Plenty of action onthe cards

Festive Sport:Want to go see Leinster attempt to storm the Limerick citadel on December 27th? Or maybe stroll along to the Sportsground on New Year's Eve for the slug-fest that is inevitably engendered by Connacht and Munster? Well forget it. They are both sell-outs.

The Munster v Connacht game is not even on Setanta Sports.

There are, however, 4,000 terrace tickets remaining at €20 for the cheesily titled "Last Stand" at Lansdowne Road on December 31st between Leinster and Ulster. A 48,000 sell-out should be confirmed in the coming days, but last night tickets could still be purchased at Ticketmaster.com and regular Dublin outlets. One thousand terrace tickets are also available for the St Stephen's Day, or "Boxing Day" as they call it up north, Ravenhill encounter between Ulster and Connacht.

That covers the festive rugby, but what of the racing? Prices for the four-day Leopardstown meeting, on December 26th-29th, start at €16 for the grandstand, €30 for the reserved enclosure and €55 for a top-level badge (these are sold out except for December 29th).

The Limerick races take place over the same period with admission starting at €20, or €60 for a four-day pass. Prices vary from €70 to €130, on St Stephen's Day, for admission with a four-course meal.

It's £10 to get through the gates at Down Royal on the 26th, OAPs and students will be charged £8 while children under-12 gain free admission. The first race goes to post at 12.30pm.

If you want some exercise on Christmas morning, there is a decent chance that one of the 55 Goal mile-runs are taking place in the vicinity. Up to 3,000 competitors are expected at the Belfield track for the 25th consecutive year, including Eamonn Coghlan and Irish Times athletics correspondent Ian O'Riordan.