Feeling Down Speak Up

Just to follow up from my video last week I just feel it’s important to keep up the momentum and keep the discussion going. People have trouble speaking their minds when it comes to important stuff like family matters or what might be troubling them.

We as a nation talk a load of rubbish, we can take the piss out of each other no trouble but as soon as the conversation turns serious people start shutting down and not wanting to say anything just in case we hurt the other person’s feelings. That’s the wrong attitude, we really need to be more open I know it took me a hell of a long time to be open with people but by god it has been a huge help to me.

I realise people will say that we as a society are more open but being open via Facebook and Twitter isn’t much good if you can’t be open in real life outside the confines of a computer screen or a phone.

After what in the Dail last week people have put the Mental Health debate to the front of the queue ahead of the much talked about Irish Water and college students marched on Leinster House to voice their disapproval at what went on during that debate.

 People that are suffering need people like me and you to speak up for them and make it easier for them to open up and seek the help that is around them in everyday life. Places like Pieta House are always open to people who need help and support.

So come on lads and ladies help me reach out to those who need our help. You may come across somebody that is suffering, a friend, family member, boyfriend or girlfriend, Let them know you there for them and if they need to talk you will listen. Don’t forget the darkness in light walk next weekend on May 7^th at 4.15am. Let’s keep this topic at the front of people’s minds….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

01/05/2016

Conor Mc Gregor – The Notorious

So the Notorious aka Conor Mc Gregor has retired or has he?? , He is an incredible person and I must say I haven’t watched him that closely but having followed his career from a far the one thing Mc Gregor will be known for is how much of a draw he was and still is to so many. Let’s not forget he was just like you and me as recent as 2007 as he was doing odd jobs while training in the SBG Gym under the watchful eye of John Kavanagh.

Since he burst onto the scene people have been divided by him so saying he is a genius and some saying the sport he is involved in is barbaric and shouldn’t be on TV for young children to watch as it is a tough sport although it is a number of highly skilled sport that brings a number of disciplines into play.

He of course has an extremely emotive person that brings out the best and worst in people, some say he is a mouth piece and more people wanted his face on a new five euro note.  Nobody can argue that he is an incredible draw. His fights have given the UFC a real boost because in revenue as huge numbers of people from Ireland and elsewhere across the globe have travelled to watch his fights while more have bought his fights on pay per view.

He has been beaten by Nate Diaz in the recent past and of course after so many years where he said he was the best in the business and would never be defeated his defeat came as a shock to many but like all unbeaten runs they must come to an end at some point, just ask Katie Taylor who was defeated last week for the 1^st time in 5 years.

Social media plays tricks on people where they follow their favourite celebs or sports stars, with a tweet which is 140 characters let’s remember and the world goes mad, did he or she mean what was said in the tweet, if we begin to live our lives by a tweet or a Facebook post we haven’t really moved on in the world.

Conor Mc Gregor is a man from Dublin that has gone out and done really well in his chosen sport. whether he has retired or not only time will tell. After the death of Jose Carvalho last week in the National Stadium has brought MMA into everybody living room’s with the story of his death and the fact that the MMA is not regulated and in turn have looked to have it regulated under the banner of Sports Ireland.

Like him or not, he has made the most of his short career and made his mark on the sports world. He may or may not be back in the Octagon in the future but for now he has exited stage left and who knows when we will see the “ Notorious “ again…….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

20/04/2016

Female Sport Stars

As one of Ireland’s best known female sports stars, Valerie Mulcahy brings the curtain down on her intercounty career that yielded 31 National titles including 10 senior All Ireland’s it set me thinking about the lack of coverage that people like Valerie receive.

Everybody in Ireland knows Katie Taylor, Sonia O Sullivan, Niamh Briggs and Catherina Mc Kiernan. But there are countless numbers of women in Ireland who play sport on a weekly basis and receive little or no coverage.

