Tomorrow Ireland will get their autumn series underway with a clash against Japan in a full Aviva Stadium at 1pm. After nearly two years without a full crowd in Dublin for a rugby international it promises to be quite the occasion and Andy Farrell is determined to give the fans the victory they want by frontloading his starting lineup in anticipation of a dangerous threat from Ireland's 2019 Rugby World Cup conquerors. Speaking yesterday Farrell was quick to point out the talent Japan have and how they will pose a real test for Ireland. "People say the entertainers are in town - I don't see them like the Harlem Globetrotters at all, they've got a good set-piece, they play direct, quick, their breakdown is aggressive," he said. Johnny Sexton's 100th Test appearance will only add to the occasion in Dublin and Japan coach Jamie Joseph believes that Ireland will raise their game to mark the milestone.
Moving to soccer and Aaron Connolly's absence from the Ireland squad for next week's World Cup qualifiers against Portugal and Luxembourg raised a few eyebrows yesterday but manager Stephen Kenny insists that it is because the Brighton forward is still struggling with an Achilles injury. However, that doesn't seem to be the opinion of his club manager Graham Potter who says the Galway man was dropped. "Aaron Connolly is one of our best attacking players," Kenny responded. "He's had an up and down time with injuries and his confidence [has been affected] maybe because he hasn't been playing. It's not easy getting into the Premier League," Kenny said. Last night Antonio Conte got somewhat of a baptism of fire as Spurs manager when he saw his new side go 3-0 up in the first 28 minutes only to allow Vitesse Arnhem back into the game with two goals, in the end scraping a 3-2 win. Also in Europa League action last night were West Ham who drew 2-2 away to Genk. Beforehand the club came out with a statement to say they were "appalled" by video footage on social media appearing to show supporters singing anti-Semitic songs towards a Jewish man while on board their flight to Belgium. Meanwhile, later on today Newcastle are expected to confirm Eddie Howe as their new manager.
Elsewhere this morning Johnny Watterson writes in his column that Irish boxing's civil war is flaring up again as the sport once more hits the headlines for the wrong reasons following an Oireachtas hearing this week and Bernard Dunne's formal complaint that an anonymous document circulated before the Olympics undermined him. "In its big heart the sport has a place for the marginalised that's difficult to find in general society. But the association that runs it has learned to eat its own," he writes. Meanwhile, leading immunologist Kingston Mills tells Ian O'Riordan that Covid-19 vaccination certificates should play a key role in mass participation sporting events like the Dublin marathon.
Yesterday the Government overturned the restriction that vaccination certs were needed for indoor sport at all ages, paving the way for the likes of underage basketball to resume. Writing this morning Keith Duggan says the initial ban was farcical and just another example of basketball being shunned in Ireland.
