KEYBOARD WARRIORS: ANDY FARRELL SLAMS ONLINE CRITICS AFTER NARROW SIX NATIONS WIN
Andy Farrell hits back: Discover why the Ireland boss is defending Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley from "damaging" online critics.
Andy Farrell didn’t hold back when he hit out at “keyboard warriors” and shot down claims that Irish fans cheered when Sam Prendergast got subbed off during Saturday’s tight 20-13 Six Nations win over Italy.
Prendergast, who started at fly-half, had a rough day out there. He missed two very makeable conversions, and the Aviva crowd let out some groans when those kicks went wide. Then, when he got replaced by Jack Crowley in the 56th minute, there was a big cheer. But Farrell says that was all about welcoming Crowley, not celebrating Prendergast’s exit.
“No, that’s not true,” Farrell said. “You’re just making that up. I heard the cheer for Jack. Jack’s a good lad and a good player. Munster supporters and Irish supporters are allowed to cheer when he comes on. Let’s not twist it into something it’s not.”
Talking about Prendergast’s missed kicks, Farrell, who’s no stranger to tough days on the pitch, kept it real. “I’ve missed worse, and I’ve heard worse groans, honestly. Everyone does it. Sam’s probably frustrated with parts of his game, sure, but that’s just how it goes.”
Right now, the fly-half spot is a real talking point. The debate has split fans along provincial lines, just like with Ronan O’Gara and Johnny Sexton back in the day. After Sexton retired post-World Cup, Crowley seemed like the clear successor, but then Prendergast broke through with his Test debut in autumn 2024.
Farrell laid into the online critics. “Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but with all these keyboard warriors lately, people need to ask themselves, ‘Are we actually supporting our own?’ It’s tough on these young lads. Both Sam and Jack are strong, but I’ve seen this kind of stuff get to people. So, the Twitter brigade, or whatever it’s called now, needs to wise up and help these kids out. It’s damaging. We need to back them.”
Crowley came on with the match tied at 10-10, settled things down, and nailed a conversion and a penalty. Still, he missed touch with a late penalty, and Ireland missed out on a bonus point.
“He’s gutted about that kick to the corner, obviously, but he did a lot more good than harm. He should be proud of what he did,” Farrell added.
Ireland got back to winning ways, even if it wasn’t convincing, after getting hammered by France in the first round. Farrell doesn’t mind if people are writing off his injury-hit team ahead of next weekend’s trip to England, who’ll be out for blood after their Calcutta Cup loss to Scotland.
“People might say we’ve got nothing to lose, but we do,” he said. “We want to win, we want to play better, and we want to learn from tough games away from home. Paris was a big test; Twickenham will be the same. We’ve got to take something from it and see what we can do.”
He grinned. “I know people will write us off.”
MILLION DOLLAR BET: LOGAN PAUL’S OPEN CHALLENGE TO THE NFL BACKFIRES AS BELL ACCEPTS
Logan Paul is ducking: Read about Le’Veon Bell’s $1M challenge, Tom Brady’s "cute" insult, and the Pittsburgh Draft fight rumours.
A former NFL star just called out Logan Paul, saying he’s dodging their $1 million fight.
So here’s what’s been going on: Logan Paul, who’s held the WWE United States Championship, got into it with NFL legend Tom Brady. Brady kicked things off by saying pro wrestling is “cute” and throwing shade at Paul’s athleticism compared to NFL players.
Logan didn’t let that slide. He fired back, claiming 99% of NFL players would fall apart if they tried wrestling in WWE, and then flipped the script by calling football "cute". Things really heated up when Brady straight-up called him a b*tch, and Logan decided to up the ante.
On his IMPAULSIVE podcast, Logan claimed no football player could beat him in a boxing match. He even put $1 million on the line, daring any NFL player to prove him wrong. A bunch of NFL guys jumped in, but Le’Veon Bell, a former Steelers star and a pro boxer himself, really took the bait.
