Robbie Brady speaks to the press for the first time since rejoining the Ireland camp. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho“Robbie Brady and Callum O’Dowda reporting for duty makes this Ireland camp feel like Stephen Kenny went shopping during the transfer window.” So says Gavin Cummiskey as the build-up to this weekend’s international window ramps up a notch.
The return of the URC last weekend sees Gerry Thornley’s Tuesday column return to these pages. However, instead of focusing on the mixed bag of results for the provinces, theThornley highlighting his own experiences with the former international in his tribute: “It is as the iconic voice of rugby on BBC, eclipsing even the great Bill McLaren, that he will be best remembered and loved. For as well as being intelligent, erudite and articulate, he was blessed with a ridiculously lyrical voice.
In rowing, racing together again as if they’d never been apart, the Irish women’s four crew of Aifric Keogh, Emily Hegarty, Eimear Lambe and Fiona Murtagh - which won Olympic bronze in Tokyo last summer -in Račice, Czech Republic. Zoe Hyde and Sanita Puspure were also first home in their heat of the women’s double sculls, not long after in the lightweight women’s double sculls, Margaret Cremen and Aoife Casey, also landed a win, progressing straight into the A/B semi-finals.
Championships are not won in September , but it’s hard to ignore the surge of energy coming out of the Dublin camp following the news that Paul Mannion and Jack McCaffrey will return to the panel. Seán Moran points out that the Dubs lost to Kerry in this year’s championship by a solitary point even while missing star forward Con O’Callaghan.