This time last year James Lowe scored a hat-trick of tries for Leinster in their Champions Cup semi-final against Northampton. He fobbed off the feat, though, when he spoke with John O’Sullivan. “I only ran about 12m,” he said. Besides, he was too busy paying tribute to team-mates, as only James Lowe can - eg: “RG [Snyman], the big freak. He’s 6ft 8ins or taller, he runs like the wind and every time he gets the ball, everyone is looking for the offload because he doesn’t want to die with it.”
Lowe is, then, in his usual flying form ahead of Leinster hosting Northampton for the second successive year in the last four of the competition, Gerry Thornley bringing you the team news. Surprisingly, the game at the Aviva Stadium is still not a sell-out, “overpriced” tickets hardly helping.
In hurling, Joe Canning gives his thoughts on last weekend’s big two talking points, Darragh McCarthy’s sending off and Adam Hogan “throwing himself to the ground” after being “tipped on the arm” with a hurley. Let’s just say, Joe was impressed by neither.
Louth football manager Ger Brennan wasn’t too impressed either by a club game being played before the Leinster semi-final against Kildare last Sunday. “We were like sardines,” he told Gordon Manning of the effort to cram his panel and backroom team in to the one dressing room. It should be roomier at Croke Park on Sunday when his side take on Meath in the final.
Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea still divides opinion like nobody else in the GAA
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James Lowe in high spirits ahead of Northampton visit
Leinster v Northampton: TV details, kick-off times, team news and more
Galway, meanwhile, will be bidding for a fourth Connacht title in a row when they meet Mayo in Castlebar, Stephen Barry hearing from Cillian McDaid in the build-up to the game.
In golf, Philip Reid caught up with Leona Maguire on her visit to Dublin, the Cavan woman on a week’s break from the LPGA Tour. She talked about her hopes for a big summer, which includes four Major championships, Rory McIlroy’s Masters triumph and the support and advice she receives from Pádraig Harrington and Paul McGinley.
Johnny Watterson writes about the double standards in sport when it comes to punishing competitors for making religious or political statements. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo is likely to only receive a reprimand for brandishing an “I belong to Jesus” t-shirt after scoring against Spurs last weekend. If it had read “I belong to Gaza” how different would the consequences have been?
And Brian O’Connor brings the latest from the Punchestown festival, including a preview of Constitution Hill’s efforts to “redeem his reputation as one of the sport’s modern greats” in today’s Champion Hurdle. The big winner on Thursday was Gordon Elliott’s Teahupoo when he retained his Stayers Hurdle title. Elliott revealed that he had dreamt the night before about the horse triumphing and Meath winning the Leinster Final. One down, one to go.
TV Watch: It’s round two at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson today, Sky Sports Golf’s coverage starting at 12.45 this afternoon. From 4pm, RTÉ 2 has the final day of the Punchestown festival and this evening Sligo Rovers meet Drogheda United in the Premier Division (Virgin Media Two, 7.45) and Manchester City are at home to Wolves in the Premier League (Sky Sports, 8pm).
