There are increasing signs JJ Hanrahan will be named in Munster's starting XV for Sunday's win-or-bust meeting with Racing in Paris. Gerry Thornley reports here that in the absence of Joey Carbery and Tyler Bleyendaal, it seems as if Hanrahan will start against Racing with Johann van Graan again opting for a 6-2 split on the bench, meaning inside centre Rory Scannell will again cover outhalf. Chris Farrell, CJ Stander and Jean Kleyn are also expected to be restored to the team when it is announced today. In his column this morning Matt Williams is responding to a recent encounter in a Sydney coffee shop that got him thinking about the Irish provinces' keys to success: "Irish provincial rugby has enjoyed long-term success not because the athletes are born with more talent but because of the culture of never-ending hard work by both players and coaches. My two mates at the coffee shop are not part of that type of culture. They have the "I am entitled" culture."
Niall Quinn will not be the FAI's next chief executive, the former Republic of Ireland international has said, but he would be more than happy to play some part in the organisation's recovery. Sheffield United take on West Ham in tonight's sole Premier League clash, with Irish international David McGoldrick set to continue his extraordinary role - a striker who is a strong contender to be his club's player of the season despite not scoring a single goal? He is to the Blades what Roberto Firmino is to Liverpool. Minus the goals.
Event organisers of the Dublin Marathon have further increased the entry limit to 25,000 – though still not enough to meet the demand. This comes after the decision to introduce a part-lottery system to deal with the allocation of places for this year's race, set for Sunday, October 25th, 2020, which overall attracted the interest of just over 35,000 applicants.
Meanwhile the Dublin hurlers set up a Walsh Cup semi-final clash with Galway in Parnell Park on Sunday, after 14 different players got on the scoresheet for Mattie Kenny's men in a 14 point win over Laois last night. A clash with the opening round Sigerson Cup games has left Donegal unable to field a team for this weekend's Dr McKenna Cup semi-final against Monaghan.
