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Munster Supporters Club ‘post’ cheeky reply to Johnny Sexton after he claimed he’d ditch Leinster over Rieko Ioane beef

MUNSTER Supporters Club “posted” a response to Johnny Sexton after he joked about becoming a Reds season ticket holder.

The 39-year-old cracked the gag in response to being asked about how he felt about his World Cup nemesis being Leinster-bound.

Johnny Sexton, British and Irish Lions assistant coach, at a press conference.
PA
The 2025 British and Irish Lions tour will begin on Friday at the Aviva Stadium[/caption]
Collage of Munster Rugby players and Jonathan Sexton's membership number for the 2025/26 season.
@MRSC16
Sexton has quipped about becoming a regular at Thomond Park[/caption]

Speaking at his first appearance as a member of Andy Farrell’s British and Irish Lions coaching staff, Sexton played down the seriousness of his former club snapping up Rieko Ioane on a short-term deal.

When asked on Monday about the Kiwi’s impending arrival, he replied: “I purchased my Munster season ticket last week, put it that way.”

Now, the good folk at the province’s official club fan club have responded by taking Sexton up on his remark.

They shared a mock-up of a season ticket pass with his name on it.

The amusing social media post was captioned: “Great to hear from official Lions Rugby that we have a new member for next season. Your card is in the post Johnny. SUAF.”

In his autobiography, Sexton lifted the lid on the row between the pair after Ireland had lost to New Zealand in the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

He wrote that, after referee Wayne Barnes blew the final whistle, Ioane said to him ‘Don’t miss your flight tomorrow. Enjoy your retirement you c***’.

Sexton responded by calling him ‘a fake-humble f*****’.

Auckland native Ioane reignited the row after the All Blacks beat Ireland last November with an Instagram post with the caption ‘Put that in the book’.

And Ioane admitted that he might have to win over a few people when he lands in Dublin later this summer.

He said: “By all my friends’ accounts, it’s about 50-50 at the moment. We’ll try to get that to 60-40 in my favour.”

At that same press briefing, the longtime Irish 10 offered some blunt words of advice to the two young men now fighting for the national jersey.

Sexton knows a thing or two about the level of scrutiny which comes from the territory, from his tussle with Ronan O’Gara in the early part of his career.

The attention on Sam Prendergast, 22, and 25-year-old Jack Crowley – neither of whom made the Lions squad – has been amplified in the digital age.

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The Rathgar man emphasized: “They’re just so young. You’ve got to give them a chance to learn and experience these things, but the level that they are producing already in their careers is amazing really.

“They’re so far ahead of where I was and they’ve got the world at their feet with the work ethic that they have.

“They’re humble guys, they do want to learn, they want to practise hard and that’s the thing that you look at the most as a coach.

“One thing I disagree with is some of the narrative around it in terms of there’s obviously a split in the country in terms of Munster-Leinster and I’ve been there before.

“I’ve been in that situation and with social media getting bigger and bigger it’s tough on them at times and it shouldn’t be like that.

“We should be supporting whoever’s picked and getting fully behind them. I told them to delete social media.”

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Abandoned 34,500-seater football stadium that had been tipped to host Euro 2028 matches in new boost after £50m funding

AN ABANDONED 34,500-seater football stadium that had been tipped to host Euro 2028 matches has received a new boost after landing £50million in funding.

Belfast’s Casement Park was initially selected as a host stadium for the upcoming tournament.

Aerial view of Casement Park stadium in Belfast undergoing redevelopment.
AFP
An abandoned stadium has received a fresh boost[/caption]
Derelict Casement Park in West Belfast, proposed venue for the 2028 Euro Finals.
Pacemaker
Casement Park was initially selected to host Euro 2028 matches[/caption]

It saw Northern Ireland join England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland as a host nation.

Plans were afoot to rebuild the ground to a 34,000 capacity in time for the competition.

But Northern Ireland was axed as one of the host nations due to funding issues over Casement Park.

The national team currently plays at Windsor Park, which holds 18,000 fans.

