Clubs Vs Provinces

Clubs vs Provinces , the ultimate question in Ireland the Ulster Bank League vs  The Rabodirect Pro 12. I challenge anyone to name all of the Munster clubs involved in the Ulster Bank League , the reason I ask this question is off the back of a comment from Donal Lenihan last when he said that the clubs were no more in relation to a question that was posed  about what club Simon Zebo came from.( the answer by the way is Cork Con).To hear this from Donal Lenihan was very surprising given the fact that he is a staunch Con man himself.

It does pose the question however is the gap between the professional game and the club game getting bigger or is it getting smaller? In the last 12 months we have seen 3 players make the step up from club to the professional game , Darragh Fanning , Craig Ronaldson and Barry O Mahony have stepped up to take up contracts from Munster , Leinster and Connacht. This just goes to show that the club game can still produce players for the professional ranks.

The academy systems that are in place at all four provinces are producing players for the pro game but if the clubs are let fade out of existence then the game in this country will die a slow and painful death. We have seen the turmoil in Wales the row between the regions and the WRU. I know that this row won’t happen in Ireland down to the fact that the IRFU look after the provinces so well.

Back to the clubs, they are the early breeding grounds for all players, even if the schools like to think that they are the be all and end all. You only spend 5 years in the schools system but you will spend double that with your club. I know the quality of training and strength and conditioning is of a real top quality but I do think that the clubs are catching up in terms of coaching and strength and conditioning. A new generation of coaches are being brought through to coach underage teams.

So I just feel that the club should be the bedrock of the game and everyone should go and watch some of the top talent involved in The Ulster Bank League. Finally after many years the provinces seem to be using in The Ulster Bank League to give some of their young talent a chance to shine. Also with the British and Irish Cup it gives some young talent a chance to play in competitive fixtures throughout the year. So lets hope the club will stay at the centre of the game in Ireland.

By

Cian Mc Gibney.

25-02-2014.

Women In Sport

Women in sport , what is the first thing that comes into people’s heads , Well in Ireland it would be the names of Olympic hero Katie Taylor and also the names of some of the Grand Slam winners from 2013. But you also have some fine talent in other sporting fields like Nina Carberry in horse racing , Emma Byrne in football and of course the likes of Mary O Connor and Katrina Parrock in the GAA.

Having interviewed a number of these talented people in the last 18 months , I think it is about time that more of these people get given air time and also that their stories be told. In the last few weeks I have been in contact with Linda Holland from Glengariff  Co Cork , she has blazed a trail in a new sport called LFL down in Australia. It has its origins in American football. She plays with a team based in Perth called The Western Australia Angels. She is the defensive captain with them.

Also Non Evans an ex Welsh International full back with 82 caps and a record 64 tries only matched by Aussie legend David Campese. She has also represented Wales at the Commonwealth games in both Judo and wrestling. She has also appeared in the TV programme Gladiators.

Katie Taylor of course is the golden girl of Irish female sport with her win at London 2012. She has done a lot for her chosen sport campaigning and lobbying for its inclusion at the Olympics. She has won several national and world titles over the last 10 years. Katie has trained on her own and also with the men’s squad ahead of each of her appearances at a major championship. She really is a true role model for all young budding sports stars.

So women do have a role to play in becoming role models for the next generation , so lets hope in the next few years when you ask a youngster who their sporting role model is lets hope that some of these names come up.

By

Cian Mc Gibney

22-02-2014.

All Change at Munster for Next Season

Rob Penney and Simon Mannix will both leave Munster at the end of this season after 2 years at the helm. Having struggled early on in their time at the club, there open style of play caused consternation early on and many pundits and supporters questioned how wise this open style of play was and why not stick to tradition and stick to the forward orientated game that had proved so successful in the early to mid-2000s.

But after a few months of trying to tweak the game plan and trying to play a game that seemed alien to most of the senior players, that saw the likes of O Connell and O Callaghan standing on the wing. But to Penney’s credit he seemed to bow to pressure and when they got to the knock out phase of the Heineken Cup where they faced Harlequins in The Stoop. This came one week after Munster were beaten 51-26 by Glasgow.

