Swanky - Blind Fold Boxing

Last night down in the Swanky Bar in Tarbert , there was a boxing ring set up and a group of steely individuals warmed up for what was to transpire over the next few hours.  Cashen Vale Boxing Club supplied the ring and officials to run the event.  We were introduced to a number of young Cashen Vale boxing talent that have won a number of International titles in various disciplines over the last few weeks.

The action started off with a very competitive bout between Danny Wren and Brendan Cregan where both men started out in round 1 and took time to find their feet but once both men found there range it was a very tough fight. At the end of Round 2 with the agreement of all involved it was decided to dispense with the headgear and blindfolds and go at each other. After an excellent third round the bout was awarded to Brendan Cregan.

The 2^nd fight of the evening was Gerard Flavin taking on Paudie Mulvihill , rumour had it that Paudie had been in contact with the Mc Gregor camp in the days leading up to the fight but he met his match in Ger Flavin who has been training very well over the last few weeks both on the bar stool and in the Gym !!! Ger Flavin did very well and again took the victory in a close contest.

The 3^rd fight of the night, paired Tony White and James Enright. This bout was again closely fought and once both men got to grips with the idea of not knowing where the punches may come from , they settled to the task at hand but the experienced older head that is Tony White found the punches easier to come by and won this contest with relative ease.

The 4th bout of the night saw the only all female contest between Sorcha and Evelyn Stack , yes the twin sisters decided the only way to settle all the little disagreements over the years was to get between the ropes and slog it over three one minute rounds. The sisters traded blows until the final bell of the third round was sounded and the decision went the way of Sorcha Stack.

Finally we came to the heavyweight contest of the evening between two men who know how to box !! James Wren stepped into the ring alongside Brendan Mc Ginley both men went after each other from the opening bell and like the opening contest of the evening , it was decided to dispense with the headgear and blindfolds and let these two battle it out to see who would come out on top.

There was a huge crowd assembled at this stage and both men were roared on by very vocal support. Both men slugged it out and threw some very strong punches, some may say they have done this before !!!  After three very physical rounds of boxing, the very close contest was marked down as a draw.

Last night was a great success and like the Summer Festival of last weekend , it just goes to show what a small bit of clever thinking and cooperation can do. Well done to all at Cashen Vale Boxing Club for all the equipment, boxing ring and expertise. To JP , Mary and all the staff in the Swanky well done. A special mention to MC Denis Flavin , DJ Shicco aka Padraig Sheehy for the use of his gear.

Here’s hoping that the events of the past two weekend’s can help create an appetite for more and more events to happen in Tarbert over the next few months. Well done to all involved and hopefully this event will return in 2018….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

30/07/2017

Ireland World Cup Squad

Tom Tierney this morning announced his squad that will play in the 2017 World Cup on home soil between August 9^th and 26^th in UCD in Dublin and the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast. Tierney has selected only one uncapped player in the shape of scrum half Nicole Cronin who has ample 7s experience and will get the opportunity to test herself against a number of top sides and players over the coming weeks.

Ireland will take on France, Australia and Japan in Pool C at this year’s renewal of the competition in which Ireland finished 4^th at the World Cup in 2014 out in France.  Niamh Briggs will lead the charge from the front after recovering from an injury that has restricted her over the last 12 months. Her last appearance in Green came in November 2016 when she led out Ireland against New Zealand at the UCD Bowl.

Players like Jenny Murphy , Ruth O Reilly and Sophie Spence make a welcome return after injury ruled them out a various stages over the past few months. Tom Tierney has spent the past three years shaping this squad to take on the challenge of a home World Cup. The 2015 Six Nations win showed that the Grand Slam win of 2013 wasn’t just a flash in the pan.

Since the World Cup in 2014 the Women’s game has gone from strength to strength in Ireland with an ever improving league where all the home based players are in regular competition against each other.

The first XV probably picks itself for game 1, all the heavy hitters will be given the first bite of the cherry in the match against Australia. From there they will face two familiar foes in the shape of France and Japan who they recently faced in a warm up fixture in early May.

Having beaten France in the Six Nations earlier this year on home soil Ireland will know they will need to be 100% for each fixture because one lapse in concentration could cost them dearly. I am sure Tom Tierney and his coaching staff will drill that particular point into the players as the World Cup draws ever nearer.

