Author: BLOGGERPARUNG

Women’s Tag Team titles Elimination Chamber match starts to take shape

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The road to crown new Women’s Tag Team champions started last night on Raw with qualifying matches to determine who will be moving forward to the Elimination Chamber match next month.
Two qualifying matches took place on the show, with Nia Jax and Tamina defeating Alexa Bliss and Mickie James in the first match and then Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan of the Riott Squad defeating Natalya and Dana Brooke. Next week, Sasha Banks and Bayley team up to take on Alicia Fox and Nikki Cross in the final qualifier for Raw.
Qualifying matches from the Smackdown side will start tonight as well but no teams have been announced yet.
Three teams from Raw and three teams from Smackdown will ultimately battle inside the Elimination Chamber on February 17 to crown the new WWE Women’s Tag Team champions.Click Here: CONVERSE CHUCK 70 SHOES

Samoa Joe wins the United States title on Smackdown

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R-Truth’s U.S. title open challenge did not last long as in its second week, Truth lost his title in a fatal four-way match last night on Smackdown.
The match had Truth, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio, and Andrade with Samoa Joe pinning Andrade to win his first title on the main roster. Truth did not have to get pinned to lose the title, a scenario which ended up happening.
R-Truth won the United States title at the Royal Rumble by beating Shinsuke Nakamura. It was his first title win since April 2012. For the past two weeks, he did the U.S. title open challenge to honor John Cena, who did the same every week when he was champion.Click Here: new zealand rugby jersey

Linda McMahon resigning from her position as Administrator of the SBA in Donald Trump’s Cabinet

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Politico.com is reporting that Linda McMahon is resigning from her position as the Administrator of the Small Business Administration and the announcement could come as soon as today.
McMahon was appointed the head of the SBA immediately after Donald Trump was elected President of the United States. Politico adds that McMahon is expected to rejoin the private sector although the exact plans are unclear. One source said that McMahon will be playing a fundraising role for President Donald Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign. She is scheduled to join the President at his Mar-a-Lago private Florida club this weekend.
For the large part, Linda has kept out of the spotlight as is one of the most-behaved Cabinet members on Trump’s team. “Inside the White House, she’s seen as a loyal foot soldier. She regularly travels around the country to promote the president’s agenda, including recent trips to promote the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal,” the report from Politico.com states.
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‘When the Aviva is full for a passionate inter-pro derby, it’s an amazing place to play’

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WHILE WE MAY not be treated to the piquant backdrop of a Johnny Sexton-Joey Carbery mano-a-mano come Saturday teatime, the allure of Irish rugby’s heavyweight clash is as strong as ever it seems.

The prospect of the master and apprentice facing off in the pivot position for the first time is an exciting one, and certainly would provide a fascinating subplot to what is always a fiercely-contested battle.

Sexton and O’Mahony could sit out this weekend. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

Indeed, the majority of the 46,000 fans — whether blue or red — who have pre-purchased tickets for Saturday’s Guinness Pro14 inter-pro derby at the Aviva Stadium would have done so in anticipation of witnessing two rivals, locked and loaded, go head-to-head.

The reality, however, is that many frontline internationals will be wrapped up in cotton wool this weekend ahead of the start of the Heineken Champions Cup campaign a week later, allowing ticket-holders to feel a little bit peeved when the teams are announced at Friday lunchtime. 

Still, this is not uncommon when you think Leinster caused discontent among some quarters two Christmases ago when they fielded a perceived shadow team for their trip to Thomond Park, while doing the same last year yet still winning in Limerick having made 12 changes from their victory over Exeter in Europe.

And even amid the continued debate over whether this fixture has lost some of its bite, or significance, these teams have played in front of an average attendance of 46,352 at the redeveloped Aviva Stadium since Leinster moved their home tie against Munster there in 2010. 

As of Tuesday, Leinster report ticket sales of 46,000 for Saturday evening, meaning a sell-out is not beyond the realm of possibility by the time the teams emerge at Lansdowne Road just before 6pm. Either way, it remains one of the biggest games in the calendar.