 What happened that day in London will go down in Munster history. After an early missed penalty, Munster went onto take control of the game and win by 18-12, This was the day in most people’s minds that old and new Munster combined to create that piece of history.

Next season in my opinion, will be one of change but it should be done with minimal fuss, two in and two out, Anthony Foley who is the current forwards coach should take on the main job if he wants it and if he does he will bring in his own coaching team.

So for now it is all eyes fixed on Cardiff Blues this weekend and that little matter of a home Heineken Cup quarter final against Toulouse.  As Penney said earlier he still has work to do with this group. So lets leave next season for now and focus on the here and now !!

By

Cian Mc Gibney 06-02-2014.

Ireland’s Grand Slam Dream

So the Irish women began their defence of their 6 nations crown with an impressive 59-0 win over Scotland. Off the back of last year’s success participation in women’s rugby has grown a huge amount with new clubs popping up all over the country. Including a club in Listowel which was great to see.  Kieran O Reilly has been a driving force behind the club with the help of a very dedicated group of volunteers. His Sister Marie Louise Reilly a Irish Women’s international has also been an inspiration to the group.

Having interviewed a few of the current squad , I know what this group is capable of and after the win on Friday night , confidence will only grow and help drive them on. They play in the Aviva and Twickenham over this campaign and they have a real chance of putting back to back titles together before a tilt at the World Cup in France next August.

Coach Philip Doyle and Captain Fiona Coughlan have assembled a very capable squad that can and in my opinion will put on a strong showing in this 6 nations and the World Cup. They play a very open style of rugby but they can also do the dirty work as was shown throughout the game against Italy to win the 2013 6 nations title.

So like their male counterparts they can dream of a 6 nation’s glory. In some ways the women play the same type of game as the men a very open style and they are very aggressive at the breakdown , with messer’s Fleming , Molloy and O Brien very much in the ilk of O Mahony , Henry and Heaslip.

Ireland’s Grand Slam dream of 2014 is very much alive and well for Philip Doyle and his crew as it is for Joe Schmidt and his crew !! We can dream can’t we ??

By

Cian Mc Gibney

05-02-2014

129 Not Out

So Brian O Driscoll’s final season has begun in Test rugby with a win over Scotland. But I suppose we must start at the beginning for this incredible sportsman. He made his Test debut against Australia in 1999 before even making a senior appearance for Leinster , which I think is incredible because it would not happen now in most sports that a player would play for his or her country before playing for his or her club.

He announced his arrival on the world stage in 2000 against France in the 6 nations with a hat trick and he was part of the first Irish team to beat France in Paris since 1972.Since that day in Paris “BOD” has become a global superstar of Rugby Union on a par with the likes of Lomu , Cullen and Wilkinson. He has made his mark very quickly and was made Irish captain in 2002 becoming full time captain in 2003.

The one thing that will come as a surprise to many people is that Brian has never won the IRB World Player of the Year, despite winning numerous league and cup titles including a Celtic League and 4 European trophies along with a Grand Slam in 2009. So at least he has some silverware to look back on when his career comes to a close at the end of this season. New Zealand’s Richie Mc Caw has won 3 World Player of the Year awards so from a European perspective one wonders why “BOD” has not won this particular accolade.

He has led Leinster and Ireland from the front for the past 14 years and in that time has scored 46 tries for Ireland to date and also played on a record 4 Lions tours which will not be matched in the modern era. He has also captained The Lions on that unsuccessful tour of New Zealand in 2005.

In the 6 nations he has broken Ian Smith’s record of 25 tries by scoring 26 tries so far in the Championship. He has been a mainstay of the Irish side in all 14 6 nations campaigns. So as his last season begins its final few months I encourage anyone that can to come out and support this genius and admire his class while we still can. Because as is always said you only really miss something when it is gone for good. To Brian I sincerely  thank him for all the memorable moments he given the fans over the last 14 years. So it is 129 not out.

By Cian Mc Gibney. 04-02-2014.