The Ireland women 7s side will be in action this weekend in Canada after winning the Bowl competition at the Atlanta 7s last weekend. Players like Louise Galvin and Aimee Leigh Crowe to name just two have gone about their business without much fuss.

Coming back to Valerie, She has won 31 National titles and yet to many she is unknown. If a man had 31 National titles in any sport he would be on the front of every paper following his retirement. I am not trying to devalue anybody’s achievements but more should be made of a person male or female when they retire. Will Valerie be in the running for an RTE Sports Awards Hall of Fame place at the end of this year, only time will tell…

Having spent time in the presence of some of this country’s best known female sport stars and also spoken to a number of them, they are delighted to receive attention and coverage to highlight their achievements on the field of play.

 I spoke with Joy Neville yesterday about her time playing for Ireland and also now her new career as a referee which she combines with her duties in Limerick Institute of Technology. She was thrilled to get the opportunity to chat about her rugby life and also her time as a referee. The one thing that I have realised is they are easy to speak to and they have some very interesting stories to tell.

Into the future I hope to bring to life the stories of more female sports stars locally, nationally and internationally. They deserve the same level of coverage as their male counterparts get on a daily basis.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

14/04/2016

Darkness Into Light

The darkness into light walk will take place across the country on May 7^th to highlight the work that Pieta House is doing in helping people overcome dark thoughts and bad moments throughout life. Thousands of people take part in this annual event that has grown into a worldwide event.

For most people, this organisation has helped shed a light on suicide and they have made it easier for people who would normally suffer in silence to open up and talk about what may be bothering them.

 Having experienced problems back in 2014, I really wish I had known about this organisation and I may have then gone to them and spoken to somebody instead of suffering in silence and feeling like there was nowhere to turn. In recent years this is a conversation that has become more frequent and more people are opening up about issues that they may be having at work, home and school.

Having first-hand experience of mental health issues has helped me gain a better understanding of the work that organisations like Pieta House do on a daily basis. This walk is a great way for people to show their support to those who may be suffering in silence.

I urge anybody that may be suffering at this moment in time to find somebody that you trust and speak to them about how you are feeling because it will make you feel much better and you may start to see the light.

Put the date in your diary, Saturday May 7^th at 4.15am….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

06/04/2016

The Weekend That Was

The past weekend was as busy as any other on a sporting front that saw UFC kingpin Conor Mc Gregor go into battle against Nate Diaz with Diaz coming out on top with a submission win. I am not getting involved in this battle that has seen people down play his achievements or the camp that proclaims him as a world class athlete. He was beaten fair and square on Saturday evening and has taken his beating like any professional athlete should. He will go back to the drawing board and come back when he see’s fit. Miesha Tate defeated Holly Holm on the same bill and one thing that jumped out at me was the difference in pay for both the women and men. For the same event that puts all competitors in the same level of danger. It justs goes to show that things haven’t changed very much , equality in sport I very much think not..

Moving away from UFC , The Allianz National Football and Hurling League’s stepped up a gear with Kerry and Donegal going to war in Tralee yesterday along with Wexford teaching Kerry a harsh Hurling lesson earlier in the day. In the football although Kerry were winners on the day , the game will be remembered  for a number of skirmishes that broke out particularly in the opening 20 minutes. In that time Kerry had two men black carded and they also had Alan Fitzgerald red carded after he got into an altercation with Eamon Mc Gee that saw Mc Gee grab Fitzgerald by the hand and he allegedly  appeared to pull at the fingers of Alan Fitzgerald which caused him to strike out to try and free himself but this was seen by the match umpires who drew attention to the incident by bringing referee Eddie Kinsella in who subsequently sent Fitzgerald off and it saw Mc Gee go off to receive treatment for a mouth injury.

This was not the only incident in a game that was short on quality at times, the people at GAA HQ need to look into sorting out these incidents and coming down heavy on the offending players and counties. It was another game where the quality of the play came second to several incidents of Foul Play. I appeal to the GAA sort this out or will ruin the Championship this year….