“For club rugby in Ireland to get that number of people coming this early in the season shows the importance of the game to both sets of players, but also the supporters,” Stuart Lancaster says.

“It’s going to be an amazing game.”

If, as expected, Leinster go into battle without a host of their heavy artillery with one eye on Wasps’ visit to the RDS six days later, they will likely remain favourites to seize the provincial bragging rights, given their recent record in the fixture and indeed their record at the Aviva Stadium.

Leo Cullen’s side have not only won six of the last seven encounters between the rivals, but have lost just four times in 24 outings at the national stadium since its reopening eight years ago.

A big crowd is expected at the Aviva this weekend. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO

Munster’s last victory over Leinster was their 29-17 success in Limerick on St Stephen’s Day 2016, while the southern province haven’t enjoyed their visits to the Aviva Stadium, winning just once in 11 games at the venue.

Furthermore, Johann van Graan’s inconsistent form — strong at home, poor on the road — has seen their last seven games go the way of the hosts, including last May’s one-point defeat to Leinster in their Pro14 semi-final at the RDS. 

Leinster, on the other hand, have enjoyed huge success at the Aviva Stadium, with their last defeat there coming back in December 2015 when Toulon raided Dublin, meaning Cullen’s charges have won nine games on the bounce.

Last season, they enjoyed a number of memorable days at Lansdowne Road during their double-winning campaign, not only seeing off Munster in this corresponding fixture 12 months ago, but blitzing their way past Saracens and then Scarlets in the Champions Cup before defeating the Welsh region in May to lift the Pro14 title.

It’s a second home at this stage.

“The players very much see the Aviva as a stadium they’re comfortable playing in because they’ve done it so many times with Leinster and Ireland,” Lancaster continues.

“When the Aviva is full, particularly for a passionate inter-pro derby, it’s an amazing place to play so it is different and creates that level of excitement, but we keep things normal this week.

From a player’s perspective, the focus remains on the task in hand, regardless of where home is. 

“I suppose it’s just another home game to us,” Sean O’Brien says. “I think there is over 44,000 tickets sold already so there will be a big, big crowd there so it will be great. It’s always nice to go there.

“We just go back again to the process and what we are about, so if we are playing in the car park we’d try and do the same thing. It’s not new to us, it’s like the norm going there now. For us nothing really changes.”

Leinster have trained at Donnybrook and UCD as normal this week, and will have their pre-match captain’s run at the Aviva Stadium on Friday afternoon, at which point Cullen will reveal his hand for the round six clash. 

Player rotation will come into it, particularly when many of the Ireland players made their seasonal returns earlier than expected this term, but what you can still expect is two sides stacked with international quality across the board. 

Leinster won all four of their games at the Aviva last season.

Despite their wildly oscillating form which has seen Munster record three facile home wins, and slump to back-to-back away defeats, Lancaster was keen to point out the province’s pedigree, particularly after they strengthened during the summer.

“Munster are a team the players know pretty well, we played them a few times last year, and from what I’ve seen they’ve expanded the game a bit, not just from the weekend [against Ulster], but you can see the way they’re looking to move the ball,” the Leinster senior coach explained.

“This is a team that have lost twice in European semi-finals, so they’re top of the European game. Joey has gone there but also people like Tadhg Beirne and they’ve only strengthened from last season from what I’ve seen.

“It’s a big challenge for us on Saturday and then for both teams — they’ve got Exeter, and we’ve got Wasps coming around the corner — so the challenges come on after that, but I don’t think anyone will look beyond Saturday.”

After his side’s nine-try hammering of Ulster last weekend, van Graan conceded he wasn’t quite sure how to measure where Munster stand at this juncture in this season, but the next three weeks will tell a lot.

Lancaster, however, isn’t reading too much into their hot-and-cold performances. 

“If you looked at some of our performances, certainly our first game against Cardiff away, we were very lucky to win really, being honest,” he continued.

“Munster, we’ll see this weekend, the one thing I would say is that they’ve a better squad than last year and wherever I look in most positions, there’s an Irish international in one slot or another.

