LUIS ENRIQUE HAS announced his daughter Xana has died after suffering from bone cancer.
The former Spain coach stepped down in June after missing their three previous matches, having been granted leave in March for what was described as a family emergency.
Robert Moreno was confirmed as Luis Enrique’s successor, although Luis Rubiales, head of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said: “Our doors will always be open to him”.
On Thursday, the ex-Barcelona boss confirmed nine-year-old Xana has passed away.
“Our daughter Xana has died this afternoon at the age of nine, after fighting for five intense months against an osteosarcoma,” he said in a statement posted on Twitter.
“We give thanks for all the shows of affection we’ve received during these months and we’re grateful for the discretion and understanding.
“We are also grateful to the staff of the Sant Joan de Deu and Sant Pau hospitals for their dedication and treatment, to the doctors, nurses and all the volunteers. With a special mention to the palliative care team of Sant Joan de Deu.
“We’ll miss you a lot but we’ll remember you every day of our lives with the hope that in the future we will meet each other again. You will be the star that guides our family.”
Spain striker Alvaro Morata wrote on Twitter: “There are no words that can comfort you in these tough moments, boss, but from here we send you all the strength and love in the world. May Xana rest in peace.”
Real Madrid and Spain defender Nacho Fernandez said: “All the courage, strength and support in the world right now boss.”
Barcelona also offered support, saying: “Our condolences and all our sympathy for Luis Enrique and his family at this very difficult time. RIP Xana.”
Real Madrid, for whom Luis Enrique played for five years, said: “Real Madrid are deeply saddened by the passing of Luis Enrique’s daughter and would like to share our condolences to him and his family at this difficult time.”
The RFEF said: “The RFEF mourns the sad loss of little Xana, only nine years old, daughter of the coach and international player with Spain, Luis Enrique. We want to show our condolences to family and friends, joining us all today in their pain.”
Roma also expressed condolences towards their former coach, as did tennis star Rafael Nadal and Spain’s prime minister.
Murray Kinsella and Gavan Casey and Bernard Jackman try to identify how Ireland can get back on track after Twickenham.
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Ben Whitehouse show as usual.
8 Leinster head injuries for a game that was decided pre kick off.
Bulls player goes off laughing after nearly breaking Osborne’s neck sums them up really.
@J P Ke: heehee, salty blue tears, yummy in my tummy
@J P Ke: gracious in defeat as always
@J P Ke: He was fooled at that last Scrum. Twice the Bulls front row went straight to ground in an attempt to win a penalty. Should have been a penalty to Leinster and game over.
@Cian Halley: hah what a performance by Leinster minus Ireland players. Zero tears just very impressed by the fight shown throughout the match. Your lads on the other hand have lost more games than won
@J P Ke: He got a straight red card probably the first one of the season. Did you want to just get the automatic win because of foul play?
@Ray Ridge: Nah you’re wrong I’d say
@Comeonyouknow: Ray? Wrong? Never!
@Niall Boyle: you’re laughing about brain injuries I see
@Ray Ridge: The problem is that when your scrum has been creaking all game, the ref tends to give the benefit of the doubt to the team who has the better scrum. If Leinster had parity in the scrum for the contest, it probably would have gone the other way. That said, many Leinster fans would have taken a losing BP before this game. But the manner of the defeat means it’s hard to see the positives right now. But there are positives. The young guys will learn so much more from this game than others games.
@J P Ke: Where did I laugh?
@Conor Lynott: The issue was Gunne and Byrne not deciding to kick and sent them back with only a two point lead and within kicking distance and a ref looking for any sort of illegality and your breakdown. That ball should have been leathered to sent the Bulls back instead of trying to hold onto it. Byrne had a good game mind, his best this season for sure.
@Conor Lynott: There were no benefit of the doubt on the first 2 collapses. Straight to ground. So obvious. 3rd time yes bulls were given benefit of the doubt.
