ireland.com - The Irish Times

Leading lights can restore pride
Soccer: A willingness to look on the bright side seems to be a key part of almost everybody's job description in the FAI these days and being at least as much a team player as anyone in the Irish set-up this week, Bobby Robson did his bit on Wednesday when describing the Republic's recent run of results - a home draw with the Czechs and two defeats of San Marino - as "something of a roll". p

Ireland given World Cup reality check
Cricket: Ireland ran into a carnival procession here yesterday as a pumped-up West Indies cruised to victory in front of 20,000 cheering locals. p

Argentina tour gets go ahead
Rugby: Ireland's summer tour of Argentina is still scheduled to go ahead as planned despite the IRFU's displeasure at the procrastination of the host union over the venue for the first Test. p

Soccer

Occasion should inspire home victory
Brian Kerr Soccer analyst : Unless Ireland pick up six points from these two games our interests in qualifying will all but disintegrate, ensuring we become bit-part players for the remaining group fixtures. A situation Ireland have not encountered since the 1986 World Cup qualifying campaign. p
Dangling man hangs by a thread
Republic of Ireland v Wales : Tom Humphries feels that Steve Staunton is fighting a losing battle in his shambolic role as Republic of Ireland manager. p
Ireland Players ... Probable line-ups
Goalkeeper Shay Given Age : 30. Club : Newcastle United. Caps : 78. Goals : 0. p
Ireland called to set record straight
Stephen Ireland: Mary Hannigan hears the views of a Corkman who seems central to Steve Staunton's plans. p
Laconic manager gives very little away
John Toshack : Dodgy brown sandals, a dapper smile - made for television - and a sense of humour of desert dry proportions, John Toshack held court at Jury's Hotel yesterday. p
Wales Players ... Probable line-ups
Goalkeeper Danny Coyne Age : 33. Club : Burnley. Caps : 12. Goals : 0. p
Cech hopes to frustrate Ballack
Czech Rep v Germany : The Czech Republic face Germany in a top-of-the-table Group D European qualifying clash featuring two goalkeepers desperate to stop their club-mates from scoring. p
Delivering victory is the least expected of McClaren
Group E Israel v England : Steve McClaren is only seven matches into the job but sounds as if he can hardly recall a time when he was not manager of England. p
Only a win will do says captain Terry
Israel v England : If football pitches had the equivalent of stump-mounted microphones, then tonight's match in Tel Aviv would be needing a PG certificate. p
Muddy waters may get clearer in next few days
Euro 2008 Overview : The European Championship finals are more than a year away, but the outcome of several key qualifiers over the next week could have a significant bearing on who gets there. p
It's make or break time for Slovakia
Cyprus v Slovakia : Slovakia face make-or-break trips to Cyprus and the Republic of Ireland, but defender Marek Cech is pessimistic after their results last autumn. p
Howzat for a relic from the distant past
Sideline Cut : Ireland has to conquer twice this afternoon. Beating Wales is an absolute necessity. But they also have to win the hearts of an easily bored nation that has shown more interest in the fortunes of the national cricket team for the past week than in the original Boys in Green. p
Murphy's strike rocks the Brandywell
Derry City 0 St Patrick's Athletic 1: St Patrick's Athletic's superb start to the new season continued at the Brandywell last night when Johnny McDonnell's men recorded what could prove a significant win against Derry City. p
Zayed grabs a dramatic winner
Galway Utd 2 Drogheda Utd 3: Drogheda United survived a stern examination in a tense Terryland Park thriller as Eamon Zayed grabbed a dramatic winner. p
Quick-fire Bray take spoils in second half
Waterford Utd 1 Bray Wanderers 2: A two-goal blitz in as many minutes by Bray Wanderers, midway through the second half, turned this game at the RSC on its head and gave the visitors victory in a tie that was considered a "six pointer" by both managers. p
Kuduzovic adds to Longford's misery
Longford Town 0 Sligo Rovers 1 : Sligo picked up their second victory of the new season at Flancare Park with victory over a Longford Town side who remain without a solitary point after three rounds of matches in the league. p
O'Donovan strike gets Cork off mark
UCD 0 Cork City 1 : A perfectly-struck effort by striker Roy O'Donovan on the stroke of half-time enabled Cork City to kick-start their Premier Division campaign with their first goal and first win in three league games. p
Jones's Road first graced by women
Kevin Mallon writes that today's European Championship qualifier against Wales is not the first international soccer match to be played at Jones's Road. p

