GUS McCARTHY, SEAN O’Brien and Jude Postlethwaite have all been released from the Emerging Ireland squad following Sunday’s 29-24 defeat of Western Force.
The trio will leave South Africa on Monday afternoon and will be available for URC action with their provinces this weekend.
Leinster hooker McCarthy was a try-scorer off the bench in Emerging Ireland’s win over the Pumas last Wednesday and started yesterday’s game in Bloemfontein.
He returns to Dublin with Leinster awaiting an update on hooker Rónan Kelleher ahead of Saturday’s URC meeting with Munster at Croke Park. Kelleher was forced off with an injury just 12 minutes into Leinster’s defeat of Benetton over the weekend. Leinster are also currently without Dan Sheehan, who is a long-term absentee with an ACL injury.
Munster centre O’Brien, who started against the Pumas and the Force, will rejoin Graham Rowntree’s squad as the province deal with a growing injury list. Alex Nankivell has missed Munster’s last two games, with Rory Scannell, Shane Daly and Liam Coombes among the other centre options nursing injuries ahead of Saturday’s trip to Dublin.
Postlethwaite came off the bench against the Pumas and opened the scoring against the Force on Sunday. He returns to an Ulster squad who are also light at centre. Ben Carson started alongside Stewart Moore in the Ulster midfield in their defeat to the Bulls, with Stuart McCloskey missing the game due to knee and ankle injuries. Ulster host Connacht in Belfast on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Emerging Ireland squad are due to visit Heidedal Township this afternoon before concluding their three-mach tour in South Africa by taking on the Cheetahs on Wednesday [KO 6pm Irish time].
“Gattuso insisted a couple of years ago he’d never come across a homosexual in football”
I should hope not: It’s very bad etiquette…
Call it freedom of speech.
As long as his remarks are not of an insulting nature.
but.. they were of an insulting nature. am i missing something?
Gay comments?? Did he tell someone their boots were just faabulouss?
“Frocho” eh? I like it! Always nice to have a new word to hurl at the TV when Cassano throws himself on the ground, wailing and crying after being breathed upon by an opponent.
Why would you use a derogatory term for gay people as a term of abuse?
Judging by his homophobic response to the the question, it’s clear he would be insulted by it.
Why does someone’s sexuality have to be such a big deal? As long as they are hurting no one and staying professional in their jobs/careers then what does it matter?
Saying queer isn’t very nice though. Stick to gay/lesbian/homosexual or straight/heterosexual and you won’t offend people so easily. My step brother calls us straight people “breeders” which makes me laugh
to be honest when in the right context people can say anything to each other, especially if they know each other very well, but this guys comment was out of place … on the other hand everybody has messed up an answer or said something to hurt others at some point … the biggest problem in this story is that he doesn’t appear to have made an apology….
Completely agree,when having conversations with friends/family then anything goes. But he used it in an interview that would be broadcast. I say and have said all sorts of things to my gay friends and family members but I wouldn’t say the same to someone I didn’t know too well
The abuse gay players would be subject to from the terraces would be horrific. My own club Shelbourne FC have turned a blind eye to the homophobic nature of some terrace chants in the past and Ireland is slightly more liberal about these things than somewhere like Italy. It’s very sad that any human can’t be who they are in the public eye without being abused. Cassano’s comments are bigoted and insensitive and he should apologise.
I don’t think he needs to make an apology, he said that it was their own business so I don’t think he meant any harm. If he was forced to apologise I think Jimmy Carr should we given a weekly slot to say sorry for the things he says week in, week out.
He said: “I hope there aren’t any queers on the team”. Imagine he said, “I hope there aren’t any blacks on the team”. He’d be in serious trouble. His comments weren’t harmless banter like you’re making out.
Jimmy Carr is a comedian
According to my friends Italian boyfriend gays often call each other it, I’ve never heard Irish gays call each other fags so ill take it that it’s meaning is lost in translation.
I actually don’t think it makes a difference if he’s a comedian or not because he says some really mad stuff that I’m sure many people are offended by.
You’d make a great politician I love lamp, you haven’t even commented on the criticism I made and headed off on tangents brilliantly. Is it acceptable to say that you hope there are no gay people in your workplace? That is clearly bigoted.
I’m sorry but you must have the memory of a goldfish (many of your comments I’ve noticed just completely ignore what the previous person has said and just bang out some old clap) but I think I did address your comment and the proceeding one (by another party) and thanks for thinking I should be a politician because I could do with the nice wage.
And i am sure that would be the same opinion as the gay person towards you.
the post i responded to is gone rendering my post worthless
Stupid is what stupid does.
From what I’ve read he was thick and not intentionally offensive.
The PC crowd need to cop on.
The “PC crowd”- whom would that be? PC world? I heard they have great deals on notebooks!
Cassano, How come u didn’t like gay u wear a big ring suitable for women as seen in above photo?
Are you saying all gays like big rings?
I’d say most like them small.