@Ray Ridge: Which came from being bested in that area for pretty much the whole half. I’m a Leinster fan, but without Porter, our scrum is not elite right now.
@Conor Lynott: IRFU conspiracy against Leinster left them with an AIL amateur prop on the park against seasoned pros.
@Cian Halley: you’re some sad sack.
@Cian Halley: Jaysus you’re sad. Go boil your head.
@adizlack93: Tony butler was very good last night last night wasn’t he
@Carmine Lorenzo: I’m Patrick breen, waaahhhĥh
@adizlack93: as a Munster supporter, you’re a bigger plug to reply to him. Whitehouse should have penalised the Bulls a couple of time at the last scrum for pushing before the ball was put in and pre engagement.
@Cian Halley: he was decent actually but the loss was a bit of a shame :/
@mark sheehan: I don’t really get what you mean. I don’t have that strong an opinion on this one, happy enough with the result and I have a pretty good understanding of how strong the Bulls scrum is
@Cian Halley: Not a great ref for safety of players
Collapsed scrums, high hits rucking way passed the breakdown. Over 10 HIAs in one game
@Ray Ridge: for once I agree with you Ray, even when he said he wouldn’t give a cheap penalty to the Bulls, he could have given the decision to Leinster on the previous 2 sets.
@J P Ke: gunne should not have put that ball into the scrum, clear early shove and if he delayed the put in , penalty to leinster.
So a great performance especially considering the head injuries. Some of the younger lads were excellent.
Connors was superb in defence. Ross nailed that pressure kick everyone knows I am not a fan but that was very very good. Was Milne injured? Bringing a AIL prop to SA is surly a last resort. Tommy was very good too. Frawley needs to cop on, simply can’t drop a ball with all the time in the world. I don’t know enough about Deeny but is he at that level?
Oh why when the scrum is under so much presume does RG try the offload all the time. It’s fine when we are strong at scrum but he needs to read the game.
@mark sheehan: gunne should never had put the ball into that scrum.
@chris mcdonnell: You could also ask why some of the Leinster players who had little or no game time with Ireland were not involved. Healy and Baird in particular would have added impact from the bench. Gus McCarthy also. Munster the last night with Crowley, Murray and Nash not played. Doesn’t really matter to Leinster as they’re so far ahead but a win for Munster would have been a big step towards making the top 8.
You reap what you sow. Healy played what, 5 mins in the six nations? Should’ve been over there locking out the scrum to seal that win. Instead, with all due respect to Soroka, we had an AIL prop completely out of his depth. Also, Clarkson never pulled down that Bulls maul, they collapsed it themselves. Whitehouse doesnt bother to go to the tmo to check it. Some of the Irish internationals who were dropping 2/10 performances near the end of the six nations should be brought over next week to play the Sharks to prove their good enough to be in European 23. Tommy O Brien surely looking like hes making that 14 jersey his own
@Eoin H: no he took the word of the South African AR to call the collapse instead.
@Eoin H: Agreed on TOB and yes bizarre not to have Healy there!? If Milne was fit than fair enough but an AIL prob vs that scrum is v unfair
@Eoin H: Milne travelled down with the squad.
@Carmine Lorenzo: Milne is getting the cold shoulder now he’s off to Munster I suspect. Can’t think of any other reason why. Tbh he should be gone to Munster now, benefits them and he’s no reason to be hanging around at Leinster still if AIL props are being ahead of him. Humphrey’s should be stepping in there, the Irfu pay the players wages so they can do what they want.
@Eoin H: Yeah both him and Barron are down there, but an academy player (Smyth) and an AIL prop were picked ahead of both. I can understand the logic, but even despite his relatively not great scrummaging, surely you’d pick Milne on the bench? Unless you’re going to give a contract to Soroka.
physical as f$#..everybody shattered ..could watch scrums for weeks …loved that..Leinster bossed most of that game, very unlucky to not get that W. Unbelievable ending…
@Stuart: great watch for the neutral. Enthralling game. Lots of fresh faces I wasn’t aware of.
