Previous Day
O'Sullivan calls on his reserves
Ireland v Fiji: Lansdowne Road, Sunday: The World Cup may be still a year away, and this is very much the phoney war stage, but as it's the nearest thing to a dress rehearsal of any sort, Eddie O'Sullivan and company have next year's Australian global get-together in mind when using the squad system for Sunday's test with Fiji at Lansdowne Road. p
Genesis reforms could cost FAI €1.7m
The FAI faces the prospect of having to stump up around 10 per cent of its annual turnover if it is to fully implement the recommendations of the Genesis report, the contents of which were made public by the organisation on Tuesday evening. p
Bellamy gamble hits the jackpot
Feyenoord - 2 Newcastle Utd - 3 A night of seriously dramatic entertainment in a great stadium pulsing with excitement ended in appropriate fashion for Newcastle United when Craig Bellamy scored a 90th-minute winner. The three points were a superb achievement in their own right, but they also brought Newcastle a place in the Champions League second phase as Juventus, to everyone's surprise, won 2-1 in Kiev. p
Soccer
Veron helps put United on top
Manchester United - 2 Bayer leverkusen - 0 If there is one player at Old Trafford with something to prove after Saturday's trauma at Manchester City, it should be Juan Sebastian Veron rather than Gary Neville, the resident scapegoat. Neville found himself out of the team last night, even if publishing deadlines meant he appeared on the programme cover with the rather inappropriate headline, "Neville Worship." pDeportivo go through
GROUP G: Spain's Deportivo La Coruna qualified for the second phase after coming from behind to beat AC Milan 2-1 at the San Siro. pHoullier targets Gerrard's conceit
Gerard Houllier, the Liverpool manager, yesterday launched an outspoken attack on Steven Gerrard after the club's departure from the Champions League. He implied that conceit was impairing the midfielder's performance. The failings were a key factor in the 3-3 draw with Basel that means Liverpool will now forgo some £10 million of expected income from the tournament. pVenables has little choice
Leeds United (1) v Hapoel Tel Aviv (0): Leeds, severely depleted but far from daunted, arrived in Italy without England full-back Danny Mills yesterday, though he and they have been quick to deny rumours his absence was because of a dressing-room spat. pSaha diagnosis more bad news for Tigana
Louis Saha yesterday discovered the doctor's verdict on his hamstring operation - and the striker will not pull on a Fulham jersey until mid-January at the earliest. The Frenchman, who sustained an injury in September, went under the surgeon's knife on Thursday and faces another two months watching from the Loftus Road stands, starting against Dynamo Zagreb in the UEFA Cup tonight. pSouness confident of beating old rivals
Blackburn (0) v Celtic 1: Three decades have been and gone since Celtic last overcame English opponents in Europe and, amid all the cries of injustice emanating from Ewood Park, it has almost been overlooked that they are halfway there again. pCup run gives comfort to the Royle family
Joe Royle hopes a good UEFA Cup run will help him keep hold of his best players at Ipswich. They go into tonight's UEFA Cup second-round tie with Czech champions Slovan Liberec holding a slender 1-0 advantage. Royle, who is likely to stick with the 3-5-2 formation he fielded in the League Cup win over Middlesbrough and draw at Sheffield United, hands starts to Darren Ambrose and top scorer Pablo Counago, back from a three-match domestic ban. p
Fiji coach prepared to learn the hard way
Johnny Watterson talks to Mac McCallion, who views Sunday's international as part of a long build-up to next year's World Cup pSexton penalty edges Leinster through
Leinster ... 3 Ulster ... 0 Ulster Schools wasted their best opportunity since their last win over Leinster Schools back in 1989 to trump the reigning interprovincial champions at Donnybrook yesterday. pMurphy the heir apparent at fullback
Gerry Thornley on the talented Leicester Tigers fullback who returns from the wilderness again p
Cork job comes as news to Considine
John Considine has denied that he has had any contact with the Cork county board in respect of the vacant county senior hurling manager's position. Considine, a former All-Ireland winner and minor county manager, has been extensively mentioned as a front-runner for the position resigned by Bertie Óg Murphy after one turbulent season in charge. pLeinster hope to avoid Olympics clash
Championship 2003: Fixtures and dates : THE Leinster Council hope to have planned a way around the threatened disruption to their schedules when the Special Olympics comes to Croke Park next June. p
Patriots have 'tuck' on their side
BASEBALL: As the eminent baseball philosopher Lawrence Peter (Yogi) Berra once observed in another connection, "it was like déjà vu all over again." As hard-bitten followers of the National Football League are painfully aware, the New England Patriots' unlikely march to victory in Super Bowl XXXVI last season was made possible in no small part by an even more improbable sequence of officiating decisions in the waning moments of their snow-blown January play-off game against the Oakland Raiders. pNed Kelly set for a return at Fairyhouse
RACING: Edward O'Grady confirmed yesterday that the star hurdler Ned Kell will make his comeback at Fairyhouse at the end of the month. But O'Grady also reported that the AIG winner is unlikely to be fit enough to come out on top in the Hattons Grace Hurdle. pTennis Ireland on side but were only consulted out of courtesy
Propriety Management, the organisers and creators of The Trilogy, yesterday clarified the role of Tennis Ireland in the tennis element of their event next month, which also includes a fashion and music element. p
