It’s the match that no one really wants to play in and one that not too many want to see. “There is plenty of misery to go round,” writes Gavin Cummiskey in his preview of the meeting of the Republic of Ireland and North Macedonia at the Aviva Stadium this evening. Technically, the game is sold out, but the pain of Prague could well be laid bare by a heap of empty seats.
North Macedonia, who also lost their World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final last Thursday, travel to Dublin with all the enthusiasm of someone heading to the dentist for root canal work. James McDermott brings us a flavour of their footballing history which, of course, includes that 1997 day when Ireland had, well, a Macedonia in Skopje.
There are four World Cup play-off finals in all on tonight, among them . . . grr . . . the Czech Republic v Denmark. Well for some.
In rugby, the only surprise for Gerry Thornley about Munster’s current financial woes is that they didn’t happen sooner, “given they seem to have been losing money annually for a decade”. Their “declining fortunes off the pitch are, of course, inextricably linked with those on it,” he writes. “Chickens are coming home to roost after years of mismanagement.”
READ MORE
Owen Doyle, meanwhile, reviews the refereeing performances in last weekend’s games, some of which strengthened his belief that an appointment system based completely on neutrality, rather than on merit, is producing too much “mediocrity”. He was, though, chuffed to see Mike Adamson back in action. Kidding. “Heavens above.”
In Gaelic games, Denis Walsh looks back at the weekend’s football league finals when “kickout incarceration” was a recurring theme. Donegal tied up Kerry “like a Sunday roast”, Meath did much the same to Cork. “The game’s brightest minds need to think again,” he says when it comes to the art of kickout retention.
In racing, Gordon Elliott has a lead of just over €350,000 on Willie Mullins in the battle for the jumps trainers’ championship, but Mullins is odds-on to win out yet again. But, says Brian O’Connor, if Elliott prevails in Easter Monday’s Irish Grand National, “the scene may be set for another title cliffhanger at Punchestown”.
In golf, Philip Reid reflects on a positive weekend for Shane Lowry at the Houston Open, and he also reviews the best new drivers on the market. Some of them have, as we hoped, an improved roll radius for faster club head speed, adjustable moments of inertia, tunable acoustic properties and strategic shaping. There’s also a female driver. Behave yourself. The manufacturer says it’s “forgiving”, you should be too.
TV Watch: If you can bring yourself to tune in .... the Republic of Ireland play North Macedonia at 7.45 this evening (RTÉ 2). And Virgin Media Two, to their shame, have ‘here’s what you could have won’ live coverage at the same time of the Czech Republic v Denmark.
