Prior to leaving our coasts, Storm Kathleen attended several inaugural championship matches, most notably Cavan vanquishing Monaghan in Ulster by a half-dozen points, Wicklow’s surprising victory over Westmeath, and Waterford’s first triumph against Tipperary in over three and a half decades. While Malachy Clerkin suggests that these outcomes may not be of much significance by the time July rolls around, it did inject some excitement into the championship’s commencement, with the day filled with unexpected winners. Meath, who will face Dublin at Croke Park on the coming Saturday, find themselves the underdogs after claiming a seven-point victory against Longford. As Colm O’Rourke stated after the game, this underdog status is what seals one’s identity in Meath, determining whether you’re a man, a footballer, or a warrior.
Denis Walsh attended the event at Semple Stadium where the hurlers of Clare secured just their fifth league title in history, beating Kilkenny with a score of 3-16 to 1-20. At the same place, Armagh’s female footballers celebrated their inaugural division one victory over Kerry.
Viewing the championship and the weekend’s rugby matches from the comfort of his sofa, Brian O’Connor expressed regret for the disappearance of top-notch provocateurs on the opinions panel, comparing them to mythical dinosaurs. However, he admired Donal Lenihan for his underplayed brilliance when he shared commentary duties for the Champions Cup match between Leinster and Leicester. The match, referred to by John O’Sullivan as a ‘scruffy win’, set up another encounter with La Rochelle. Jamison Gibson-Park caught everyone’s attention by scoring three tries, proving to be a wellspring of originality and a guiding light for Leinster.
Summing up the weekend events in the provinces, Ulster and Connacht have both forged ahead in the Challenge Cup with triumphs against Montpellier and Pau respectively. Unfortunately, Munster didn’t share this fate, with their Champions Cup campaign ending due to a loss against Northampton. A bug within the camp didn’t assist their efforts, although the coach, Graham Rowntree, chose not to make it a scapegoat.
In the world of football, Ken Early has offered his thoughts on yet another tumultuous match between Man United and Liverpool at Old Trafford. The persistent shortfall of Liverpool in overcoming larger teams, visible again in this match, could impose a heavy toll on their bid for the championship.
On the golf circuit, some ruthlessness could serve Rory McIlroy well as he makes an attempt to clinch his first Masters at Augusta this week. Recalling his words, Denis Walsh mentioned, “He likens the challenge to baking a pie, suggesting he has all necessary elements, but fitting them together and achieving the right heat is where the difficulty lies.”