In his column today Gerry Thornley has looked at the pros and cons of playing rugby behind closed doors, and suggested while it is an alien prospect it could help bring about some positive changes. He writes: "As an aside, time was when no team on the planet has ever been so capable of waking the home crowd, and by extension themselves, by provoking a bout of fisticuffs, than Munster at Thomond Park. Past masters at it. But what's the point if there's no crowd to awaken?" However he also suggests games played in cavernous empty stadiums - and the eerie, quiet acoustics they would bring - could make it easier for referees and TMOs to police any overzealous behaviour on the pitch. "If a player goads an opponent who has been held up over the line by patting his head or pushing his nose into the ground, while uttering a few choice words in his shell-like, then penalise him. Simple as."
Phase one of the plan to reopen Ireland began yesterday, which meant the reopening of sporting facilities such as golf courses and tennis courts. The easing of restrictions saw members - providing they live within 5km - returning to play at their beloved courses but under very different rules and regulations. Philip Reid visited Malahide Golf Club on its reopening, while John O'Sullivan observed some socially distanced tennis at Monkstown LTC.
Elsewhere this morning Malachy Clerkin has spoken to David Shanahan, who is set to become the first Irishman to take up a full American football scholarship in the States, having been signed up as a punter by Georgia Tech. Shanahan is a product of Prokick, which is an punting and kicking training school run in Melbourne, Australia. Shanahan has never played a game of gridiron in his life, but he is a prodigy in his punting trade - and could soon be playing in front of crowds of 100,000. He said: "It's a real technique-orientated skill. The best I could compare it to is driving a golf ball. It's very technical. Small things make a big difference . . . A lot of it is physics."
Premier League players are set to return to training today, after clubs unanimously voted to allow their return yesterday. This is the first tentative step on the road to resuming the rest of the season which has been postponed due to coronavirus, and will see players training individually while maintaining social distancing. However the Premier League have also confirmed that even if 'Project Restart' is successful, it is unlikely supporters will be able to attend matches for another year.
And Kieran Lucid has revealed his plans for a cross-border, All Island football league. Lucid's proposal has been agreed by clubs, and would see teams play two rounds of fixtures in their current domestic competition, before the leagues would split into two new divisions made up from teams on both sides of the border. Lucid spoke to Emmet Malone about his radical new plans.
