Grand Slam 2018

Grand Slam Winners 2018

Ireland did it, they won the 2018 Six Nations and with that they also won only their third Grand Slam in history. Winning their first in 1948, 2009 and now the class of 2018 has added a third Grand Slam. Yes it is a mythical thing like the Triple Crown but the significance of this win won’t die away too quickly. Joe Schmidt has now gone beyond any other Irish rugby coach by winning a third Six Nations title.

After the defeat at the 2015 World Cup, Joe Schmidt stated that he would work on player depth in each position in the National side and he now has at least three players in every position barring out half which he will try and rectify during the Tour of Australia in June of this year.

This campaign started in Paris and it could have be all so different had a try in the 71st minute of that game from Teddy Thomas been the final score, also crucially the conversation was missed which helped Ireland in the final few moments when they worked to set up that final chance for Jonathan Sexton to send Ireland into rapturous and to seal a 15-13 win.

This Championship has seen Jacob Stockdale come into his own where he crossed for 7 tries , he like Sexton saved his best for last and that try on the stroke of half time in Saturday’s game proved so crucial as did Joey Carbery’s conversion.

This team went out with a game plan in each game and executed the game plans in each game to near perfection, they also scored tries in dead time in three game against Scotland, Wales and most crucially England.

Going back to last summer’s tour of the USA, Joe Schmidt was asked to tour with the Lions and he declined deciding instead to travel to the States and it was here where he first capped a number of key cogs in the Grand Slam winning 23, namely James Ryan , Jacob Stockdale , Andrew Porter and he also gave Keith Earls the opportunity to regain form and fitness which he has done in spades.

 The seeds for this Championship were sown in the USA and last November as well so Joe Schmidt has made good on two promises, he has worked on player depth and has delivered the ultimate prize in the Northern Hemisphere rugby.

The fact that this was achieved in Twickenham can’t be forgotten, for many years Ireland went to England in the Five Nations and then after 2000 Six Nations and got battered. Back in 2004, Ireland were the first team to defeat the then World Champions after they came home from Australia. In 2006, Ireland again were the thorn in the England side. No more than the Welsh or Scots, there is nothing better particularly in rugby than an England side being beaten.

It has plenty to do with what is written in every history book in Ireland and to reverse that England aren’t one bit afraid of handing out routine thumping’s to anyone that lets them. It was terrific to see an Irish side go at England from the start and not let them off the hook once. This game was where Ireland may finally have broken down that mental barrier that they do not like the favourites tag.

Looking to the future, it looks bright and now Ireland can try and develop their squad depth even more when they visit Australia in June. It was also great to see the Irish support enjoying themselves at full time.

 Seeing Billy Keane come down from the Press area to have a few moments with his godson Jonathan Sexton was a sight to behold. Every player had a few precious moments with family after the 80 minutes which was great to watch. This win will now spur on everyone to greater heights and who know what may be around the corner. For now soak up every last second of that winning feeling because in sport these moments don’t come around too often.

I salute the 23 who played on the day and also the staff who worked to help in any way to bring this whole thing together.

15 Rob Kearney

14 Keith Earls

13 Gary Ringrose

12 Bundee Aki

11 Jacob Stockdale

10 Jonathan Sexton

9 Conor Murray

8 CJ Stander

7 Dan Leavy

6 Peter O Mahony

5 James Ryan

4 Iain Henderson

3 Tadgh Furlong

2 Rory Best

1 Cian Healy

16 Sean Cronin

17 Jack Mc Grath

18 Andrew Porter

19 Devin Toner

20 Jordi Murphy

21 Kieran Marmion

22 Joey Carbery

23 Jordan Larmour

These 23 men now join men of 49 and 09 in history. Well Done to all…..

By

Cian Mc Gibney

19/03/2018

Sharon Hutchinson Interview – Sports Women Website Creator

You of course set up the sports website SportsWomen.ie to concentrate on women in sport, What prompted this idea ?

 

The idea came from constantly giving out that there was very little coverage of women’s sport in the national media. With everything going online these days, I thought online was the way to go and hence the website. 

 

Having played hockey for UCC in the 90s, at that time what sort of reaction did you get when you played hockey or any sport ?

 

In fairness the inequity between mens and womens sport never really affected me in those days. I played in a sport where men and women are equal and we had a great woman called Ruth O’Mahony who reported on our games in the Cork Examiner, so I have scrap books of coverage. 

 

In recent years, do you think the coverage of women in sport has improved ?

