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NewsComments Off on Saturdays away game 12th November
Nov112022
Saturdays away game.
(AIL) Instonians Vs Bruff 1st XV
12 November 2022 at 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Instonians RFC (Shaw’s Bridge Sports Association)
123 Milltown Rd, Belfast BT8 4XP, UK.
Instonians V Bruff, Sat November 12th, Shaws Bridge, 2:30pm
Bruff will look to do what no side has managed to do this year and defeat Instonains this weekend, as they make the trip to Shaws Bridge to meet the leaders. Safe travels to all those heading to the game on Saturday.
The action continues in 2C this weekend with Instonians looking to remain unbeaten in six ties, while Skerries and Tullamore look to continue the pursuit of the league leaders.
NewsComments Off on Landmark Day For Irish Women’s Rugby As 15s High Performance Programme Launched.
Nov042022
This week marks the launch of the Women’s 15s High Performance Programme, operating out of the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin.
The new full-time programme officially began on Tuesday with meetings, medical check-ins and athletic profiling sessions under the direction of Ireland head coach Greg McWilliams.
There are 29 female players now fully contracted to the Women’s High Performance Programme, including the 10 players who kicked off the Women’s 15s Programme yesterday – Dorothy Wall, Linda Djougang, Enya Breen, Natasja Behan, Dannah O’Brien, Méabh Deely, Leah Tarpey, Kathryn Dane, Maeve Óg O’Leary and Kayla Waldron.
Commenting on the start of the Women’s 15s High Performance Programme, Gillian McDarby, the IRFU Head of Women’s Performance and Pathways, said: “It is a hugely significant day as our Women’s 15s High Performance Programme gets up and running.
“A lot of work has gone on behind the scenes to ensure we have the right structures in place to support these athletes and it is an exciting time for all involved.
“We have 29 players contracted across the 15s and Sevens Programmes and the contracting process is ongoing.”
Women’s Interpros
As the players get to work at the HPC, there is competitive action to come in the 2022/23 Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship ahead of the 2023 TikTok Women’s Six Nations.
The competition window for the Interprovincial Championship has been confirmed and brought forward by two weeks. The Championship will run for three rounds in a round-robin format as follows:
Round 1: January 7/8 – Leinster v Connacht, Munster v Ulster
Round 2: January 14/15 – Munster v Leinster, Ulster v Connacht
Round 3: January 21/22 – Connacht v Munster, Ulster v Leinster
Energia AIL Final Live
The IRFU has also confirmed broadcast details for the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division final next month. The game will be live on TG4 on Friday, December 9 with a kick-off time of 7.45pm.
“We’re delighted to see a return to free-to-air TV for the Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division,” said IRFU Head Of Commercial Jessica Long.
“Friday evening is a great slot for televised rugby and we can count on another exciting affair after last season’s decider.
“There is a proven audience for domestic rugby and we are working with TG4 to see how we can provide even more options for rugby fans.”
On the new window for the Interprovincial Championship, McDarby added: “This has been a season of realignment as we evolve towards a new era of professional rugby for Irish women in the 15s game and a new World Rugby calendar.
“We’re grateful to our clubs and provinces throughout this process and we’re glad to see the Vodafone Women’s Interprovincial Championship continue to play a key role in the development of players for High Performance rugby.
We’re also excited to get to a point where we can offer long-term clarity and season structure for our domestic rugby stakeholders.
“That will be guided by the Women In Rugby Action Plan Review, a report on which due in the coming weeks.”
The IRFU will also be meeting with Energia All-Ireland League Women’s Division teams in the coming days to finalise details for the one-off AIL Cup Series commencing in early 2023.
Virgin Media Television has announced that it has secured free-to-air rights to broadcast Munster’s upcoming match against South Africa ‘A’ at Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Thursday (November 10).
It is the first time in six years that Munster have faced a touring team, and the first time in the professional era that they take on a South African touring side with the last meeting taking place in 1970.
The sides have met on three previous occasions with South Africa winning all three, and as such they remain the only major touring outfit the province have yet to claim victory against.
South Africa’s European tour will see the World champions play four Test matches against Ireland, France, Italy, and England, while the South Africa ‘A’ squad, coached by Mzwandile Stick, will play both Munster and Bristol Bears in important midweek fixtures.
Munster versus South Africa ‘A’ is one of a number of exciting rugby matches to be broadcast free-to-air on Virgin Media Television this month, with all three of Ireland’s 2022 Bank of Ireland Nations Series games at the Aviva Stadium also being televised.
