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Caelan Doris admits Ireland ‘weren’t at our best’ but insists Leinster form can inspire Six Nations win over England
CAELAN DORIS wants to gun down the Red Roses to forget about the November pain.
Ireland face England today as their kick off their bid to win a third Six Nations in a row but with question marks after some below standards in their Autumn internationals.
And captain Doris admitted that it was not just those outside camp who saw room for improvement in November.
He said: “There is definitely a bit of frustration around the Autumn and a feeling that we weren’t at our best.
“So prove to ourselves, as in how we train, the plans we have. There’s a tonne of belief in there.
“There’s an excitement about getting back there and showing ourselves and everyone else that we are capable of very strong performances.”
That will mean a big improvement from November – when Ireland lost to New Zealand and underperformed in tight wins over Argentina, Fiji and Australia.
And Doris was good humoured when identifying areas where they can be better.
He added: “The obvious ones from Autumn are discipline, we had pretty high penalty counts throughout our games, certainly much higher than the 2023 and 2024 Six Nations.
“Our lineout has traditionally been a strong point for us, it probably wasn’t quite at the percentages we’d expect so it’s trying to get that back up there as well. Lineout D as well.
“And then some of our attack and breakdown stuff as well, so I’ve mentioned basically the whole game there!”
But he reckons Ireland are in a better place now after some good showings at provincial level having been undercooked after just a few URC games ahead of November.
He added: “I’ve been happy with my performances with Leinster between the international blocs.
“And I think if you look at the provinces prior to coming into Autumn versus prior to coming into the Six Nations, I think performances and results have been a lot stronger. Across the board, all four provinces.
“I think we’re able to hit the ground running a little bit quicker this time around. Hopefully that will show.
“It goes back to just trusting, trusting the work. Not forcing things, not trying too hard which is a bit counter-intuitive.
“I like to play with instincts and not do too much thinking. So trust in the habits that I’ve built in training, trust in the work I’ve done off the pitch as well.
“So I can just go out there and have fun.”
WWE superfan Finlay Bealham reveals Ireland ‘welcoming weirdness’ as they look to get Six Nations off to standard start
THE sponsors call it the ‘Team of Us’ – Finlay Bealham reckons it is the team of WWE.
His wrestling tag team partner Craig Casey is missing the Six Nations through injury but that does not mean that WWE, or action, is off limits.
Connacht tighthead Bealham said: “Craig and I are both big fans of wrestling. I was a different era to him.
“I was kinda the late ’90s, early 2000s and he’s a bit newer so we’ve trying to blend our favourite wrestlers together. It’s been something we’ve had to work at.
“I like the old-school wrestlers. I like the Undertaker, he was a big favourite of mine. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Kane.
“I wouldn’t really watch it now because I’m a father and I have to kinda act as an adult.
“But when I was younger and didn’t have as much responsibility, I had more time to put my focus and attention into wrestling.”
And wrestling is so big within the Ireland camp that there are occasionally shows up on by masked men. But under absolutely no circumstances is Bealham, 33, part of the show.
Tongue in cheek, he said: “It’s not me, but some masked wrestlers might come in and put on a little show.
“The lads seem to like it but, again, I don’t know who those wrestling superstars are.”
Does a rugby background help with the wrestling moves?
He added: “Maybe just my long hair, because wrestlers have long hair.
“Other that that, I’m trying to think… I’ve never seen a wrestler do a scrum entry. Maybe one day we might see that, from a masked wrestler, who is unknown to us.”
But Bealham is glad that the masked men who in no way resemble him get some acclaim in a squad where being yourself off the pitch is viewed as crucial to being yourself on it.
And Simon Easterby stepping up as head coach this year while Andy Farrell takes the Lions has not changed it.
He said: “We have a really good environment here. Faz (Andy Farrell) obviously isn’t here now but he encourages everyone to come in from day one and be yourself.
“I don’t know if I’d show up to my first day in wrestling gear, maybe don’t do that, but you try to be yourself as much as you can and all the lads are good craic.
“From day one, it’s just an expectation to be yourself and bring what you’ve got to the table.
“Some people are different in their own individual ways, and some live in the awkward and some are a bit weird, but it’s a great bunch of players and coaches and managers we have.
“There’s such a special bond we have. It’s truly special. We welcome all the weirdness with open arms.”
WEIRD ONES
So who is the weirdest? Bealham ponders the question for a while. Or the second weirdest?
He added: “There are so many weird people. Pete (O’Mahony) was saying the last day, he thinks he’s one of the most normal in the team and he got shut down very quick.
