the ball to Mata off two away defenders, and the Spaniard stabbed it past Guzan.
The sense of relief was clear on Moyes' face. He came to the edge of his technical area and clapped.
The fans again showed their support for the manager by singing the Scot's name.
Moyes brought off Rooney with next week's game against Bayern Munich in mind. The crowd rose to their feet and clapped the striker off.
Benteke conspired to miss yet another sitter, this time shooting wide from close range, again unmarked, before Hernandez made no such mistake in turning home fellow substitute Adnan Januzaj's cross at the end.
Moyes was clapped off the pitch and he returned the favour, going out of his way to aim his applause towards the Stretford End after the final whistle.
Dublin forward Bernard Brogan reckons Mayo will come to Croke Park tonight looking to lay down a marker for the Championship (throw-in 7pm).
The two sides are level on six points apiece after five games in Division 1 of the Allianz Football League.
Brogan, who was man of the match when the Dubs beat the Connacht champions in the 2013 All-Ireland final, told RTÉ Sport: "Mayo will be coming to Croke Park to try and get a result.
"They've had a really good campaign so far. [They are] a really good football team as we all know for the last few years.
"They'll be having another go at us, they'll be having a look at the summer, hoping to have another go at the All-Ireland as well.
"They'll be seeing this game as a real benchmark to where they're at and to put down a marker with Dublin as well to let us know that they're in the mix."
Certerach ridden by Jamie Spencer (black and green silks) wins the Dubai Gold Cup
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Jamie Spencer punched the air with delight, but connections were made to sweat as 33-1 chance Certerach caused a big upset in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan.
Trained in Ireland by Michael Halford, who excels with his runners in the Gulf, Certerach had an awful lot to find on form.
But Spencer was always in the right place and edged his way past his pacesetting compatriot Ralston Road with about a furlong to run.
Last year's winner Cavalryman, the 7-4 favourite for the Godolphin stable, got himself into all sorts of trouble and was rapidly gaining at the line, but he ran out of time. Star Empire finished third.
"He's a strong stayer and we'll definitely think about the Ascot Gold Cup and the Melbourne Cup"
There was drama, however, as Cavalryman's jockey Silvestre de Sousa claimed Certerach had impeded him.
"The winner came right across me and took my ground, otherwise I would have won," he said.
There was a stewards' inquiry but an objection was withdrawn, reportedly by Sheikh Mohammed himself, and the result stood.
Halford said: "This is beyond our wildest dreams. The horse has had a great Carnival and this time last year he picked up an injury in the Nad Al Sheba.
"He's really grown up since then. I wasn't aware of the objection until I got to see Jamie but he said he thought we'd be OK.
"He's a strong stayer and we'll definitely think about the Ascot Gold Cup and the Melbourne Cup."
Spencer said: "I rode him once last year when he was beaten in a photo.
"He's a very nice spare to pick up and Shane Foley told me exactly how to ride the horse.
"He quickened well to get to the lead and, if anything, he idled in front. We only just held on."
Toast of New York wins Derby
Jamie Osborne's Toast Of New York ran out a decisive winner of the UAE Derby at Meydan.
Certainly not the most fashionable of runners, having picked up two events at Wolverhampton most recently, he was settled nicely in second by man-of-the-moment Jamie Spencer, who had won the Dubai Gold Cup aboard Certerach 40 minutes earlier.
Toast Of New York (11-1) surged past Safety Check inside the final furlong and was soon well clear of eventual runner-up Asmar.
Godolphin's well-touted Long John flopped badly, while Aidan O'Brien's Giovanni Boldini got going too late and finished fourth.
Amber Sky shines in Al Quoz Sprint
Hong Kong star Amber Sky ended the dominance of Mike de Kock's Shea Shea in the Al Quoz Sprint at Meydan.
Ridden by the Brazilian sensation Joao Moreira, Amber Sky had risen through the ranks in the Far East in the care of trainer Ricky Yiu Poon-fai and was swiftly into the lead from the outset.
Last year's winner and 11-10 favourite Shea Shea appeared to be left with too much on his plate as he sneaked third, but Amber Sky (5-2) was just doing enough and finished just ahead of Ahtoug.
Moreira said: "I really couldn't feel any better after that. He's such an easy horse to ride and I was able to get him into a good rhythm and nicely relaxed.
"You have to have a good horse to win a race like this and he's a special one."
De Kock said of Shea Shea: "He lost half a length leaving the gate and then he had to snatch him up but, in fairness, we would never have beaten the winner."
Sterling City comes home first in Dubai Golden Shaheen
Hong Kong sprinters continued to dominate at Meydan as Sterling City led home Rich Tapestry in a one-two for the former colony in the Dubai Golden Shaheen.
No sooner had Brazilian-born Joao Moreira guided Amber Sky to victory in the Al Quoz Sprint, he was back aboard the John Moore-trained Sterling City in the six-furlong Tapeta Group One.
Olivier Doleuze attempted to poach a decisive advantage in the closing stages on Rich Tapestry but the 9-4 favourite, who had struggled to go the pace in the early stages, gradually wore him down.
Variety Club claims Godolphin Mile
South African champion Variety Club delivered a powerful performance from the front to lower the colours of Soft Falling Rain in the Godolphin Mile at Meydan in Dubai.
The dual horse of the year in his homeland had a difficult draw in stall 15 but Anton Marcus bustled him quickly out of the gates and across to the inside.
Joey Ramsden's Variety Club (11-2) dominated from that point forward and while last year's winner and 11-4 favourite Soft Falling Rain sat just behind under Paul Hanagan, he could never assert himself and was well held in second.
"For any local South African horse to come all this way just to compete, let alone win, is just incredible," said Ramsden.
"Anton did the most magical job. He was quite lucky in getting a soft lead and that's obviously what's helped him along the way.
"Things didn't go great for him last time out, but it went very smoothly this time."
Written By Unknown on Selasa, 25 Maret 2014 | 23.06
Updated: Tuesday, 25 Mar 2014 10:38 | Comments
Manchester United David Moyes has endured a difficult first season at Old Trafford
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David Moyes has admitted that he is "disappointed" with his performance as Manchester United manager so far and has been "hurt" by his side's defeats in big games this season.
Other than a 1-0 win over Arsenal, United have failed to win any of their matches against the top nine sides in the league, and go into tonight's Manchester derby at Old Trafford as underdogs against their title-chasing neighbours.
High-profile defeats to City last September, Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and the recent 3-0 humbling against Liverpool have left a mark on the United manager.
"They have definitely hurt," Moyes said. "They have hurt more because I joined Manchester United with big expectations myself - that I was coming to the winning football club.
"I've got a winning mentality and that's what I wanted to do, so I'm disappointed with myself and I'm disappointed that we've been unable to do that. But it has not been for the want of trying, that's for sure.
"We we want to try and perform better in the bigger games than what we have done."
However, on Monday, Moyes insisted that United could beat City and reiterated his belief that he can turn things around next season .
The Scot goes into the derby with an unwanted disciplinary issue on his mind.
He has disciplined Chris Smalling after he was pictured apparently out in Manchester in the early hours of Saturday morning.
The Manchester Evening News published pictures of Smalling which it claimed shows the defender apparently singing in the streets at 3:15am.
Smalling had stayed in the north-west while the rest of his team-mates travelled to London for their Saturday evening clash against West Ham because of a hamstring injury.
Moyes is not happy with the 24-year-old's conduct, although he refused to reveal the punishment he had handed out to the player.
"I've dealt with it and I've spoken to Chris," the United boss said. "That would be as much as I would want to say on it."
Globetrotter Simenon has run well in defeat on a number of occasions since embarking on an international campaign last autumn
Willie Mullins admits Simenon faces a tough task from his wide draw in the Dubai Gold Cup at Meydan on Saturday.
The seven-year-old has been lumbered with the outside stall of 15 in the 15-runner line up for the Group Two contest over two miles.
It will be jockey Pat Smullen's job to try to turn the disadvantage around, but connections report Simenon in top form following his pipe-opener in the Nad Al Sheba Trophy when he was fifth to Cavalryman.
"Simenon has done a good bit of work since his first start at Meydan on 1 March and we're happy that he's improved since and is back to himself," said Ireland's champion jumps trainer.
"Emmet (Mullins, nephew who is overseeing the horse in Dubai) text me to say we've got an awful draw to overcome, 15 of 15, so that won't be easy.
"Pat Smullen takes the ride and, all said, we are looking forward to the race as we're very happy with Simenon."
Sri Lankan bowler Lasith Malinga (R) and team-mate Kumar Sangakkara (L) will travel to Ireland in May
Sri Lanka have named a massive 25-man squad for their summer tour of Ireland and England.
The tourists play two one-day internationals against Ireland at Clontarf on Tuesday 6 May and Thursday 8 May before five ODIs, a solitary Twenty20 and two Tests against England, ending the trip in late June.
All bases are covered in a single extended group named by Sri Lanka Cricket as opposed to distinct Test and limited-overs parties.
Fast bowler Lasith 'Slinga' Malinga and veteran batsmen Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara are included in the squad.
Not all players will be available against England, however, with Jayawardene and Sangakkara retiring from the shortest format at the end of the ongoing World Twenty20 and Tillakaratne Dilshan having already called time on his Test career.
Sri Lanka hammered Ireland's T20 World Cup conquerors The Netherlands in Chittagong yesterday, dismissing the Dutch for a record low international score of just 39 runs in 10.3 overs.
Sri Lanka chased down the target in only five overs, losing one wicket.
Sri Lanka squad for tour of England and Ireland: K Perera, K Silva, D Karunaratne, L Thirimanne, T Dilshan, K Sangakkara, M Jayawardene, A Mathews, D Chandimal, P Jayawardene, A Priyanjan, K Vithanage, C De Silva, S Prasanna, D Perera, R Herath, S Senanayake, A Mendis, T Perera, N Kulasekara, L Malinga, S Lakmal, D Prasad, S Eranga, V Fernando.
Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane both enjoyed successful spells at Nottingham Forest after making the move across the Irish Sea
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Former Nottingham Forest star Stan Collymore has urged the club to replace sacked manager Billy Davies with Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill and assistant Roy Keane.
O'Neill and Keane both had successful playing careers at Forest, with O'Neill winning the League title, League Cup and European Cup under Brian Clough during a decade at the club while Keane reached two Cup finals before being sold to Manchester United in 1993.
When the pair were unveiled as the Irish management team in November last year, O'Neill said there was no clause in his two-year contract that would allow him to leave for another job.
Despite this, Collymore made an appeal for the Irishmen to be considered while presenting his Talksport radio show on Monday night: "He's got money, the owner [Fawaz Al Hasawi].
"I would pay whatever remuneration to the FAI and get Roy Keane working under Martin O'Neill at Nottingham Forest.
"It [managing Ireland] is a part-time job and they didn't think they were going to get a gig in the short-term.
"The Forest job has come up, both would get into a Forest all-time XI. Both want to manage day-to-day with players.
"I couldn't give a monkey's what Irish fans say in terms of 'they love the job, steer clear from here'."
Neil Warnock has confirmed that he was offered the chance to replace Davies on Monday but turned the opportunity down.
"I couldn't give a monkey's what Irish fans say" - Stan Coillymore
When it was suggested to Collymore that former Forest captain and England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce would be a more realistic choice than the Irish duo, Collymore said he would welcome all three men as part of a new Forest set-up.
"This would be the blueprint: Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane as manager and assistant manager, Stuart Pearce as technical director."
Pearce has hinted he could be interested in becoming manager at the City Ground, labelling the job an "outstanding" opportunity for the right person.
"I have spent 10 years training as a manager and that is what I am," Pearce told Talksport
"There are some really good jobs out there at times that come up every now and again and Nottingham Forest outside the Premier League is an outstanding job for whatever manager wants it."
Brendan Rodgers: 'There is no doubt we are on the right road to winning a title'
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Liverpool are on track to win a Premier League title but are still a work in progress, says manager Brendan Rodgers.
His in-form side seek to close the gap at the top to one point by beating Sunderland on Wednesday.
Six consecutive league wins, in which they have scored 24 goals, have put Liverpool in sight of a first English title since 1990 and Rodgers has been walking the line between managing expectations and talking up his side's chances.
"We haven't won it for a long time and it may or may not be this year but there is no doubt we are on the right road to winning a title here," Rodgers said in the Liverpool Echo.
"We are far from being perfect and Saturday's game at Cardiff showed that. While we are learning and improving we will hopefully continue to pick up points and see where it takes us.
"We still have a hell of a way to go to be near where I want us to be but we are certainly making strides and are on the right path."
Liverpool have scored 82 league goals this season, six more than Manchester City, who are in third place and have three games in hand on leaders Chelsea.
Defending has been Liverpool's problem area this season and Rodgers admits finding the correct balance remains his biggest challenge, although he argues against the notion that his side concede too many sloppy goals.
"Even the best teams will concede goals," he said. "There's been various items thrown at the team. When I first came in, we didn't score enough goals, that's now flipped to we concede too many goals.
"We just concentrate on our work. My objective was to make us a more potent attacking force and the players have responded magnificently to the ideas we've been looking to implement."
