Previous Day
Closure delayed as two dig in their heels
The strike may be over but this long-drawn-out process has one more day to run after the Cork football management again refused to collectively resign yesterday. p
Benitez is running out of time
English FA Cup: Quarter-final draw: Liverpool are
to review Rafael Benitez's position at the end of the season after
Saturday's home FA Cup defeat by Barnsley. p
Rooney out on his own
FA CUP/Manchester Utd 4 Arsenal 0: Talent has always set Wayne Rooney apart but it has never been clear whether he should also stand alone in a football team. p
Soccer
Grim show for Benitez
FA CUP/Liverpool 1 Barnsley 2: The Liverpool manager, Rafael Benitez, has suffered plenty of slings and arrows throughout this campaign, many from his American employer, but here the Spaniard was entirely culpable for his own discomfort. pLampard's sights on Europe after ton
FA CUP/Chelsea 3 Huddersfield Town 1: Frank Lampard could reflect with pride at how far he has come since he swapped east London for west in the summer of 2001. pCeltic in very fine fettle ahead of big test
Scottish League/Celtic 3 Hearts 0: Massimo Donati felt a win over Hearts was crucial to ensure confidence in the Celtic camp remained high ahead of Wednesday's Champions League first knockout round clash with Barcelona. pJames saves the day for Portsmouth
FA CUP/Preston 0 Portsmouth 1: David James continued his outstanding form with a second-half penalty save before Preston midfielder Darren Carter scored an injury-time own-goal to fortuitously guide Portsmouth into the FA Cup quarter-finals. pAppalling surface, appalling match
FA CUP/Sheffield Utd 0 Middlesbrough 0: When a game's most imaginative moment comes dressed up as a set-piece, invention is invariably in short supply and it certainly seemed absent without leave here. pDelaney offers Keane some advice
International News: If last Wednesday finally saw white smoke billowing from Abbotstown, with confirmation that Giovanni Trapattoni was to be the new Republic of Ireland manager, eyes are now fixed on the skyline over Sunderland to see if any steam rises from the manager's office following John Delaney's riposte to Roy Keane and his recent criticism of the Football Association of Ireland. pScudzilla the movie: take 39
On The FA Cup: English football has long seemed to model itself on a reliably rubbish 1950s B-movie. We already had the cast of hulking alpha males and air-headed WAGs, flying about in an atmosphere of barely contained hysteria, and now we also have the monster. pPlanet Football
Quotes of the week: "The Board of Management . . . have appointed Giovanni Trapattoni as the next manager of the Republic of Ireland senior international team." - The FAI's statement on Wednesday. Quote of the year? Too right. p
Battling Leinster survive double hit
Magniers League/Leinster 24 Cardiff 17: It would be an exaggeration to suggest it was a patchwork team but shorn of more than half a dozen front-line players, Leinster appeared vulnerable in taking on their nearest pursuers in the Magners League. pBelow-par Connacht lose collisions
Magniers League/Ospreys 37 Connacht 7: Wales coach Warren Gatland could be forgiven for sometimes forgetting time and place on Saturday evening in Liberty Stadium. pConstitution too strong as Manning proves the tonic
All-Ireland League Division One: Leaders Cork Constitution laid down a significant marker for the remainder of the tournament by travelling to Dublin and thumping Clontarf 36-7. pCruel timing for Geraghty
English Premiership/London Irish 22 Leicester 13: It was a year ago that Shane Geraghty made his Six Nations mark by coming on as a replacement outhalf against France and creating the winning try with a break from his own half, but there is unlikely to be a repeat in Paris on Saturday, even if England unexpectedly develop a penchant for attack. p
Kilkenny seem even hungrier after delay
Kilkenny1-21 Dublin 2-10: No soft-bellied, purring cats at Nowlan Park yesterday. Are there ever? pMcGee's blockbuster closes book on Mayo
Donegal 2-11 Mayo 0-16: Donegal seem intent on defending their league title as entertainingly as possible. pTipperary ruthless with weakened neighbours
Tipperary 2-20 Limerick 2-9: Two teams at different stages of the preparation cycle provided a lopsided contest in Thurles yesterday, and Tipperary were convincing winners. pEager Antrim bounce back to form
Antrim 3-11 Wexford 1-10: Antrim bounced back from their heavy defeat against Dublin last week with a comprehensive win over a Wexford team that looked like they felt that it was just a matter of turning up. pKerry back on track
Kerry 0-12 Tyrone 0-9: There was little doubting this rare Kerry win over Tyrone at Austin Stack Park on Saturday night was merited but the home side should have posted a bigger total and that will give Pat O'Shea plenty to work on for the visit of leaders Derry to Killarney in two weeks' time. pClare find classact in Flaherty
Clare 1-25 Laois 1-15: After losing away to Galway a week ago in their opening game, Clare collected their first league points, when they easily overcame Laois by 10 points at Scariff yesterday. pOffaly show their mettle
Offaly 3-9 Galway 0-18: For only the second time in 34 league meetings Offaly and Galway shared the points when they crossed sticks in Tullamore yesterday. pCavan no match for their unbeaten rivals
