Previous Day
Leinster feel Murrayfield chill once more
Magners League Edinburgh 15 Leinster
13 WHATEVER IT is by the chilly Edinburgh air, Murrayfield
remains Leinster's graveyard. Last night the curse struck
spectacularly again in a seventh defeat in eight competitive visits
here. p
Kidney's appointment regarded as inevitable
DECLAN KIDNEY remains the odds-on favourite to become the next Irish coach from other contenders who are believed to include the likes of ex-All Blacks coach John Mitchell, currently with the Western Force, and Heyneke Meyer, the former Blue Bulls coach. p
Galway's firepower should turn it
Galway V Tipperary THE GAA season starts to quicken this weekend with the first of the league finals. Adding to the anticipation is the presence of two counties who have already improved on last season. p
Soccer
Ferguson takes it all in his stride
ALEX FERGUSON'S body language and general demeanour yesterday was of a man completely in control of his own destiny, unlike his Chelsea counterpart Avram Grant, whose impromptu game of "yes/no" with the press on Thursday suggested he was starting to feel the strain. pBenitez focus firmly on Fulham
RAFAEL BENITEZ the politician was in his element yesterday as he insisted his wish was to remain in charge for at least the final two years of his existing contract but refused to provide assurances that he will be present at Anfield to pick up the pieces should the stand-off between Tom Hicks and George Gillett extend into this summer and damage his long-term plans. pPower struggle
How the Anfield stalemate might be resolved pDrogba, Ballack injuries concern Grant
AVRAM GRANT endured the demands of television schedulers over the rearrangement of Chelsea's Premier League fixture at Everton only through gritted teeth but, privately at least, the Stamford Bridge manager may now appreciate previously unforeseen benefits in the fixture switch. Injuries threaten to decimate his options ahead of next week's Champions League semi-final first-leg tie against Liverpool so, in the circumstances, any extra days to recuperate are gratefully received. pCawley penalty ends Derry's run
Bray Wanderers 1 Derry City 0 ALAN CAWLEY scored from the penalty spot for the second week running to earn Bray a morale-boosting win as Derry finished with 10 men at the Carlisle ground. pCork keep their good run going
Cork City 3 Finn Harps 0 A STRAIGHTFORWARD win at Turner's Cross last night for Cork means a good run gets better while alarm bells must surely start ringing in Donegal. pRome clash still fresh in Big Jack's mind
ITALIA '90 REVISITED Paddy Agnew brings protagonists Jack Charlton and Roberto Donadoni together in Rome to recall that famous World Cup quarter-final encounter pEnvoy says South Africa is ready
HAVING ARRIVED in town during one of those rare weeks when the issue of violence at a soccer match in Dublin hit the headlines, Edward Griffiths could have been forgiven yesterday had he taken pleasure from the way events at Inchicore were treated by some of the papers here. pAll-Ireland league can stop haemorrhaging
SETANTA SPORTS CUP FALLOUT There is no evidence to support the view that games involving teams from North and South will bring violence to our towns, says Fintan Drury pSt Patrick's win but fail to impress
St Patrick's Athletic 1 Cobh Ramblers 0 AGAINST LINFIELD in midweek finishing was the problem for St Patrick's, but here they barely got started against a Cobh Ramblers side that battled hard late on for an equaliser but never quite got the break they required in a decidedly poor game. pAmmond makes late intervention
Shamrock Rovers 1 UCD 1 PÁDRAIG AMMOND saved Rovers from defeat at Tolka Park last night, his 88th minute strike averting a hat-trick of losses for Pat Scully's men. pSt James' will be a true testof Chopra's character
MICHAEL WALKER A YEAR ON THE WEAR Newcastle-born Michael Chopra returns to St James' Park tomorrow as a Sunderland player and hopes to get a good reception. However, he shouldn't hold his breath p
Nacewa set to join Leinster
LEINSTER ARE set to make a notable signing for next season, having lined up the highly regarded Auckland Blues goalkicking utility back Isa Nacewa, writes Gerry Thornley . pO'Connor secures crucial away win with late try
MAGNERS LEAGUE Dragons 11 Connacht 13 JOHNNY O'CONNOR scored an injury-time try to hand Connacht an unlikely win over Newport Gwent Dragons last night and move a step closer to Heineken European Cup rugby. pUlster facing a formidable task
Cardiff V Ulster GIVEN ULSTER'S patchy form, a win this evening against the second -placed team in the league is a long shot. The performance against Connacht last week was good enough to win but no more, although Ulster coped well in the prevailing tough conditions. For Ulster's last away game of the season, coach Matt Williams has made six personnel changes to the starting line-up. pOspreys equipped to avail of an ideal opportunity
Munster V Ospreys NEITHER SIDE have serious Magner's League ambitions. Both teams are mathematically in the running but realistically are out of this year's title race, while Munster's priority is next week's Heineken Cup semi-final against Saracens. pHappy to be on board the good ship Munster
EUROPEAN CUP INTERVIEW WITH TONY McGAHAN It's a team effort in Munster and Tony McGahan is an integral part of the set-up, writes Gerry Thornley p
Old rivals eyeing a return to centre stage
NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE FINAL Seán Moran reports on the enduring rivalry
between Galway and Tipperary hurlers which began with their
memorable clashes in the 1980s pWeekend Previews
Sean Moran looks ahead to the weekend's GAA action. p
Harrington to miss Wentworth
PADRAIG HARRINGTON has decided to skip the European Tour's flagship PGA Championship at Wentworth to boost his US Open chances. pGOLF DIGEST
Other golf stories in brief p
Snaefell safest bet on form
THE TONY MARTIN-trained Patsy Hall will be one of the leading players in today's Coral Scottish Grand National at Ayr but the accent at home will be all on speed where Snaefell can score in the Naas feature. pVolta to match predecessors
IN THE past tomorrow's PW McGrath Ballysax Stakes at Leopardstown has been the kick-off point in the classic seasons of Aidan O'Brien superstars like Galileo, High Chaparral and Yeats so Alessandro Volta has a lot to live up to in Leopardstown's Group Three highlight. p
New bridge for Calzaghe to cross
BOXING LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT Keith Duggan finds the undefeated Welsh champion in confident mood as he prepares for his first high-profile fight in the United States pAge may be real foe for Hopkins
BOXING FOR MANY, Joe Calzaghe's career-defining fight came in Manchester two years ago when he demolished Jeff Lacy of the US to win a unanimous points decision, while others might point to his victory over the Dane Mikkel Kessler at the Millennium Stadium to end all debate over super-middleweight world supremacy. But tonight's showdown against the 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins might turn out to be his hardest. pModest Curley deserves to chase her wildest dream
IAN O'RIORDAN ATHLETICS Pauline Curley came agonisingly close to fulfilling a lifetime ambition when missing out on qualification for the Olympic marathon by 385 yards pMolins bids to return to international fold
CRICKET WEEKEND PREVIEW THE FACE of world cricket may have indelibly changed with the launch of the all-singing, all-dancing Indian Premier League in Bangalore yesterday. pSPORTS DIGEST
Other sports stories in brief pA sign for modern times: 'That was Anfield'
KIETH DUGGAN SIDELINE CUT EVERY GREAT sports club has its patriarch, that charismatic leader whose ghost and influence blows through the corridors and walks the playing field long after his mortal body has left the earth. At Liverpool football club, that figure will always be Bill Shankly. p