"We still have a hell of a way to go to be near where I want us to be but we are certainly making strides and are on the right path"
While the goals of Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge have been grabbing the headlines, the form of skipper Steven Gerrard in midfield has been inspirational for the Reds.
Gerrard's commitment to the cause has resulted in nine yellow cards this season and one more before the April amnesty would leave him facing a two-match ban.
It is a worry for Rodgers but he trusts the 33-year-old to stay out of the referee's notebook.
"He has been unfortunate. He just has to be a bit more cautious but he is clever enough to get through that," Rodgers said.
Experienced right back Glen Johnson, another of Liverpool's impressive performers this season, believes the Anfield club would be popular winners if they do capture the title.
"Nobody wants the same teams to be winning the title over and over again," Johnson said.
"I think just to spice things up the neutrals would want to see us win it. They will be packing a punch for us."
Sunderland head coach Gus Poyet has a fresh selection headache ahead of Wednesday night's trip to Liverpool.
On-loan striker Fabio Borini is ineligible to play against his parent club and Connor Wickham has been recalled from Leeds as a result, while full-back Marcos Alonso is suspended following his red card in Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Norwich.
Frontman Steven Fletcher is still waiting to discover the full extent of the ankle injury he suffered against Crystal Palace on March 15, but he will not be involved at Anfield and joins long-term absentee Keiren Westwood (shoulder) on the sidelines.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce will give winger Matt Jarvis every chance to feature against Hull.
The 27-year-old suffered a thigh injury towards the end of Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Manchester United, but Allardyce is hopeful he will be fit for the visit of Steve Bruce's Tigers.
Joey O'Brien (shoulder) and Marco Borriello (calf) remain absent for the Hammers while Allardyce also confirmed Ricardo Vaz Te is struggling for match fitness after returning to training.
West Ham squad: Adrian, Jaaskelainen, Demel, Tomkins, Johnson, McCartney, Collins, Johnson, Reid, Armero, Noble, Nocerino, Diame, Taylor, Nolan, J Cole, Downing, Jarvis, Vaz Te, C Cole, Carroll.
Hull City hope to be unchanged for the visit to Upton Park.
Manager Steve Bruce is confident Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long will recover in time from a knee injury sustained in the 2-0 win over his old club West Brom on Saturday.
Centre back Curtis Davies is also battling a knee injury in the hope that he can attempt to combat the threat of Hammers striker Andy Carroll.
Written By Unknown on Senin, 24 Maret 2014 | 23.07
Updated: Monday, 24 Mar 2014 13:40 | Comments
London footballer Mark Gotsche and Tanaiste Eamonn Gilmore
The GAA have announced plans to redevelop Ruislip, the home of Gaelic games in London.
It is planned that the proposed new £4.17m/€5m development will commence in September 2014, and the refurbished facility will re-open for London's Connacht championship match in May 2015.
The work will see the construction of a new stand (artist's impression below) – centrally covered, terracing on the opposite side of the ground and it will leave the facility fully enclosed bringing it to the level of county standard facilities across Ireland.
The new 3,900 capacity facility will also house the administrative office for London GAA.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will contribute €600,000 towards the project from its Emigrant Support Programme and €1.4m will come from the GAA at central level.
The outstanding balance will be met by London GAA and its clubs.
GAA president Liam Ó Néill welcomed the development, saying: "We are delighted to confirm details of this exciting new development which will serve the needs of London GAA and its clubs for many years to come.
"Ruislip is synonymous with the GAA in London and I have no doubt that the excellent new facility will play a central role in the ongoing growth and development of our games in the British capital".
"Rarely, if ever, has there existed a higher level of awareness of the rich heritage of our games in London – thanks in no small part to the exploits of the county's footballers and hurlers in recent times.
"I would like to thank the Department and An Tanáiste Eamon Gilmore in particular for their support of this project and I wish London every success with it."
London won their first Connacht SFC match in 36 years last season against Sligo, and then beat Leitrim to reach the provincial final, where they lost to eventual All-Ireland finalists Mayo.
London's hurlers won the Christy Ring Cup in 2012 and competed in last year's Liam MacCarthy Cup.
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Eamon Gilmore, added: "Our investment in the new facilities at Ruislip recognises the central role of the GAA in the Irish Emigrant community in London.
"It's often a first port of call for our newer emigrants, and a home from home for others. The development of Ruislip will make it a better place to play and to watch Gaelic Games in London and can only help reinforce the strong sense of community which is so evident amongst the many generations of Irish people living there."
Noel Dunning, Chairperson of the London Development Committee added: "The development of Ruislip will provide London with a county ground comparable with every other county in Ireland, where we will be able to host our fellow Gaels in a manner London receives in every county we visit in Ireland, and allow us to proudly showcase the positive aspects of the GAA in London
"The GAA is first and foremost a cultural movement and London GAA enables emigrants and people with Irish heritage to retain a connection to home and celebrate a sense of Irish identity
"The development will ensure that Ruislip continues to be a proud place for the Irish diaspora in London and Britain, enabling the continued celebration of Irish culture and heritage at a state-of-the-art sporting complex."
The Allianz Arena boasts a capacity of 67,812 for matches in UEFA competitions, but that figure will be reduced for the clash with Manchester United
Bayern Munich have been sanctioned with a partial closure of their stadium for the Champions League quarter-final against Manchester United after fans displayed a homophobic banner against Arsenal.
UEFA's control and disciplinary body ordered that the section of the stadium where the banner was displayed should be closed for the second leg against United.
The club have also been fined €10,000 for the "discriminatory behaviour" of some of their supporters, which also targeted Arsenal's German midfielder Mesut Ozil.
UEFA said in a statement that as a result of the "displaying of an illicit banner, the UEFA control and disciplinary body has decided to order the partial closure of the [stadium] in particular, the closure of sector 124 for Bayern's next UEFA competition home match, namely their UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg against Manchester United."
Bayern Munich travel to Old Trafford for the first leg on 1 April before hosting the Red Devils at the Allianz Arena on 9 April.
Australia (near side) has contracted notably in the betting for the opening Classic of the season in the last week
Aidan O'Brien expressed his satisfaction after overseeing in excess of 30 horses in after-racing work at the Curragh on Sunday, including high-profile Classic contenders Australia and War Command.
O'Brien traditionally brings his string to the opening fixture of the Flat turf season, and others on show were Oaks favourite Tapestry plus classy American import Verrazano and Irish Oaks heroine Chicquita, who went for €6 million at the dispersal sale of Peter Makin in November.