With the 6 Nations on a break for a week , domestic action took centre stage with  the Pro 12 to the forefront of people’s minds. All 4 Irish teams picked up wins this weekend and Connacht in particular kept up there push for a Semi Final spot with a win over Edinburgh in Murrayfield. Munster , Leinster and Ulster also secured wins over the Dragons , Zebre and Ospreys.  Joe Schmidt has confirmed the 35 men who will hope to take on Italy and Scotland with Munster’s Jack O Donoghue called up along with Finlay Bealham.

In the race for the Premier League, Both Spurs and Arsenal slipped up to hand back control back to Leicester who now have a 5 point lead over there main rivals. The  Airtricity League came back on Friday night with Cork City beginning their quest to reclaim the league title from Dundalk with a 2-0 win over Bohemians.

Christina Mc Mahon from Co Monaghan will fight for a World Title in Mexico next Saturday night. She is Ireland’s only female Professional Boxer.  As You can see it has been a busy weekend and It will only get busier from here on in. I’ll be back next week with another Weekend that was…

By

Cian Mc Gibney

07/03/2016

Boxing

The sport of boxing has always had a tough reputation be it at professional or amateur level. I have been at two boxing events run by two Kerry clubs in the last 12 months, Trojan Boxing Club in May 2015 and Tralee Boxing Club in February 2016. Both events were exceptional in the way they were run and also the quality of each fight. This of course is down to the quality of the boxers and also the coaches that nurture that love of boxing in the first place.

I have always had an interest in boxing and the training aspect has always fascinated me. Looking at the work that both Pro’s and Amateur’s put in to prepare for fight is a sight to behold and after spending an hour last week in the presence of one of America’s best female amateur boxers Queen Underwood I got a small insight into the world of a dedicated boxer who puts hours into her training regime to put her at the top of her game.

She will now head to the Pro game and having spent time with her and also watching her performance last Saturday, I have no doubt that she will give the Professional game a real go. Katie Taylor of course needs no introduction, multiple medal winner at National, European, World and Olympic level. She is a true champion. She won her first fight in 2016 in Mallow the previous evening and headed to Tralee to the Brandon to see could she defeat Queen Underwood one final time before her amateur career came to a close at the end of the 4 rounds in Tralee. She did exactly that with a commanding victory.

At the end of each round Katie Taylor would let off a flurry of punches that anyone would find difficult to stop and this was again in evidence on Saturday and this lead her to victory. She now turns her attention to qualifying for the Rio Olympics. After her 1^st two fights 2016 I have no doubt that she will give the qualifying her best shot and we will see her in Brazil later this year.

Having spent an hour last week in the company of all at the Tralee Boxing Club, I got an insight into the workings of club and how they run things. I am grateful to Tommy and Noel Kelliher for giving me the access to Queen Underwood as she prepared to face Katie Taylor last Saturday. Thanks also to the younger members of the club who made me so welcome and club chairman Bryan O Sullivan who took time out of his busy training regime to speak with me also.

Boxing as I said at the beginning has got a reputation of being tough and not that well-liked by the majority of people but I hope to try and change that perception. What boxing teaches you is discipline, desire, passion, honour, respect.  

By

Cian Mc Gibney

23/02/2016

Tribute To Charlie And Ita

As the 2^nd and 5^th anniversaries of my Grandparents deaths approach, I feel it is the correct time to write a piece to commemorate there memories. They are two people that I miss daily. When you spend nearly every day with them up until the day they died, they are bound to have an impact on you.

My grandad suffered with Alzheimer’s and let me tell you to watch a member of your family that you love and respect so much disappear in front your eyes is so hard. For the ten or so years in which he suffered I wished every day that I could have taken away his suffering. As a 16 year old when you get asked to help your Grandad get ready for bed , you tend to grow up quickly.