However, Uefa requires all grounds for major tournaments to hold at least 30,000 spectators.

And failure to find the funding for Casement Park ended Northern Ireland’s hopes of hosting Euro 2028 games.

But now, the overgrown arena has been given a major boost after receiving £50m towards a £260m rebuild.

That money has come from the government, according to the BBC.

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And it has finally been confirmed that the funds will not have to be repaid, with the £50m being provided as an “equity stake” and not a loan.

Despite the cash boost, the redevelopment of Casement Park is still not fully financed.

Aerial view of Casement Park GAA in Andersonstown, Northern Ireland.
Getty
Casement Park has received £50million in funding from the government[/caption]
Derelict Casement Park stand in West Belfast, proposed venue for the 2028 Euro Finals.
Pacemaker
It has been confirmed that the money does not have to be paid back[/caption]

£260m is required for a full rebuild, but the Gaelic Athletic Association can only find £120m on top of the government’s £50m – leaving a £90m shortfall in total.

Casement Park used to be a top stadium for hurling and Gaelic football matches.

Tens of thousands of fans used to cram in for matches.

But the venue shut down in 2013 and has since been left abandoned.

Now, the derelict site has received planning permission to be modernised and early demolition work has begun.

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Loose Women star admits she is ‘absolutely devastated’ as her friend and co-star has been axed in brutal ITV cutbacks

LOOSE Women star Nadia Sawalha has revealed she’s “devastated” after a friend and co-star was axed from the show amid the brutal ITV budget cuts. 

It was recently reported that as of next year Loose Women will drop its live studio audience as part of a series of cost-cutting changes. 

Loose Women star admits she is ‘absolutely devastated’ and ‘can’t get over it’ as her friend and co-star has been axed in brutal ITV cutbacks, NADIA AND LEE
Nadia has revealed she’s ‘devastated’ after a co-star lost his job on Loose Women
YouTube
Loose Women star admits she is ‘absolutely devastated’ and ‘can’t get over it’ as her friend and co-star has been axed in brutal ITV cutbacks, NADIA AND LEE
Lee has been the show’s warm-up act since 2017
ITV
Editorial use only Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock (14304418q) Kaye Adams 'Loose Women' TV show, London, UK - 17 Jan 2024
Kaye confessed she’s had sleepless nights over the changes
Shutterstock

Now Nadia, 60, has confirmed the huge change and told how it means one of her friends will no longer have a job on the show. 

Speaking in her latest YouTube video with husband Mark Adderley, she said: “From next year there will be no Loose Women audience. 

“I am totally devastated by this fact, I can’t get over it at all. Not only because the audience is so important for the show, but also my dear friend Lee who I work with every day.”

Comedian Lee Peart has been the Loose Women warm-up act since 2017. 

Last month it was announced that Loose Women will air for only 30 weeks of the year from January

The shock move came as part of broader budget reductions across the channel, which also included halving Lorraine’s airtime to 30 minutes and airing it only during school term times.

Nadia’s fellow Loose Women star  Kaye Adams recently broke her silence on the chaos at Loose Women, admitting she’s had sleepless nights over the cuts.

Speaking on her podcast, How To Be 60, Kaye said she felt as though ‘the rug had been pulled’ from underneath her.

The 62-year-old confessed: “It did come out of the blue.

“I didn’t anticipate it, which is probably stupid in retrospect. You get into a sort of rhythm of life.

“I had a couple of sleepless nights I have to say, because it’s just like the rug’s been pulled from under your feet – what has been familiar.”

ITV's daytime TV schedule changes in full

Good Morning Britain will be extended by 30 minutes to run from 6am to 9.30am daily.

Lorraine will run from 9.30am-10am, on a seasonal basis for 30 weeks of the year.

During the weeks Lorraine is not on air, Good Morning Britain will run from 6am to 10am.

This Morning will remain in its 10am-12.30pm slot on weekdays throughout the year.

Loose Women will be in the 12.30-1.30pm slot, again on a seasonal basis for 30 weeks of the year.

The changes will take effect from January 2026.

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