Australia, who slammed Free Eagle by six lengths on his final start last season, heads the ante-post markets on the Qipco 2000 Guineas and Investec Derby, and he travelled in mid-division under Joseph O'Brien in his group, which also featured Dewhurst winner War Command (Colm O'Donoghue), who could yet head to the French Guineas rather than Newmarket.
O'Brien said: "Joseph was very happy with him there - he hated the soft ground and Joseph said whatever you do, don't run him on soft. I made that mistake with Camelot and I don't want that to happen again.
"He goes straight to the Guineas and physically he has done wonderfully.
"He is the second-best horse I have ever trained and the best was not a Flat horse. The great Istabraq.
"Istabraq was a class above everything he raced against, but Australia looks very good - he just has to prove it on the track. I stand over everything I said about this horse last year.
"He's a lovely-moving horse and we always knew he'd want good ground. He just sauntered up there today.
"War Command wouldn't like soft ground either, we are training him and Australia for the Guineas but if Australia goes to Newmarket then he could go to France.
"War Command is very well. Colm said he didn't like the soft there today, but that would be the same for all progeny of War Front.
"Indian Maharaja could go for the Guineas Trial next weekend in Leopardstown.
"Orchestra will be trained as a Derby-type horse, he's got options - we'll look at races in Gowran or Lingfield and he'll probably go a mile and a half.
"Leading Light will be trained for the Ascot Gold Cup, and may start off in Navan in the Vintage Crop Stakes and there's also the Saval Beg in Leopardstown.
"Geoffrey Chaucer doesn't want bad ground but he wouldn't mind an ease. He'll be trained for the Derby and could start off in the Ballysax Stakes.
"I was very happy with Tapestry, she's as forward as we would like at this stage and we can now give her an easy time and go straight for the (1000) Guineas."
Dual American Grade One winner Verrazano has joined O'Brien from Todd Pletcher, and could have his first start for Ballydoyle at Royal Ascot although a run before that has not been ruled out.
O'Brien said: "We're looking at the Queen Anne at Ascot for Verrazano, he could have a run before that if the ground is OK.
"We are thinking of the Yorkshire Oaks for Chicquita. She's entered in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, but we are taking our time with her and looking at the second half of the year.
"Venus De Milo has won a Group Three so we will be looking at least at Group Twos with her and like a lot of Duke Of Marmalades she could improve a lot from three to four."
Jimmy Barry-Murphy: 'Psychologically, it's important to get promoted'
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Cork boss Jimmy Barry-Murphy is "delighted" that his side will compete among the Allianz Hurling League's elite next year after securing promotion from Division 1B.
"That was the objective at the start of the year and we're delighted that we achieved that," said the Rebels manager.
"We'll hope to pick up the pace now and learn from our performances over the last couple of weeks.
"Psychologically, it's important to get promoted. I wouldn't say our performances have been anywhere near the standard we'd like to be at, and the players know that what we have shown so far in the league wouldn't suffice against real top-class opposition.
"That's no disrespect to Division 1B, it's just the pace of the game is different. That's the reality of it.
"So we know that our pace work and the standards of our game have to improve going forward."
Barry-Murphy hailed the All-Ireland finalists' resilience after they held off a spirited fightback by Wexford to win by seven points at Páirc Uí Rinn.
"You could say our performance today was a bit patchy but the players responded very well in the last 10 minutes and got some brilliant scores," he added.
"It was getting scary for us at one stage. Wexford brought it back to a point and we had been seven points up, but our players responded very well to that challenge.
"We got some excellent scores, and the substitutes we brought in did very well, lads like Paul Haughney and Alan Cadogan, and brought a bit of life to the team.
"It's a learning process this time of the year. We've brought some players into the panel and they're showing that they're contenders for places on the Championship panel."
JBM was also effusive in his praise for Seamus Harnedy, a goalscorer in last year's All-Ireland final replay, who landed five points from play.
"Seamie had been out injured in the early parts of the league and his performance today was phenomenal," said Barry-Murphy.
"He's a fantastic player and he has a great attitude to the game.
Arsene Wenger: 'We felt we prepared properly, but we did not turn up, so it is puzzling'
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been left puzzled by his side once again failing to turn up in a big game after they went down 6-0 at Chelsea.
The heavy defeat on Saturday ruined Wenger's 1,000th match in charge and severely dented any title ambitions, with the Gunners now down in fourth place, albeit still with a match in hand on the leaders.
Wenger's team appeared to have learned no lessons from their 6-3 defeat at Manchester City earlier this season and the subsequent 5-1 mauling at Liverpool - where they trailed 4-0 inside 20 minutes - as Arsenal were torn apart by Jose Mourinho's rampant Blues during a blistering opening spell.
The French coach is expecting a response against Swansea on Tuesday night, but admits he needs to get to the bottom of why the players again failed to deliver a big performance when it was needed the most.
"We felt we prepared properly, but we did not turn up, so it is puzzling," Wenger said.
"After 20 minutes, it was game over and it became a long, dramatic and dreadful afternoon.
"That is the most disappointing, when you prepare with the intensity that we do, you then turn up for your game of the season and are never even in it.
"This is puzzling because we were shocked and knocked down basically without feeling you have had a chance.
"The team is healthy and willing, but still the way it happened against Chelsea, we have to think deeply about because it is not the first time and (we have) to respond in a proper way on Tuesday."
While Wenger has been left to scratch his head over the sequence of heavy defeats, Gunners central defender Per Mertesacker has a theory.
Saturday's 6-0 thrashing followed a worrying pattern, with the 6-3 loss to City and 5-1 hammering at Liverpool also coming in lunchtime matches.
"I don't know why, but it looks like we don't fancy early kick-offs away," Mertesacker said.
"It looks like we are going to have to apply to the FA to not play at 12.45 away. That would help us a lot." - Per Mertesacker
"It looks like we are going to have to apply to the FA to not play at 12.45 away. That would help us a lot."
Wenger's 1,000th match could hardly have got off to a worse start as Chelsea scored twice in the opening eight minutes through Samuel Eto'o and Andre Schurrle.
There was controversy when Kieran Gibbs was sent off for a handball committed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain in the 17th minute, but there was no doubt it was a penalty and Eden Hazard put Chelsea 3-0 up from the spot before an Oscar brace and Mohamed Salah's first Chelsea goal completed the rout.
Referee Andre Marriner has apologised for sending off Gibbs in error, with the suspension now likely to be moved onto Oxlade-Chamberlain, who admitted his guilt to the referee at the time but was waved away.
Arsenal could nevertheless appeal against any sanction against Oxlade-Chamberlain as it looked as if Hazard's shot was actually going just wide, so the offence was not technically preventing a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Wenger said: "You would not like to see Gibbs suspended because he has done nothing.