“They’ll be confident on the back of beating Ulster in the way they did and the style in which they did it. It’s a big challenge for us defensively. They defend differently to Connacht so we need to make sure we understand how that’s going to play out.” 

It’ll be fascinating to see how it all plays out.

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Two academy players included in Connacht squad for Challenge Cup opener against Bordeaux

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TWO ACADEMY PLAYERS have been named in the Connacht squad for their Challenge Cup opener against Bordeaux Bégles at the Sportsground on Saturday [KO 3pm].

Out-half Conor Fitzgerald and Connemara man Colm de Buitlear, who has featured across the back three, are named among the Connacht replacements as Andy Friend’s side prepare to begin their Challenge Cup campaign.

In the starting XV, front row props Peter McCabe and Conor Carey, along with hooker Shane Delahunt, are set to make their first starts of the season while there is one change in the second row from the team that ended a 58-year wait for a win in Ulster last weekend.

James Cannon comes in to start alongside Quinn Roux with captain Jarrad Butler, Colby Fainga’a and Robin Copeland completing the pack.

Caolin Blade is named to start instead of the injured Kieran Marmion at scrum-half where he will partner Jack Carty, while Eoin Griffin joins Bundee Aki in midfield. 

Kyle Godwin and Niyi Adeolokun are named to start on the wings with Cian Kelleher taking up his position at fullback to make up the back three.

Connacht

15. Cian Kelleher
14. Niyi Adeolokun
13. Eoin Griffin
12. Bundee Aki
11. Kyle Godwin
10. Jack Carty
9. Caolin Blade

1. Peter McCabe
2. Shane Delahunt
3. Conor Carey
4. James Cannon
5. Quinn Roux
6. Jarrad Butler (c)
7. Colby Fainga’a
8. Robin Copeland.

Replacements:

16. Tom McCartney
17. Conán O’Donnel
18. Finlay Bealham
19. Joe Maksymiw
20. James Connolly
21. Conor McKeon
22. Conor Fitzgerald
23. Colm De Buitléar

Bordeaux Beglés

15. Simon Desaubies
14. Nans Ducuing
13. Jean-Baptiste Dubie
12. Ulupano Seuteni
11. George Tilsley
10. Lucas Meret
9. Yann Lesgourgues

1. Thierry Paiva
2. Clément Maynadier
3. Lasha Tabidze
4. Mariano Galarza
5. Cyril Cazeaux
6. Luke Braid
7. Cameron Woki
8. Beka Gorgadze

Replacements

16. Florian Dufour
17. Laurent Delboulbes
18. Viliamu Afatia
19. Afa Amosa
20. Maxime Lamothe
21. Jules Gimbert
22. Lucas Lebraud
23. Adrien Pelissié

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Toulouse’s exciting young guns show the way as Leinster come up short

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Murray Kinsella reports from Toulouse

THE NATURE OF the game was truly befitting of two clubs who have eight European stars between them.

And there was no better way for Toulouse to announce their potential to return to the top table than against their fellow four-time Heineken Champions Cup winners, who also happen to be defending champions and favourites for the title again this season.

Toulouse rolled back the years in a thrilling performance in front of their passionate support at Stade Ernest Wallon to beat Leinster 28-27 yesterday.

Maxime Médard celebrates Toulouse’s shock win. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

31-year-old Maxime Médard – who was on the left wing the last time Toulouse won this competition in 2010 – scored two tries but this game was about the statement made by the new crop of Toulousain players.

21-year-old number eight Selevasio Tolofua was superb, dancing around Sean O’Brien to set up a try, while 23-year-old fullback Thomas Ramos was assured in kicking 13 points off the tee and sparking some exciting attacking chances.

19-year-old inside centre Romain Ntamack – the son of Toulouse great Émile – only lasted 23 minutes before injury forced him off but he is a prodigious talent.

There was even a promising appearance off the bench for 18-year-old loosehead prop David Ainu’u, a native of American Samoa who has played for the USA U20s and who only joined the club last December.

