Linda Holland Cork’s flying Angel

When Linda Holland left West Cork back in 2009, little did she know that 4 years later her sporting prowess would bring her to the attention of friends and family at home in Glengariff and in her adopted home of Perth. She did what most young Irish people do when they leave these shores and she went off and joined a GAA club.

She works with Neptune Diving Services and it was her colleagues that pushed her to go forward for the trials, she has gone through all the trials and made through to a 35 strong squad that started playing games in December 2013.

The Australian LFL is an extension of the American LFL and is getting bigger day by day. It is a 7 on 7 contest played under american football league rules.

Linda is from a very sporty family, she has played GAA with CIT and Nemo Rangers , rugby with Ballincollig and also hockey and golf.

She is playing with the Western Australia Angels, a club based in Perth , they are the top ranked team in the Australian LFL. She plays in the Angels defensive line.

Having watched some of the footage of this sport, it is most defiantly not for the easily offended. It is great to see a woman from this little Island of ours making waves down in Western Australia.

Linda really is Cork’s flying angel.

By

Cian Mc Gibney.

28-01-2014.

Six Nations Win, World Cup 2015 Success??

Can the 2014 Six Nations win be the spring board to a successful World Cup campaign. One would like to think it will be. Can Ireland build on the Title win from this year, they have a two match tour of Argentina in June for which I would be of the opinion of leaving most if not all of our big test stars at home and bringing some of the young talent that we have in each of the Provinces.

After the two test tour in Argentina , it is then two of the big three in November along with a test against Georgia, which of course will bring back memories of the game at the 2007 World Cup where a late Peter Stringer try saw Ireland home by 14-10. Joe Schmidt has done a wonderful job making this team, this squad a far more mentally strong side which was in evidence against New Zealand and against all the sides during the Six Nations with the exception of England who themselves are building a good young side backboned by some fine young talent and by 2015 they should be ready for their home World Cup and also ready to launch an attack on the trophy they won back in 2003.

Ireland have now got some great strength in depth in all departments , in the front row , behind Healy and Ross you now have Mc Grath,Archer,Moore,Kilcoyne and Cronin also in the second row along with Toner , you now have Mc Carthy , Foley , Henderson to name just three even in these two positions you can now see the Strength in Depth that both Provincial coaches and National coaches have always longed for.

The players that missed out on selection during this campaign also shows that when players get left out there are able deputies at every turn. Ferris,Zebo,Fitzgerald,Marmion,Keatley,Payne,Paul Marshall just to name 7 players that were not involved either through injury or non selection. This again shows the strength in depth that has never been in Irish rugby before.

To this end we can look forward to the 2014/2015 season with real optimism.  Here is my team to start the 2015 World Cup.

15. R. Kearney

14.T. Bowe

13. J.Payne

12. L.Marshall

11.L.Fitzgerald

10.J. Sexton

9. C. Murray

8.R. Copeland

7.S. O Brien

6. P. O Mahony

5. P. O Connell

4. D. Ryan

3.M. Ross

2.R. Best

1.C. Healy.

This is a team that could start the 2015 World Cup. You can add the likes of Keith Earls,Robbie Henshaw to that list so what this will prove is that Ireland if they put in the same level of performance next season that they have done this year the rewards are massive. Six Nations Champions 2014,World Cup Champions 2015 , it does have a nice ring to it, we can dream can’t we!!

By

Cian Mc Gibney.

28/03/2014.

Munster, Chip on Shoulder

Munster coach Rob Penney has said this week that Munster will face Ireland in the Aviva this Saturday. Now this statement throws up a number of questions for both Rob Penney and the players. Has he said it just to get a reaction from his players or does he believe that it is the truth. Ireland boss Joe Schmidt used 17 Leinster players throughout the Six Nations in comparison to just 5 Munster players. They are two of the form teams in the Pro 12. I just feel that this has been blown out of proportion. It is being used as a motivational tool and nothing else.

 Ireland win a Six Nations title and the first thing that Rob Penney does is that he goes on the attack. Let’s look at the facts, In a straight shoot-out, who would you pick Jonny Sexton or Ian Keatley, in the front row you can’t argue with Cian Healy or Mike Ross or the two mwn that are their understudies Martin Moore and Jack Mc Grath. It is up to players like Dave Kilcoyne and Stephen Archer to push these other players for a place in the match day 23.

 Ireland are in a strong place at this moment with the strength in depth in most positions. Munster have always been able to use this notion that they are hard done by in terms of national selection or selection for Lions squads. But these times have changed and Munster are now on a level par with Leinster and for a few years they were out on their own.

So to sum up, Munster do have a chip on their shoulder but they only use it as motivational tool because these players know each other too well. It would be mad not to do it. Let’s hope the game lives up to the early billing!!

By Cian Mc Gibney

26/03/2014.

Heineken Cup Preview

With the Heineken Cup quarter finals two weeks away, here is my Heineken Cup quarter final preview.

Munster vs Toulouse

Munster and Toulouse are first into action in the quarter finals on Saturday April 5^th at 1.30pm. Munster will go into this game as slight favourites purely down to the fact that they are at home. Toulouse are not the team they once were in Europe or at home in France their dominance has been stopped by the emergence of sides like Clermont Auvergne and Toulon. Even if both of those sides have relied heavily on financial muscle to get to where they are now. Guy Noves has been in charge at Toulouse for over 20 years and will want his star studded Toulouse side that is back boned by French stars like Louis Picamoles and Gael Fickou to come to Limerick and do what Ulster did back in 2012 and become only the 3^rd team in Heineken Cup history to win in Thomond Park. Munster will go into the game against Toulouse off the back of some decent form even after a mixed display against Treviso. Toulouse will look to storm Thomond and get to another semi final but one just has to look at Munster’s form guide in Thomond and also Ireland’s recent six nations win. The momentum is with Munster so for that reason I am going for a Munster win but only just!!