But to not win your own scrum with the game / unbeaten record on the line!?! Very poor leinster.
@QuinsStoop: scrum and bench I feel where the weakness
@Stuart: Best our attack has looked all year, crisp hands, attacking the blindside very well. Barrett an absolute shoe in at 12 for Europe, Tommy O Brien also someone who’s gaining value with his out an out pace,
@Eoin H: barret was outstanding..those around him will learn a thing or two..what workrate he has..and a very clever player
@Stuart: It was very physical, I thought the ref could have given Leinster a yellow towards the end.The Bulls stupidity was breathtaking
@Stuart: Bulls slipping balls all day! Must be frustrating, Jake White looked set for despair, very physical tho. They’ll still be some cringe moments when they watch the playback. Was hoping for a Leinster win, seeing as how we have them in a few weeks
@Thesaltyurchin: bulls were awful . No cohesion .Jake won’t be happy…that are so much better than that..dip in form..
@Stuart: They’ll be back on it for the Thomond visit ffs. Really hope Leinster can sort it out for Sharks. Would like a trashing with no LBP ;)
@Thesaltyurchin: think the sharks should get shot of plum tree cause that mess today struggling to put away zebre at home was embarrassing..think your wish could come true next week :)
@Stuart: Arrogant enough comment. Zebre are fast improvung and coming off 3 straight wins. They are unlucky not to be celebrating 4 in a row.
@Stuart: yeah I don’t know why everyone here is crying from all sides. That was a fun game of rugby and could have gone either way. Some of our less experienced lads showed a lot of heart and promise.
TOB was fantastic and there’s a decent argument for him to start in our best back line with Henshaw in the 23 jersey. Felt awful for Frawley as he had an ok cameo but the drop from the kick was reminiscent of the NZ game drop…
@Andrew Slazenger: I’m a Leinster fan and it’s actually bonkers how overrated Sheehan and Henshaw are atm. Sheehan had an absolute stinker of a six nations but because he ran in tries 90% of the country could’ve it’s covered it up. Kellehers work in the tight is so superior to Sheehans atm.
@Eoin H: Is that sheehan the best number 2 in the world?
@Eoin H: Agreed on Henshaw, and this has been the case a while. When you’ve the likes of Luke Fitzgerald stating that he’d be ahead of Jordie Barrett for the 12 jersey, then that’s a bit baffling. I’m a Henshaw fan too btw but he’s on the wane. Re Sheehan he is coming back after a serious injury so I’d be inclined to give benefit of the doubt. His sharpness in the loose will come. Kelleher’s injury was unfortunately timed for him. Case of his career so far. He’d have started each 6N game imo.
@Eoin H: Agreed on Henshaw, sadly he’s on the wane. Cannot agree on Sheehan, world class, ROG rates him as one of Leinster’s best players and he’s a pretty good judge
What a performance by the young fellas. Very disappointing not to scrape the win but no complaints, having an AIL prop against Boks to lose it at the death is nothing to be ashamed when you’re missing the Ireland players. To get a LBP and deny Bulls a try BP is massive
@adizlack93: Slimani Clarkson Boyle all internationals ya silly boy and every Irish plays AIL.
Good excuse tho penalty count by the young lads was outrageous
@Comeonyouknow: very very happy with that performance, one of the best of the season given the players unavailable
@adizlack93: you shouldn’t be
@Comeonyouknow: picture your only loss of the season being by 1 point to a fully loaded Bulls in SA when you’re missing 17+ Ireland players. Ha! Cheer up lad you might make top 8 if results go your way
@adizlack93: Yeah would have taken a LBP beforehand, especially given PP had bulls by 10. But we let them away with that big time. Poor game management at the end, the lads were probably wrecked. Whitehouse was a bit too keen to blow up for a pen in the scrum when the Bulls were clearly pushing before put in.
