Previous Day
IRFU must decide the what before the who
RUGBY: THE IRFU will be in no hurry to appoint a
successor to Eddie O'Sullivan, who formally resigned as Ireland
coach on Wednesday night. The priority for the union now is to
first decide upon the job specification before beginning a search
in earnest for O'Sullivan's successor, writes
JOHN O'SULLIVAN. p
Hutton accepts apology from Cole
SOCCER: ASHLEY COLE issued public apologies to Alan
Hutton and the referee Mike Riley last night for the ugly tackle
that left the Tottenham Hotspur full back writhing on the turf just
before half-time in Wednesday's fiercely competitive draw at White
Hart Lane, as well as his dismissive reaction to the official as he
was subsequently shown a yellow card. p
RTÉ insist sponsorship won't affect reporting
GAELIC GAMES: RTÉ's HEAD of Television Sport Glen Killane has insisted the national broadcaster's decision to be a sponsor of the All-Ireland hurling championship will not impact on their match coverage. SEÁN MORAN reports. p
Soccer
Capello includes Beckham in England squad to face France
DAVID BECKHAM'S protracted wait to complete a century of England caps will end next week after the former captain was named in Fabio Capello's provisional 30-man squad for the friendly against France in Paris. pHenderson and Supple get call-up
International News: SHANE SUPPLE of Ipswich Town and Bristol City's Stephen Henderson have been called in to the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad for next Tuesday's game against Montenegro following the withdrawal due to injury of Derry's Darren Quigley and Darren Randolph of Charlton Athletic. pQuigley's injury poses problem for Derry
League of Ireland Premier Division: DERRY CITY are considering the possibility of applying to the League of Ireland for permission to bring in a goalkeeper after Darren Quigley broke a bone in his hand this week in training. The under-21 international joins Eugene Ferry on the injured list leaving City with just one fit senior goalkeeper - Gerard Doherty - and 17-year-old Paul Simon Tracey as cover. pSoccer Digest
A round-up of today's other soccer stories. p
White only interested in England position
THE FORMER South Africa coach Jake White yesterday heaped more pressure on the English RFU by reiterating his desire to replace Brian Ashton as England head coach. pCheika refuses to look too far ahead
Magners League Previews: THE HOME side must slip on the hair shirt of expectation that accompanies a team leading the Magners League by eight points as the season reaches its final cluster of matches. pConnacht must rally
ULSTER'S REVIVAL under new coach Matt Williams means Connacht simply must win tonight's game in Scotland. Militating against an upset of the formbook is the Irish province's recent form, which has seen them lose their last three games in all competitions. pSelectors take the traditional route
THE IRELAND Under-18 schools squad to play in the Six Nations competition in Cork next week has been announced. There are some well deserved selections, such as Methodist College centre Michael Allen, but judging from overall selection, along with the Ireland Under-19 squad, the criteria for inclusion leans more towards reputation than form during the recent schools' cup competitions. pBack leading race to join Leinster coaching staff next season
NEIL BACK is the leading candidate to complete the Leinster coaching ticket for next season. pRolland and Lewis on European duty
ALAN LEWIS will referee a record seventh Heineken European Cup quarter-final when he takes charge of the match between Saracens and the Ospreys at Vicarage Road on Sunday, April 6th (kick-off 12.30 pm). p
Bennis wants 12-team league retained
LIMERICK MANAGER Richie Bennis is opposed to next year's reorganisation of the National Hurling League, which will see the two-section Division One reduced by four counties to one straight-forward eight-team group. p
Things looking ominous for the rest
WGC-CA Championship: IN ONE of his more succinct remarks in recent memory, PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem lamented earlier this week that Tiger Woods' dominance of the golfing landscape presented certain problems for a man in his position. pStruver finds some of his old form
Madeira Open: SVEN STRUVER leads South African Hennie Otto by one after a six-under-par opening round of 66 in the Madeira Islands Open at Santo da Serra yesterday. pLowry looks the likeliest lad
West of Ireland Championship: YOU KNOW it must be time for the West of Ireland Amateur Championship, the first "major" of the domestic season, when competitors are warned by the Connacht Branch of the GUI of inclement weather. p
Nocher makes it to second semi
SWIMMING/European Championships: MELANIE NOCHER
showed the recent progression in Irish swimming remains on an
upward curve as she reached her second semi-final of the week, the
women's 100 metres backstroke, at the European Championships at
Eindhoven in the Netherlands yesterday. pO'Sullivan to chase fifth Olympics in Boston
ATHLETICS: SONIA O'SULLIVAN will run next month's Boston Marathon with the hope of qualifying for a record fifth Olympics. She may be 38 now and out of competitive running for most of the past year, but she's not entirely without a chance. IAN O'RIORDAN reports. pReza sharp as Ireland's tail is left in shreds
CRICKET/One-Day International: IRELAND LOST their last five wickets for just 18 runs to hand Bangladesh a 2-0 series victory on the back of an 84-run win in yesterday's second one-day international in Dhaka. Chasing 247 for victory, Ireland had pushed on to 144 for five thanks to a half-century partnership between Andre Botha and Alex Cusack. pFormula One to return to BBC in 2009
MOTOR SPORT: AT 84, Murray Walker is unlikely to return. But there will probably be a quite remarkable reprise for one of the most memorable sporting theme tunes. After 13 years away, Formula One racing will return to the BBC in 2009 following ITV's surprise decision to axe the sport with two years of its contract remaining. pMacHale takes lead role for start of Circuit of Ireland
MOTOR SPORT: GARETH MacHALE leads Mark Higgins and the rest of the entry off the Circuit of Ireland starting ramp at 12pm today from Newcastle, Co Down. This event is round two of the Global Tarmac Championship run over three days with some challenging stages in the Mourne Mountains. pCregan named Ireland captain
WOMEN'S HOCKEY: WITH JUST five weeks to go to the Olympic Qualifier in Canada, coach Gene Muller named a 19-player panel yesterday for Ireland's three-match series against Britain at Belfield next week. pGlenanne hope midfield cavalry can rescue them
MEN'S HOCKEY: GLENANNE WENT down in the opening match of the European Club Trophy event at the Montrouge club in Paris yesterday. The Dublin side fell behind by a goal to trail at half-time to Ukrainian outfit Kolos Sekovia, before conceding three more goals in the second half to lose 4-2. pPeelo earns last Irish spot in Beijing
SAILING: SPRINGTIME MAY be the start of the season but Irish sailors were back on the waterfront in force this week to applaud Ger O'Rourke when he lifted the Cork Dry Gin Sailor of the Year award, while abroad, Dubliner Ciara Peelo secured a place for Ireland in the Laser Radial class at this summer's Olympic regatta. pStrong Galway Head clashes with Colours
ROWING: ROWING WILL grab the attention of thousands of the uninitiated tomorrow. The Tribesmen Head of the River in Galway and the Colours races between UCD and Trinity in Dublin will festoon the Corrib and the Liffey with a string of boats where the tourists and shoppers can have a good gawk at them. pDCU Saints look to take home advantage
BASKETBALL: DCU SAINTS host Neptune in their north Dublin sports complex in the men's Superleague play-off quarter-finals tomorrow, while Belfast Star travel to Cork to face the UCC Demons. pO'Brien shows early form in Belgium
CYCLING: PAÍDÍ O'BRIEN had a solid showing in the 1.1-ranked Nokere Koerse race in Belgium on Wednesday, sprinting in 22nd at the end of the 196-kilometre event. pIn short
A round-up of other sports stories in brief. p
