Jimmy O’Brien will start on the left wing against the Wallabies on Saturday, as one of eight changes to Andy Farrell’s Ireland team announced on Thursday. The selection underlines his invaluable versatility as well as his all-round game, while his Leinster team-mate Joe McCarthy is set to make his debut after being named among the replacements. Antoine Dupont will miss Toulouse’s Champions Cup trip to Thomond Park next month after being banned for four weeks after he was sent off during France’s win over South Africa last weekend. Liam Turner captains an inexperienced Leinster side that takes on Chile on Friday afternoon at the RDS, five players who have yet to line out for Leinster are involved.
Ireland’s final home international of 2022 ended in defeat after Ohi Omoijuanfo’s late goal secured a 2-1 win for a Norway team who came to Dublin without their talisman Erling Haaland. The visitors took the lead in the first half of a flat international friendly at the Aviva, with Napoli’s Leo Østigård heading in from a corner. Alan Browne’s brilliant strike from distance levelled matters before Ireland were undone by another set piece goal. Check out how the Irish players rated here. Senegal’s Sadio Mané has been ruled out of the World Cup after failing to recover from an injury.
Matt Fitzpatrick moved into pole position at the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai with an opening round 65. Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, who headed into the Tour Championship as the man everyone needed to catch as he aimed to add the European Tour order of merit title to his FedEx Cup success on the PGA Tour, opened with a first round of 71. A birdie-birdie finish in her closing two holes enabled Leona Maguire to sign for an opening round 69, three under par, to lie just three strokes behind clubhouse leader Pajaree Anannarukan at the CME Globe Tour Championship in Florida.
Meanwhile, female players at Wimbledon will be allowed to wear dark-coloured undershorts from next year’s tournament, the All England Club has announced. The tournament organisers are making an exception to their strict all-white dress code in order to address the concerns of female players who are menstruating.
