By his own admission, Mack Hansen let his emotions get the better of him after Connacht’s defeat to Leinster last month when he let rip at the officiating in the game – and suggested his province gets a raw deal from referees “week after week”. For those sins, he has been handed a three-match ban and Connacht, as if they haven’t enough to be doing, have been ordered to “run an education session with their players about how to conduct themselves in post-match media sessions”. John O’Sullivan brings you all the details.
Tom Ahern struggled to keep his emotions in check when Munster offered him a two-year contract extension (“over the moon”), the 24-year-old talking to Gerry Thornley about his hopes for the seasons ahead, high on the list of his ambitions is a senior international debut.
Michael Cheika, meanwhile, reflects on his time in charge at Leinster, the now Leicester Tigers head coach chatting with The Counter Ruck podcast crew about how he persuaded the powers-that-be that he was the right man to fill Declan Kidney’s boots.
In Gaelic games, Gordon Manning reports on the latest development in the Rory Gallagher/Naas saga, Gallagher threatening legal action against GAA president Jarlath Burns if he does not retract his comments in an email to the club about their plans to add the former Derry manager to their coaching team.
We’ve all been wondering about how players will cope with the new rules in football, but spare a thought for the GAA’s groundstaff – the country’s 3,200 pitches need a new 40-metre arc at both ends and a new broken line across halfway. Malachy Clerkin talks to some of the folk tasked with adding these new-fangled markings.
In hurling, Shane Moloney never thought anything would top winning the All-Ireland with Galway in 2017, but Tynagh-Abbey/Duniry beating Cork’s Watergrasshill in this Sunday’s All-Ireland club intermediate final would come mighty close. Gordon catches up with him.
Niamh Fahey also won an All-Ireland with Galway, when they beat Dublin in the football final back in 2004, but after switching her focus to soccer she went on to amass 115 caps for the Republic of Ireland. On Thursday she announced her retirement from the international game, Gavin Cummiskey looking back on the Liverpool captain’s years in green.
And in golf, Philip Reid previews the Team Cup which gets under way in Abu Dhabi today, the (possibly) LIV-bound Tom McKibbin the only non-English player on the Britain and Ireland team.
TV Watch: It’s day one of golf’s Team Cup, Francesco Molinari’s Europe taking on Justin Rose’s Britain and Ireland (Sky Sports Golf, 7am-1pm). Aston Villa host West Ham in the FA Cup this evening (UTV and Premier Sports 1, 8pm) and at the same time, Glasgow are at home to Racing 92 in rugby’s Champions Cup (Premier Sports 2).
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