I have had to do things that I wouldn’t ask my best friend or family members to do , don’t get me wrong I enjoyed every moment with them both before they passed away and I wouldn’t take back a minute of it.

People look and me and think he is only interested in sport how could he manage to help other people out.  I also spent 2 years helping out with a group in Listowel Family Resource Centre. This work was very rewarding.

Back to my Grandparents , I watched Grandmother lose her husband of 60 years to this disease that you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy. Although I only knew my Grandmother for 21 years , she was a woman I admired dearly. They were the perfect match for each other and to have survived 60 years together they knew each other really well. They reminded me of Richard and Hyacinth Bucket the couple from “ Keeping Up Appearances “.

As I said before I spent a lot of my life in that house and saw them at the best and also at the worst moments of their lives. I made a pledge when I was told that my Grandad was sick that I would do all I could to help them. I offered to look after them full time when they needed full time care and although I was angry when my family told me they didn’t want me to do it although they appreciated the offer they couldn’t ask me to give up my life , I am actually grateful to them for stopping me from doing it now.

When I made that pledge to myself that they looked after me when I needed them , I wouldn’t let them down when they needed me most. Having spent the last 10 years or so  in close contact with them I spent some special moments with them both , watching my Grandfather’s eyes light up when old friends called to see them.

They both were heavily involved with the community when they came down here in 1970. In recent years I have been told that my grandfather in particular had an impact on many people’s lives throughout the locality.

Charles Augustin Mc Gibney and Jane Ita Mc Gibney nee Clonan had a massive impact on other people’s lives and they had an impact on my life and two years on from my Grandad’s passing and also 5 years on from my Grandmother’s passing I just hope I haven’t let them down and that I picked up some good qualities from them both.  To you both I love you dearly and miss you everyday…. Thank You for all you did for me.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

17/02/2016

• Can you take me back to the start of your career , how did you start out in boxing ?

  I started boxing at the age of 7. I had a massive interest in sport as I grew up with 3 older brothers. My 3 brothers at the time were competing in boxing so I was always watching them train and compete. The rule as a kid for me was I had to be home when the street lights came on. I was very bored on the winter nights as I had to come in at an early time so one of the evenings I decided to go down to the boxing club with my brothers to train and fell in love with the sport straight away! I’m coached by my dad Tony, Anto Donnelly, Derek McArdle, Damian Douglas and Gavin Donnelly who all have helped me up until this day. They all train me in different ways which helps me hugely! I had my first fight when I was 7 years old in Dealgan Boxing Club which is the club I box out off. I had my first competitive fight when i was 11. In 2008 I won my first Leinster and All Ireland title. In 2012 I was able to compete Internationally so it was a big year for me. I traveled to Poland in 2012 for my first European championship which is where I won my first European title. I boxed Germany in my first bout who was at the time World no.3. I won 17-7. I boxed Turkey in my semi final, it was a tough fight but I won 17-12. My final was against Russia. My opponent was world no.2. It was a very close fight but I managed to come through as the winner winning  16-15. Since then I have boxed all over the World at European, World and Multi Nation Tournaments. I boxed at the World Championships in 2013 where I lost out very fairly to a brilliant opponent from the USA named Jajaira Gonzalez. It was a brilliant experience and I walked away learning a lot. My 2nd World Championships was in 2015 in Taiwan. I won my first fight against the world no.3 from Kazakhstan. My following fight I lost on the end of a bad decision against a boxer from China.

  In 2014 I also traveled to Germany for the Queens Cup Multi Nation. I boxed Germany in my first fight winning 3-0, I won my 2nd fight against Kazakhstan who was Senior champion in her country and in my final i boxed Sofia Nilson from Sweden who is now a very good friend of mine which I won 3-0. I was also awarded the Best Technical Youth Boxer of the tournament. In 2015 I won my 3rd European Title and also was awarded the Best Youth Boxer in Ireland.

