The Morning Sports Briefing

Ireland v Wales

“The basic advice to any player, if you’re up against a word-class player, somebody get to him, get to him as quick as you can, don’t let him get his head up like he does at Real Madrid. Don’t give him space in behind because the boy can run. Tackle him. Hit him . . . fairly.”

That's Roy Keane's advice to the Irish players as they ready themselves to face Gareth Bale when Wales come to Dublin for Friday night's World Cup qualifier.

With injury ruling both Shane Duffy and Ciarán Clark out of the game, a 36 year-old John O'Shea might now get to add to his 116-cap haul. That realisation vindicates his decision not to retire after the summer's European Championship, and his main desire remains; to be part of a group that takes Ireland to the World Cup for the first time since 2002.

Keane on Bale: ‘Hit him, tackling is part of the bloody game’

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Gordon D’Arcy: Joe Schmidt is a master of the mental game

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Ulster fear Marcell Coetzee injury could rule him out for season

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John O’Shea ready to step into the breach 17 years after debut

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“I’ve done okay in my career. But obviously not getting to a World Cup so far has been annoying to say the least.”

Everton midfielder James McCarthy has been told that he needs to train today to prove his fitness for the game, with Daryl Murphy becoming the latest player to be ruled out through injury yesterday morning.

Rugby

Gordon D'Arcy believes, that in review of the Six Nations, Ireland's strength-in-depth continues to be nurtured by Joe Schmidt.

“Ireland are not the best team in the world, not the second best either, but we are a nightmare for those teams to play. That’s a decent launch pad for the future.”

Golf

Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are both in action this week at the WGC Dell Matchplay in Austin, Texas. Sixteen groups of four play each other over the first three days with the winners advancing to the last 16 on Saturday morning. The quarter-finals are then played on Saturday afternoon with the semi-finals and final on Sunday.

McIlroy begins today at 2.52pm against Denmark’s Soren Kjeldsen, while at 8pm Lowry takes on Sergio Garcia.

GAA

In his column this morning Sean Moran asks is Dublin's unbeaten run a distraction from their real quest?

“Stalking Gavin’s thoughts will be the knowledge that the only questions worth answering have to be tackled in August. Everything else – records and all – is deferral.”