Previous Day
Union to get RWC review on Monday
Rugby: The IRFU's long-awaited review of Ireland's World Cup campaign will be presented to the union's 22-man executive committee at a specially meeting on Monday. p
Capello gets under starting orders
International Soccer: Fabio Capello was appointed
as England coach last night following the conclusion of
negotiations between his legal team and English Football
Association officials at Soho Square. p
United's strength-in-depth may be all the difference
English Premier League: There was a time when only a satirist would have portrayed a plucky little Chelsea battling the odds and putting up a fight for the Premier League against better-resourced sides. p
Soccer
Tallaght gets green light
League of Ireland: Shamrock Rovers hope to be playing at their new home in Tallaght by the start of the 2009 season after the High Court ruled South Dublin County Council should be allowed to complete its long-awaited stadium without providing for Gaelic games. pMooney poised to move to St Andrews
Domestic news : Former Shamrock Rovers and Longford Town striker Dave Mooney looks set to sign for Birmingham City over the weekend after doing well while on trial with the St Andrews club over the past few days. pAdding firepower to Spanish armada
English FA Premier League : While Fernando Torres was intent on joining Liverpool's Spanish enclave last summer, it was the Merseysiders who benefited most, writes Andy Hunter . pCech unlikely to drop his guard just yet
English FA Premier League: A freezing December's day in the Surrey countryside. Petr Cech is delayed for an hour by drug testers at Chelsea's training ground and is full of apologies, rubbing his hands together to warm them up before offering the kind of handshake that brings back memories of the old Carling advert and Len Ganley crunching a snooker ball into dust. pWaghorn could be Keane's lifeblood
A year on the Wear : Sunderland won 6-1 the other night. You might have missed it - only 487 were at the Stadium of Light to see it - and in the scheme of things, a thumping FA Youth Cup victory over Norwich City hardly matters should Sunderland's big team lose on the same pitch to Aston Villa today. pPremier League team news
A look ahead to all the weekend's action: pBlighty coup a blight on three green fields
Sideline Cut : You see? You see? There is a very good reason why Blighty once ruled the waves, writes Keith Duggan . p
Managing to become indispensable
European Cup/ Pool Five Munster v Llanelli : 'The change was forced on me at Swansea, but I just wish I could have had a good eight-year run at it here. I think I could have achieved a lot more' Gerry Thornley talks to Shaun Payne, still out in all weathers as the cosy desk job goes on hold pBald facts speak for themselves
European Cup Pool Six: Johnny Watterson meets the
in-form Leinster hooker Bernard Jackman and gets to clear up a few
urban legends about the RDS crowd-pleaser. pPragmatism can see Leinster through
Pool Six Preview : Edinburgh v Leinster Murrayfield, 3.30 On TV: Sky Sports 2 : Leinster's focus this week has been on the position of scrumhalf, 36-year-old Guy Easterby having been parachuted in as cover for the injured Chris Whitaker. pUlster restore some pride
Pool Two/ Ulster 8 Ospreys 16 : Another defeat, indeed a third in a row at Ravenhill, yet Ulster salvaged some pride against the Ospreys last night. pNewcastle will go for the jugular
Challenge Cup : Last week's 16-13 victory over Newcastle at the Sportsground gives Connacht a shot at another European odyssey. Only problem is they have gone to Kingston Park before and struggled. pEuropean Cup Weekend previews
A look ahead to this weekend's action: pDeans gets Wallabies job
News : The appointment of Robbie Deans as the first foreign-born coach to take charge of the Australian national rugby side yesterday finally capped a long coaching apprenticeship that began more than a decade ago. p
Old timer has youth on his side
Leinster Club SFC final: Tom Humphries meets St Vincent's manager Mickey Whelan, who is enjoying a renaissance after a turbulent stint with Dublin. pSt Vincent's roll should have momentum
