Rugby’s Champions Cup is back this weekend “if not with a whimper then not with the bang of its halcyon days either”, writes Gerry Thornley. Six-time winners Toulouse and the reigning back-to-back champions Bordeaux Bègles are the joint favourites, but what of the Irish provinces’ hopes? Gerry brings you a guide to each of their pools, Connacht drawing the shortest of straws - they have five former winners of the competition in theirs.
Munster open their campaign against Racing 92 at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening, Gerry talking to Tadhg Beirne ahead of the game. Law tweaks will “potentially reduce his impact” when it comes to the art of winning turnovers in defensive mauls. “The dark arts are slowly going out of the game, that’s for sure,” he says. A “tad wistfully” too.
Leinster also have French opposition for their opener, away to Clermont Auvergne, Michael Scully talking to James Ryan about his first visit to Stade Marcel-Michelin, “one of French rugby’s most celebrated venues”.
In Gaelic games, Gordon Manning looks at the latest stopover in Mickey Harte’s managerial journey, the Tyrone man returning to the club game after his appointment by Down’s Kilcoo this week. He’s still “not ready for the pipe and slippers” just yet.
Football, meanwhile, is losing another of its young stars to Aussie Rules, Gordon with news on Donegal’s Finnbarr Roarty, the 2025 Young Footballer of the Year, signing a two-year deal with Collingwood.
And Ciarán Murphy turns his thoughts to the new hurling and football rules which are about to be unveiled in The Ryan Cup, the third-level tournament. They’re not insignificant changes either.
After brushing aside Kazakhstan in their World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final, the Republic of Ireland’s women face Poland in December for a place in next summer’s finals in Brazil. Gavin Cummiskey gives us the lowdown on Poland, whose star turn is Barcelona striker Ewa Pajor, and hears from Carla Ward about the challenge they’ll pose.
In cycling, Ian O’Riordan reports on Lara Gillespie adding another UCI Track World Championship medal to her collection, the Wicklow rider winning silver in Wednesday’s scratch race in Shanghai - she missed out on gold by less than half a wheel length.
In golf, the India Championship got under way this morning in Delhi, Philip Reid with word on Rory McIlroy opting to leave his driver in his hotel room, such is “the short and tight examination posed” by the course.
And in his America At Large column, Dave Hannigan reflects on the life and times of Mike Ditka, the giant of American football - both as a player and coach - who died last week at the age of 86.
TV Watch: Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Tom McKibbin are all in the field for the India Championship which got under way at 6.30 this morning on Sky Sports Golf, coverage continuing until 12.30 this afternoon. The men’s rugby league World Cup kicks off in Sydney this morning with the meeting of nigh-on perennial champions Australia and New Zealand (Premier Sports 2, 10.05am and repeated at 3pm).
And in football’s Europa League, you can choose from two 5.45pm kick-offs - Lyon v Crystal Palace (Premier Sports 1 and TNT Sports 1) and Torreense v Sunderland (Premier Sports 2 and TNT Sports 2), and at 8pm Celtic are away to Benfica (Premier Sports 1 and TNT Sports 3).
