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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
Manchester United have put one foot in the final of the Europa League final after a convincing 3-0 win away to Athletic Bilbao. The Spanish club, who will host the final if they get there, fell a goal behind before going down to 10-men and effectively consigning them to defeat. Harry Maguire stepped up on the occasion just as he did in scoring their dramatic winner against Lyon in the quarter-finals.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
Waterford have emerged as real contenders after the first two rounds of the Munster Senior Hurling Championship look ahead of a key clash with Limerick this weekend. Waterford have not beaten Limerick in Championsip hurling since 2011 and are expectedly underdogs against the reigning Munster champions. Limerick won their sixth consecutive Munster title in 2024 against Clare, something which reinforces their status as favourites.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
Eddie Jones will be keeping a close eye when his native Australia welcome the challenge of the British and Irish Lions this summer. Ireland boss Andy Farrell will oversee the Lions' first return to Australia when he battles mentor Joe Schmidt's Wallabies on their own patch. It was Schmidt who succeeded Jones, the former England and Japan manager enduring a dire second stint in charge of his nation for the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
The 2024/25 Champions Cup has been a doddle for Leinster if results are anything to go by but Northampton should provide their toughest test when they meet in the semis. Leinster dominated Harlequins 62-0 before obliterating Glasgow Warriors 52-0 in the quarter-finals after an impressive run of wins in the pool stages. The Blues have not conceded a point in the competition since they battled Bath on January 18, a remarkable feat.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
While the player selection for the 2025 British and Irish Lions Tour remains a mystery; the coaching ticket is clear and Johnny Sexton has to be the most surprising addition. Having only coached with Ireland as a consultant during the 2024 Autumn Nations, before taking up more repsonsibility when Andy Farrell stepped aside for the 2025 Six Nations, Sexton's experience is limited for someone bestowed the honour of working on a Lions tour.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
Tipperary's Darragh McCarthy found himself in the headlines for the wrong reasons after his red card against Cork in the Munster Senior Hurling Championship. The 19-year old was sent off for an off-the-ball incident with Sean O’Donoghue just before the ball was thrown in, condemning the fixture to being a one-sided by affair. Legendary former Tipp manager Liam Sheedy was in the RTÉ studio on the day and speaking at halftime, had few complaints given the striking nature of McCarthy's hit.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
Pat Spillane has weighed in on the Dublin debate after they were stunned by Meath in a rare Leinster Senior Football Championship defeat last weekend. It was the first Leinster SFC defeat for the favourites in 15 years when Meath stormed to a 0-23 to 1-16 win over their old rivals in Portlaoise. The Royal County's historic win not only banished Dublin from the provincial decider for the first time since 2010, but also booked Meath a Leinster final clash against Louth in less than two weeks' time.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
The Munster and Leinster Hurling Championship round-robins provided an entertaining second itstalment and the team rankings have become a little bit clearer in both competitions. Here are our second power rankings of the 2025 hurling championship. (Here's our last hurling rankings, from the first round of Championship action). 1. Cork The Allianz League champions restated their Championship credentials after escaping Ennis with a draw in round one.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
James McClean donned the captain's armband as Wrexham's Hollywood story continued with promotion to the EFL Championship. The Welsh club, which had been in the doldrums before its high-profile acquisition by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, made history with promotion to the second-tier of British football on Saturday. Wrexham earned a 3-0 win over Charlton at The Racecourse Ground to establish themselves as a Championship club as their remarkable tale continued.
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2 weeks ago | 
balls.ie | Rob O'Halloran
All-Ireland hurling champions Clare showed signs of life in their comeback draw with Cork last weekend while Tipperary and Limerick also played out a thriller. Widely hailed as the crown jewel of the GAA, the Munster Senior Hurling Championship provided some peak entertainment although it was not short of animosity. Red cards were a prevalent theme in the Allianz League earlier this season, 14-man Cork notably thrashing 13-man Clare in a repeat fixture of the 2024 All-Ireland final.