You have to go back 34 years to locate the last time a Westmeath team got to a Leinster club final. By coincidence, The Downs also came up against St Vincent's and ended up getting an unmerciful trimming. pKelly asked to apologise
News: Tipperary's new football board chairman Noel Morris has called on Seán Kelly to apologise to former GAA presidents for the "hurt" he caused them with comments made at Annual Congress in Killarney in 2004. p
Harrington targets Tiger
Target World Challenge : Padraig Harrington donned his scoring hat in the Target World Challenge to join the chasing bunch battling to keep pace with a rampant Tiger Woods at sun-splashed Sherwood Country Club yesterday pClarke stays solid to keep in the hunt
South African Open : James Kingston moved to the top of the leaderboard at the South African Open yesterday to head the field by one stroke after a three-under 69. p
Over The Creek stakes Welsh National claims
Cheltenham report : Over The Creek staked his claim for the Coral Welsh National as he lowered the colours of some familiar names in the Boylesports.com Cashback Chase at Cheltenham yesterday. pGem Daly looks up to this task
Sunday Preview : Gem Daly may not have the profile his stable companion Aran Concerto had going into last year's Barry & Sandra Kelly Memorial Novice Hurdle but that shouldn't prove any barrier to Noel Meade's horse landing the €100,000 Grade One Navan feature tomorrow. pSublimity is fit enough to do himself justice
Cheltenham preview: Sublimity returns to the scene of his greatest triumph with connections hoping class will overcome rustiness when the champion hurdler gets back to action in today's Boylesports International at Cheltenham. p
Some welcome additions but a few fill a much-needed gap
GAA historians Mark Duncan and Paul Rouse wade through the mountain of new GAA books and come up with a few gems. pHamilton's unique insight into a flawed genius
Emmet Malone finds that if you're a Red Devil you're likely to have a happy time reading during the Christmas holidays. pFrom when Hogan met Nelson to Harrington's major coup
John O'Sullivan finds plenty to enjoy in an array of golfing tomes, from a factional account of a match between two legends and the exploits of Ireland's older amateur stars. pCompelling tales of true lives in professional era
Richard Gillis on the best 2007 rugby work, from Trevor Brennan's award-winning effort to an analysis of the game post-amateurism. pStranger than fiction from the Caribbean and assorted others
Mary Hannigan looks at two fascinating accounts of Ireland's cricketing exploits this year, and wraps up some other offerings, from motor sport to horse racing to snooker. p
Lee not fazed by personal touch
Boxing : Flanked by Emanuel Stewart on one side and promoter Brian Peters on the other, Andy Lee yesterday had the relaxed air of a fighter who knows what direction his career is headed. pReggae rhythm good in Negril
Ian O'Riordan On Athletics : Ian, All is good to go for the Reggae Marathon in Negril, Jamaica. I have spoken with them and they will look after everything on the ground. If Jamaica for a couple of days in December is okay with you. Regards, Peter Conway, Caribbean Collection, Midleton, Co Cork. pMuckross make up for recent hurt
Schools Hockey Leinster Premier League final/ Muckross Park 2 Loreto Beaufort 1 : After a string of hard-luck stories at Grange Road in recent years, in both cup and league competitions, Muckross Park had plenty to celebrate at the same venue yesterday when they beat reigning champions Loreto Beaufort in the Leinster Premier League final. pYachtsman in Atlantic Rally dies from head injuries
Sailing : John Thompson (54), the skipper of Belfast yacht Avocet participating in the Atantic Rally for cruisers, has died in hospital in Barbados following an accident in the mid-Atlantic. pNorman's conquering of Evert hardly grist to Mill
News : Tennis legend Chris Evert talked to a roomful of journalists about her plans for a new tennis academy - but everyone just stared at the enormous piece of silverware on her finger. pBree is 'ready to explode' in 200m
Sports Digest/SWIMMING : Andrew Bree says he will be "ready to explode" when he gets on the blocks for the 200m breaststroke heats tomorrow morning at the European short course championships in Debrecen, Hungary. p