 

 I do think in the last 3 years there has been a big shift in the attention women’s sport is getting. With Lidl coming on board with the LGFA you have significant money going into the most popular sport (numbers wise) in Ireland. RTE have included in their strategic plans more coverage of women’s sport.

 

However I still pick up a newspaper from time to time and women’s sport still is very much under represented. 

 

What would you like to see happen over the next few years ?

 

 I would like to see increased numbers going to women’s sporting events. I would like more teenage girls to stay in sport and exercise.

 

I would like government to give equal monetary support to men’s and women’s sport. The GAA (which is an all male association) still receives huge money from government, while I don’t begrudge the money they receive, the women’s side should be receiving the same amount per head. I would also like to see other sports come to the fore and this can only be done with more investment from government.

 

 I think government also needs to set up an advocacy group dedicated to Women’s Sport. There is a Women in Sport fund which is used to develop women’s sport but we need research, sponsorship, more coverage, more women on sporting body boards and this can only be done with a group or body solely encouraging all these areas.

 

Joanne Cantwell will take over from Michael Lyster as the Sunday Game Presenter in 2019, do you think this is a move that could pave the way for more women to take on the main presenting roles on different sports shows ?

 

I do think there are many good female presenters on radio and TV. For me it is not about taking over but for eg I would like to see more females be part of the commentary panels on GAA/Rugby/other sports. And not the token female. We have many great sportswomen out there who know their game and can offer their own punditary. There is no reason why women can’t be the main presenter and hopefully with Joanne in the limelight it will normalise women being the main presenter. 

 

You have unfortunately decided to shut down the site, what made you make this decision ?

 

I spent 3 years on the site. It really took over my life and it was coming to a stage where my energies for the work were beginning to flag. So I thought quit while I am ahead and not let the site suffer. I would have liked to have made more money from the venture but it was difficult to do this. Continental Tyres sponsored the soccer page and came in early, however there weren’t enough of those to help me keep the site going.

 

If it was financially viable I may have been able to keep it going. However I feel proud of what I did for women’s sport. I do think I helped raise the profile of Irish women’s sport and was part of the movement that has helped change the landscape of women’s sport

 

Through the use of social media, your work gained great traction within different sports teams and organisations, did this help you out ?

 

Social media through Facebook and twitter was how I got the word out, so without it it would have been very difficult to get the message out. I didn’t have the money for a huge marketing campaign which would have helped !

 

Into the future, would you like to resurrect the website ?

 

 If there was someone out there who was willing to take it on I would most definitely help them out. I still retain the domain name. 

 

Lastly Sharon , where would you like to see Women’s sports coverage in 5 or 10 years time ?

 

I would like when we talk about sport we have to distinguish which sex is playing. “That was a great rugby match at the weekend” and someone would ask are you talking about the men or the women. I would like significant coverage in all media. While I don’t think there will be 50/50 I would love if there was at least 30% (just like the quotas!!) While the individual sports are 50.50, like athletics, swimming, rowing, it is the team sports where things have to change. Women’s sport has a lot to offer, it just needs to be given a chance but women also have to do it for themselves and support their own. 

Here is my interview with the creator of the SportsWomen.ie website that was dedicated to women’s sports.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

15/03/2018 

 

Grand Slam 2018 !!

Grand Slam 2018 !!

2018 Six Nations winners, not many outside the Irish camp would have felt that they could win the competition this season. Heading to Paris in week 1 where the winning record is poor, Ireland would have said they had a chance maybe only a small chance but a shot none the less.

Teddy Thomas scored a try after 71 minutes and this score looked like it was going to derail the whole Championship at the first go but Jonathan Sexton and the rest of the Irish side didn’t read the script and after 40 exhausting phases of play  they managed to serve up the one golden chance that Sexton then had to hold his nerve to slot and he did just that and cue absolute bedlam for a few minutes but like this campaign has taught everyone Joe Schmidt has this crop of players on a different planet in terms of preparation and that is a huge advantage heading to Twickenham on Saturday at 2.45.

Everyone is seeing that England have a score to settle with Ireland after they denied them the elusive Grand Slam , they still won the Six Nations but the victory was tainted by the fact Ireland won on that afternoon.

Looking to this weekend, Ireland will know it will take a special effort to secure only the third ever Grand Slam after a win in 1949, 2009 and maybe just maybe 2018 will be added to that small but select band of victorious Grand Slam winning teams.

Some people scoff at the fact that many rugby supporters get caught up with the fact that this elusive “ Grand Slam “ is being talked up but anyone who has played at elite level in rugby will know how hard it is for any Irish team to win that Grand Slam.

