Sports
Connacht Rugby stun Leinster in Guinness PRO12
Whenever the complete history of Connacht Rugby is written, the 10-9 victory over Leinster on Friday night will rate highly in its annals.
Yes, Connacht have had wins over the reigning Pro12 holders in the past – and have enjoyed many wonderful occasions in both the Heineken and Amlin Challenge Cups over the years – but this was different because this was not simply a ‘one-off’. For 24 hours at least, Connacht were table toppers.
What was this? It was consistency at its best. Three wins on the trot, this latest 10-9 victory, compliments of a superb Kieran Marmion try, over a strong Leinster Rugby outfit was a statement of intent from a Connacht outfit that has refused to bend the knee in recent outings.
Speaking to the media afterwards, man of the match Marmion said wins like those, generally, was a question of belief.
“Yeah, we generally believe that if we can go out there and perform, we can win. We have done it before against Leinster and we certainly believed before the game we could win.
“It was great to get another win. To back up what we did the last two weeks was huge. It was just a great effort from the lads. We probably let ourselves down with the discipline early on but we never gave up and we showed our character throughout the game, especially towards the end.”
Having trailed 9-3 at the interval – Jack Carty responding to three Ian Madigan penalties – Marmion produced a moment of magic when slipping the Leinster cover to race over the whitewash for a 55th minute try.
“I don’t remember too much about it but it was great to get over the line. It was a complete team effort,” continued the scrum-half.
“Obviously, the conditions played into their hands in the first half but it was great defence from us just before half-time to keep them out and that really gave us a boost going into the second half. So, we just wanted to kick on from there.”
For Head Coach Pat Lam, he thought Connacht’s victory was representative of the culture and the character within his squad. “That is three weeks in a row where we really have had to dig deep and work hard,” he said afterwards.
“A lot of things didn’t quite go our way – we have talked about it; it wasn’t quite perfect – but at the end of the day if your culture is good and you are led by a lot of the senior players, everyone will fight for each other.
“As it happens, that is three weeks in a row we have had to dig deep. When you see that sort of emotion from the fans, all they want to see is the boys fighting. I am very proud of them,” beamed the New Zealander.
Connacht will look for their second Pro12 victory on the road in Scotland – and, more importantly, to maintain their unbeaten run – when they face Glasgow Warriors this Friday (7.35pm), who are currently lying second in the league table having also won their opening three games.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
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GALWAY United need to guard against any kind of complacency when they make the short hop down the M18 this Friday to take on Treaty United at the Markets Field (7.45pm).
The game is a meeting of the two form teams in the division, and as in previous meetings between the sides, will have an additional edge given the number of former United players in the home side’s ranks, and the pair of Limerick lads playing for United.
There might have been just the eight meetings between the sides since Treaty became the latest iteration to represent Limerick in the League of Ireland in 2021, and while United have yet to lose to the men in the candy-cane strips, there has never been more than a goal in four of their eight wins.
The most recent of those was back in February, when Rob Slevin scored the only goal of the game in Eamonn Deacy Park after a tough battle against a side who made a slow start to the season, before finally finding their groove in the past month.
Having taken just three points from their first six games before finally getting a win against Longford Town, they reverted to type with just one point from their next three games, but are now on a run of four wins on the spin, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one.
Their most recent win was a 3-0 victory away to Longford Town last Saturday, and they could have won by double that against the only side to have beaten United this season. That in itself is a warning.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Soccer Wrap with Mike Rafferty
While the Salthill Devon men’s team might have lost their grip on the Connacht Junior Cup that they held for two seasons, the club’s women’s side have picked up the mantle and on Sunday last in Headford were crowned provincial champions with a 4-3 win over Manulla.
Following midweek wins for Maree/Oranmore and Knocknacarra, the stage is now almost set for the semi-finals of the Michael Byrne Cup with Salthill Devon meeting St Bernard’s on Sunday in an outstanding quarter-final, with the winners advancing to a semi-final against Maree/Oranmore, while Colga will face Knocknacarra in the other last four contest.
Just one league issue remains to be decided, with the Championship runners-up position up for grabs, as Dynamo Blues have to win their two remaining games in order to overtake Colemanstown United who have finished their programme.
WOMEN’S CONNACHT CUP FINAL
Salthill Devon 4
Manulla 3
Ellerose O’Flaherty scored twice as Salthill Devon were crowned provincial champions with a win over a Mayo side who were losing in the final for the second year in succession.
Backboned by a number of players who previously had League of Ireland experience with Galway WFC, Devon suffered an early set back when Jess Nolan put Manulla ahead, before O’Flaherty levelled matters with a cracking finish on 20 minutes, which was quickly followed by a long-range free-kick from Aoife Walsh.
For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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