• You have 13 Irish titles and 3 European gold along with 1 silver medal , how did you find winning those titles ?

  The Irish titles I won I trained very hard for. Some of them have been walkovers which at the time I would have been disappointed as i didn’t get to compete for my title. But I trained very hard for them so after a while I realized I deserved them. I enjoyed my first European experience but I wasn’t 100% confident flying over there as It was my first time competing Internationally. I cried my eyes out after I secured a bronze medal because i didn’t expect to go over and do that well so winning the European gold was the cherry on the cake especially beating world class boxers. My favorite experience was when I went to my 2nd Europeans in Hungary. I traveled alongside Katie Taylor and also captained the team. My first was against a very tough Turkish boxer, I won that 2-1. My 2nd fight was against the Hungarian boxer who I beat 3-0. My final was against a French boxer who I beat 3-0. I loved the experience of it all. My European Silver came in 2014 when I traveled to Italy, again I really enjoyed the experience and learned a lot from this trip. I boxed Italy in my first contest who was a very tricky boxer. I stopped her in the 4th round. In my semi final I boxed a Swedish boxer who just kept coming forward, it was comfortable for me and won 3-0. My final was against and excellent Ukrainian boxer, the first two round I won on all the judges cards, in the 3rd round I took a standing count which I couldn’t argue with because I stood blocking punches too long. In the 4th round it was even enough and I threw a 1-2 combination and caught her, the referee jumped in and give me a standing count. The clip is on you tube as straight after my final someone had uploaded it. At the time I was devastated but when I look back I can still be proud of myself as I made history by being the only female boxer ever to win European gold and a European silver medal from Ireland. 

  I also enjoyed my European experience in 2015 when I travelled to Hungary for the 2nd time. I was named captain also. My first fight was against the home boxer from Hungary. She was very tricky but thankfully I came through and won by stopping her in the 4th round. My 2nd fight was against Sweden who I mentioned is a good friend of mine, it was hard getting in but we were both after the same thing so we had to put the friendship to one side. I won that fight TKO 3.  My final was against the Italian who had boxed 60 kg at the world championships 3 months previous. I felt I won the first 2 rounds very comfortable, i think she would of edged the 3rd round but I came on strong in the 4th and nicked it! It was a great fight all together.

• How do you find keeping your weight in check as you box at 57 kgs ? 

  When I first started boxing competitively at 11 I boxed 42 kg. The following year I took a massive jump and entered the Leinster at 52 kg, I entered the All Ireland Championships at 54 kg and the Cadet Championships which is another Irish Championship at 57 kg. Since then I’ve kept my weight at 57 kg, every tournament I have boxed 9/10 times has been 57 kg so I made no secret to anyone about what weight i would be entered at. As the years went making 57 kg has got tougher, definitely! I started to develop into a women and I started to gain muscle which made it hard. I’m still competing at 57 kg but over the nest 1-2 years I will move up to 60 kg as it’s an Olympic weight so I would like to gain the experience at a heavier weight. But for the 5 years 57 kg has always been the weight i competed at.

   

• How do you find the diet side of boxing , do you ever want to just break out and eat whatever you like ? 

  I hate the dieting! lol.. Because 57 kg got tougher for me as I got older I had to stay away from all sorts of sugar foods and fatty foods and stick to the water. Its a nightmare but I always know that them sort of sacrifices be well worth it in the long run. After a tournament I always binge eat, I always buy my chocolate before a competition and just tease myself until its over. The amount of chocolate I buy you could fit into a hamper basket lol. Some crazy part of me likes the healthy eating though because I always feel good in my body, my body is in good shape and when I feel like that I know my performances in the ring will be to the best of my ability.

   

• Do you have any special techniques while preparing for a fight ?

