It was a successful URC weekend for three quarters of the provinces, only Munster falling to a defeat after they let a 21-6 half-time lead slip against the Stormers at Thomond Park. Leinster, though, survived three cards and “arguably their worst performance of the season” to see off the Dragons at Rodney Parade, while Connacht got the better of the Sharks and Ulster dished out a seven-try thumping of Benetton. John O’Sullivan wraps up the weekend, with reaction from the respective coaches, all four sides now turning their attention to the Champions or Challenge Cup.
In Gaelic games, Denis Walsh was at Semple Stadium to see Ballygunner confirm their place “among the greatest club teams of all time”, their victory over Éire Óg in the Munster final seeing them rise to the top of the province’s hurling roll of honour. And Slaughtneil underlined their dominance of Ulster hurling by winning their sixth title in nine years, Naomh Eoin their victims this time around.
Seán Moran, meanwhile, took himself off to Dr Hyde Park where St Brigids edged out Maigh Cuilinn in the Connacht football final, and Gordon Manning was at O’Connor Park to see Ballyboden St Enda’s put paid to Tullamore’s hopes of reaching the Leinster final. Nothing quite topped the Ulster semi-final between Scotstown and Newbridge for drama, though, Paul Keane on hand to witness the former see off the latter in a penalty shoot-out.
And St Ergnats Moneyglass made history by becoming the first side from Antrim to make it to a senior women’s football final by beating Kilmacud Crokes – they’ll meet reigning champions Kilkerrin-Clonberne at Croke Park on December 13th.
In soccer, Conor McEvoy brings news on how the Irish abroad fared at the weekend, Troy Parrott having an off day for AZ Alkmaar, missing a late penalty. Still, he won’t forget his November in a hurry, not least that “immortal hat-trick” in Budapest. He “cried and hundreds of thousands cried with him,” writes Denis Walsh. “Those tears were bound up with the good of it.”
In horse racing, Brian O’Connor has word on a memorable Fairyhouse Winter Festival outing for Jack Kennedy, the jockey collecting four winners in the four Graded races up for grabs.
In his TV View, Malachy Clerkin left us wondering if he’d dined on magic mushrooms for breakfast. His take on the AFLW Grand Final featured a Zippy Fish, huge yellow ear defenders and a tiny handgun “a Bond girl might have stashed in her purse in Goldfinger or some such”. Honest, we’re not making this up.
There was a less psychedelic feel to Malachy’s review of the year’s best sporting books, one in particular “so compelling it will have you rushing through other things in your day to make time for it”. “An astonishing life. An incredible book,” he says of Mark Kriegel’s Baddest Man: The Making of Mike Tyson.
TV Watch: Snooker fans? There is no need to leave your couches today, BBC2, BBC Four and TNT Sports have nigh on unending coverage of the UK Championship (from 1.0pm to 10.30pm). And at 8.0pm, TG4 has the best of the weekend’s GAA club games.
