So eventful was that hurling and football championship weekend, we’re not entirely sure where to start. But we’ll kick off with the hurling, so to speak, Denis Walsh at Páirc Uí Chaoimh to see Cork come from seven points down to beat Limerick. The result had Cork manager Ben O’Connor jiggin’ and reelin’ on the sideline at the final whistle. “People have us down as a soft touch – we’re no soft touch,” he said.
Neither, as it proved, are Waterford, a goal in the fifth minute of injury-time earning them a draw against Tipperary. “Once again,” Malachy Clerkin concluded, “the Munster hurling championship’s facility for laughing at logic is undefeated.”
Kilkenny showed there’s life left in them too with a 17-point win over Wexford, Seán Moran reporting on a game that saw TJ Reid take over as championship top scorer. And Galway picked up a comfortable win over Offaly at Pearse Stadium, although 19 wides left manager Micheál Donoghue far from content.
In football, Down produced a “seismic shock” by beating Donegal in Letterkenny, Armagh, who eased past Fermanagh, their opponents in next Sunday’s semi-finals. And Roscommon went a bit seismic themselves, Gordon Manning in Castlebar to witness their “quite stunning second-half display” in a 10-point win over Mayo. They’ll now meet Galway, winners over Leitrim, in the Connacht final – a Galway side Jim Gavin rates as serious All Ireland contenders.
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Cork reached their first Munster final since 2021 by seeing off Tipperary, Kerry awaiting them after they beat a stubborn Clare in Ennis. And in Leinster, Dublin picked up their first win of the campaign against Kildare at Parnell Park.
In rugby, Ireland couldn’t maintain their bright start away to France in the Six Nations, Nathan Johns reporting on a 26-7 defeat, the teams having been level at half-time. And in the URC, Munster recovered from “a clunky and disjointed opening 40 minutes” to beat a young Ulster side that had initially taken the game to them, John Hodnett staring with four tries.
An under-par Leinster were beaten by Benetton – and could now be without Tadhg Furlong for their Champions Cup semi-final against Toulon – while Connacht went down to the Lions in Johannesburg.
Back home, Gerry Thornley reports on St Mary’s All-Ireland League final victory over Clontarf and on UCD securing their place in Division 1A by beating Trinity in their promotion/relegation playoff.
In football, after coming off injured against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Mo Salah might have played his final game for Liverpool. He has endured a “stunning decline” in his last season with the club, but, writes Ken Early, he will be remembered as one of their greatest ever players.
Liam Rosenior’s brief reign as Chelsea manager won’t be remembered quite so fondly, “media performances laced with corporate-speak” not helping his cause. But, as Denis Walsh notes, all of that might have been forgiven if his team didn’t keep on losing.
Southampton lost their FA Cup semi-final to Manchester City on Saturday, but they were briefly in dreamland when Finn Azaz gave them the lead with that stunner. Naturally, he takes pride of place in Conor McEvoy’s Green Shoots column.
And Peter Lynch gets star billing from Ian O’Riordan after he regained the Irish marathon record in London on Sunday, on a day that saw Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe become the first man to officially break the two hour mark at the distance.
TV Watch: Coverage of snooker’s world championships continues through the day and night on BBC2 and TNT Sports (from 1pm), and at 8pm, TG4 has the highlights from the GAA weekend and Sky Sports Premier League has Manchester United’s meeting with Brentford.
