Gordon D’Arcy had a challenging introduction to rugby, often feeling out of his depth with Richie Murphy during his initial training sessions with Leinster, freshly out of school and aspiring to be an international fullback. This week, the news of Murphy’s promotion from interim to head coach at Ulster brought those testing times back to D’Arcy, though he harbours no resentment and instead expresses goodwill towards his former teammate for his new role with a team that faces significant challenges both on and off the pitch.
As Michael Sadlier learned, Murphy leaving the Irish youth team was “extremely difficult”, yet he is prepared for the hurdles ahead. His first task is to defeat Leinster at the Kingspan on Saturday in an attempt to keep Ulster in the running for the URC playoffs, a task made harder by the loss of captain Iain Henderson due to season-ending toe surgery.
Connacht, as they prepare for a crucial URC match against DHL Stormers, will be without several players due to injury, including Mack Hansen. Despite the setbacks, Linley MacKenzie reports that there are hopes for Argentinian international Santiago Cordero to make his debut appearance.
In the Gaelic games, Darragh Ó Sé discusses Armagh’s rise as a team who gradually wear down their opponents, although their loss in the Ulster final against Donegal was due to Armagh’s own missteps.
In a positive light, Cork’s hurlers have ignited excitement in the championship with a victory over Limerick. Seán Moran questions if they have unleashed their potential, paralleling to a “genie released from the bottle”. If that genie could fulfil Johnny McCaffrey’s likely desire, it would be for Dublin’s hurlers to conquer Kilkenny for the first time since 2013, a win Dublin experienced under McCaffrey’s captaincy, as shared by Gordon Manning.
Bohemians entertain the female Palestinian football squad for a fully-booked friendly game at Dalymount Park tonight. The visitors, who touched down on Irish soil on Sunday, have been taken aback by the warm welcome they’ve received. The squad’s manager, Deema Said, indicated that the affection showed will be remembered and taken back to Palestine.
Arsenal supporters don’t have much fondness towards Spurs, especially after a 2-0 thrashing by Manchester City on Tuesday night, which has virtually guaranteed the Premier League Trophy will remain with Pep Guardiola.
In the realm of cricket, Nathan Johns provides an analysis of Ireland’s defeat by six wickets to the Pakistani team, thus losing the three-game series. Meanwhile, in the golfing world, the preparation of Rory McIlroy for the upcoming US PGA Championship has been marred by the report of him initiating divorce proceedings from his seven-year wife, Erica Stoll.
On the TV tonight, Celtic has the opportunity to clinch the Premiership title if they manage a draw from their match versus Kilmarnock (Sky Sports Football, 7.30). Each team has a match remaining, but reigning champions Chelsea can equalise with Manchester City in the women’s Super League points table if they overcome Spurs (BBC Four, 7.15). Manchester United battles to cling on to the eighth position in the Premier League as they face Newcastle at home tonight (Sky Sports Premier League, 8.0).