  The night before I box i don’t get a wink of sleep especially if the tournament is huge. So i usually be twisting and turning in bed until it’s time for weigh in. When I weigh in i make sure i have plenty of food in me and i’m fully hydrated. After wards I go straight back to bed and get a few hours sleep and I usually wake up feeling very good. Again I’ll drink and eat more to make sure i have all the energy I need in the ring. When we go to the venue where i’m boxing I always listen to music. I hate people talking to me before I box because I always try and get into a zone where I’m focused but if people constantly come up and talk to me I get in a very bad mood lol. But after I box I’m the best person to talk to! 

   

• Do you think female boxers get enough coverage in the media ?

  I think female boxing has definitely picked up since Katie won gold in 2012, its growing very rapidly but personally I don’t think we get as much recognition as we deserve. There’s a lot of female boxers on the rise and nobody knows this because of the lack of recognition. A lot of people look at it as a mans sport and don’t think female boxers shouldn’t be boxing but over the next few years everyone will get a huge surprise at how good women are at boxing! 

   

• Can you explain the funding drive to me ?

  The funding for women at the moment is, if your an Olympic weight 51 KG, 60 KG, 75 KG, you will qualify for some sort of funding whether its if you have a European, World or Multi nation medal you will automatically receive funding once your Senior Champion of Ireland. Because the men has all boxing weights in the Olympics they get funding a lot easier then the women. I train full time, I have no job as I put all my time into boxing and I don’t receive any sort of income because I’m not an Olympic weight and I have no other sponsors. So it is very tough.

   

• Can you tell me the plan for the next four years ?

  My plans for the next four years is too become World Champion, European Champion and of course Olympic Champion. I want people to think of me when they think of female boxing. I want to continue making history but the Olympics in Tokyo 2020 is definitely the biggest goal of mine!

   

• Can you see yourself boxing professionally after your amateur career finishes ?

  I’ve started to think about that recently about the professional game. I would like to at some stage, if I got a very good deal I would of course take up that opportunity. I have a massive liking towards Oscar Dela Hoya’s ‘ GoldenBoy Promotions’ so it would be unreal if he started something up for the women because he seems to be a brilliant mentor and promoter. But Definitely as I said if I got a good offer I would consider it. It would be a brilliant experience all the same.

   

• Who are your sporting idols ?

  When I was younger and first started boxing Katie Taylor was a huge hero and inspiration of mine, I still think she is and amazing boxer but as I got older I started watching more than just Katie. I started to watch Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and straight away I fell in love with the he boxed. His power and the way he puts his combinations together is just something else. I could watch him all day! He’s a strange looking Mexican, a nice looking Mexican! He’s by far my biggest hero. I try to implement his style sometimes. He’s Class. 

   

• Where did the nickname “Dynamo” come from ?

  When I won my first European title in 2012 a man named San Sheridan set up a fan page like he did also with Katie Taylor and it was him who came up with it. The girls on the 2015 European team were calling me Canelo and chanting El Canelo when I was boxing which I loved lol

   

• And finally Amy , what is the ultimate dream ?

My Biggest aim is to win and Olympic gold medal! There’s not a day that goes by I don’t think of being on the podium w

Paul O Connell Tribute

So Paul O Connell has had to admit defeat in his quest in trying to fight back from the hamstring  injury suffered against France at the 2015 World Cup . He has announced his retirement from Rugby without playing a game for Toulon. He of course spent the majority of his career with Munster and captained them to Heineken Cup glory in 2008. He started out with Young Munster and cut his teeth in the All Ireland League and credits this time with them for turning into the player he went onto become.

He was a leader and this was evident as he was a captain for each team he was involved with , Captaining Ireland between 2013 and 2015 , He was Munster captain between 2008 and 2013. He was the Lions captain in 2009 down in South Africa. He was of course more than just and leader , he was an inspiration to all that played with him over the year’s. He was one of those rare players in sport that no matter what they did or said you would follow them into the trenches.

