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John O’Shea takes leaf out of Xabi Alonso’s book

Sleepy Sunday in GAA; hope for women’s rugby team; Munster cannot produce centres

Republic of Ireland interim head coach John O'Shea on the touchline against Belgium. Photograph: Lorraine O'Sullivan/PA Wire

Mary Hannigan's face
Mary Hannigan
Mon Mar 25 2024 - 10:31

A 0-0 draw at home is, generally, nothing to write home about, but such has been the Republic of Ireland’s fortunes of late, that very result against Belgium on Saturday, after a decidedly lively performance, was no small boon. Gavin Cummiskey brings you the details on the game and the reaction of interim manager John O’Shea, while Gordon Manning heard from Sammie Szmodics who finally made his debut having been “waiting for this moment for three or four years”. And Ken Early has a notion that O’Shea took a leaf out of Xabi Alonso’s book, opting to play much the same system as the Spaniard’s blossoming Bayer Leverkusen side.

In Gaelic games, Malachy Clerkin rounds up the weekend’s league action, Clare routing Tipperary to reach the hurling final where they will meet a Kilkenny side that gave Limerick a spanking. The All-Ireland champions’ performance was, Denis Walsh heard John Kiely concede after, “embarrassing at times”.

It was a Sleepy rather than a Super Sunday in the football league, with, as Malachy puts it, “precious little drama to be found anywhere”. Derry and Dublin are through to the final, Mickey Harte’s men cruising to a 13-point victory over now relegated Roscommon, while Seán Moran was in Croke Park to see Dublin crush Tyrone, 21 points the margin of their victory.

Dublin’s women dished out a trouncing to Ulster opposition too, putting seven goals past a severely understrength Armagh who had already qualified for the final. And in camogie, Tipperary are on the brink of their first appearance in a senior national decider since 2009 after their win over Kilkenny at Nowlan Park. With one round of matches to go, Galway and Cork are also in contention to reach the final.

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In rugby, Gerry Thornley reports on the Irish women’s Six Nations opener against France on Saturday, one that ended in a 38-17 defeat but, he writes, “there was enough in this Irish performance to spark real hope again”.

Denis Walsh, meanwhile, is mystified by Munster’s inability to develop top-class centres. It has, he says, “been a bewildering blind spot” when they have been “mass producers of international class half-backs, second rows and backs rows”.

And in racing, Brian O’Connor brings news that the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board will examine the case of trainer Luke Comer jnr who escaped a conviction last week but donated €20,000 to the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after nine “fully decomposed” horse carcasses were found on his land in Co Meath.

TV Watch: It’s a quiet enough day on the TV sporting front, but you can catch up with all the weekend’s GAA league action on TG4 (8pm) and the best of the rugby on RTÉ 2′s Against the Head (8pm).

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