Leinster play the South African way to claim URC title

A zinger of a sporting weekend, that. And Leinster ended it with a shiny trophy after seeing off the Bulls in the URC final at Croke Park. “They’ll still have a few regrets about the season – well one game anyway,” writes Gerry Thornley, but “this emphatic triumph was a mighty weight off their shoulders”. Gerry heard from coaches and players after the final, among them an elated Dan Sheehan, while John O’Sullivan picked out five things we learned from the game, Leinster’s scrum driving them to victory. “Leinster played the South African way and beat Bulls at their own game,” says Nathan Johns in his tactical analysis of the contest.

There won’t be much time for Leinster’s batch of Lions to rest up, they have that trip to Australia to prepare for. Considering Australia have lost seven of their last 10 Test matches, Denis Walsh wonders “how bad would the Lions need to be for the upcoming Test series to be competitive?”

There was no end of drama in the football championship over the weekend, the peak of it taking place at Hyde Park where Mayo’s season was ended by Donegal’s Ciarán Moore in the dying seconds. They went out “in maybe the most Mayo way possible,” writes Malachy Clerkin in his round-up of the group deciders; Mayo, Roscommon, Derry and Clare “the counties who couldn’t escape the guillotine’s blade”.

Seán Moran was in Hyde Park to see Mayo hearts left in smithereens, Malachy hearing from Jim McGuinness after the game, the Donegal manager none too pleased about the choice of venue for the game.

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In the same group, Tyrone’s win over Cavan put them safely through to the knockout phase, but Derry bowed out after their defeat by Dublin, Galway surviving thanks to their victory over Armagh.

In Group Two, Meath and Kerry advance, the former beating the latter for the first time in the championship since 2001, Cork going through with them after seeing off Roscommon. And in Group Three, Leinster champions Louth’s 2025 odyssey continues after their win over Clare, they’re through along with Monaghan and Down.

This morning’s draw for the preliminary quarter-finals? Muireann Duffy brings you all the pairings.

In golf, Philip Reid was over at Oakmont to see JJ Spaun win the US Open, but Rory McIlroy still hasn’t shaken off his Masters-winning hangover continues. “I climbed my Everest in April, and I think after you do something like that, you’ve got to make your way back down, and you’ve got to look for another mountain to climb,” he said. He’s hoping he can reach the summit again at the Open in Portrush.

And in athletics, Ian O’Riordan reports on Sophie O’Sullivan having a happy time of it at the NCAA Track and Field Championships in Oregon, the University of Washington student winning the 1,500m title. Like mother, like daughter.

TV Watch: TG4 have the highlights from a stupendously eventful GAA weekend this evening (8pm) and RTÉ 2’s Against the Head will look back at Leinster’s URC final triumph (8pm).