The Munster-South Africa ‘A’ match is being presented in association with Munster Rugby partner, Pinergy.
NewsComments Off on Ireland Team Named For Bank Of Ireland Nations Series Opener Against World Champions
Nov042022
The Ireland coaching team have named the Match Day 23 to take on reigning world champions South Africa in the opening fixture of the Bank of Ireland Nations Series at Aviva Stadium on Saturday (Kick-off 5.30pm, live on Virgin Media and Amazon Prime).
Conor Murray is set to earn his 100th cap for Ireland and is one of just five players in the starting team that started the last game between the two sides in 2017. Tadhg Furlong, Robbie Henshaw, Peter O’Mahony and Johnny Sexton were the other players to start against the Springbok five years ago.
Cian Healy, who is named on the bench for Saturday’s game, also started the 2017 game while Rob Herring, James Ryan and Joey Carbery were among the replacements that day.
Tadhg Beirne and Jack Conan have never played for Ireland against South Africa but featured against the Springboks for the British and Irish Lions in the 2021 Test Series. Furlong, Henshaw and Murray also played in that Test Series.
Finlay Bealham has experience of playing the Boks as he was a replacement in the second Test against South Africa in Johannesburg on the 2016 Tour.
Whereas Robert Baloucoune, Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson Park, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan, Stuart McCloskey, Andrew Porter, Garry Ringrose, Dan Sheehan, Kieran Treadwell and Josh van der Flier have never faced South Africa at senior level.
Baloucoune missed the Summer Tour of New Zealand through injury but started against both the Griquas and the Cheetahs for Emerging Ireland last month.
Ireland captain Sexton will make his 109th appearance for Ireland this Saturday, becoming the country’s fifth most capped player of all time pushing current Forwards Coach Paul O’Connell into sixth position.
Nathan Doak, Tom Stewart and Stewart Moore have now joined the extended squad.
NewsComments Off on IRELAND ‘A’ Team & Replacements (v All Blacks XV, ‘A’ International Match, the RDS, Friday, November 4, kick-off 7.45pm)
Nov042022
The Ireland coaching group have named the Ireland ‘A’ team to play the All Blacks XV at the RDS on Friday (kick-off 7.45pm – live on Virgin Media Two/Virgin Media Player). Tickets are available here.
The Ireland ‘A’ side features 12 players who played against the M?ori All Blacks during the summer tour of New Zealand – Craig Casey, Gavin Coombes, Ciaran Frawley, Dave Heffernan, James Hume, Jeremy Loughman, Michael Lowry, Joe McCarthy, Jimmy O’Brien, Tom O’Toole, Cian Prendergast and Nick Timoney.
20-year-old centre Jamie Osborne is one of three from the Emerging Ireland squad in the starting XV, alongside forwards Prendergast and McCarthy.
Diarmuid Barron, Jack Crowley, Max Deegan and Calvin Nash, who were also on the Emerging Ireland tour to South Africa, are included on the replacements bench.
Craig Casey will captain the ‘A’ team which features Jacob Stockdale, who last lined out for Ireland against Japan in July 2021, while among the replacements is Martin Moore whose last game for Ireland was against Scotland back in March 2015.
Speaking ahead of the game, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said: “We’ve got plenty of information about the opposition as individuals. The lads will be well across that. They sure know the experience that the All Blacks XV have got in their side.
“The amount of caps that they’ve got with the captain (42-times capped lock Patrick Tuipulotu) there, and with (Damian) McKenzie and (TJ) Perenara, etc. We know the experience that they’ve got and what they’re going to show.
“We also know that our lads watch plenty of Super Rugby, so that these lads they’re playing against on Friday night are the next cabs off the rank as far as the All Blacks side is concerned.
“Their depth is pretty deep as well, so we know that they are going to be very strong and a big step up from the M?ori game.
“At the same time, our lads came in last Sunday and they’ve had a couple of training sessions. We expect them to be up to speed, so most of the concentration has been on ourselves in that regard.”
He added: “Craig was an obvious choice for us as captain. We approached the subject straight away and it was unanimous that it was going to be Craig. Why? Because it’s him just being himself. He’s a natural leader.
“Just the way that he handles himself on a daily basis in and around everyone. He’s the ultimate professional, he prepares really well.
“He’s been in and around this (Ireland) environment for some time now so the responsibility is a nice step in his journey as well.”
