Nagpur, Feb 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Kerala have set their eye on their maiden Ranji Trophy title when they take on two-time champions Vidarbha in the summit clash, which will be played at the VCA Stadium here...
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New Delhi, Feb 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) A total of 12 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs were suspended from the Delhi Assembly for unruly behaviour during the Lt. Governor's address on Tuesday. Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar...
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JACK BOYLE knew his Ireland debut was going to be okay after going to ‘Church.’
Loosehead Prop Boyle, 22, made his first Ireland appearance off the bench in Saturday’s Triple Crown clinching win over Wales.
The young Leinster star has been tipped to make the step up having progressed working with Andrew Porter and the veteran Cian ‘Church’ Healy.
He was just seven when his idol Healy won the first of his record 136 caps to date, and Boyle acknowledged the advice and support of ‘Church’ made it a nerveless debut.
He said: “There’s two unbelievable players and people ahead of me, Andrew Porter and Cian Healy.
“Cian Healy presented me with my cap, it was unbelievably special. I knew I’d have to bide my time, be patient.
“Cian Healy was always an idol obviously growing up and I suppose Johnny Sexton and Brian O’Driscoll.
“But getting my cap from Cian Healy was a surreal feeling. It was incredibly special.”
And ‘Church’ was on the sidelines at the Principality Stadium on Saturday as a member of the squad ready to offer advice.
It helped too as Boyle acknowledged that chats with Healy during the first half were the primer for how he won a penalty in the scrum during his nine minutes of action.
He said: “Me and ‘Church’ were having a few conversations on the sideline and thankfully his 20 years of experience and expertise came off.
“It was messy (in the scrum), they were kind of pre-engaging at times. Sometimes it was hitting the deck, putting it in the referee’s hands.
“We stuck to our progress, me and Finlay (Bealham) had that conversation at half time and thankfully it worked.”
Vastly experienced tighthead Bealham also came off the bench in the game and Boyle acknowledged having his knowhow alongside him and fellow sub Gus McCarthy helped.
But he also credited the currently injured Tadhg Furlong, as well as Leinster’s French man Rabah Slimani, for getting him ready in training at Leinster.
He added: “I suppose when I came into the set-up two or three years ago, it was not only ‘Church’ and Porter, but Tadhg Furlong as well.
“They’ve all been unbelievable people to me first and foremost; helping me off the pitch, making sure I have everything aligned so you can perform in training and perform if you get an opportunity.
“I was actually texting him (Slimani) during the week telling him I was on the bench and he was over the moon.
“We were rooming together over in Swansea last week against the Ospreys. He had his fingers crossed for me and thankfully it played out in the end.”
Now Boyle could face French tighthead Slimani on Saturday week in what could be the Championship decider at the Aviva Stadium.
He said: “We’ll see. It would be a bit of a surreal feeling considering we’ve won a few penalties together.”
But with Healy also pushing for inclusion, Boyle knows nothing is guaranteed though he knows he did himself no harm against Wales.
He said: “It’s a mix of respecting the lads ahead of you. ‘Church’ has obviously been an unbelievable player and servant, and Andrew Porter, one of the best in the world literally.
“So it’s a balance of learning off them but at the same time competing and putting your best foot forward to get a spot really.
“Any young lad in Ireland, in the position I was in anyway, strives to play for Ireland. So many people come up short, but I’m incredibly grateful and lucky to get there in the end.
“I just tried to prepare myself as best as possible for whatever minute I was going to be called upon. Luckily, I got on in the end and added a bit to the win in the end.
“It’s more so be yourself and enjoy the environment. Don’t be in yourself and don’t go into your shell. You need to express yourself as well.
“I know I need to keep improving, because they’re two unbelievable players ahead of me.
“It gives me a taster of what it’s like to play for Ireland, it only makes you hungry in the end.”
IRELAND manager Carla Ward has told her players not to be afraid to make mistakes as they face Slovenia tonight.
The Girls in Green will look to make it two wins out of two in the UEFA Nations League after beating Turkiye 1-0 in Ward’s first game in charge on Friday night.
Kyra Carusa scored the winner just before half-time but Ireland did not press home the advantage as they failed to register a shot in the second half against the defensive Turks.
Ward acknowledged there is a lot of room for improvement but is confident that the players will adapt to her 4-3-3 system and tactics.
But she said they must believe in themselves, and not be afraid to try things even if they do not come off.
Ward told RTE: “It’s my job to get these guys to believe. Like I keep saying, they’re good footballers, good people, we want to make sure that they feel comfortable, confident.
“We dominated the ball, we dominated every stat and I think it’s important that we can continue to talk about those moments.
“Because the more they can believe they can take the ball, that they can play, that they have our backing, that if they make mistakes then that’s okay… it’s my job to try and calm that chaos.
“It’s something we’ve done a bit of work on in the last couple of days. The system will never change with me.
“I have a very clear way of playing, the players can see that.
“It’s trying to continue getting those messages in but we are going to try and look at something that will allow us to create more because we didn’t create enough (on Friday).
“We looked at it, five shots in the first half, none in the second. That’s an area that we’ve focused a lot of our work on the last couple of days both on and off the pitch.”
Slovenia also won their opening Nations League clash, beating Greece. And Ward insisted it is a much tougher game than the Turkiye match.
She said: “I think this type of game will be better than the game against Turkey. Why? Because you’ve got two teams who want to play football.
“There will be spaces that open up which naturally makes for a better game. It’ll be a very different game but it will be a tough game because they’ve got an abundance of quality.”