“Pete is a weirdo.”
So not so much the Team of Us or the Team of WWE, but a team of weirdos. But also one that rows in together.
Were it not for Tadhg Furlong, he would likely have many more than the 46 caps he has won in his nine years in Ireland.
But there is no rivalry, with Bealham disappointed that Furlong is injured himself this week and keen that Thomas Clarkson backing him up settles in quickly.
He said: “I’ve learned loads from Tadhg over the years. I’m really thankful for him.
“I remember a few years ago we used to sit down and watch training together and he would be talking about things he would be doing around the pitch and reviewing sessions together.
“The culture that we have, it’s the way we do it here, that we’re all sharing the knowledge, which has been so beneficial to me, learning what I have from Tadhg.
“We’re all aligned and it’s all team-first. When we’re reviewing we have really good discussions, and it’s really valuable.
“I’m the kinda father, the older man of the group. We’ve got the two young lads, Jack (Aungier) and Tommy, and they’re both doing really well.”
HIGH EXPECTATIONS
But Bealham knows there is a lot expected from him today as Ireland kick off their bid for a third Six Nations title in a row against England, and their formidable scrum.
He said: “First game, Six Nations, at home, in front of our family and friends. It’s going to be unbelievable.
“I know I’m going to have all of my family there, and aiming to do them and our fans and the country proud.
“I think England have a really strong scrum, after watching them in the autumn series. They scrummed really well against New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
“They’ve always had a really well-drilled scrum, but over the autumn they looked really impressive.”
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Mystery Iron Age skeletons discovered in bizarre seated positions & facing same direction at ancient burial site
RESEARCHERS have made a bizarre discovery in an ancient French cemetery.
A group of 13 circular graves have been located by archaeologists working in Dijon, France.
The scientists discovered the burial site dating back to the second Iron Age when digging what was the garden of the Cordeliers convent bordered by the rue de Tivoli.
Inside the 13 circular graves, the archaeologists found skeletons all in a seated position facing west.
Such a Gallic burial site is rare with only eight other known locations in France, according to France’s National Institute for Preventative Archaeological Research (INRAP), the team behind the find.
Only three other Gallic burial sites have been found in Switzerland.
The 13 circular pits measuring about one meter in diameter are equally spaced forming a 25 meter long strip south to north.
Each of the bodies was placed carefully in a seated position with their backs to the eastern wall of the pit, a typical burial method for between 450 and 25 BCE.
All of the skeletons are buried in exactly the same way with their arms resting across their torsos and hands near their pelvis or femurs.
According to INRAP, “their legs are very bent, often asymmetrically.”
Other than all of the bodies being buried with a black armband, there are no other personal or symbolic effects with them.
Despite centuries of erosion, the remains have been left remarkably intact leaving researchers a lot to work with and learn from.
Questions still remain about why the 13 people were buried in this manner but other discovered Gallic burial sites suggest it could be linked to their status in life.
It has been suggested that they may have been politically or religiously important.
INRAP states: “Only a dozen archaeological sites yield around fifty ‘seated’ deceased whose graves are placed near aristocratic dwellings or even sanctuaries or places of worship, away from the necropolises.
“Despite the remoteness of these sites, concordances are repeated: these sepulchral structures are installed at the edge of occupations; the individuals concerned are adults whose sex, when determined, is male.
“In addition, the uniformity of the positions (the same orientation, the careful arrangement of the corpse) recall the stone or metal figures of crouching or even sitting cross-legged dated between the end of La Tène and the High Empire; these burials evoke a practice probably intended for particular subjects.”
While these bizarre burial plots were found on the oldest part of the garden of the Cordeliers convent, another unusual find was made elsewhere on the site.
Archaeologists also found a necropolis dating to the 1st Century CE containing the remains of at least 22 children.
The full amount of bodies is unknown due to agricultural work destroying some of the graves.
But from the remains that have been left intact, the children are believed to have died before they were a year old.
They were each buried on their backs or sides which was typical for the time.
The children were buried with a range of artefacts including stone casings, nails, coins, and ceramics.
Researchers also found the remnants of wooden coffins which have since rotted away.
INRAP said: “The absence of older subjects seems to indicate that this is a space dedicated to the burial of very young children.”
However, at some point the space was used for agriculture and then for butchery.
The team found ancient planting pits near the graves as well as bovine skulls from the 16th or 17th century CE.
Meanwhile, a haul of Bible-era British gold coins have been found in the Netherlands and believed to be the spoils of war from conquering Romans.
