Well, that was a decent few days for Munster. First, they managed to hold off a Connacht fightback in Castlebar, even when they were down two men for a spell, and then on Monday came the news that Jack Crowley had turned down a €750,000-per-year offer from Leicester and had agreed a new contract with the province. Their build-up to Saturday’s Champions Cup meeting with Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle has, then, been a decidedly positive one.
Gerry Thornley reflects on that game in a packed out MacHale Park, Connacht Rugby “reaching into parts of the province they’d never reached before”. They should “reap benefits in years to come, but the thought occurred as to why the province hadn’t done this before,” he writes.
Dave Heffernan’s only thoughts after the game were ones of regret, the Connacht hooker left frustrated by yet another day when the team were slow out of the blocks and left themselves too much to do. We can’t “keep trying to dig ourselves out of these holes,” he said.
Leinster had a happier URC time of it in Durban where they beat the Sharks, their thoughts now firmly fixed on the Champions Cup visit of Harlequins to Croke Park on Saturday. Johnny Watterson talks to assistant coach Robin McBryde.
And in his Whistleblower column, Owen Doyle gives his verdict on the officiating in Castlebar, saluting referee Craig Evans for his red card call on Alex Nankivell for his collision with Cian Prendergast. The incident was, he says, “another horrible advertisement for the sport”.
Ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League game away to Greece on Friday, Gavin Cummiskey hears from Aoibheann Clancy, the young Shelbourne midfielder who is putting her education first before considering a move beyond these shores to play professionally.
In golf, Philip Reid has news of Rory McIlroy needing treatment on an elbow problem in the build-up to the Masters, while Séamus Power and Pádraig Harrington are in “last-chance saloon” territory if they are to join him in Augusta, both men needing to win this week’s Texas Open. And in his Different Strokes column, Philip hears Houston Open winner Min Woo Lee sing the praises of his Down-born caddie Brian “Bo” Martin. “Bo doesn’t say much, but when he does, it’s like getting advice from Yoda.”
In Gaelic games, Gordon Manning reports on a Meath camp in shock after their coaches Joe McMahon and Martin Corey quit the set-up last Saturday, and he has news of GAA+, the artist formerly known as GAAGo, live streaming 40 championship games this summer.
And in athletics, Ian O’Riordan talks to Jim Aughney about the success of Sunday’s Dublin City Half Marathon, for which he was race director, and the possibility of introducing a lottery-based entry system in the future to cope with demand.
TV Watch: Nottingham Forest’s push for Champions League qualification continues tonight when they host Manchester United who can rise to a lofty 12th in the table should they prevail (TNT Sports 1, 8pm). And half an hour later, Real Madrid take on Real Sociedad in the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey (Premier Sports 1).