Getting back to Joe Schmidt, I have said it a few times in this campaign, he is the most forensic coach in Rugby at the moment. He is the most successful coach as well, leaving aside the gut wrenching 2015 World Cup Quarter Final defeat to Argentina, he promised that he would develop the depth of talent and since that faithful day he has done that , not too long ago , Ireland would be lucky to win 1 game in 5 games and routinely would be handed the “ Wooden Spoon “.

I have also seen from certain quarters that a certain generation of Irish supporters don’t know what it is like be starved of success, That is a load of rubbish… The IRFU have to be congratulated for the work they have done in the last few years and although that work has to continue they can reflect on a job well done and hopefully they will along with the all supporters be celebrating a third Grand Slam.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

14/03/2018

Ireland Women Defeated

Ireland Women 12 – Scotland 15

On the weekend were the Irish 20s and senior men defeated Scotland, with the senior men being crowned Six Nations Winners with a week to spare and the general feeling was that Ireland would make it three wins this weekend over Scotland.

Unfortunately Scotland didn’t read the script and tore into Ireland from the start and although the first half was very stop start with both sides making many mistakes and that in turn led to a 3-0 half time score line.

Let’s just the second half was a huge improvement  where Scotland again began to dominate Ireland at each breakdown  and although the Irish set piece was very strong , the scrum was a real weapon for Ireland but to give Scotland great credit they stuck to their task and stayed in the game with tries from Chloe Rollie and Helen Nelson , Rollie’s was a individual piece of brilliance and these two scores proved crucial and they would eventually see Scotland home to a 15-12 win , their first win over Ireland.

Looking to the Irish performance, the players will be very unhappy after the performance against Wales two weeks ago, this felt like a step back and although as I already said the scrum was the only bright spot in this game from Ireland who looked heavy legged at times and will need to be much sharper when they face England next Friday.

Adam Griggs will know his side were not at the races and will have to put in some hard work this week before they head to Coventry.

Today wasn’t the greatest day at the office but next week gives Ireland a chance to right the wrongs of this afternoon. Roll on the games in England in all three competitions.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

11/03/2018

2018 Six Nations – Ireland vs Wales Under 20

Ireland 30 – Scotland 25 Under 20s

So Ireland beat Scotland Under 20s 30-25 in a game that Ireland looked like they had full control of after the opening 15 minutes where they raced into a 10-0 lead after a try from man of the match Jack O Sullivan and two kicks from Harry Byrne.

Ireland started this game at a very high tempo and looked like they had solved the issues of the Wales game where a leaky defence and poor control dogged their performance.

Scotland for their part came to play ball and like there senior counterparts who face Ireland later today tried to stifle the Irish attack at source by slowing down ruck ball and also pushing up hard in defence where they were lead by the centre pairing of Strafford Mc Dowell and Fraser Strachan.

They did struggle at scrum time where the Irish front row put them under all sorts of strain. Then slowly but surely through poor Irish play and also by stealing Irish line out ball. From an Irish perspective, It was a performance that mixed the brilliant with some of the failings that had cost Ireland in the other games where poor play at restart and loose defence cost the territory and points due to some sharp Scottish attack led by their  9 and 10 Charlie Chapman and Ross Thompson.

Noel Mc Namara’s charges will have an outshot at Championship glory by defeating England next weekend after Italy defeated Wales in Wales. This was a huge result for Italy who ran Ireland close in week 2 only being beaten by 4 points. In turn that result has now given them a chance at glory on by virtue of point’s difference.

Looking to next week, it will be a massive contest and you can be sure that Ireland will try and iron out some of the issues of the past few weeks. With players like Jack O Sullivan , Tommy O Brien and Michael Silvester in the Irish armoury you can sure they will try and fire Ireland to victory in Coventry next Friday.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

10/03/2018

2018 Six Nations – Rugby Weekend

Ireland Rugby Weekend

So the penultimate weekend is upon us in all three Six Nations competitions that Ireland are involved in with the Irish 20s starting out the weekend on Friday evening at 7.15pm in Donnybrook live on RTE.

The 20s won’t be in with a shout of winning the Championship this year but they will want to finish the Championship on a strong footing heading into the World Championship in France in the summer. The campaign probably hasn’t worked out the way Noel Mc Namara and his coaching team would have hoped but they can still see this year as a success if they pick up two wins in the final two games against Scotland and England.

