Advertisement
Bryan Keane/INPHO

A trip to Croke Park like none before, escaping escapism and more of the week's best sportswriting

Plus, Barney Ronay feels the spirit of George Orwell’s post-plague vision.

1. ’Much like Covid-19, there is as yet no vaccine for the hubris of a man who thinks he knows where he’s going. Once I found Gate A18, I was met by stewards with clipboards, had my name and details confirmed and drove on in to join the queue’.

The Irish Times’ Malachy Clerkin recounts his experience of a test for Covid-19, at Croke Park of all places. 

2. ““There were numerous death threats against me from my work on the radio, and unfortunately, it just became part of my life. Eugene de Kock told me calmly that he was under orders to kill me with a crossbow but ultimately decided against it”".

Jonathan Drennan speaks with John Robbie, who played for both Ireland and South Africa, and finds a man willing to face up to mistakes he has made along the way. For The Guardian

3.How can you think or care about all the love a Fowler and Keane and the original Ronaldo still generate when the land of your grandfather’s grandchildren is at the mercy of a morally-bankrupt governing party and a broken system?

In the Examiner, Kieran Shannon searches for the point in pining for sport.

4. He took an extended break at home at the beginning of the year after suffering from homesickness and while Glass says that he has coping mechanisms in place to deal with his own pangs, the episode shook them back into life as a group.”

Cahair O’Kane catches up with Conor Glass to chat about pay-cuts and playing in the AFL. For The Irish News. 

5. “The Olympic rescheduling is likely to cost an extra £2bn, indication in itself that the whole thing was already far too big. God only knows how that might look or feel in a time of global anxiety and deep economic depression. Is this a chance to do things differently?

“It is tempting to imagine the old certainties might just be swept away in times of macro-disaster, that there is also a kind of freedom here.”

The Guardian’s Barney Ronay hopes the Olympic postponement may bring about a reset in how we are all fed Big Sport.

 

Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute gerrygag
    Favourite gerrygag
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 9:35 AM

    Excellent analysis of all the pieces of the jigsaw of moves leading to great tries

    122
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Kenneth O Connor
    Favourite Kenneth O Connor
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 9:41 AM

    Great analysis as always. What an atmosphere yesterday. Delighted for Sexton and Healy!!! What a Six Nations send off

    85
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Noel Lynn
    Favourite Noel Lynn
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 10:47 AM

    @Kenneth O Connor: Healy not getting a run was disappointing and strange

    20
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gary
    Favourite Gary
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 11:06 AM

    @Noel Lynn: He did… only about 4 minutes but he did play.

    54
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gary Donlan
    Favourite Gary Donlan
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 9:54 AM

    Yesterday(and last week) should put to bed any doubt about Conan’s value. Every bit as effective as Doris imo.

    71
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gary Galligan
    Favourite Gary Galligan
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 11:10 AM

    @Gary Donlan: doris level ahead

    52
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bill Smith
    Favourite Bill Smith
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 1:23 PM

    @Gary Donlan: I’m a big, big fan of Conan – he’s an outstanding player – but I’d have to acknowledge that Doris is at the very top of the global tree. And he has so much more to grow, being so young. Arguably a future World Player of the Year nominee, if not winner.

    44
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Cian O'Toole
    Favourite Cian O'Toole
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 11:04 AM

    I see lots of people saying how England really used line speed yesterday to get in Irelands face, that’s not what happened at all. England played a soft drift defence, not putting too much pressure on the first carrier / passer, and not committing too many men to the breakdown, opting to be more disruptive and messy rather than look for turnovers. It was an interesting tactic and one that threw a lot of the Irish players off, particularly Furlong who takes the first pivot option quite often. Ireland will need to learn how to adapt to it by World Cup, I can’t imagine South Africa or France would try it, they would trust their line speed, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Scotland or even New Zealand thought about using it.

    51
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Noel Lynn
    Favourite Noel Lynn
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 10:22 AM

    Great analysis there. It shows really how intelligent this group are. Dorris, JVF,, Aki, Sexton, Hansen running subplots and dummies lines and how they build a try 3 phases out. To have so many on the same page is extraordinary and as Farrell said, they will get a lot better over the next few months with more time collectively in camp.
    Roll on the WC

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Eamon Holly
    Favourite Eamon Holly
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 10:32 AM

    It was squeaky bum time for much of the game. England gave it everything. Ireland found a way to win. Work done with decoy runners is magnificent. Enjoy, upwards and onwards to France

    24
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jb Walshe
    Favourite Jb Walshe
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 4:25 PM

    That was some offload by Conan for sheehans try.

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gary Galligan
    Favourite Gary Galligan
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 1:53 PM

    Sheehan is a pure speed merchant

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Mcnevin
    Favourite Paul Mcnevin
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 11:33 PM

    @Gary Galligan: He’s a 4×4 at full speed.

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Padraig Fallon
    Favourite Padraig Fallon
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 12:11 PM

    On the strike plays which Ireland use we have seen a few of these in this 6 nations I believe they have only used a small number of these in this 6 nations and there are many more which they had no need to use and they are been reserved for the later stages of the world Cup.

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Pud
    Favourite Pud
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 12:11 PM

    I would imagine when Farrell and his team review this game they will be a little concerned. Obviously the short term gain here, winning a grand slam, is brilliant. But there was a lot of pressure going into the game and we did not handle it well. Ultimately a red card may have won it for Ireland and whether you agree or disagree with the card the nature of it shows it can how easily happen under current rules. (There was at least 1 red card possibility for us that was missed by the ref and TMO). This team will ultimately be judged on how it performs in the World Cup. When they meet Scotland on the 7th of October it will more than likely be a knock out game. The pressure on them will easily be as intense as yesterday, probably more so. They will need to be a lot better. If we don’t make it out of the group, this Grand Slam will lose a lot of it’s shine. Of course hopefully by the time we meet Scotland SA will have 2 losses so it won’t matter :)

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Bill Smith
    Favourite Bill Smith
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 1:35 PM

    @Pud: OTOH, the experience of yesterday, a real pressure cooker, will stand to them. Plus, those guys played a lot of intense rugby over a short period of time. Some were definitely not at their best, following injuries (Furlong, for example, looked rusty; Henshaw wasn’t fully up to speed; Ringrose in and out). Farrell took some risks, playing guys like Porter, VDF, Keenan, Hansen and others to their limits (Keenan looked tired yesterday, as did others). The player management plan for the RWC needs to cater for the interactive effects of physical endurance and how it affects mental/emotional resilience. I’m pretty confident they’re on top of that. And again, all the players will be better for the experience of this 6N.

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Seamus Kelly
    Favourite Seamus Kelly
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 9:11 PM

    @Pud: South Africa then Scotland…followed by France or New Zealand…three massive banana skins….I don’t think if we are stopped before semi final, yesterday’s outstanding achievement will be diminished….cruel world cup draw.

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Name can be blank
    Favourite Name can be blank
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 3:16 PM

    Herring sealed victory over the All Blacks with a similar try in the third test .. hooker is definitely a position we don’t need to worry about… bench again made the difference yesterday

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Mcnevin
    Favourite Paul Mcnevin
    Report
    Mar 19th 2023, 11:29 PM

    Murray Kinsella, single handedly helping other teams work out Ireland!!

    7
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel