Topics

 
A six-year-old boy from Claudy has drowned in Portugal.

Nathan Sharkey was on holiday with his parents on the Algarve when he died on Thursday. The Foreign Office are providing assistance to his parents.

In Spain, a 16-year-old west Belfast teenager died after falling from a balcony.

Padraig Burns, from Tullymore Gardens, was on holiday with a group of friends in Benidorm when the accident happened on 19 July.

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f**k there seems to more cases of this as the summers past. hate to hear these sort of things.

MAybe someone knows what they are doing can find a link for this story

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Fans of NI Soccer team are up in arms after a playstation game featuring them plays The Soldiers Song when they win.

Apologies if this is another thread somewhere

Anyone else afflicted regularly with Mouth Ulcers ?
I have tried everything, gels, mouthwashes, going to the dentist, antibiotics and only get temporary reprieve.
i might get a good week, then bang 2 or 3 in the one go. Pure torture.
Any suggestions (real) would be appreciated

 
The Heineken Cup will be seeded for the first time when the pools are drawn in Dublin on Tuesday.

The 24 teams are split into four tiers based on performance over the past four seasons in the Heineken Cup and the knock-out stages of the Challenge Cup.

Teams from the same country will be kept apart, although there will be two French teams in one of the six pools.

Munster, Toulouse, Biarritz Olympique, Leicester Tigers, Stade Français Paris and London Wasps are the top seeds.

Holders Munster are ranked first and will be the first team out of the hat in Dublin.

Montauban became the final team to secure their qualification last weekend, joining Clermont Auvergne, Toulouse, Stade Francais, Perpignan, Castres and Biarritz in a seven-strong French contingent.



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Tier One seeds: Munster, Toulouse, Biarritz Olympique, Leicester Tigers, Stade Français Paris, London Wasps
Tier Two seeds: Leinster, Bath Rugby, Gloucester Rugby, Perpignan, Sale Sharks, Llanelli Scarlets
Tier Three seeds: Ospreys, Cardiff Blues, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Newport Gwent Dragons, Ulster Rugby, Castres Olympique
Tier Four seeds: Glasgow Warriors, Benetton Treviso, Edinburgh, Rugby Calvisano, Harlequins, Montauban

Round One: 10-12 October

Round Two: 17-19 October

Round Three: 5-7 December

Round Four: 12-14 December

Round Five: 16-18 January

Round Six: 23-25 January

Quarter-finals: 10-12 April

Semi-finals: 1-3 May

Final: 22-24 May (Murrayfield)

*Fixtures, dates and times are subject to late change

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although seeded there is still some possible tough groups
for munster, gloucester, ospreys and edinburgh would be tough
for leinster, toulouse, clermont and harlequins ?
for ulster, leicester, bath and montauban ?


watch live here
http://www.ercrugby.com/eng/6165_10465.php

 


Puts sport in perspective again

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A Neath rugby player has died in hospital after suffering an injury to his neck during a match on 20 April.

Scrum-half Gareth Jones, 28, was hurt at a ruck during a Premier Division game against Cardiff in the Arms Park, which Neath lost.

The Pontypridd-born decorator leaves a wife and two children.

"It is with deep regret that Neath Rugby have to announce that scrum-half Gareth Jones passed away peacefully this afternoon," said a club statement.

Jones, who previously played for Glyncoch, Beddau and Pontypridd, made his debut for Neath against Newport in 2006.

He won a league title with the Welsh All Blacks and was also a Konica Minolta Cup winner with Pontypridd.

Medical staff treated Jones on the pitch for around 10 minutes during the Cardiff-Neath match in April and he was then transferred to hospital, where scans revealed a significant injury to his neck.

Jones had been in intensive care at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff since the incident, where he underwent surgery for his injuries and medical complications.

A statement on the Neath website said: "Jones's family have requested their privacy is respected at this very sad and difficult time for them all."

Guto Davies from Pontypridd RFC paid tribute to Jones and said: "He was full of energy and that was the way he played his rugby.

"He was a real character who stood out among the squad and that's what made him so popular with the supporters."

The Welsh Rugby Union cleared Cardiff centre Darren Ryan of reckless play after he was cited over the incident in which Jones was injured.

Opening weekend fixtures - Saturday, 16 August
Arsenal v West Brom
Aston Villa v Man City
Bolton v Stoke
Chelsea v Portsmouth
Everton v Blackburn
Hull v Fulham
Man Utd v Newcastle
Middlesbrough v Tottenham
Sunderland v Liverpool
West Ham v Wigan


Full list here -

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/fixtures/default.stm

Seven Munster men in Ireland pack 


Heineken Cup winners Munster provide seven of the Ireland forwards for Saturday's Test against New Zealand.

It might have been eight but flanker Alan Quinlan was ruled out with a thigh strain and Leinster's Jamie Heaslip will start at number eight.

Four of the backs are from Leinster with Luke Fitzgerald getting a chance at centre, partnering Brian O'Driscoll.

Robert Kearney is chosen ahead of Girvan Dempsey at full-back with Jerry Flannery at hooker ahead of Rory Best.

Skipper O'Driscoll joined the Irish camp on Monday, having remained at home after the departure of the larger squad because of the sudden death of a close friend.

"All I want to say about last week was that it was a brutal week in my life and a lot of my friends' lives," he said.

"It came as a shock and I suppose rugby was secondary for that period of time."

O'Driscoll believes the recent successes of Leinster, in winning the Magners League, and Munster (Heineken Cup), plus Eoin Reddan winning the Guinness Premiership final with Wasps, ensures Ireland will be confident going into the Wellington Test.

"There are guys back and used to winning things," he added. "When you put all that into the melting pot it is a great combination to have."



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Ireland: R Kearney, S Horgan, Brian O'Driscoll (cpt), L Fitzgerald, T Bowe, R O'Gara, E Reddan, J Heaslip, D Wallace, D Leamy, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, J Hayes, J Flannery, M Horan.
Replacements: G Dempsey, P Wallace, P Stringer, S Jennings, M O'Driscoll, T Buckley, R Best.

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New Zealand: Mils Muliaina; Anthony Tuitavake, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu; Daniel Carter, Andy Ellis; Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore, John Afoa, Brad Thorn, Ali Willliams, Rodney So'oialo, Richie McCaw (capt), Jerome Kaino.
Replacements: Keven Mealamu, John Schwalger, Anthony Boric, Adam Thomson, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Leon MacDonald.


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What are we looking at as a succesfull tour
keeping the NZ game respectful and maybe nicking one against Australia ?

any of yous watch this tonight
no caps handed out so obviously not a full international, but some good performances by a few of the fringe players and players like heaslip and kearney will be first XV'ers for quite a while to come
poor opposition though, very bad handling and obvious they only met up a few days ago
did you see neil best when he came on, i think he should be that UFC thread ! agressive as f**k

Martin O'Neill is hoping for a 'home' trip in the Intertoto Cup
Aston Villa boss Martin O'Neill would love the chance to evoke a few memories by returning to Northern Ireland in the third round of the Intertoto Cup.

Villa will face O'Neill's former club Lisburn Distillery if they beat Finland's TPS Turku and Odense BK, from Denmark, in their qualifying ties.

O'Neill began his career with the club and won the Irish Cup in 1971 before moving to Nottingham Forest.

"It would be absolutely astonishing if we ended up playing them," O'Neill said

If the tie happens O'Neill knows he will be returning to a very different place.

"When I played for Distillery they weren't called Lisburn Distillery," he explained to the Villa website.

606: DEBATE
Your thoughts on Villa's Intertoto campaign

"Lisburn's an area on the outskirts of Belfast but they were actually based in central Belfast.

"They had to move because there was a road planned that would've run through the pitch and, in my final season, we were in a troubled area and had to move on.

"I never played in the Lisburn area. That was something that happened after I left."

Villa enter the Intertoto Cup at the third round stage and they could go to Northern Ireland for the first leg on 19/20 July if Distillery come through their ties.

The second leg at Villa Park is on 26/27 July.

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sort of fixture that would bring in a good crowd wouldnt it ?

Premier League footballer Joey Barton has been jailed for assault and affray.

Barton, 25, was arrested in Liverpool on 27 December 2007 after he was involved in a confrontation outside a McDonald's restaurant in the city.

The midfielder, of Foxbank Close, Widnes, admitted the charges last month but reporting restrictions were only lifted on Tuesday.

He appeared at Liverpool Crown Court where Judge Henry Globe QC sentenced him to jail for six months.

The judge told him it was a "violent and cowardly act".

WHAT A LIABILITY THIS GUY IS !

[cant see this being a success myself, cant imagine ravenhill creating the same sort of atmosphere as cardiff did at the weekend]

cant see this being a success myself, cant imagine ravenhill creating the same sort of atmosphere as cardiff did at the weekend


Edinburgh and Belfast have emerged as candidates to host future Super League weekend's away, despite the success of the second Millennium Magic in Cardiff.


The Rugby Football League were delighted with a turnout of 63,000 over the course of the weekend, which represented an increase of 4,000 on last year's inaugural event.

But although the RFL is committed to a three-year agreement with the local authority in south Wales, they are thought to be disappointed with the stadium's lack of promotion for the event.

And with the weekend thought to generate in the region of £10m for the local economy, both the capitals of Northern Ireland and Scotland are keen to get a piece of the action.

"Not surprisingly, a number of cities are looking at staging this event - the economic benefits are massive," confirmed RFL media spokesman Craig Spence.

Murrayfield, which hosted the Challenge Cup final in 2000 and 2002 during the re-building of Wembley, is favourite to stage next year's event should the RFL decide on a change.

However, one player happy to for the event to remain at the Millennium Stadium is St Helens and former Wales hooker Keiron Cunningham, who led Saints to victory over Wigan on Sunday.

"I think it would be a shame," he said. "I understand they want to put their fingers in different pies but we've got a real push in Wales and the Celtic Crusaders are doing a good job and aiming for a franchise.

"There is no reason why we shouldn't keep it here. If the Crusaders did get in, they could be playing in the Millennium next year. That would be great for them and great for the game.

"The Welsh love rugby league and always been crying out for it. It's a good weekend."

The League also plan to re-examine the format of the event, with the derby games almost certain to be scrapped in favour of a seeded draw to ensure more competitive matches.

no big shock i know but now is official - hope he has the same affect warren gatland had this year !!

The 48 year old current Munster coach has been invited to sign a contract that will see him lead Ireland up to and including Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.
So that he can fully concentrate on his obligations with Munster and their participation in the Heineken Cup Final in Cardiff on May 24 and subsequently other matters relating to the long term make up of the Ireland team management, the IRFU has decided that the incoming new Irish coach should not take part in the forthcoming Summer Tour games against The Barbarians, New Zealand and Australia, nor in the selection and preparation of that squad.

Management and Player squads relating to the summer tour and also Ireland's participation in the Churchill Cup, will be announced shortly.

Commenting on the announcement, Declan Kidney said, "There is no greater honour for any coach then to lead his own country.  I have had that privilege at several levels of the game in Ireland from schools and U19's as well as working with the senior Ireland team and I am delighted to have this opportunity and to be here at what is the pinnacle of my career".

"I have worked with many exceptional players during my career at both international and provincial level and there is no doubt that we have the talent in Ireland to be successful at the highest level.  The challenge going forward for the Ireland team and Irish Rugby as a whole is to continue the growth and success on the field.  I am excited about the challenge and looking forward to working with the players..

"My focus now for the next three  weeks will be totally on the Munster team and the preparation for the  Heineken European  Cup Final. "

IRFU Chief Executive Philip Browne said: "The record of Declan Kidney speaks for itself and it was obvious from the very beginning of this process that he was one of the main contenders to lead Ireland to the next Rugby World Cup in 2011.  His ability to achieve success and develop players in the ever increasing competitive arena of professional rugby is proven and the IRFU is delighted to have made this appointment.

"While the need to make the appointment as soon as was practicable was important, the IRFU was conscious of keeping any disruption to the preparations of the Munster team to a minimum."

*Declan Kidney is one of the most respected and decorated coaches in Ireland and has previously coached the Ireland schools and the Ireland under 19 teams, most notably the team Ireland that won the FIRA World Cup in 1998 in a side that included current internationals Brian O'Driscoll, Donncha O'Callaghan and Paddy Wallace.

Kidney continued up the coaching ladder when he took the position of Head Coach with Munster, bringing them to their first Heineken Cup final in 2000.  Munster reached their second final in 2002 and following that, Kidney took a role as assistant Coach to the Ireland National team, working with them during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

Kidney then coached Leinster for one season, bringing them to the quarterfinals of the Heineken Cup in 2005 before returning to Munster.  Kidney's success has continued with his home province where he guided the team to a memorable victory in the competition in 2006 when Munster beat Biarritz in the Millennium Stadium to claim their first Heineken Cup. 

Ronaldo in transvestite scandal



Brazilian football star Ronaldo has been caught up in a sex scandal with three cross-dressing prostitutes.
Having dropped off his girlfriend at her house in Rio de Janeiro on Monday night, the footballer picked up three prostitutes.
When they all booked into a motel, Ronaldo discovered that the prostitutes were in fact men.
According to Rio police, he alleges that the transvestites then tried to extort money from him.
Local press reports quoted one of the prostitutes, Andreia Albertine - otherwise known as Andre Luiz Ribeiro Albertino - as saying that Ronaldo had threatened to hit him, on discovering that he was a transvestite.

your worst nightmare x 3

Just starting now on sky sports 1 from the odyssey, atmosphere sounds unreal, would be a goods night craic wiyh a few bevvies on board

[France v Wales (2000 GMT)]

2009 RBS Six Nations fixtures:


Saturday, 7 February
England v Italy (1500 GMT)
Ireland v France (1700 GMT)
Sunday, 8 February
Scotland v Wales (1500 GMT)

Saturday, 14 February
France v Scotland (1500 GMT)
Wales v England (1730 GMT)
Sunday 15 February
Italy v Ireland (1430 GMT)

Friday, 27 February
France v Wales (2000 GMT)
Saturday, 28 February
Scotland v Italy (1500 GMT)
Ireland v England (1730 GMT)

Saturday, 14 March
Italy v Wales (1500 GMT)
Scotland v Ireland (1700 GMT)
Sunday 15 March
England v France (1500 GMT)

Saturday, 21 March
Italy v France (1315 GMT)
England v Scotland (1530 GMT)
Wales v Ireland (1730 GMT)

the friday night would be a good fixture, would fill the bars if ireland were to have one

http://www.c-f-1.com/d.aspx?e=ODczODAzNDMw&c=1&linkID=652179

wont be doin this myself as im not into the golf but thought i would post it anyway and maybe someone else will get it up and running

10 years dead today
Father Ted was an all-time classic show which like Only Fools, Fawlty Towers etc will be repeated for ever Amen
Unbelievable that he died the day after filming his last show

 
A Scotland rugby union player has been retrospectively cleared of failing a doping test after a form-filling error, BBC Sport understands.
The drug involved is understood to be Terbutaline, which is a prescribed asthma medication.

Scottish Rugby will hold a news conference at Murrayfield at 1115 GMT.

More to follow.

a wee question lads

if you subscribe to setanta Ireland can you watch F1 in the north ? They broadcast it ok i think in the south, but because ITV have have the british rights, can we not get it.

Apoligies
Deleted the thread earlier, i had posted the link earlier without logging off, thinking that the link below would go straight to my team, but i have since been informed it needs to be on my PC - my computer knowledge is very limited.

Anyway, the PIN to th private league is 423


Shortcut to: http://scrum.fantasyleague.com/Index.aspx