Clermont Auvergne vs Leicester Tigers

Clermont will have memories of last May in Dublin when they were in charge of the final against Toulon, they let it slip away after being favorites and they showed a lack of mental strength but also a try late on in that game from Delon Armitage saw Toulon home. Back to this year and Clermont are back in the knock out phase looking as strong as ever and with Vern Cotter leaving at the end of the season to take on the Head Coach’s job at Scotland. He will want a European win under his belt to prove his squad’s true quality. Leicester will find it tough going down to France but with Richard Cockerill in charge and Manu Tuilagi back from injury they will feel that they can cause a shock and get an unlikely win in France. I think Clermont will see Leicester off because they are on a mission to win a European trophy.

Ulster vs Saracens

Ulster will face Saracens in a revamped Ravenhill in the 3^rd quarter final. These two sides faced each other in a semi final back in 2012 with Ulster coming out on top and I am sure Saracens will have that in the back of their minds. Ulster have played really well in this season’s competition and will want to push on in Europe and put down a marker. They have some key player like Ruan Pienaar and also they will have Stephen Ferris back after 15 months out with an ankle injury. For those reasons I think Ulster will win this one with plenty in the tank and put down the marker for the rest of Europe to take note of. Saracens will have the likes of Owen Farrell and Chris Ashton in there side and they will also want to put down a marker to back up all the talk that we have heard about the new philosophy the Wolf mentality that mean’s they hunt in packs on the field. Can Mark Mc Caul put one over his old side and lead Saracens to the semi finals!!

Toulon vs Leinster

Leinster head for the Stade Felix Mayol for a late kick off on Sunday April 6^th and Leinster will face a wall of sound and some passionate supporters with their pilu pilu chant and they will want to defend the title they won in May 2013. Leinster will want to give Brian O Driscoll the perfect send off and win a 4^th European trophy in 5 years. If there is one away team that can go away from home and win it is Leinster and for that reason I think Leinster will win in France.

My semi finalists are

Munster , Clermont , Ulster , Leinster.

By

Cian Mc Gibney.

24/03/2014.

Crescent Comprehensive, Munster Senior Schools Cup Winners 2014

So Crescent Comprehensive have done it, won back to back Senior Cup titles for the 1^st since they did it back in 89 and 90.They were not the pre-tournament favourites on this occasion that honour fell to the team they faced in the final Ard Scoil Ris .But to be fair to this particular team they didn’t seem to mind whether they were favourites or not. They started their campaign at home in Rossbrien with a comfortable 39-0 win over Christian Brothers College. They then to play Presentation Brothers College in the quarter final and after a highly entertaining and dramatic game they drew 21-21 even after both sides had chances to win the game.

Then Crescent had little time to feel sorry for themselves as they had to prepare for a replay that was on down in The Mardyke on the following Sunday. They managed all the expectation and after a tight opening 20 minutes Crescent just went up a couple of gears and pulled away from Presentation and went on to win by 15-5.

In the Semi-final they faced Castletroy College and again Crescent‘s superior defence and knowhow in attack saw them past a spirited Castletroy team, they went on to win by 23-8. That set up the first ever all Limerick Senior Cup final between Crescent and Ard Scoil Ris.

The final took place on St Patrick’s Day in Thomond Park in front of 6,000 spectators. Crescent went into the game as slight favourites and it took them 28 minutes to take charge of the final after missing an early penalty they scored a try through Skipper Cormac Blake and it was converted to put them 7-0 up and soon after that they were 12-0 up after a move that saw scrum half Gary Fitzgerald pass to out half Fionn Mc Gibney and his pass set full back Dylan Sheehan away to score and this was converted to leave the half time score 14-0 in favour of Crescent.

Ard Scoil Ris needed to start the 2^nd half with the 1^st score to stand any hope of closing the gap or else Crescent would go on to secure their 2^nd Cup victory. From Ard Scoil Ris’s point of view they didn’t take the chances that they created when Crescent were down to 14 for 10 minutes when Second Row Robbie Scott was sin binned for a professional foul. Just before Robbie Scott came back into the fray Ard Scoil Ris lost their flanker Jerry Mc Cabe for the same infringement and with that went there chances of a comeback. Late on Crescent added a third try and it was converted to make it 21-0. Ard Scoil Ris got a reward for their hard work a persistence when number 8 Kelvin Brown crashed over from close range and out half David O Mahony added the extras to leave the score 21-7 and that’s the way it finished.

A word on the coaches Conan Doyle and Eugene Mc Govern both great characters and they have a great repower with the whole squad. They are a well drilled side and even though they had a poor discipline record that saw them lose a player in each round, they trusted the system be that in attack or in defence they scored some wonderful tries throughout. This team is build on strong defence and a really intelligent attack. They have two of the finest centres that I have ever seen JJ O Neill and Will Leonard and also a really strong pack led by Mike O Donnell and Liam Mc Mahon.

And finally the supporters, be they teachers or students they never let the side down all the way through this competition with unwavering support. And the win was for them as well as the players. From this author’s point of view it is great to see such unique camaraderie between pitch and stand.

By Cian Mc Gibney. 19-03-2014