Looking to the Women this Sunday at 1pm in Donnybrook where they will hope to continue recent good form by beating Scotland to set up a clash with England in Coventry. After the World Cup, Adam Griggs came on board on a short term basis to steady the ship and has done a good job although the defeat to France on the first weekend caused a few issues that seemed to have been ironed out over the two games so far at home.

France and England are a long way ahead of the rest of the pack and many people have said if Ireland can win the game on Sunday to complete three wins at home on the bounce and that will be seen a good achievement given all that went before. Looking at the likes of Niamh Briggs and Ciara Griffin in particular who has this season taken on the captaincy and shown great leadership along with Paula Fitzpatrick and Claire Molloy have again been the go to unit for this side this year.

Adam Griggs will want his charges to make the most of the recent good form and beat Scotland who have for their part have had a decent Championship. They will want to beat Ireland after a close encounter last season where Ireland scored late on to deny Scotland a famous win.

A small side note after the game on Sunday afternoon over 100 of Ireland’s past players who played between 1993 and 2006 will receive an official Irish Cap from the IRFU in recognition of playing for the national side in those years and they will be presented by IRFU President Phil Orr. Huge congratulations to all 100 players who will receive their cap at the official after match function.

Ireland will take on Scotland at 2.15pm in the Aviva Stadium in a game that has now taken on extra significance after Scotland’s huge victory over England and both sides will now feel that they have a real shot at Championship glory with either side gaining victory in the game this weekend. Scotland have only beaten Ireland once in Ireland in Croke Park back in 2010.

They won last season’s game in Murrayfield and will take huge confidence from that game and one feels that the Scotland team is in a far better place this time round than it was 12 months ago with players like Huw Jones and Finn Russell in flying form heading into this fixture.

All I can really say is enjoy the games this weekend and here’s hoping all three teams can achieve what they set out to do and set up a big St Patricks weekend for all involved.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

07/03/2018

Erasmus – The Main Man

Erasmus – The Main Man

Johan “Rassie” Erasmus has been given the extremely difficult task of bringing South African rugby back to somewhere close to past glories of course they won the 1995 and 2007 World Cups and with another World Cup around the corner in Japan, South Africa have replaced Alistair Coetzee after 25 Test Games in charge, he only managed 11 wins in those 25 games.

Rassie Erasmus was in charge of Munster for one season while he was brought in on a three year deal in 2016 alongside Anthony Foley as the Director of Rugby. He guided Munster through the toughest period in recent history after the sudden death of Anthony Foley.

Munster managed to make a European Semi Final and a Pro 12 Final and although both ended in defeat I think Rassie proved his quality as a head coach. Along with Jaques Nienber , Peter De Villiers and Aled Walters Rassie has assembled a smaller coaching ticket than is the norm in South Africa and although people will question why Peter De Villiers has been included after he was sacked from the job in the past.

Aled Walters could be a key inclusion after being tempted away from Munster to take up the position as Head of Strength and Conditioning.  It will be extremely interesting to see how quick Rassie can have an impact. He will bring South Africa back to a forward orientated game with a solid defence and then they can build from there. He has signed a 5 year deal with an eye on 2023 in France aswell.

He is a young coach and will be able to mould this side in his image and yes he will have to deal with the delicate issue of player quotas in your squad’s. So he will know his job won’t be very easy but having seen firsthand the impact he had in only a short period in Munster you can be sure he will give the South Africa job his best.

Many supporters in Munster will also say he left Munster in mid season and the constant speculation linking him with a return home left a sour taste in many people’s mouths but his record is very strong and although he didn’t win either Final that Munster got to , they were still very hard to beat and consistent so these two components will be crucial when he takes charge of South Africa later this year….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

03/03/2018

 

Ireland – Test Team

My Team to take on Scotland next Saturday would be as follows:

15 Rob Kearney

14 Keith Earls

13 Gary Ringrose

12 Bundee Aki

11 Jacob Stockdale

10 Jonathan Sexton

9 Conor Murray

8 Jack Conan

7 Dan Leavy

6 Peter O Mahony

5 James Ryan

4 Iain Henderson

3 Tadgh Furlong

2 Rory Best

1 Jack Mc Grath

16 Sean Cronin

17 Cian Healy

18 Andrew Porter

19 Devin Toner

20 CJ Stander

21 John Cooney

22 Joey Carbery

23 Jordan Larmour

Here is the 23 I would select for the Scotland game next Saturday.  Here’s hoping the effects of Storm Emma will have passed on and Ireland can keep their quest for a Championship quest alive for another week until England in Twickenham on St Patricks Day.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

02/03/2018