@Carmine Lorenzo: agreed regarding BP and saw that on PP. Was seriously annoyed at ft given we had it but all things considered it’s a great result. Glasgow pushing hard though and we want that home run in for knockouts so next week will need to get something out of it
@Comeonyouknow: Not really sure what point you are trying to make. Leinster managed almost nicked it with a scrum going backwards and bleeding penalties. Lots of players have international caps and still are not a match for the opposition. I thought there were some excellent performances out there for 80 minutes in Pretoria – which is not easy to do. Munster deserve praise for how they managed visits to SA over the last few seasons, but it has been a real point of weakness for Leinster. This is much improved… it is a pity we were not playing Stormers this week as I actually think we would have beaten them with that performance.
@Paul Ennis: possibly would have beaten sharks too with that performance, they also nicked it at the end at home to Zebre!
@Comeonyouknow: Who do you support?
@adizlack93: Not sure… Sharks have been good at home this year and I think their only defeat was v Toulouse. Undefeated in the URC.
@Paul Ennis: I’m still unconvinced by Sharks given their squad. I would rank the Bulls higher. Toulouse only side to win yeah but they also haven’t really been tested much. Will find out next week anyway
@Comeonyouknow: he was talking about Ivan Soroka, you silly boy.
If ireland want to seriously consider winning the next world cup we need to prioritize developing our props asap. The 3 irish props on show today would not currently make the Bulls 23. I’m really glad Boyle and Clarkson got exposed to top level SA club rugby, the more they play these games the better they will get. I hope they get more opportunities this season agsinst big french and SA packs. We need these guys to get grizzled in the next 2 seasons
Definitely feels like one that got away for sure. Paddy Power had Bulls by 10 beforehand but Leinster absolutely let that slip. The last scrum will get a lot of focus, and whitehouse was dying to give them the pen, despite the bulls blatantly shoving before the put in. But ultimately the lack of bench impact came home to roost. Two backrow subs with 8 mins on the clock was disastrous. Then you have Deeny who unfortunately didn’t play well and gave away lots of penos. Rookie front row, including a semi pro, to see out the game was a big ask. Credit to bulls for sticking it out. Although some of their dirty play was appalling. Summed up by the winter but even bothering to check Osborne was ok. Could have seriously injured him. Hope we meet them again soon.
@Carmine Lorenzo: I think that Leinster were lucky to hold out for as long as they did. Disappointed more that they didn’t take their chances during the first half yellow and then they should have managed the last 3 minutes a little better. No complaints about Whitehouse tonight especially on the last scrum. He gave Leinster 3 or 4 resets but Leinster were demolished in the last scrum – he couldn’t not give it. Having said all that, a BP is a great result for this Leinster team in Pretoria. Still 9 points ahead of Glasgow and 13 ahead of bulls. Leinster need 14 points from the next 4 games to pretty much guarantee top spot – 3 of which are Ulster (H), Scarlets (A) and Zebre (H). That would leave them at least 3 points ahead of Glasgow going into that last fixture at the Aviva.
@Paul Ennis: We didn’t manage the game well from 50 mins onwards but absolutely should have managed the end game better. And the disallowed try, whilst correct, was a blow. I disagree re the last scrum though Paul. Bulls were very blatantly pushing hard before the engage and Whitehouse was dying to give it to them. But I will say we should never have been in that position, we should have absolutely leathered the ball down the field and backed our defence, which was good against them all day in open play. I don’t think they would have had enough to come all the way and breach us after multiple phases. reminded me of us trying to see out the end game vs New Zealand in 2013!
@Paul Ennis: gunne should never have put the ball into the that scrum as they clearly were pushing before the ball came in. He he refused to put it in untill the scrum was stable, we would have got away with the win. We also need our captain to tell the clown that there’s absolutely no benefit for us to either wheel the scrum or pull it down on our own ball.