Monaghan 2-12 Cavan 0-10: Monaghan maintained their 100 per cent record in the league following this comprehensive win at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday evening. pMannion rescues a point for Roscommon
Roscommon 1-12 Meath 0-15: A 70th-minute point from Karol Mannion gave Roscommon a deserved draw with Meath after a dramatic clash before 2,500 fans at Kiltoom. pWestmeath and Kildare maintain strong pace
Kildare claimed a second brace of points at the expense of a resilient Mayo side at Newbridge on Saturday, eventually prevailing, 1-15 to 1-14. pSt Colman's hit their objective
St Colman's 0-8 Rice College 0-7: St Colman's booked a place in the final with St Jarlath's after beating Rice College in this replayed semi-final at Clogher, Ballintubber, on Saturday. pWestmeath take first blood
Westmeath 1-11 Armagh 1-6: Westmeath got their first points of this year's league with victory over Armagh at Cusack Park yesterday. pPolished Galway survive late scare
Galway1-12 Kildare 2-8: Already this appears to be the league of the last-minute goal, especially for Kildare. pWalsh sets tone
All-Ireland Club JFC Final/ Canovee (Cork) 1-8 Rock (Tyrone) 0-5: Kevin Walsh's first-half goal sent Canovee on their way to victory yesterday's at Croke Park. pStrong finish seals win for Derry
Derry 2-12 Laois 1-9: The scoreline suggests a comfortable victory for the visitors to Portlaoise on Saturday night but Laois were competitive for three quarters of the game but faded in the final run-in. pBohan holds key
All-Ireland Club IFC Final/Moycullen (Galway) 2-9 Fingal Ravens (Dublin) 1-6: Two goals from Conor Bohan finished off the challenge of Fingal Ravens at Croke Park yesterday. pComfortable for Longford
Division Three/Longford 2-10 Leitrim 0-6: A cracking goal from Paul Barden with 26 minutes gone in the first half put Longford on the road to a comfortable victory over their neighbours in this disappointing clash at Pearse Park. pMcCumiskey has final say
Down 1-14 Louth 2-10: A sound beating in Drogheda 12 months ago set the tone for a disappointing first season at the helm for Ross Carr, but he watched his side make it two league wins from two starts at the same venue yesterday. pWexford in sharper form
Wexford 0-14 Sligo 0-13: Matty Forde kicked eight points as 14-man Wexford sent lacklustre Sligo tumbling to their second league defeat on the trot in this pulsating game at Markievicz Park. pOffaly and Antrim keep up pace
Division Four Round-up: Although they maintained their 100 per cent record, Offaly failed to impress when overcoming Tipperary, 1-11 to 1-7, on Saturday in Tullamore. pMayo start on wrong footing
Women's football: Reigning league champions Mayo got their Division 1A league campaign off to the worst possible start yesterday in Annascaul as they slumped to a 6-12 to 1-5 defeat against Kerry. p
Harrington saves his best for last
Golf: Padraig Harrington saved the best for last, scorching home in four-under par-32 for a closing three-under-par 68 that guaranteed him the clubhouse lead on seven under par at the Northern Trust Open and a huge raft of world ranking points towards his Ryder Cup tally. pChilean claims maiden victory
Golf: Felipe Aguilar admitted his maiden European Tour victory at the Indonesia Open will have "life-changing" implications for his career. pLeinster snatch title with rout
Hockey: There were not many at Grange Road yesterday who thought that Leinster could hit Munster for five goals and snatch the Regiment Cup from under the noses of Ulster, who must have believed they had this year's championship in the bag. pEven curmudgeon Barnes' door is open to rugby's experimental rules
TV View: The Super 14 season began on Friday on Sky Sports with a sack full of question marks hanging over the new rugby laws, most of them concerning how the game was going to change as a result of some serious tinkering. pToo little too late for Leinster as Ulster hold on
Hockey: Despite being beaten by hosts Leinster in the final match of the tournament yesterday, Ulster made it a senior interprovincial three-in-a-row at Grange Road, their victories over Connacht on Friday and Munster on Saturday proving enough to retain the title. pEngland devour Irish for starters
Cricket News: There was a strong sense of men against boys at the Bayuemas Oval yesterday as a steamrollering performance from England took them to victory by 10 wickets over Ireland in time to put their feet up and enjoy lunch. pIrish women out to live up to favourites tag
Cricket: After two postponements the Ireland women's team finally get their World Cup qualification campaign under way against Pakistan in Stellenbosch today. pDenman's connections still bullish
Racing: Paul Barber believes Denman is "a good thing" for Cheltenham Gold Cup glory, according to fellow part-owner Harry Findlay. pMullins has nice choice
Racing: The emotional pull of Cheltenham at this time of year was written all over Willie Mullins's face after Pomme Tiepy kept her unbeaten record in Ireland intact with a fluent success at Navan yesterday. pBliss to be alive as ole! ole! order changeth
Tom Humphries/LockerRoom: There's a sense in which sport is always surprising and another sense in which it contains nothing but the same old, same old. pOwners may have to pay over scandal
Major League Baseball Steroid abuse: Seán Dunne examines the latest development in baseball's sorry saga, with one fan taking a club to court for providing a "fraudulent" product p
