Previous Day
Blinkers remain firmly in place
Rugby: So it's all Peter Stringer's fault. The only
changes to the team that lost 25-3 to France are the return of
Denis Hickie for Andrew Trimble - an admission of a selection error
which effectively cost Ireland two tries and any hope of a bonus
point against France - and Geordan Murphy for the injured Girvan
Dempsey, writes
Gerry Thornley In Bordeaux. p
Grant faces objection over coaching badge
Manchester United will fight Chelsea's request for a Premier League dispensation from rules governing managers' coaching qualifications. Avram Grant was appointed as Jose Mourinho's successor last week, although it is not clear whether he holds a valid Uefa Pro licence certificate. p
Soccer
Torres' hat-trick speaks volumes
English League Cup Third Round: Reading 2 (Convey 28 Halls 64), Liverpool 4 (Benayoun 23 Torres 50, 72, 86): There is no need for Fernando Torres to complain about Rafael Benitez's rotation policy when he produces finishing that merits a far greater stage than the League Cup. pBehan grabs hat-trick for Cork
FAI Cup Quarter-final (replay), Cork City 4, Waterford United 0: Denis Behan was the star of the show at Turner's Cross with a hat-trick that helped Cork City into the semi-finals of the FAI Ford Cup. Cork took full advantage of the second opportunity offered them in Waterford on Saturday and their victory was all too easy. pYoungest guns still too classy for United
Arsenal 2 (Bendtner 83 Denilson 89), Newcastle 0, Attendance: 60,400: For those who envisaged a closing of the gap between the haves and have-nots of English football this season, this was a chastening experience. pJol's new job title lives on borrowed time
News Round-Up: Martin Jol has been called many things in private by various Tottenham directors during what has been a spiky managerial tenure. Yet, the Dutchman cannot ever have envisaged the label that clings to him at present and undermines him most gravely - that which says "caretaker". pEriksson's powers extend to Samaras
Manchester City 1 (Samaras 90), Norwich0, Attendance: 20,938: The restorative influence of Sven-Goran Eriksson know no bounds at Manchester City. Last night the former England manager even managed to coax a goal out of Georgios Samaras as the much-maligned striker sent City into the fourth round of the English League Cup at the cruel expense of Norwich City. pDouble hernia operation for Owen
Soccer Digest: Michael Owen is scheduled to undergo a double hernia operation in Germany on Friday. The England and Newcastle United striker's need for surgery, which will almost certainly rule him out of next month's Euro 2008 qualifiers against Estonia and Russia, writes Louise Taylor. p
Maybe the time is right to blow it
Hors de Combat: We might be short on strength in depth in Irish rugby, but one thing we're definitely not short of is opinions, writes Risteárd Cooper . pIn at deep end but on a high
Pool D Ireland v Argentina: Geordan Murphy is officially over the moon. He never ran away. He never thought about it. He hung in there and now he's over the moon, writes Johnny Watterson in Bordeaux. pFriendships put on hold for wary Contepomi
Pool D Ireland v Argentina: Pockets of media dot the auditorium at Enghiens-les-Bains, the biggest single cluster perched on a bank of steps that normally serves as a walkway to the dais, writes John O'Sullivan in Enghiens-les-Bains. pHansen makes case for Europe
World Cup News: The pressure of qualifying for the knockout phase of the World Cup is preventing Northern Hemisphere sides from playing their best rugby according to New Zealand assistant coach Steve Hansen. pAshton makes tough call on Vickery
Pool A England v Tonga: An England coach who decides to omit his captain from a definitive World Cup match is either a selectorial genius or a short-term thinker paying the price for an earlier misjudgment. pJapan snatch late draw
Pool B, Canada 12, Japan 12: Japan scored a controversial injury-time try to snatch a draw in their battle with Canada to avoid Pool B's wooden spoon. pNow you see me, now you don't
In this first extract from his new book, Heart and Soul , Trevor Brennan explains how his Ireland international career came to an abrupt and unexpected end - and how it still hurts. pThe World is Oval
Compiled by Johnny Watterson pRomania made to battle
Pool C, Romania 14, Portugal 10: Romania narrowly avoided a huge upset when two tries in the last half hour gave them a 14-10 win over Portugal's remarkable amateurs in their World Cup match in Toulouse last night. pLarkham's Cup could be over
Pool B: Australia outhalf Stephen Larkham is in doubt for the rest of the World Cup after undergoing a second knee operation. pCheika welcomes early challenge Rugby Celtic League news Celtic League: Fixtures
Celtic League news: With Australian import Mick Berne ruled out for at least four weeks after sustaining a fractured cheekbone against Edinburgh last Saturday, one of Leinster's home-grown talents will keep Brian O'Driscoll's number 13 jersey warm at the Arms Park this Friday night, Gavin Cummiskey reports. p
Antrim feel left out of the loop
Gaelic Games News round-up: Antrim County Board chairman Dr John McSparran has described the Hurling Development Committee (HDC) proposals for next year's championship as "a botched job". pKildare to meet on McGeeney
Kieran McGeeney could be ratified as Kildare football manager by next Tuesday, when the county board delegates convene for their monthly meeting. pCongress has two hot potatoes to handle
On Gaelic Games: The national GAA scene is at present a bit like a fish out of water. The big events have drained away with all the big intercounty All-Irelands now concluded, writes Seán Moran . p
Building a sense of history and tradition
The Seve Trophy The story so far: Philip Reid looks back at the origin of the series and the four stagings of the competition. pWeir out to prove he's not a token Canuck
Presidents Cup: Canada's Mike Weir will be under the microscope while Tiger Woods commands the spotlight as golf's best battle for the Presidents Cup. pA first for the British Open
Golf News: History has been made with the announcement that Royal St George's in Kent and Royal Lytham and St Annes in Lancashire were named as the venues for the 2011 and 2012 British Open Championships. p
Weld to wait for Longchamp
Some of Ireland's best are gearing up for Ascot's Group One festival this weekend but Dermot Weld has decided to skip Saturday's Meon Valley Stud Fillies Mile with Mad About You and the star juvenile will instead wait for the Prix Marcel Boussac at Longchamp the following weekend. pAlonso's days with McLaren are numbered
Formula One Championship: The future of Fernando Alonso is being viewed as crucial to how Formula One's driver merry-go-round will conclude this season. p
Sports Digest
Cycling and tennis. p
