Search Results for 'Joe Schmidt'

Another unexpected postponement last weekend, and Connacht will be hoping this weekend's refixed PRO14 fixture with Benetton goes ahead as scheduled at the Galway Sportsground tomorrow evening (7.35pm).

By Linley MacKenzie

Well, after this week, life will go back to normal. For the last three weeks, I have to say my life has been circumscribed by the forthcoming general election, both involvement locally in Westmeath and Roscommon, and of course the wider general involvement through television debates, newspaper reports, radio and all of the other media outlets which are recording faithfully the ups and downs of every individual campaign.

I was thinking back on Dáil business last week, and the real heroes and winners of any of the debates which were held were those who went and protested against what we might loosely call the ‘Bingo legislation’. This was legislation which the Government was bringing in, not to curtail bingo players, but to have a more equitable share-out of the funding of such events.

Pat McDonagh of Supermac’s has been named the EY Industry Entrepreneur Of The Year for 2019. The gala awards last weekend was attended by more than 1,500 people including the island of Ireland’s most prominent business leaders and the Minister of Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD, who gathered to celebrate the achievements of the 24 finalists. Collectively the finalists employ more than 13,000 people and have revenues of €1.2bn.

I wonder can the readers remember Japan, and all the disappointment and angst everyone suffered during those matches?? It seems like a bad dream now.

Last Saturday, like many of our readers, I put aside to watch two main items on television : 1) the rugby quarter-final, Ireland versus the All Blacks, and 2) the proceedings in Westminster when Boris Johnson would endeavour to bring in his settlement with Europe.

We will begin this column with our take on the rugby match last Saturday between Ireland and Japan. Firstly, in my opinion, Ireland did not play badly, but yet Japan played a terrific game.

I wonder who were the more satisfied people last weekend: was it the Irish rugby team after their win in Japan, or Anna May McHugh and the organisers of the National Ploughing Championships?

Connacht Rugby's head coach Andy Friend says he was "gutted" scrumhalf Kieran Marmion missed out on making the final 31 of Joe Schmidt's World Cup squad.