@chris mcdonnell: We were wheeling as a result of the instinctive reaction to adjust your feet in an effort to prevent the power coming from Bulls. They were driving straight all day, it was our scrummaging that was becoming disjointed as we were under so much pressure. The scrum is a notoriously difficult area of the game to referee, particularly when one pack is dominant. But what you look for is a legal effort from the dominant scrum. You want to see their shoulders and feet straight and driving straight through. When it pops up, turns or collapses after that, it is more likely the props under pressure who will cause it.
Props to Ross Byrne, silky kick and a decent performance from the 10. I know we don’t like to talk about the ref but Whitehouse tried his best to ruin that game by imposing himself, he is always trying to carry an advantage, just let it play ffs. Bulls very very lucky to win that, terrible skills in open play from their back 3, cant fault the intensity tho, best part of the game were the hits. Annoying scoreline for us mid table hopefuls.
Scrum was the weakness also so much for not giving penalty’s as he said in the last scrum. Well done bulls anyway
@sean o’farrell: Scrums is a serious issue for Irish rugby at all levels. Connacht getting destroyed in the scrums now also.
@sean o’farrell: Bulls scrum is statistically the best in the league to be fair and had all the front row Boks playing
Luke & Ross both very good today. Barrett sensational player. Unlucky to lose overall but a good performance from Leinster considering the players we had out. Ultimately, having a sixth choice hooker and AIL prop cost us at the death.
Why isn’t Frawley playing for Ireland?
@Ray Ridge: not good enough
@Tony McGrath: You’re being kind there Tony. The most overrated rugby player in the history of the game.
@Ray Ridge: because he’s sh!te?
@Ray Ridge: ah no prendergast takes the cake there, frawley and h byrne not far behind though
@Ray Ridge: what is it about all these over rated Leinster 10’s? All the hype about Frawlry, all the hype a few years ago about the Byrne brothers, and now all the hype about the new kid on the block. Tis kinda mystifying
@Tony McGrath: Oh he’s good enough all right as he proved in Durban last year, but if you’ve been messed around constantly by Leo Cullen etc. to favour first the Byrne’s, and now King Sam and given very limited time at 10, and then expected to be a Jack of all trades as a 15 or 13 – it’s very difficult to be your best at your best position i.e 10. He should go to France or England if offered a starting position at fly half
Can someone explain the absence of Furlong for this game? The South African tour has sunk Leinster for the past two seasons. The back up scrum is weak. Furlong has played about 8 seconds of rugby during the 6N. Clearly the scrum from 60-80 minutes was going to have a big impact,lack on this game. So I ask – this is professional rugby – surely professionals need to play for their clubs sometimes?
Ulster ahead now !!! Mental. Connacht within 3. Bonkers league.
Ulster and Connacht getting a right hammering at the moment, and by mediocre-at-best teams.
@QuinsStoop: that’s relevant how?
@QuinsStoop: Hold!… Ulster on the come back
And Connacht!
@Cian Halley: Because Connacht and Ulster are both currently playing Cian. And there is no live update article Cian. Perhaps you boiled your head a bit too much.
@Cian Halley: give your head a shake and work it out.
@Carmine Lorenzo: or perhaps not boiled it enough
Absolutely ridiculous cian healy and Sam prendergast where not apart of this game, could say the same for conan and furlong,pure joke
The four first-half HIA’s were unusual. Good showing by TOB & Barrett. A nice cameo by Gunne, who perhaps should start next week.
Furious again leinster and the scrum. Not for the first time either. Improve or season without another trophy season. Very frustrating
@Simon Dwyer: relax, beat the spread by 8, yes the scrum was savaged in the second half.
But when it matters, that front row won’t even be the bench and it won’t be 70 minutes at altitude either. Boyle will be bench, Clarkson probably not even bench with Furlong to back up Slimani. And Sheenan and Kelleher will be the hookers. And European semi final will be Dublin and final Cardiff. And URC will be all Dublin, we have a huge comfortable lead. Bonus point here was in truth grand, and more than was managed last year.