"The first injustice would be that he had been sent off and then on top of that he would be suspended, (so) of course that would be wrong."
Clare's John Conlon and Joe Fitzpatrick of Laois in action last summer
Laois will host All-Ireland champions Clare in Portlaoise in the quarter-finals of the Allianz Hurling League.
The remaining last-eight fixtures, which were confirmed by the GAA today, see Tipperary play Munster rivals Cork in Semple Stadium, Kilkenny visit Wexford Park and Galway travel to the Gaelic Grounds to face Limerick.
The games all take place at 3.30 on Sunday 30 March.
Tipperary squeezed into the quarter-finals by the narrowest of margins thanks to Sunday's win over Dublin, and Anthony Daly's side must now pick themselves up for a relegation play-off against the Waterford.
In the Division 1B relegation decider Antrim will host Offaly.
Allianz Hurling League Division 1 fixtures to be played on 30 March
Quarter-finals (3.30) Laois v Clare, Portlaoise Wexford v Kilkenny, Wexford Park Limerick v Galway, Gaelic Grounds Tipperary v Cork, Thurles (Throw-in time to be confirmed)
Division 1A relegation play-off Dublin v Waterford, Walsh Park, 3.30
Division 1B relegation play-off Antrim v Offaly, Ballycastle, 2.00
Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 22 Maret 2014 | 23.06
Updated: Saturday, 22 Mar 2014 13:21 | Comments
Keith Earls is back in action for Munster
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By Tadhg Peavoy
Munster v Treviso, Thomond Park, 7.15pm
Munster will look to get back to winning ways this Saturday, following defeat to Scarlets in their last Pro12 outing.
Their talisman Paul O'Connell returns to the starting line-up in a huge mental and physical boost to the pack and team as a whole.
Getting back on track, and maintaining second spot in the table with a win, will be target number one for Rob Penney's team this weekend, and they will certainly be favoured to do so.
Treviso are on an abysmal run of form, with seven straights losses chalked up beside their name, and a victory at Thomond Park would be a huge upset.
By contrast, Munster have a 100 per cent home record in the Pro12 this season.
Treviso have beaten Munster twice in succession in Italy, but neither they, nor any other Italian side, has ever beaten the Irish side away.
What's more, the Irish side's line-up will not fill Treviso's squad with hope. The backline includes JJ Hanrahan, Johne Murphy, James Downey, Casey Laulala, Keith Earls and Felix Jones; all of the aforementioned players have been consistently good performers this season and together will offer a formidable challenge.
The pack is not as strong, but still includes Damien Varley, O'Connell, Donnacha Ryan and Sean Dougall.
Treviso are going to try and get the grind on Munster at the set piece, attempting to win penalties at the scrum and disrupt in the lineout.
Alberto de Marchi – headed to play for Sale Sharks next season – and Lorenzo Cittadini will be crucial in Treviso getting any change from this strategy, while Antonio Pavanello, Manoa Vosawai and Robert Barbieri wil be the trio entrusted to gain parity at the breakdown.
Outside the pack, Edoardo Gori lends experience at nine, with Matt Berquist starting outside of him. A talented looking backline includes Ludovica Nitoglia, Alberto Sgarbi, Michele Campagnaro and Angelo Esposito.
On paper, Munster should get the win here, and I expect them to.
It's likely to be a close first half, where Treviso will put pressure on Munster and keep the game tight, but as space opens up out wide come the second period, it's hard to see Munster not using their home advantage and pulling away.
Verdict: Munster to win by 17
Newport Gwent Dragons v Connacht, Rodney Parade, Sunday, 3.05pm
Connacht's hot streak has given them three Pro12 wins on the trot, and a fourth win in Wales this weekend would equal their best run of form in the competition since 2002/03.
In addition, if they win, they could potentially rise to seventh in the table, closing in on Scarlets in the top half.
The incentives for Connacht this weekend are huge, and I expect a very committed and passionate performance as they attempt to keep their form ticking over.
The Westerners form in this clash is also very good, with four wins from the last five attempts against Dragons, giving further hope that this could be a victorious weekend for Pat Lam's side.
The likelihood is that it's going to be a very tight battle, with a score, or two, pushing it in favour of either side.
Connacht are settled, with no changes made to the team that beat Treviso.
Denis Buckley, Jason Harris-Wright and Rodney Ah You form a front row that has had a very solid season thus far, with Mick Kearney the lynchpin in the second row. John Muldoon supplies the experience in the back row at six, and Eoin McKeon the explosiveness at eight.
Promising scrum-half Kieran Marmion partners veteran Dan Parks at halfback with Fionn Carr, Tiernan O'Halloran and Robbie Henshaw full of danger in the back three.
The pick of Dragons' pack are Andrew Coombs in the second row alongside Robert Sidoli. In the back row Netani Talei is a tough opponent at eight. But on a whole, Connacht's pack looks well able to control Dragons' eight in the set piece and the loose, giving a platform which their backs can use with solidity.
Jason Tovey is dangerous for Dragons at ten, and Connacht's Eoghan Masterson will want to get up into his face early and prevent him getting up a head of steam. Inside at nine, Richie Rees is the most experienced man in that division.
The Dragons backline is very youthful, exemplified by 19-year-old Jack Dixon in at 12, and 22-year-old Ross Wardle at 13.
Connacht are going to take it to these two, attempting to punch holes in midfield, off which their strike runners and back three will feed. If that works, expect to see Dragons' back three of Will Harries, Tom Prydie and Dan Evans under plenty of pressure.
I think Connacht will get the upper hand in these exchanges, and coupled with a solid last quarter, where Connacht play percentages, and control Dragons' replacement back row Toby Faletau, this should be an away win.
Luke Fitzgerald scores Leinster's third tryZebre's Filippo Ferrarini can't stop Noel Reid going over for Leinster's first try
Jordi Murphy scored a bonus-point try in injury-time as Leinster saw off a stubborn Zebre side 27-0 to move six points clear at the top of the RaboDirect PRO12.
There were five players included from the Ireland squad that claimed the Six Nations title in Paris, with Fergus McFadden, Ian Madigan and Murphy all starting with Martin Moore and Eoin Reddan used off the bench.
In a penalty-ridden first half at the RDS, place-kickers Madigan and Tommaso Iannone missed two shots apiece in a difficult swirling wind.
Centre Noel Reid's fifth try of the league campaign - while Iannone was in the sin-bin - gave Leinster an 8-0 interval lead.
Matt O'Connor's men gradually lifted the intensity and Luke Fitzgerald's brace of tries, scored after 59 and 66 minutes, confirmed Leinster's ninth straight win in all competitions.
