The reverberations from Saturday’s fairly seismic Champions Cup final could be felt for some time to come, writes Gerry Thornley in today’s Subscriber Only piece, as La Rochelle’s fans responded in a fitting way to their last-gasp victory over Leinster last Saturday. “To see the estimated crowd of 35,000 celebrate in the streets and port area of La Rochelle is an advertisement for the Champions Cup which the organisers could not have paid for, or dare to imagine in the darker days of the pandemic,” writes Thornley, as Leinster’s wounds will take healing after the crushing loss.
In his column, Owen Doyle asks why, sometimes, is a cheap shot not a cheap shot, and dangerous play is not penalised? Speaking about the Challenge Cup final where Toulon played Lyon, Etzebeth slammed his large 122kg frame into the spine, just below the back of the neck, of Lyon’s Davit Niniashvili. He writes that referees may find it tricky to go outside protocols, but “there is a catch-all law in the book which allows referees to do exactly that — it is, unsurprisingly, long forgotten”. Meanwhile as the URC quarter-finals take place later this week, Munster’s Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Conway could be in line for a timely return as the province enters their endgame.
It was a weekend of Gaelic football provincial finals with much to ponder and Kevin McStay writes the spectacle is not living up to anticipation in football championships. He writes the sport is at a crossroads where uncompetitive provincial titles are paired with overly tactical battles, alluding to the Ulster final. “Derry had 19 attacks. Donegal had 21. In other words, half the normal average”, describing the cagey affair. More open was the Connacht final, where Galway’s Shane Walsh impressed and his elusive running hides the importance of his distribution, writes Seán Moran. He received lavish praise from his manager, the great Pádraic Joyce, who said he was “one of the best footballers I’ve ever seen playing” — but stressed the need for consistency in big matches. Elsewhere, the Tailteann Cup draw revives memories of past glories, an echo of All-Ireland B titles won three decades ago by Leitrim in 1990 and Carlow four years later.
The Republic of Ireland soccer team are due to play Armenia this week and the FAI will monitor civil unrest in Yerevan in advance of the clash, after weeks of mass demonstrations focusing on the Armenian government’s peace treaty negotiations with Azerbaijan, which turned violent on Monday. Ireland are due to play four games in the next two weeks, including two against war-torn Ukraine in the Nations League. Meanwhile, Uefa has confirmed an independent and comprehensive review will be conducted into the chaotic scenes that marred Saturday’s Champions League final in Paris after a French minister blamed Liverpool fans for the trouble.
Ireland has a new European boxing champion in Gabriel Dossen. The 22-year-old from Olympic Boxing Club, Galway earned the decision of all five judges in his European Championship final against England’s Lewis Richardson on Monday. However, Johnny Watterson writes the medals should not paper over boxing’s cracks. While things looks good from the outside, the sport is in need of major change in Ireland. “It’s basically the same s**t, different day,” said Kellie Harrington, summing it up concisely and bluntly. Meanwhile, Ellen Keane is already aiming for Paralympics number five, who after contracting Covid-19, is hopeful she’ll be suitably recovered in time for the event.
