Some weekend, that, for Dublin GAA. From the northside, we had Na Fianna winning their first senior All-Ireland hurling title, from Dalkey we had Cuala helping themselves to their maiden football crown, emulating Cork club St Finbarr’s feat of winning senior titles in both codes. Alive, alive-o was played on a loop through the Croke Park speakers for the bulk of the day, Molly Malone worn out by the end of it. Dublin has now joined Cork and Galway as the only counties to win both All-Ireland club titles on the same day.
Denis Walsh saw Na Fianna brush aside the challenge of Cork’s Sarsfields in the hurling final. Sarsfields showed no little heart in their efforts to rebound from a 12-point deficit at half-time, but it was the “clinical and ruthlessly cold” Na Fianna who marched home to Mobhi Road with the silverware.
And Seán Moran witnessed Cuala withstand a “phenomenal” second-half fightback by Tyrone’s Errigal Ciarán who were 13 points down at the break but reduced the gap to three. Cuala, though, their football “irresistible” in that first period, held out, to earn the club an entry in the history books.
In rugby, after the final round of pool matches we know now the shape of the last 16 in the Champions Cup – and it’s produced some “deliciously mouthwatering scripts” as Gerry Thornley puts it.
Cuala’s first-half masterclass and mighty stuff from Errigal Ciarán would have lifted Pat’s heart
Magical Conor McManus leaves Monaghan a legacy that will never be forgotten
Basic humanity missing in social media free-for-alls that beset football
Ellen Walshe named Sportswoman of the Month for December
After their defeat to Northampton, Munster are away to Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle in April, while Leinster will host Harlequins in a tie they will look to move to Croke Park. While they beat Bath 47-21 in their final pool game, it was a win that was “both patchy and convincing”, so, as Jack Conan said after, “we’ve got to be a hell of a lot better”.
Ulster, who picked up a 52-24 bonus-point win over Exeter on Friday, have squeezed in to the round of 16 where they will play Bordeaux-Bègles away, while Connacht, who secured top seeding in the Challenge Cup with their 28-19 bonus point win in Cardiff on Friday night, will face Gloucester at home.
All concerned now turn their attention to the Six Nations, Denis Walsh looking at the shape of the competition on the eve of its 25th birthday. And it’s in rude health, financially, in terms of TV audiences and the scramble for tickets for games.
In somewhat less rude health are Manchester United, manager Ruben Amorim describing his charges as “the worst team maybe in the history” of the club after their latest defeat. What they wouldn’t give for a modern day Denis Law, Ken Early looking back on the career of the striker who died at the age of 84 on Friday.
And in racing, Brian O’Connor reckons Nicky Henderson “might be able to shake up Willie Mullins’s dominance at the Cheltenham festival” after witnessing his success at Ascot on Saturday, Jonbon and Lulamba in fine fettle.
TV Watch: Unless Chelsea v Wolves floats your boat (Sky Sports Premier League, 8pm), tonight’s best offering is TG4′s highlights from Sunday’s club championship finals (8pm) – you can be sure that the Na Fianna and Cuala faithful will be tuning in.
- Listen and subscribe to our Counter Ruck rugby podcast
- Sign up for push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
- Find The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date
- Sign up for Sport push alerts and have the best news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone
