As L’Equipe put it about La Rochelle’s experience in Dublin on Saturday: “From Hell to Heaven.” Leinster, of course, took the opposite journey, surrendering that heavenly 17 point lead to hellishly lose by one. Gerry Thornley opened his match report in the only manner possible: “Oh dear.” “That fifth star has never seemed so far away,” he writes.
John O’Sullivan analyses where it all went wrong and hands out the player ratings, while Gerry brings news of that shemozzle in the tunnel at half-time, which the EPCR is now likely to investigate. He also takes us through ‘five things we learned’ from the final, including the fact that Leinster need to up their game off the field as much as on it.
In Gaelic games, Westmeath’s hurlers only fell a point short of doing a La Rochelle, coming back from 16 down at half-time to beat a dazed and bewildered Wexford. That was among the highlights of a weekend that Sean Moran rounds up, another the humdinger of a draw between Limerick and Tipperary. “Nobody’s life in the championship was on the line, and yet both teams played like there was no tomorrow,” writes Denis Walsh.
Nicky English salutes the “exceptional contest” that saw the champions produce “another flawed performance”, Denis wondering if “somebody has come up with something”, or is it just Limerick “not being themselves”?
No hurler on the ditch: Ronan Conway a firm believer in the promise of team development
Sonia O’Sullivan: A jog down Olympic memory lane shows how far Irish athletes have come
All Stars committee’s only obligation was to judge Kyle Hayes as a hurler
Damien Duff’s unwavering belief in Irish football has elevated the whole league
Sean, meanwhile, was at Cusack Park to see the place go “berserk” when Diarmuid Ryan’s injury time point saw Clare beat Cork, and in football Ian O’Riordan witnessed Kerry lose at Fitzgerald Stadium for the first time since 1995, Mayo the victors, while Gordon Manning saw Galway see off 14-man Tyrone.
And Johnny Watterson was in the 3Arena on Saturday night where Katie Taylor lost for the first time in her professional career, hearing from Chantelle Cameron after about the possibility of a rematch. “We’ll see what’s next,” said the winner, “but now it’s on my terms.”
Speaking of winners: Manchester City and Brooks Koepka. Ken Early writes about City’s fifth title in six seasons, reckoning “repeated success becomes routine”, while Philip Reid reports on Koepka claiming the fifth major of his career at the US PGA Championship.
And in his Tipping Point column, Denis writes about how sport has moved on from emotive, skin deep, judgments to data-led decisions, telling us that Liverpool’s research department includes an astrophysicist, a chess champion and a polymer physicist. We can laugh, but they advised Jurgen Klopp to sign Mo Salah. Big brains.
Telly watch: Seven years ago this month Leicester City won the Premier League title and Newcastle were relegated. The teams meet tonight (Sky Sports, kick-off 8.0) with Newcastle on the verge of Champions League qualification and Leicester edging ever closer to the drop. Funny old game.