Gaelic Games

Harte is in the right place
National Football League : Tyrone may struggling but it would be wrong to write them off, former boss Art McRory tells Keith Duggan . p
Still searching for consistency
National Hurling League: Ian O'Riordan assesses the mood within the Dublin hurling camp following their bright league start. p
Shortall quits Carlow post
News : Carlow's county executive was meeting late last night to consider the implications of senior football manager Andy Shortall's unexpected decision to resign from the post. Shortall handed in his resignation to the county board on Thursday night. p
Weekend previews
A look ahead to all the action today and tomorrow: p

Golf

Woods storms into the lead
USPGA Tour : Obituaries for Tiger Woods' putting stroke were being hastily binned last night as the world number one stormed through the field to grab the halfway lead in the $8 million WGC-CA Championship at the Doral Resort in Miami. p
Vancsik edges into halfway lead
Madeira Open : Argentina's Daniel Vancsik leads Frenchman Christian Cevaer by one at the halfway stage of the Madeira Island Open. p

Rugby

Munster complete an unlikely comeback
Celtic League/ Ulster 21 Munster 24 : A flawed second half performance cost Ulster dearly as understrength Munster prized an unlikely Magners Celtic victory from Ravenhill last night. p
Waiting and watching proves tough
Interview/ Trevor Halstead: Keith Duggan talks to Munster's Springbok who is itching to get back into action now that the Six Nations campaign has come to an end. p
Leinster waiting on D'Arcy and Contepomi
Celtic League : Leinster coach Michael Cheika undoubtedly knows the composition of his backline this morning but the official line is that there will be a late decision taken on the fitness of Gordon D'Arcy and outhalf Felipe Contepomi. p
All-Ireland League previews
A look ahead to all the action this weekend: p

Cricket World Cup

Woolmer's death leaves me feeling sick
A week in Kingston: Richard Gillis looks back on a traumatic week that saw the Pakistan coach's sudden death rock the cricket world cup. p
Kingston police probe match fixing theory
News: Detectives investigating the murder of Pakistan's cricket coach, Bob Woolmer, say they are actively pursuing the possibility that match-fixing of one or more of the World Cup games may have provided the motive for his killing. p
Irish fans are warned of Georgetown dangers
Irish supporters travelling to the next round of the ICC Cricket World Cup have been advised to take out travel insurance which includes the cost of medical evacuation because health facilities are so poor in Guyana. p

Racing

Bawaader looks another for Weld
Curragh preview : Nobody saddled more winners than Dermot Weld during the 2006 flat season and the legendary trainer looks the man to follow at the Curragh tomorrow when the 2007 campaign kicks off. p
Hard to resist Nickname
Navan Preview : With the ground at Navan today officially forecast to be "heavy" there won't be many willing to bet against the prolific Nickname notching up his sixth victory of the season. p

Other

Confident Dunne looks to the future
Boxing/ Super Bantamweight : Bernard Dunne will step into the ring tomorrow night. People will again get excited. Dunne has been able to take the fan base created on his amateur reputation and hold them for the last three years since he turned professional. p
Britton on a learning curve
Athletics World Cross Country Championships : Was it Paul Tergat, Kenya's five-time champion, who said the World Cross Country is "the ultimate test for any runner worth his name, a combination of sprinting, trotting and distance running, where you run with two eyes - one on the course ahead and the other on the ground to look where you are placing your feet"? p
Armagh triumph
Sports Digest/ SCHOOLS' HOCKEY : For the seventh time in eight years Ulster took the All-Ireland schools' title at Grange Road yesterday, this time Royal School Armagh triumphing in the competition to add to their 2002 and 2004 successes, writes Mary Hannigan . p

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