The defending champions pushed for a late bonus point and the tiring Italians conceded a fourth try right at the death, Leinster building from a close-in lineout and flanker Murphy was mauled over.
Leinster were back in action after a three-week break and as Zebre leaked four penalties in the opening seven minutes, only desperate defence kept the hosts scoreless.
They settled for a three-pointer from Madigan with bulldozing runs from Murphy and man-of-the-match Richardt Strauss driving Leinster forward from the restart.
The scrum offered Zebre some reward but Iannone knocked a long range penalty wide. He had another unconvincing strike in the 22nd minute, after a good kick chase from Giulio Toniolatti and a subsequent collapsed maul.
The Italians managed to disrupt the breakdown as Leinster's wait for a first try continued, with Darragh Fanning missing an opportunity to release Reid from a Madigan cross-field kick - it was one of a number of breaks that the province failed to finish off.
The same attack ended with Zebre out-half Iannone being penalised for hands in the ruck and referee Marius Mitrea reached for his yellow card.
After Madigan missed the resulting penalty from the right, the Leinster pack built through the phases and had Zebre under intense pressure in their 22 before Reid stepped inside two defenders to touch down to the left of the posts.
The sloppiness continued from both sides early in the second period, with successive attacks spoiled by loose kicking, dropped passes and a general anxiousness.
Fitzgerald, the game's most dangerous runner, had precious few chances to threaten but he was fed by replacement Reddan to dive over in the left corner following a powerful lineout maul.
Madigan, celebrating his 25th birthday and his 100th Leinster cap, nailed a terrific conversion from the touchline and the home side quickly added their third try.
Reddan supplied quick ruck ball and after a wraparound move between Madigan and Shane Jennings, Reid passed for Fitzgerald to go over again in the left corner.
This time Madigan's conversion went narrowly wide and after Zebre failed to capitalise on some pressure, Leinster ended the game in the ascendancy with recent Ireland debutant Murphy grounding a final converted score.
Gary McCabe slots home a first-half penalty for Rovers
Shamrock Rovers recorded a 3-1 victory over Dublin rivals Bohemians in a scrappy and sometimes heated affair at Dalymount Park in their SSE Airtricity League Premier Division clash.
A first-half penalty from Gary McCabe was cancelled out by a Conor Kenna own goal before headers from Ronan Finn and substitute Kieran Waters saw Rovers clear.
Dinny Corcoran had a goal disallowed, Kevin Devaney hitting the crossbar and substitute Jason Byrne had a shot cleared off the line as clinical finishing separated the sides.
Bohemians had the better of the opening exchanges but Steven Beatttie failed top beat the first man, and Craig Walsh's volley went into the ground from the edge of the box and bounced harmlessly to Murphy inside 10 minutes.
Rovers who had little attacking threat up until then, broke the deadlock. Referee Padraig Sutton look to have awarded Bohs a throw-in by their left corner, but his linesman gave it to Rovers.
Gary McCabe received the ball down the right from the throw, cutting in from the end-line, before Jack Memery recklessly upended him and Sutton pointed to the spot. Memery saw yellow while McCabe composed himself to put Dean Delany the wrong way and Rovers 1-0 up.
Paddy Kavanagh and later Ryan McEvoy both saw yellow for strong tackles on Ryan Brennan and McCabe as the tensions threatened to boil over. But Bohs, who had played the better football of the half almost drew level.
First Dinny Corcoran had a goal ruled out for offside after Kavanagh's cross was flicked on. The linesman's flag cut celebrations shorts. Then Devaney saw his shot hit the top of the crossbar after both Walsh and Kavanagh had efforts blocked down as Rovers led 1-0 at the break.
The second-half saw the game open up a lot more with Ronan Finn, who had been anonymous in the first half, letting fly from 25 yards but Delany parried and Bohs cleared. Finn was next to see yellow for a two-footed tackle on Corcoran as Bohs who replied by springing Jason Byrne from the bench.
Byrne's introduction almost had an immediate impact as he raced clear of the Rovers defence only to have his first effort saved by Murphy and his second turned behind by Conor Kenna on the line.
The striker then became the fourth Bohs players booked before Derek Pender saw his cross from the right touchline turned into his own goal by Conor Kenna to level the game on 64 minutes.
Craig Walsh was booked for a foul on the increasingly lively McCabe with Sean O'Connor's free-kick flashing just over the crossbar.
Bohs were made rue their missed chances as Rovers finished strongly, putting the game beyond their hosts with two goals inside three minutes.
First Ronan Finn powered home a header from Ciaran Kilduff inside the Bohs six-yard box before Simon Madden brushed off Memery down the right and his inch-perfect cross was headed home by substitute Kieran Waters on 77 minutes to give Rovers a 3-1 win.
With eight goals in their first three league games, Rovers go joint-top of the table with Cork City while Bohemians will look to a lack of composure in front of goal that cost them dear.
Bohemians: Dean Delany, Derek Pender, Roberto Lopes, Aiden Price, Jack Memery (Karl Moore on 77), Kevin Devaney (Jason Byrne 56), Ryan McEvoy, Craig Walsh (Stephen Traynor 75), Paddy Kavanagh, Steven Beattie, Dinny Corcoran.
Shamrock Rovers: Barry Murphy, Simon Madden, Jason McGuinness, Conor Kenna, Luke Byrne, Gary McCabe, Ryan Brennan (Robert Bayly on 77), Shane Robinson, Ronan Finn, Sean O'Connor (Kieran Waters on 75), Ciaran Kilduff.
Joe Schmidt: "We want to try to keep the selection open and recalibrate what we are looking and then go again for Argentina"
By Brendan Cole
In an exclusive interview to be broadcast on RTÉ Saturday Sport later today, Joe Schmidt has said that opening up selection is a key concern as Ireland move on from their RBS 6 Nations title win.
The Ireland head coach, who oversaw victories over Scotland, Wales, Italy and France and a narrow defeat against England to claim Ireland's first title since 2009, admitted to feeling satisfied with a success he did not expect at the outset of the tournament.
Speaking exclusively to RTÉ Sport's Michael Corcoran, he said: "It wasn't something that I thought would happen to be honest. I thought it was going to be a work in progress and it definitely still is."
Schmidt also reveals he now has a 'concern' about selection after a campaign that saw him use fewer players than he expected to as Ireland continued to perform strongly from week to week.
The summer tour of Argentina will be one opportunity to look at different players, though Schmidt admits it will be difficult to drop players who continue to perform.
He said: "We want to try to keep the selection open and recalibrate what we are looking and then go again for Argentina.