Over the last season or so , Ireland have had to chop and change the starting XV to facilitate the ever expanding demand for players due to their commitments on the 7s circuit. The game of 7s has had a renascence in Ireland over the last few years in both the Women’s and Men’s codes. Both squads will participate in World Cup campaign’s next summer.

This particular experiment has benefitted both the 7s and 15s games in this country. Anthony Eddy who is the 7s director of Rugby at the IRFU and hewill be part of Tom Tierney’s coaching team and will be crucial over the next few weeks in helping to shape this squad into a team capable of going a step further than 2014 where they finished 4^th behind France , Canada and Champions England.

England of course will feel there are best placed to defend the crown they won in the Stade Jean Bouin 3 years ago.  They have moved on from that triumph by handing out over 50 full time contracts in the aftermath of that win. It now seems that this will be the final few weeks of those players contracts as the RFU seems set to only hand out a smaller number of full time deals when the 2017 World Cup ends. The RFU is going to concentrate on qualifying for Tokyo 2020.

This competition is going to be a very interesting one where a number of the 12 sides will fancy their chances  at dethroning England. Ireland , France , Canada and New Zealand are 4 sides well equipped to challenge the Red Rose.

Enjoy the competition over the next few weeks and admire the skills on show. I would dearly love Ireland to better their 4^th place finish from 2014, only time will tell….

By

Cian Mc Gibney

24/07/2017

Erasmus Exits

Johan “Rassie” Erasmus and his second in command Jacques Nienber will return to South Africa in December after Erasmus agreed to rejoin the South African Rugby Football Union as there Director Of Rugby. This piece of news will be tough to take for the players as it will create uncertainty around a crucial moment of the year.

The fact that Erasmus has exercised his right to leave the job he took up in July 2016 with two more years to run on his contract may leave a sour taste. He had always said he would one day return to South Africa and after the uncertainty following the death of Anthony Foley , he and Nienber provided stability to help all the players regain focus.

They put structures in place that helped each player find the strength to continue with the season and this saw them make the Semi Finals in Europe and the Pro 12 Final where they were beaten by the Scarlets.

The timing of Erasmus’s departure is extremely hard to fathom because Munster may not be in a position to bring in a full time replacement until the summer of 2018. The IRFU need to address the situation that has arisen for the second season in a row where a coach has given 6 months notice of his intention to leave his position. This particular departure comes in the middle of the upcoming season and will do nothing for continuity.

 Munster would have been hoping to build on the success of last season with Erasmus and Nienber at the helm, this will now not happen and could cause the good work to stall. Other factors that need to be considered are , the new signings that have arrived like Chris Farrell , James Hart and the return of JJ Hanrahan had been under the impression when they signed up that Erasmus would be the head coach for the 2017/2018 season at least.  

There are some other big questions that will need to be answered before the season starts like who will be brought in to replace Donnacha Ryan , Dave Foley and Mark Chisholm who have all left for pastures new and in the case of Mark Chisholm who has retired.

They are three large holes to fill in the squad and Munster will need at least one new second row to help the younger players like Sean O Connor and Sean Mc Carthy acclimatise to the rigors of professional rugby.

From the IRFU’s perspective this is another situation they didn’t think they would be facing until the end of the 2017/2018 season at least. They have now a short period of time in which to draw up a wish list of potential replacements and it will be interesting to see who they have in mind to try and continue the work that the South African duo have started.

 Immediately Ronan O Gara will be linked with the job but he has already said he is happy in France until 2019 at least. Paul O Connell will be linked although he has no top level coaching experience and after what happened with Leo Cullen in his first season in charge of Leinster the IRFU will be slow to appoint a coach with no experience.  

Men like Eddie O Sullivan and Rob Penney are surely two men the IRFU will approach to see if they would be interested in taking on the job. Conor O Shea would be my choice of a man that Munster should move heaven and earth to try secure his services until the 2019 World Cup at the very least. With Joe Schmidt due to leave his post as Ireland head coach in 2019 , in my humble opinion it would be beneficial to have O’Shea back on Irish soil. In saying that knowing the way O Shea operates he will see out his contract with the Italian Rugby Federation.

It is now over to the IRFU and Munster Branch to secure a worthy replacement for Erasmus and Nienber. They helped steady the ship when things were tough and now the IRFU need to do all they can to bring in a quality coach to bring Munster forward…..

By

Cian Mc Gibney

01/07/2017

Lions Vs New Zealand Preview

The first Test of the British and Irish Lions tour of New Zealand is now only days away and the speculation is mounting as to the makeup of Warren Gatland’s Test team. Looking at the XV he has selected to take on the Chiefs you can rule out many of the 23 making it into the Test 23 for the first Test.

Looking at the makeup of the bench in particular where he has selected Alun Wyn Jones and Cory Hill to back up Courtney Lawes and Iain Henderson , 3 of those 4 will be battling for only one spot on the Lions bench because Sam Warburton will be the back row cover on Saturday.

 Justin Tipuric can feel very aggrieved not to be in the shake up for the first Test. He has just been squeezed out by the strong showing of Peter O Mahony and Sean O Brien in particular. The team nearly selects itself going on team selection for the Chiefs game.

The squad has been split in two groups as has been the case in past tours. Gatland can say every place is still up for grabs but going on the opening two weeks of the tour he has stuck to what he knows best.

He has selected Ireland’s test centre pairing of Henshaw and Payne but this has come too late to get involved in Test number 1 but that isn’t to say that this partnership won’t get a chance in Test 2 or 3. Jonathan Joseph didn’t do enough in his few appearances to warrant his selection for test number 1. The pairing of Te’o and Davies looked nailed on even in defeat. Like O Driscoll and Roberts in 2009 or O Driscoll and Henderson in 2001, this partnership loos like the most likely to cause damage to New Zealand.

Looking to New Zealand they have warmed up with a 78-0 win over Samoa in Eden Park and won the game pulling up. They got the chance to try out combinations in the game and Steve Hansen although he will know his team didn’t really get tested will realise that the Lions although they have struggled at times on this Tour this is the moment all the warm up games have been leading to and they will came out with all guns blazing but I feel this particular approach won’t cut it when it comes to facing New Zealand and although you know what to expect when you take New Zealand on it is easier said than done to try and stop them.

The Lions have bludgeoned there to wins over the Provincial Barbarians and The Crusaders and have strangled those teams at scrum time and in the maul aswell.

These two aspects of play have lead the Lions to victory but the sledge hammer approach will not be the way to beat the All Blacks and unfortunately over the last two weeks The Lions have failed to show anything other than grunt and have failed to deliver on the chances they have created  and you just will not beat the All Blacks if you can’t cross the white wash. In certain games the Lions have created 3 on 2’s on 2 on 1’s and have failed for the most part to finish each of those chances off.

Last Saturday the tries they scored where a penalty try and a try from a driving maul. While they were great to watch these two facets of play won’t be good enough to beat the All Blacks to give yourself an opportunity to win a Test Series.

The most disappointing aspect of the last few weeks is the lack of ability when it comes to delivering a killer pass that will enable the receiver to try and take his man on. As I have said before some may say I am striving for perfection too often when it comes to taking the All Blacks on but you have to be whiter than white to beat them in most cases in particular down in New Zealand.  

When New Zealand get a chance to score a try they will convert 9 times out of 10 and for this reason alone you can be sure they will punish any lapse in concentration by the Lions this weekend. They are a team that strives for perfection and when you think they have reached that level they kick on time and again. They conveyer belt of talent is so strong in all positions that they can call upon many players who will come in and do a good job.  

The chance to play the Lions comes around every 12 years and these players know they may not do this again so now is there one chance to write they names in lights and be forever remembered. The challenge that faces the Lions is huge but remember if you achieve a Test Series victory you like the New Zealand Team of 2005 will be forever remembered….. All the very best to the Lions…..