Bell challenged Logan to fight in Pittsburgh during the 2026 NFL draft. He didn’t hold back, posting, “STOP DUCKING, @LoganPaul. Bro’s trying to fight an NFL player that’s never fought before. Let’s set it up; we all heard you say you can beat any NFL player. We can fight in April; the NFL draft is in PITTSBURGH. Let’s make it happen.”
Logan fired back. He pointed out that Bell isn’t in the NFL anymore, and since Bell actually knows how to fight, Logan said he’d need serious training time, which means stepping away from WWE, something he’s not willing to do. Plus, Logan claimed the fight isn’t worth it because Bell doesn’t draw a big crowd. “You’re not in the NFL. You can actually fight, so I’d have to properly train and step away from WWE (which I’m not doing, especially not for you). There’s no money here because you’re not a draw. Prove me wrong. Of course, you want the opportunity. I’m a goldmine for retirees like you. But gg,” Logan replied.
Bell wasn’t having it. He accused Logan of ducking out, saying Logan’s only interested in fighting NFL players with zero boxing experience. “THIS MF A (duck emoji) bro said, 'You can actually fight,' so he’s telling everyone he wants to fight someone who he feels can’t fight. That’s what we call DUCKING,” Bell shot back.
THIRD FASTEST EVER? HOW DID JAYSON TATUM BEAT KEVIN DURANT’S RECOVERY BY 254 DAYS?
Jayson Tatum is back: Read about his 298-day Achilles recovery, the 15-minute limit, and why the Celtics are now title favourites.
Jayson Tatum sat at the Auerbach Center, listening to questions from reporters during Celtics media day, looking like he was itching to get back on the court.
The Celtics’ star forward is finally on the verge of returning after tearing his Achilles less than 300 days ago, but don’t expect to see him logging big minutes right away. Reports say Boston plans to be extra cautious. Brett Siegel from ClutchPoints even said he’d be surprised if Tatum plays more than 10 to 15 minutes per game at first.
Tatum’s officially listed as questionable for Friday’s home game against the Mavericks. If he suits up, it'll be a huge boost for Boston, and honestly, a bit of a shock, considering how long other players have been out with the same injury. Just look at Dejounte Murray; he had to wait nearly 100 days longer than Tatum before coming back, and the Pelicans have limited him to 25 minutes a night since.
At the start of the season, most people figured Tatum would sit out the whole year. That’s what usually happens with Achilles injuries; guys like Durant, Klay, and DeMarcus Cousins all missed at least a year. Damian Lillard and Tyrese Haliburton, who tore their Achilles in last year’s playoffs too, were ruled out for the entire season.
But then whispers started. Suddenly, Tatum was practising with the G League’s Maine Celtics, then joining full scrimmages with the big club. The rumours got louder, and now, here we are. If he does play Friday, he’ll have pulled off the third-fastest return from an Achilles tear in recent NBA history; only Kobe Bryant and Chauncey Billups came back quicker.
Here’s a quick rundown:
Kobe Bryant: 240 days
Chauncey Billups: 296 days
Jayson Tatum: 298 days
DeMarcus Cousins: 357 days
Kevin Durant: 552 days
Of course, Boston isn’t taking any chances. Tatum had to hit every checkpoint – conditioning, weight, you name it – before they’d let him suit up. And by all accounts, he looks good. Derrick White said Tatum has been moving well and playing like his old self in practice. You can see how hard he’s worked to get to this point.
The Celtics are 41-21 and already one of the league’s best, but Tatum’s return suddenly makes them the favourites to win the East and push for another Finals trip. Oddsmakers have noticed, too. Thomas Gable at Borgata said Tatum’s comeback could give Boston’s title odds another bump, and David Lieberman at Caesars pointed out that bettors have already started to back the Celtics with his return in mind.
So, yeah, Boston fans have a lot to be excited about. Tatum’s almost back, and the Celtics’ championship hopes just got a whole lot brighter.