"We had quite a small group that started, with just 18 starters through the Six Nations and 29 used in all. We want to make sure that we are giving opportunity as much as possible. But at the same time, if you give someone a jersey and they do what is required of them, it is pretty hard not to stick with them."
Ireland have just 14 matches – 10 Tests and four warm-up matches - between now and the next Rugby World Cup, with a trip to Argentina this summer, a November series, the next Six Nations and four pre-RWC 2015 warm-up matches on the schedule.
The Heineken Cup is also a key proving ground for those looking to claim Ireland caps.
Schmidt commented: "We are going to some really high quality rugby in the [Heineken Cup] quarter-finals in two weeks' time and that will be a good opportunity to gauge progress for players that didn't get the game time that we anticipated we might be able to spread across a wider group during the Six Nations."
But defending the Six Nations will be a major priority, and Schmidt does not see the Championship as a time to experiment.
He added: "For me personally, while there is no way you would ever disregard the World Cup; and it Is the pinnacle, the Six Nations is a massive tournament for us. That is the Championship that we play in annually and that you want to win in Europe.
"Those five [Six Nations] Test matches next year are going to be something that we will really go out try to be as competitive as we can be. So if you are looking for windows, Argentina and the November series next season are the times we might look to have a look at a few guys because we are not going to get any other opportunity."
The Ireland head coach also hailed the impact of the bench, crediting substitutes with scoring key tries that led to Ireland's tournament win on points difference.
He said: "It was one of the learnings that we got from the All Blacks Test match……we have to be good enough across 23 players to make sure that we are able to add value rather than plug holes with our bench. To be fair to the lads that came on, there was always value added from the group."
Michael Corcoran's interview with Joe Schmidt will play out on Saturday Sport later today - in it, the Ireland coach talks about the crucial moments in RBS 6 Nations campaign, Ireland's nail-biting finish against France and Steve Walsh's decision to refer the crucial decision back to the TMO after it had been made and much more.
The full interview will also be available on the RTÉ.ie/sport website after 5pm.
Michael Meehan (r) underwent surgery on his ankle in November
Galway footballer Michael Meehan has opted out of the county's senior panel "for the foreseeable future".
The 29-year-old, who made his senior championship debut in 2003, has been dogged by a series of injuries and underwent surgery on his ankle in November.
It had been hoped that Meehan would return for the Allianz Football League but his injury has not responded well to treatment and he has not yet resumed training.
In a statement, Galway GAA said that a return in time for the Championship was considered unrealistic.
Galway manager Alan Mulholland said he fully supported Meehan's decision and that he hoped that he would make a full recovery.
"Michael has been a marquee player for Galway for the last decade and his absence for the season ahead will leave a big void," Mulholland said. "While disappointed, we can understand Michael's frustration and fully support his decision to give his injury a complete rest."
Meehan has not ruled out a return to inter-county action following what the Galway statement described as "a substantial period of rest".
Meehan, who was joined on the Galway team by brothers Declan, Tomas and Noel and who inspired Caltra to the 2004 All-Ireland club title, has won three Connacht senior titles and also won two All-Ireland Under-21 titles.
Misery written on the faces of Steve Bould and Arsene WengerJose Mourinho left before the end of the match without shaking Arsene Wenger's handChelsea celebrate Andre Schurrle's goal
Arsene Wenger suffered a horrific 1,000th game in charge as his shambolic Arsenal side were torn apart 6-0 by a rampant Chelsea side.
There was a bizarre case of mistaken identity as Arsenal embarrassingly capitulated to Jose Mourinho's side.
Wenger watched on helplessly after two goals in three first-half minutes from Samuel Eto'o and Andre Schurrle gave Chelsea a handsome lead inside the first seven minutes before Marriner sent off Kieran Gibbs for a handball committed by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Eden Hazard's shot was handled in the area and, despite Oxlade-Chamberlain appearing to approach the official to admit wrongdoing, Gibbs was shown a red.
Hazard converted the penalty to give the Blues a 3-0 advantage after 17 minutes. Once again the Gunners imploded at the home of a title rival following heavy losses at Manchester City and Liverpool.
Oscar added a fourth before the interval, a fifth after 66 minutes and his replacement Mohamed Salah struck his first Chelsea goal as the Blues responded from the controversial loss at Aston Villa in emphatic fashion.
Stamford Bridge revelled in the success, roaring "Arsene Wenger, we want you to stay" and "specialist in failure".
Mourinho made his "failure" barb - referring to Wenger's eight-year trophy drought - after the Frenchman suggested anyone playing down their team's title chances was doing so for fear of falling short.
It ended the truce which had broken out in Mourinho's absence from the Premier League and, ahead of their third meeting of the season, Mourinho stopped short of joining those paying tribute to Wenger ahead of his landmark match.
Wenger's 500th game was a loss to Chelsea in August 2006 and there were warnings in the opening skirmishes of a repeat as Schurrle and Eto'o exposed gaping holes in the Gunners defence.
Petr Cech was at full stretch to turn away an Olivier Giroud effort before a direct run from Schurrle led to the opening goal.
Schurrle fed Eto'o, who turned Oxlade-Chamberlain outside and then in before curling left-footed across Wojciech Szczesny for his 11th goal of the season, all of which have come at home.
Soon after it was two: Nemanja Matic dispossessed Tomas Rosicky and found Schurrle, whose shot through three bodies found the corner of the net.
After the 6-3 loss at the Etihad Stadium and 5-1 defeat at Anfield, both early Saturday kick-offs, the sinking feeling was familiar for the Gunners.
Worse was to follow when Hazard's shot beat Szczesny and Oxlade-Chamberlain dived to his left to handle the shot, which was going wide.
After Marriner's mix-up resulted in Gibbs being sent off, Hazard scored and Thomas Vermaelen went on for Lukas Podolski, but the Gunners leaked a fourth three minutes before half-time when Fernando Torres, on for the injured Eto'o, crossed for Oscar to tap in.
Oxlade-Chamberlain and Laurent Koscielny did not reappear for the second half as Wenger made two further substitutions in an effort to stop the rot.
Torres had a mazy run halted by Per Mertesacker and the ball broke for David Luiz, whose shot was saved by Szczesny, while there was a rare Arsenal attack which saw Santi Cazorla flash a shot across goal after 60 minutes.
Arsenal's miserable afternoon continued when the defence backed off and allowed Oscar to shoot from the edge of the area, with Szczesny less than convincing in being beaten for a fifth time.
Salah replaced Oscar and soon after netted under Szczesny after racing on to Matic's lofted pass, completing the rout.
The only saving grace on this occasion was that the decision did not appear to impact on the result and it is likely that Oxlade-Chamberlain will serve the suspension if Arsenal appeal or the FA intervene.