“We’re very proud,” said Toulouse coach Régis Sonnes – who was director of rugby at Bandon RFC and Bandon Grammar as recently as last season – after the win against Leinster.

“We’re very proud for the team and the players because we have a very young team with big potential and today, with injuries and suspensions, we had a lot of players out.

“The young players showed the way, they took the opportunity and enjoyed the game I think. We won on confidence for the future, we know now we have big potential for the team.”

Toulouse clap Leinster off the pitch. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO

Far from being daunted by facing a team of Leinster’s stature, Toulouse seemed to relish the opportunity to cause an upset in front of their raucous crowd.

“The mentality was positive because beating Leinster could be a historic exploit for us,” said Sonnes, who welcomed a big band of supporters from Bandon for this game.

“We have all the committee of Bandon here today. Conor [Slattery, Bandon’s director of rugby] is here. I received some messages from Bandon today. Munster are happy, Leinster lost!

“We tried to beat the best team in Europe playing our game to the maximum level and to enjoy the moment with the supporters.”

“It is incredible, some lads were winning their first European Cup cap, six or seven of them, it’s incredible.

“It’s great for confidence. We worked very hard all the weeks and I think and hope they can understand the potential, to have more maturity and confidence for the future to be a strong team.

“We are far away from Leinster’s level, we need more consistency, but we have big potential. We are happy.”

For Leinster, there will be regrets.

Moving into the lead at 27-21 with 53 minutes played appeared to signal the champions shifting into real control, but Toulouse sealed their win in unforgettable fashion with Médard’s second try.

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Joe Tomane shows his dejection. Source: James Crombie/INPHO

“I think we will have to look at some of the inaccuracies like holding on to the ball and stuff like that, whether it’s set-piece at times, I kicked a ball stupidly at one stage and they came alive, some breakdowns, knock-ons,” said Leinster’s Rhys Ruddock.

“They just come alive when they get turnover ball in broken field and had we not given them those opportunities, it might have been a different result.”

Leo Cullen and his coaches will also take some positives out of the performances as they move forward, but last night it was raw.

“I think we just have to suffer together now on the way home, a rough, long journey home, just the disappointment lingering,” said Ruddock

The final score will live long in the memory, with replacement flanker Louis-Benoit Madaule picking off Luke McGrath’s pass near the Toulouse 22 and bursting towards the Leinster half.

He passed to Yoann Huget who threw a lovely offload to Sébastien Bézy, who delivered the ball – slightly forward, perhaps – onto try-scorer Médard for a classic try.

“Like Toulouse can do,” said Sonnes with a smile. “We want to play like that, we coach the players to play like that because it is our identity.

Toulouse coach Régis Sonnes.

“We love it, we really love it and it’s effective mostly. It was beautiful, sometimes we’re beautiful!”

Leinster boss Cullen had to take his hat off to the victors.

“You could see how much it meant to them after the game,” said Cullen. “From the first minute to the last they were flying into everything.

“They were fully committed to the contact area. Having said that, we weathered the initial storm and got ourselves into the game. We just couldn’t quite ram home our advantage. 

“We probably got a little bit carried away with ourselves [at 27-21]. Maybe we didn’t put enough of a squeeze on them and we didn’t fully respect possession when we had it.

“It’s a tough one to take for our guys, they put a lot into the week. We got one point and we’re sitting second now in the pool, so it was a little bit of a lost opportunity, but on we go.”

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Munster man Tadhg Beirne’s move home to Ireland already paying off

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Murray Kinsella reports from Chicago

TADHG BEIRNE WILL be hoping tomorrow at Soldier Field goes better for him than Wednesday night at the United Centre did.

A group of players involved in ‘The Rugby Weekend’ in Chicago were invited on-court during a timeout in the Bulls’ NBA meeting with the Denver Nuggets, and Beirne represented Ireland.

Having been led to believe the appearance would involve a half-court shot, Beirne was surprised when the organisers outlined that it would actually entail spinning around a broomstick and then dizzily trying to find the basket with a ball.