I will now select the two teams I think will face off next Saturday…

New Zealand XV

15 Ben Smith

14 Reiko Ioane  

13 Anton Leinert Brown

12 Sonny Bill Williams

11 Julian Savea

10 Beauden Barrett

9 Aaron Smith

8 Kieran Read

7 Sam Cane

6 Akira Ioane

5 Sam Whitelock

4 Brodie Retallick

3 Owen Franks

2 Codie Taylor

1 Joe Moody

-

16 Nathan Harris

17 Wyatt Crockett

18 Charlie Faumina

19 Scott Barrett

20 Matt Todd

21 TJ Perenara

22 Jordie Barrett

23 Waisake Naholo

Lions XV

15 Leigh Halfpenny

14 Anthony Watson

13 Jonathan Davies

12 Owen Farrell

11 Liam Williams

10 Jonathan Sexton

9 Conor Murray

8 Taulupe Faletau

7 Sean O Brien

6 Peter O Mahony

5 Maro Itoje

4 George Kruis

3 Tadgh Furlong

2 Jamie George

1 Mako Vunipola

-

16 Ken Owens

17 Jack Mc Grath

18 Kyle Sinkler

19 Justin Tipuric

20 Alun Wyn Jones

21 Rhys Webb

22 Ben Te’o

23 Elliott Daly

By

Cian Mc Gibney

19/06/2017

The Lions – Trouble Ahead

There may be trouble ahead for the Lions after a second mid week defeat after a 23-22 defeat at the hands of the Highlanders in Dunedin. The players that faced the Highlanders will now be at a slight disadvantage when it comes down to Test selection. They face the Maori All Blacks this weekend and then take on the Chiefs before the First Test against Steve Hansen’s men.

Time is now against Gatland and his squad and with a record of 4 games played and a strike rate of 2 wins and 2 defeats, confidence must be really brittle. The Lions have thrown everything at the first few games and have come up really short in their quest to find the ideal XV to face the All Blacks in Test number 1.

The game plan the Lions seem hell bent on employing is a well versed but extremely narrow minded way of playing the game and again we are seeing that the difference between both sides of the equator in the way the game is played. Each player playing against the Lions is very happy to have ball in hand and very willing to take on the Lions defence at every turn and are scoring some wonderful tries as a result. They are however well capable of tightening their game up as was in full evidence yesterday during the Highlanders game.

I have watched on over the past two weeks and cringed at the way the Lions have tried to bludgeon their way to victory. You just can’t go south of the equator and think what works up here north of the equator will work down south.  Looking at what has happened , passing which I have to stress is a basic requirement of the game of rugby is severely lacking and when you see players struggling to finish chances off because they can’t pass it is extremely disappointing.

People may say I am looking for too much perfection but let me tell you if the All Blacks get the magical 3 on 2 overlap you can be damn sure they will convert it into 5 or 7 points. This is a key element in trying to beat the All Blacks , the approach Ireland used in 2016 in Chicago where they put pressure on a good kick chase will only really work once and you need to have a plan B and C.

The Lions need to put the battering ram away and try and be clever in possession , there is a time and a place for the battering ram in a game of 80 minutes but you can’t beat the All Blacks using it for the full 80.

Rob Howley really needs to buck up his ideas in terms of how to attack the All Blacks. He has some terrific players at his disposal like Owen Farrell , Rhys Webb alongside Sean O Brien and Courtney Lawes in the pack. It is a real shame that as I have pointed out the basic skill of passing is really lacking in this team and I don’t know how they will fix this issue before Test 1. It is a real shame that we are again coming back to the basics of the game in regards to paid professionals.

 Yes the All Blacks put all those skills under intense pressure but to beat them you have to live with it and come up with solutions. In the scrum barring yesterday the Lions seemed to have found a weapon to use and if they could keep that facet going they may be able to launch strike plays from there.

Owen Farrell and Jonathan Sexton have struck up a good partnership and this could also mean good things for the Lions if the team can find the key to unlock all that attacking talent within the group. On the evidence of the past two weeks I don’t hold out too much hope for a Test Series win a first since 1971. I hope that I will be proven wrong in the coming weeks.

Here is my Team to face New Zealand on Saturday week.

15 Elliot Daly

14 Anthony Watson

13 Jonathan Davies

12 Owen Farrell

11 George North

10 Jonathan Sexton

9 Conor Murray

8 Toby Faletau

7 Justin Tipuric

6 Maro Itoje

5 Alun Wyn Jones

4 George Kruis

3 Tadgh Furlong

2 Jamie George

1 Jack Mc Grath

-

16 Ken Owens

17 Joe Marler

18 Kyle Sinkler

19 Courtney Lawes

20 Sean O Brien

21 Rhys Webb

22 Jonathan Joseph

23 Leigh Halfpenney

By

Cian Mc Gibney

14/06/2017