There’ll be a distinctly Irish feel to Bilbao come May 22nd/23rd when Ulster and Leinster arrive in Basque Country for the Challenge and Champions Cup finals. For Ulster, Gerry Thornley reminds us, it’s a chance to end a trophy drought that dates back 20 seasons, for Leinster it’s another opportunity to complete that “magnificent obsession” - acquiring a fifth star. They’re a “good”, if “curious”, team - “just how good remains to be seen in three weeks’ time”.
Leinster have their injury worries, though. Robbie Henshaw will miss Saturday’s URC game against the Lions due to that head injury he suffered against Toulon, assistant coach Tyler Bleyendaal updating Johnny Watterson on the rest of their walking wounded.
And in his Whistleblower column, Owen Doyle gives his verdict on the officiating in Leinster and Ulster’s semi-final wins, Luke Pearce, the referee in Leinster’s game, producing a bit of a “Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde” display.
Leinster reach a record ninth Champions Cup final
In Gaelic games, Muireann Duffy has news on the draw for the opening round of the All-Ireland football championship, one that has thrown up a rather tasty looking tie: a repeat of last year’s final between Kerry and Donegal.
All-Ireland football championship: A complete guide to the Sam Maguire and Tailteann Cup competitions
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Stephen Rochford, meanwhile, looks at how counties cope with losing key players to injury, Westmeath, Roscommon and Dublin all responding positively to just such setbacks in recent weeks. He doffs his cap too to Armagh for their performance against Down, their level of consistency in the second half “astounding”.
Goalkeeper Blaine Hughes was the “launch pad” for much of Armagh’s best work in that game having taken over in goal from Ethan Rafferty. There was, writes Gordon Manning, a time when “the goalkeeping position tended largely to be the preserve of one player for many years”. Not any more.
In gymnastics, Michael Scully talks to 18-year-old James Hickey who recently won pommel horse bronze behind Rhys McClenaghan at a World Cup event. It was a result that convinced the UCD student that “he belongs at elite level”.
That’s a level Rory McIlroy reached many moons ago, of course, Philip Reid previewing his return to action in this week’s Truist Championship at Quail Hollow. And in his Different Strokes column, Philip tells us about the “symmetry to the timing of two old college pals winning on either side of the Atlantic in recent days” - Dubliner Paul McBride and New Yorker Cameron Young, former Wake Forest room-mates and team-mates.
And in racing, Brian O’Connor reports on a successful return to action at the Curragh for the world’s top-rated filly, Minnie Hauk. “We didn’t want a dawdle,” said her trainer Aidan O’Brien. He didn’t get one.
TV Watch: It’s a whole 20 years since Arsenal reached their one and only Champions League final, Atletico Madrid standing between them and a return to that stage. The first leg of their semi-final finished 1-1, so, you know what they say - all to play for (Premier Sports 1 and Amazon Prime, 8pm). Arsenal sound quite up for it too, Mikel Arteta promising that his players will turn into “beasts” for the game. They should have a spring in their step after Manchester City’s draw on Monday night.