Beirne goes close during the Chicago Bulls’ game. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

Beirne, sporting a red helmet, failed to sink his shot, much to the delight of his team-mates watching on.

“Five minutes before we come out and they were explaining the rules and I was thinking, ‘What’s going on here?’” says Beirne.

“I had nominated myself and then I came out with the helmet as well, and I’m going, ‘The lads are going to love this!’ And so I didn’t get my half-court shot, a bit of an embarrassment and the lads got a good kick out of it.”

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Beirne will certainly be more at home tomorrow against Italy, as he makes his first start for Ireland in the second row against Conor O’Shea’s side.

Having won his first two caps off the bench against Australia in June, making a particularly good impression in the third Test against the Wallabies, Beirne is excited to get his shot from the off tomorrow.

“This is probably the main reason I came back to Ireland,” says Beirne, who joined Munster from Scarlets during the summer.

“To be given the opportunity in the first game since I have come back is huge for me. All I can say is that I’m really looking forward to it.

“It’s my first start, these opportunities don’t come around too often.

“It doesn’t matter who it is against or what the occasion is, it’s a start in a green jersey. It’s a big moment for me.”

Beirne was capped twice on the June tour of Australia. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

Beirne’s parents and girlfriend are in Chicago for his maiden Test start, while some Philidelphia-based family friends will fly in too.

Tomorrow will be the latest in a growing list of proud days for the Beirne family, with 26-year-old Tadhg having racked up so many of milestones in the last couple of years.

Beirne feels his performances for Munster in the opening weeks of his time with the province “weren’t where I would have liked them to be,” but he is increasingly feeling at ease in Limerick.

He was initially commuting from his family home in Eadestown after returning to Ireland from Wales, but now settled into life with Munster off the pitch, he’s showing his true class.

“I was finding it kind of difficult to get into games the way I probably used to,” says Beirne. “It was just taking more time and I was probably getting frustrated with myself about not contributing what I usually would have contributed.

“But look, I feel like my performances have been improving more and more. I’m getting to know the players around me and what they are good at and everything like that. The better you know your team-mates, the better you play, for sure.

“I think my performances have definitely been going up and hopefully they keep going that way.”

Beirne was man of the match away to Exeter in the Heineken Champions Cup last month, earning three turnovers to underline his outstanding skill in that department of the game.

Beirne has impressed for Munster in Europe. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Indeed, such is Beirne’s effectiveness at the breakdown, Munster boss Johann van Graan has afforded him something of a free role in defence.

“I suppose you don’t want to just go and do anything that you want because you have got to stay within the system because if I step out of it, the whole system can fall to pieces,” says Beirne.

“But I do have a bit of a license to go after rucks a little bit more and that is just something that is given to me, but it’s all about picking my opportunities and knowing when it is a good decision to come out of that system. I still have to be smart.”

Of course, Test rugby under Joe Schmidt is a more demanding arena and Beirne will certainly have to stick more rigidly to the processes that the Ireland boss has laid out for his players. 

Beirne has been spending plenty of time on the analysis computers in camp in Chicago this week, similarly to his experiences in Australia in June, as he ensures he’s ready to hit the standards Schmidt will demand tomorrow against Italy.

“He is very much detailed orientated, and you can see that with the way everyone plays here,” says Beirne.

“You see it around the ruck, around everything that moves, it’s just all about detail. If you don’t know your detail, you can’t play within a system and you won’t be able to perform and you will stick out like a sore thumb.

“So it’s demanding, not just from Joe but from the players and, from a personal level, I’m demanding it from myself.”

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How we rated Joe Schmidt’s Ireland in the 11-point victory over Argentina

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Ryan Bailey reports from the Aviva Stadium

JOE SCHMIDT’S IRELAND made it two wins from two in this autumnal programme with a 10th straight victory at the Aviva Stadium. It wasn’t a vintage performance from the hosts but tries from Kieran Marmion, Bundee Aki and Luke McGrath got the job done against Argentina.

Our match report can be read here, while below we rate the Irish performances. 