Solo Leveling has become the new talk of the town and for all the good reasons! Sung Jinwoo’s character itself is so cool that he ended up becoming one of the strongest and most beloved MCs in all anime. Now while everyone’s waiting for the next episode of Solo Leveling and wishing to see Jinwoo […]
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James Gunn is cooking up something big. And no, it’s not just another Guardians of the Galaxy mixtape, it’s an entirely new DC Universe, and this time, he’s bringing in the Teen Titans. If you thought The Suicide Squad was chaotic, wait until you see what happens when you throw a group of superpowered, angsty […]
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MEATH midfielder Jack Flynn is enjoying his second coming and is ‘hungry’ for action again.
The 2023 Tailteann Cup final man of the match has been lording it in the middle alongside Bryan Menton for new Royals boss Robbie Brennan.
Both players made high-profile comebacks for 2025, having not featured in last year’s Championship under Colm O’Rourke.
Former captain Menton returned after missing two seasons while Flynn surprisingly exited the panel last year after just two league games.
Ex-boss O’Rourke said at the time that a combination of his studies and poor form had convinced Flynn to step away.
The powerful duo have started all four of Meath’s Division 2 games, inspiring the Royals to joint top spot after three consecutive wins.
Asked if he needed the break, Ratoath man Flynn said: “I think so. I’ve been working hard and the hunger is definitely there.
“It’s paying off, all the tough training.
“We’re enjoying it. We’re all expressing ourselves, no one is afraid to make mistakes.”
Flynn and Menton both stand over six feet tall while Brennan has several man-mountain performers to call from the bench.
Meath have a big advantage around midfield which has become a battleground under the new rules, with most kick-outs going long.
Flynn added: “It’s basically like a three- or four-man midfield for us.
“The long kick-outs are really suiting us because we have three or four big men in there, and more on the bench to come in — the likes of Conor Gray and Daithí McGowan — so it’s really helping us.”
Meath will return to Division 1 for the first time since 2020 if they win the last three games.
They head to Mullingar to face rock-bottom Westmeath next Sunday and should have some key performers available again.
Mathew Costello is expected back, having not featured since hitting ten points against Cork in the first round.
Dunsany’s Eoin Harkin, another player recalled by Brennan after sitting out 2024, is set to return.
Former AFL player Cian McBride (hand) is also back from injury.
Flynn said: “It’s shaping up nicely.”
But Westmeath always give their neighbours a stern test.
Flynn added: “Hopefully we’ll get a good travelling crowd behind us.”
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is known for being a playground with endless possibilities. Superheroes crossing paths, joining forces, and taking down a villain, all of this has been a staple in Marvel’s ever-expanding world. And we have patiently waited for another such crossover, between Daredevil and Spider-Man. Now that Daredevil: Born Again is on […]
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CLOSER each day – home or away was an easy choice for Lee Chin.
The Wexford star, 32, took an extended winter break in Australia to recharge – and made his return in Sunday’s vital NHL win against Clare in Ennis.
Chin fired 0-5 against the Banner to end their three-game losing streak – and rumours he was staying in Oz for good were off the mark.
But the Faythe Harriers man hopes some winter sun can brighten Wexford’s season after gunning down the reigning league and All-Ireland champions in their own back yard.
He said: “I took a break away. It’s been a long enough career and I thought it was time that I took a bit of time for myself and took a mental break and a physical break at the same time.
“I heard a few bits and pieces but I knew what I was doing and the lads here at home knew what I was doing. That’s Ireland for you.
“We’re all like one big family and everyone hears everything. We’re all so close, in the GAA community especially, but it was just an extended holiday for me and I was happy to be home.
“There were times when you’d question it but hopefully it’ll stand to me later in the year. I’m enjoying being back, training with the lads and working hard.
“It’s not too long away until the summer and that’s what I wanted to do, shorten the winter for myself.”
Chin returned to a different Wexford dressing room in 2025 as old pals Matthew O’Hanlon, Diarmuid O’Keeffe and Liam Óg McGovern all retired from inter-county hurling.
He looked on as they lost three games on the spin against Cork, Tipperary and Kilkenny before Sunday’s rousing performance got them off the mark.
Séamus Casey, Richie Lawlor, Cathal Dunbar and Cian Byrne stood up to the mark at Cusack Park.
Byrne fired 0-9 as Dunbar lorded the middle to tear the Banner down, as Keith Rossiter’s men responded perfectly to a bad start.
Clare raced 1-2 to 0-0 ahead inside five minutes as Tony Kelly hit the net, but Wexford rallied to surge 0-15 to 1-9 in front at half time.
Casey’s second half goal paved the way for an impressive six-point victory, and Chin says all eyes are on survival after ending their losing streak.
He said: “It can happen in games, sometimes you can start slow and work your way into the game.
“We got into a rhythm after about ten minutes, we started getting the ball to stick, we started being more efficient with it, our shot efficiency was good and we just kept working hard.
“We got ourselves going and we got in at half-time up by three and it was what we needed going in at half-time too.
“It was just important for us to get a victory. We want to be kind of competing at this level and we want to stay in this division. Hopefully a win like this will be a step towards achieving that.”
Wexford were in freefall after their first three games, but Chin’s return was huge and lifted the team as a whole.
And the 2019 All-Star hopes it can spark their season ahead of Galway’s visit to Wexford Park on Saturday in round 5.
He said: “Wins like this can bring a bit of morale and camaraderie among the group as well and a bit of enjoyment.
“I suppose in the last three weekends we’ve been out in the National League, we’ve been beaten and beaten relatively well.
“It’s not easy going back into training every week when you’re being beaten for a few weeks on the bounce.
“For ourselves anyway, we needed to get going, we needed to get a performance.
“You don’t get a result unless you put in a performance down in the likes of Ennis, playing the National League champions and the All-Ireland champions.
“That requires a performance and lads turning up and then the result might come, but a win like this can enhance the mood a bit during the week.”