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Premier teams are united in desire
SOCCER: THE PREMIER LEAGUE may have supplied an
unprecedented four of the eight quarter-finalists in this season's
Champions League, but the quartet of English clubs appear united in
their desire to avoid each other when the draw is made for the
competition's latter stages in Nyon this lunchtime. p
Lombard retirement yet another bombshell
ATHLETICS: IN A FINAL twist to the highly controversial career of the Cork runner Cathal Lombard, a brief statement released yesterday evening announced his retirement from competitive athletics - less than two weeks after he made his sensational return from a two-year drugs ban to win a national cross-country title. p
Murphy passed fit
RUGBY: GEORDAN MURPHY passed a fitness test yesterday and will take his position at fullback for Ireland's Six Nations match against England at Twickenham tomorrow. p
Soccer
Duo in doubt for Dublin derby
LEAGUE OF IRELAND: BOHEMIANS DUO Neale Fenn and Killian Brennan face late fitness tests ahead of this evening's televised Dublin derby game with St Patrick's Athletic in which two of the would-be title contenders will look to build on wins secured in their opening fixtures. pRangers safely into last eight
UEFA CUP LAST 16, SECOND LEG/Werder Bremen 1 Rangers 0 Rangers win 2-1 on agg: ALLAN McGREGOR was the Rangers hero as Walter Smith's men rode their luck in Bremen to reach the Uefa Cup quarter-finals. pBolton lose interest
Sporting Lisbon 1 Bolton Wanderers 0 Lisbon win 2-1 on agg: PERHAPS PREMIER League pride was misplaced. Barely had the Champions League crowing begun when the Uefa Cup reality kicked in. Often seen as the barometer of strength in depth, Europe's second competition suddenly suggested the English game was not in such rude health after all. pSoccer digest
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Still eager to pass on the torch
JACK KYLE ON IRELAND'S 1948 GRAND SLAM AND THE MODERN GAME: "THEN, WITH a dip of his hip, an electric change of gear, he left the floundering cover as rooted as trees and glistened pitter-pat over the mud 35 yards, the sodden turf ringing as he scored almost apologetically under the posts."Fitzgerald happy to be jockeying for position
SIX NATIONS/ENGLAND V IRELAND: FOR A SHORT time last week, we seized on an image that was fitting to the mood of the moment if not the fact. Brian O'Driscoll, his arms around the shoulders of two of Ireland's medical staff, was limping out of his Six Nations Championship with a hamstring injury. On the touchline Luke Fitzgerald, tight on the bridle, was unzipping his tracksuit in anticipation of entering his first Six Nations match.Madigan named at outhalf to face unbeaten England
Under-20 International/England v Ireland: IRELAND COACH Eric Elwood's preference for Ian Madigan at outhalf explains the only alteration to the side that was beaten by Wales last time out. The Blackrock College player came on as a replacement in Athlone and has been handed the starting role as Trinity's Martin Dufficy drops to the bench. p
Ó Sé named on Kerry bench for Mayo clash
DARRAGH Ó SÉ has been named among the Kerry substitutes for Sunday's National Football League Division One game against Mayo in Castlebar. pLure of home strong for Begley
IN WHAT has become a trend for Irishmen playing in the Australian Football League, the Laois native Colm Begley has spoken about his aspirations to return to Gaelic football at the tail-end of his career. p
Champion can find an extra gear
TODAY'S PREVIEW/Gold Cup Preview: Cheltenham Gold Cup clash between Kauto Star and Denman has already been hyped to tipping point but at the risk of sending the hyperbole needle off the dial completely, victory for the reigning champion might yet require one of the greatest performances this famous racetrack has ever seen. pFranchoek is hard to oppose in Triumph
REST OF CARD PREVIEW: FOR A RACE with a reputation as a "punters graveyard", the JCB Triumph Hurdle has been quite a friendly beast in the last couple of years after Katchit's victory last year and another market leader, Detroit City, landing the spoils in 2006. That could be a pattern that is continued today by JP McManus's juvenile hotpot, Franchoek pKauto Star has too much class for Denman
GUEST TIPSTER: WHAT I really hope for today's Gold Cup is that both Denman and Kauto Star make it to the last fence together. That would be great for racing. It would also be great for Kauto Star. The ground has a dig in it at the moment but I don't see it turning into a real slog and it looks like Denman's task in trying to sap his stable companion before they turn into the straight might be beyond him. pMaster Minded puts up an awesome display
REPORTS FROM PRESTBURY PARK/Champion Chase report: SUPERLATIVES THAT had been kept in storage for a French-bred star carrying green and yellow colours in today's Gold Cup had to be broken out in a hurry after Kauto Star's young stable companion Master Minded put in an astonishing performance to win yesterday's Seasons Holidays Queen Mother Champion Chase at Cheltenham. pMullins family have a day to treasure
MASTER MINDED sent shivers around Cheltenham yesterday then Inglis Drever provided the warm feel-good factor as the hugely-popular Ladbrokes World Hurdle winner became the first horse ever to land the 'stayers' crown three times. pUnderdogs hoping for their day in the sun
TRAINER PROFILES: NOTHING GRIPS the public imagination at Cheltenham more than a top horse in the mould of a Kauto Star or Denman. pMossbank comes up short
THE BIG Irish hope Mossbank came up five lengths short of winning yesterday's Ryanair Chase, sponsored by his owner Michael O'Leary, when the hitherto frustrating Our Vic, with first-time blinkers on, finally landed the festival prize his natural talent had long indicated was possible. p
Stay-away stars missing out says McDowell
EUROPEAN AND US TOURS: GRAEME McDOWELL believes Europe's finest could regret the decision to turn down the chance of playing at the Ballantine's Championship after his four-under-par 68 opening round at Pinx Golf Club on Jeju Island. pSlow start by Woods as Couples shares lead
WORLD NUMBER one Tiger Woods made a shaky start in his quest to remain unbeaten in 2008, posting a level-par 70 in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. p
Women's appeal on funding rejected
CYCLING: A PLANNED appeal by three international women riders who were not awarded funding through the carding scheme has been dismissed by Cycling Ireland, the governing body refusing to sign off on the bid to get funding. pMurphy back to aim for West Cork Rally
MOTOR SPORT: THE CARLOW-Waterford partnership of Stephen Murphy and Mickey Joe Morrissey in a Subaru WRC leads off the two-day West Cork Rally from tomorrow's Clonakilty start. pSeeds sownto nurture Ireland's young talent
ROWING COLUMN: IN RECENT years, Ireland's performances at underage level have been worryingly weak. Last year we did not field a team at the World Junior Championships and the World Under-23 Championships were a slaying grounds for seemingly rising talent. pTitle race reaches critical juncture
WOMEN'S HOCKEY: THE LEINSTER first division title won't be won or lost this weekend but the result from the match between leaders Pembroke Wanderers and second-placed Hermes at Booterstown will go a long way towards determining the outcome of the title race. pThree Rock look to have the edge
MEN'S HOCKEY: THE BUSINESS end of the Irish Senior Cup this weekend has reduced the field to three sides from Leinster, four from Ulster and Cork Harlequins flying the lone flag for Munster. That Harlequins have Lisnagarvey at home in Farmer's Cross will put them in a position of strength and with a good chance to advance against the side that dominated the competition in the 1980s. pLaser SB3 proving to be a classact as world championships loom
SAILING COLUMN: WHEN IT comes to previewing the Irish sailing season, picking out the highlights has become a matter of choosing between national stalwarts and international one-offs, variously claiming to be championship-grade competitions. pSports digest
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