Larmour was tested in the air. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Jordan Larmour: 6

After last week’s dazzling display in Chicago, this challenge was a considerable step up for the 21-year-old at fullback, and his performance here was pockmarked by a number of uncertain moments.

Left himself exposed by landing on his back after contact in the opening exchanges, allowing Nicolas Sanchez open the scoring and the out-half didn’t need a second invitation to test Larmour’s aerial ability either.

One steepler into the night sky in the first half wasn’t dealt with by the Leinster back as he misjudged its flight and got nowhere near it. Dropped another straightforward take early in the second stanza, too, but saw more of the ball as the game wore on. 

Keith Earls: 7

Not an overly busy night’s work for the Munster winger but looked lively whenever the ball came his way and, as usual, very solid in defence.

Will Addison: 7

Drafted in at the last minute after Robbie Henshaw pulled up in the warm-up with a tight hamstring, and following his debut off the bench against Italy at Soldier Field, produced an impressive display against the Pumas. 

Was heavily involved early on, taking the ball into contact and showing good understanding with Bundee Aki in midfield despite the late call-up. Brilliantly tapped a Johnny Sexton restart back to Tadhg Furlong in the first half to regain possession for Ireland. 

Bundee Aki: 8

Bundee Aki goes over for his first-half try. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

After having three partners in the Ireland midfield during the Six Nations, Aki formed another new partnership here following Henshaw’s precautionary withdrawal.

Consistently abrasive in the carry, earning hard yards for his side, and capped an influential and brilliant game with a third international try. 

Went down holding his ankle in the final 10 minutes but was able to jog off before putting the feet up for the dying embers. Ireland need him fit and firing for New Zealand. 

Jacob Stockdale: 7

Like Larmour and Earls, was given little space to work with and that’s testament to Argentina’s work-rate in defence. On the one occasion he had grass to run into, Stockdale sloppily conceded possession as he flung the ball back to nobody in particular. Let’s hope Joe nobody runs that back for Joe. 

Johnny Sexton: 6

A rare off game for the out-half. Dragged his conversion attempt from Kieran Marmion’s try, and it seemed to set the tone on a night a usually razor-like kicking game was off the mark. 

Will be frustrated for carrying into contact in midfield when there were green shirts in space out wide and a try looked a real possibility. From the tee, landed a long-range penalty on the stroke of half-time but then saw another come up just short on the other side of the break. Kicked five from seven. 

Kieran Marmion: 7

The starting chance he had been waiting for and certainly in the continued absence of Conor Murray, the Connacht nine was typically energetic and tidy here. Showed quick and clever thinking to swoop on the loose ball and surge through the gap to get Ireland up and running for his fourth try in green.

Pulled up just short of the hour mark after picking up an ankle injury, and hobbled off to be replaced by Luke McGrath.  

Cian Healy: 8

Healy had another big game for Ireland. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO

The Irish scrum enjoyed dominance at the set-piece, particularly in the opening 40 minutes, while Healy was typically dynamic in the loose before being replaced by Jack McGrath 

Rory Best: 6

The captain was replaced after 57 minutes by Sean Cronin, a decision no doubt aided by the fact the Irish lineout was horribly inaccurate for large periods.  

Tadhg Furlong: 8 

Rarely has a bad game. Incredibly powerful and dynamic, as evidenced by his carry into the Argentina 22 in the opening exchanges and then the way he bounced off a monstrous double hit like it was nothing. Such a reliable performer for Schmidt. 

Iain Henderson: 6

As far as auditions to face the All Blacks go, this was not the night Henderson would have wanted. The lineout, as above, malfunctioned in worrying fashion as Ireland consistently failed to retain possession. Devin Toner was the big winner here, and that was even before he entered proceedings for the last 20 minutes. 

James Ryan: 9

Ryan was named MOTM. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Firmly established now as Schmidt’s first-choice option in an uber-competitive second row department, Ryan’s brilliance shows no sign of relenting. See how he single-handedly repelled Argentina’s lineout maul on this near side in the first period, before winning the turnover for his side.