He presented the jerseys to the Munster Under 18 Club side in Thomond Park and to see parents and players fixed and engrossed in what Paul was saying was a thrilling moment , not many people have that special ability to hold a room for the whole of the time they are speaking but Paul was one such person.

He of course was famous for rousing speeches and saying the right thing at the correct moment and firing a team up before a game or at half time , everyone remembers his speech before Ireland faced France when he famously said “ Did You Put The Fear Of God Into Anyone”  This is only one example of what sort of a character he was. He also gave some memorable post-match interviews , namely for Munster after the quarter final in the Heineken Cup against Harlequins where all of the players were questioned and he said “ He was so proud of each player , he almost felt like an amateur rugby player”.

He of course was also able to have a game changing impact by making a huge hit on most notably Sebastian Chabal for Munster against Sale in 2006 and for Ireland in 2014 against Australia with the match winning tackle on Ben Mc Calman when he picked him up and drove him backwards.

Paul O Connell will never be seen again and it was a pleasure to say that I saw him on a number of occasions over the last 14 years , whether it was in the Red of Munster or the Green of Ireland. It was a real pleasure to watch him pick off  the oppositions line out.

He is a real legend of Rugby Union that commanded the respect of players across the globe and will be severely missed by all who soldiered with him through his career whether that was with Young Munster , Munster , Ireland or The Lions.

Paul , enjoy your retirement and thank you for all the memories….

 

By

Cian Mc Gibney

09/02/2016

Wales Vs Ireland Review

Ireland and Wales played out an entertaining draw at the Aviva yesterday that finished 16-16. Both camps will take positives and negatives from the game that saw Ireland attacking wider than they have before under Joe Schmidt. Although it wasn’t all positive as the scrum and Line out came under pressure. Nathan White was selected at tight head after injuries ruled out both Mike Ross and Martin Moore. Rob Evans was selected at loose head for Wales and Ireland had said they were hoping to target the Welsh scrum. While the scrum was struggling through a mixture of calls from referee Jerome Garces and also Rob Evans was not being penalised for some illegal scrummaging.

The line out struggled from the start where new Irish skipper Rory Best had a tough day trying to find his jumpers. In attack Ireland pulled Wales apart using Johnny Sexton and his famed wrap around plays , he also used some clever runners from deep with Robbie Henshaw and Simon Zebo both coming onto the ball at speed and causing the Welsh defence trouble every time.

 Ireland were forced into a number of changes since the World Cup due to injuries to several  key players and also the well-publicised retirement of Paul O Connell. Peter O Mahony missed out through injury and was replaced in the squad by Munster team mate CJ Stander who many felt deserved his shot at a green shirt in the test arena.

He qualified to play for Ireland under residency rules after moving here from South Africa in 2012 to join Munster. He made it quite clear a few months into his time here that he wanted to play for Ireland and yesterday that dream came through and also watching him belt out the National Anthem was a special moment. His performance was really strong and it certainly put all doubters in their place.

All 15 players on the field bought into the game plan and for the most part it worked well, Ireland led 13-0 after 30 minutes and then Toby Faletau crashed over for a try that saw them come from 13-0 down to 13-10 and that is how the 1^st half finished.

Into the 2^nd half and Ireland created a great chance off of a line out that saw Jack Mc Grath act as the link man and his pass created space on the outside that Johnny Sexton exploited and he put Andrew Trimble into space although Tom James tracked back and put him into touch. Wales lost Dan Biggar to an ankle injury and his replacement Rhys Priestland set the Welsh back division moving although it was really slow moving with Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies doing well in defence they didn’t really do very much in attack other than crash straight up the middle which for the most part Ireland were able to cope with.

Both sides will feel they had chances to win the game but considering how tight things were in the second half both teams most still feel they are well in the title race that also includes France and England with Italy and Scotland already looking towards the trap door. Let’s see what unfolds next weekend in round 2….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

08/02/2016