With eight games remaining, Chelsea top the standings having played more matches than their three rivals, but Wenger's title chance seems to have slipped and regaining the FA Cup last won in 2005 appears to be the Gunners' only opportunity of ending their silverware search.
Written By Unknown on Jumat, 21 Maret 2014 | 23.06
Updated: Friday, 21 Mar 2014 15:09 | Comments
Castlebar Mitchels Richie Feeney saw black in the All-Ireland club football final
Audio
Former Meath manager Seamus McEnaney says that the black card rule has made players afraid to tackle.
The new regulation, which was introduced at the start of the year to punish players for cynical-behaviour fouls in football, is taking the physicality out of the game, according to McEnaney.
The rule states that a black card should be brandished when a player deliberately pulls down an opponent; deliberately trips an opponent with the hand(s), arm, leg or foot, deliberately body collides with an opponent after he has played the ball away or for the purpose of taking him out of a movement of play; threatens or uses abusive or provocative language or gestures to an opponent or a team-mate, or remonstrates in an aggressive manner with a match official.
"The black card has left players afraid of their life to be sent off," he said in the Irish Sun.
The Allianz League has seen 180 goals so far but the Monaghan native says that the scoring rates are down to the new advantage law more so than the black card.
"High scoring is great but not everyone goes to games to see high scoring and I think players are afraid to tackle," he said.
"One big plus that I am a fan of is the new advantage rule and I think that is creating more scores than anything else.
"I'd say it's creating more than 50 per cent of the scores."
"Not everyone goes to games to see high scoring"
McEnaney also fears that the game will go down the road of the International Rules series, which has been characterised in recent renewals by a lack of physicality leading to reduced interest from fans.
He added: "One of the big reasons why people are not at those games with Australia is because there is no physicality.
"I'm afraid the GAA are going down the same road, that football will become non-contact and won't be worth watching."
Live coverage and updates of all Sunday's action on Sunday Sport from 14:00 on Sunday 23 March on RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ RnaG and RTÉ.ie (Worldwide). Television highlights on League Sunday from 19:30 on RTÉ Two and RTE.ie (Ireland only).
Stephen Ferris is back in the Ulster starting line-up
Video
By Tadhg Peavoy
Last week was a momentous week in Irish rugby as the men in green secured a second Six Nations title in six years. In 2009, Irish provinces went on to dominate European club rugby too with Leinster winning the Heineken Cup, and Munster winning the Pro12.
A repeat of that treble is most certainly the goal for the IRFU again this season, and with Leinster, Munster and Ulster the top three teams in the Pro12 table at present, the trio are all on course to contest the play-offs of that competition.
Tonight, Leinster and Ulster will bid to keep their title bids alive with victories over Zebre and Edinburgh respectively.
Leinster v Zebre, the RDS, 7.15pm
In week 17, Leinster welcome Italian strugglers Zebre to the Royal Dublin Society Arena. The talking point is Ian Madigan at out-half, who makes his 100th appearance for the Lions, in a very strong team.
Ireland internationals pepper the backline in the form of Isaac Boss, Luke Fitzgerald and Fergus McFadden, in a match that is live on RTÉ Two.
They feature alongside centre Noel Reid – one of Leinster's most consistent performers this season – and Springbok Zane Kirchner at full-back.
It's a backline not many teams in Europe could live with and Zebre's is going to struggle.
The fact that the Italian side are rock bottom of the league is down to a plethora of reasons, but a large part of it is their back division's inefficiency to both create and defend.
I feel they'll encounter many of the same problems tonight.
Much of what is good from them will come through Giovanbattista Venditti at second centre and Kameli Ratuvou at 12 inside him.
At nine Brendon Leonard has been the definition of consistency all season. But another key problem has been that the backline have lived off scraps as their pack is often outfought in the trenches.
The experience of Marco Bortolami at five is Zebre's fulcrum, around which Italy have Tommaso D'Apice at hooker and the superb Andries van Schalkwyk at seven as liutenants.
However, Leinster have a wonderful blend of experience and youth in their pack, with Richardt Strauss, captain Leo Cullen, Mike McCarthy, Kevin McLaughlin and Jordi Murphy forming the spine of a pack that will bully Zebre around the park, and deliver a platform for Leinster to win this tie, taking their unbeaten run to nine matches in all competitions.
Verdict: Leinster by 25.
Edinburgh v Ulster, Murrayfield, 7.45pm
When Stephen Ferris made his return to competitive action last weekend against Scarlets, the Irish rugby world smiled; a fit Ferris is something to behold, and is rightfully regarded as one of the very best flankers in world rugby.
His return to action is like a new signing for the Ulstermen, and in turn will boost Ireland in June, should Joe Schmidt decide to bring him on this summer's two-Test tour of Argentina.
His abrasiveness and skill on the ball will be a major boost to Ulster as they head to Scotland for a tricky tie with Edinburgh.
Incidentally, the 28-year-old has been added to Ulster's Heineken Cup squad.
The Scottish side, at home, are very difficult opponents, demonstrated by their having won four out of their last five matches at Murrayfield.
That said, Ulster are on a seven-match unbeaten run and they have been playing confident, free-flowing rugby of late.
Ulster name John Afoa at tighthead, Johann Muller and Iain Henderson in the second row, and Ferris, Sean Doyle and Roger Wilson in a hugely exciting back row.
Paddy Jackson slots in at No 10, with Luke Marshall, Darren Cave, Craig Gilroy, Tommy Bowe and Jared Payne appearing in an electric backline. Michael Heaney starts at nine for the injured Ruan Pienaar.
Can Edinburgh live with that line-up? I don't think so.
Grayson Hart and Carl Bezuidenhout are a fine pairing at halfback. And Andries Strauss and Sam Beard offer decent physicality in the centre, while Tom Brown, Dougie Fife and Jack Cuthbert will lend gas and creativity in the back three.
That said, they are facing one of the best backlines in Europe, and to get their noses in front they will all have to outperform their opposite numbers – a big ask.
Edinburgh's front row is their strength in the pack where Alasdair Dickinson, Ross Ford and WP Nel form a formidable unit. Grant Gilchrist and Izak can der Westhuizen slot into the engine room, with Cornell du Preez the standout back row.
The battle up front will have little between it, both packs are fairly evenly matched, and playing on home turf will raise Edinburgh's game a few notches.
However, behind the pack, Ulster should have more skill, confidence and pace, which should give them their first away victory over Edinburgh since January 2012.
Verdict: Ulster to win by five.
Live television coverage of Leinster v Zebre from 19:00 on Friday 21 March on RTÉ Two and RTÉ.ie (Ireland only).