13 tackles, none missed and 17 carries barely scratches the surface. Utterly immense, and deservedly named man of the match. 

Peter O’Mahony: 8

Conceded an early penalty but from there had a huge impact, even grubbering through into space at one stage in the first half. Brilliantly stole a Pumas line-out in this near corner in the build-up to McGrath’s game-clinching try.  

Sean O’Brien: 7

Cruel, cruel luck. O’Brien’s first international appearance in 12 months was cut short just before the break, with what appeared to be a broken forearm. The flanker was in serious discomfort as he trudged off after his right arm took the full force of Tomas Lavanini’s carry. Could be set for another spell on the sidelines. 

CJ Stander: 8

Spoke during the week about how his body needed a rest after getting through plenty of minutes for Munster in the first two months of the season, and looked well recuperated here. Huge work-rate, making 11 tackles. 

Replacements:

Dan Leavy: 9

Exceptional. A late arrival into camp during the week following his trip to South Africa with Leinster and sprung into action earlier-than-expected because of O’Brien’s injury. Not that it showed. 

Although one of his first involvements was to concede a penalty on the ground, which Sanchez duly converted, he was superb thereafter, making instant amends with a trademark steal moments later. It was the first of many. 

Jack McGrath: 7 

Introduced not long into the second period to add muscle to Ireland’s tight five and ensured the hosts’ superiority at scrum time was maintained throughout the 80 minutes.

Luke McGrath: 7

McGrath added Ireland’s third try off the bench. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHO

Added real energy to the Irish attack upon his arrival and added a third Irish try to his collection after stepping and sniping over from close-range off the back of another powerful shove from the forwards. In contention to start next week. 

Sean Cronin: 7

Asked to shore up the line-out, Cronin lent his power to the cause after replacing Best. 

Devin Toner: 8

As he watched on, Toner’s stock rose considerably as Ireland’s line-out and restarts struggled. Sorted things out when he replaced Henderson and is surely now a shoe-in for next week. 

Andrew Porter, Joey Carbery, Andrew Conway

Not on long enough to rate.

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Murray back in full training ahead of Munster’s Pro14 trip to Parma

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CONOR MURRAY IS back in full training with Munster ahead of the province’s Guinness Pro14 clash against Zebre this weekend, with the scrum-half entering the final stages of his comeback from a neck injury.

After being ruled out of Ireland’s seismic victory over the All Blacks, Murray could now make his long-awaited return for Munster in Sunday’s game in Parma [KO 3.30pm, eir Sport/Premier Sports].

Murray pictured at UL this afternoon. Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO

Murray trained with a group of Ireland players at Carton House in the week of the Italy Test earlier this month, but hopes of a miraculous comeback against the world champions were ended last Monday.

The 29-year-old was ruled out of the remainder of the November series by the IRFU, but confirmation he is now back to full contact training comes as a major boost for Johann van Graan and Munster.

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Murray, who signed a new IRFU contract in October, has not played since June because of the neck issue.

While there is no indication as of yet if he’ll be available for selection for this weekend’s round nine clash in Italy, the visit of Edinburgh to Cork’s Musgrave Park on Friday week may be a more likely return date.

There was also good news on the injury front for Munster with Chris Farrell, Conor Oliver, Ronan O’Mahony, Calvin Nash and Jaco Taute all back in training ahead of the return of Pro14 action this weekend. 

Liam O’Connor (knee), Rhys Marshall (hamstring), Jean Kleyn (thumb), Tommy O’Donnell (ankle), Jack O’Donoghue (knee), Dave O’Callaghan (foot), James Hart (knee), Dan Goggin (knee) and Stephen Fitzgerald (foot) continue to rehabilitate their respective injuries.

Munster travel to the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi bidding for their fourth straight win after heading into the two-week break off the back of their impressive 30-26 victory over the Cheetahs in South Africa last time out.

Van Graan’s side currently sit second in Conference A behind pacesetters Glasgow Warriors, while they are in a strong position in their Champions Cup pool ahead of the back-to-back December games against Castres. 

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