On the rare occasion over the last decade and a bit that Ireland went in to a game without the services of both Katie McCabe and Denise O’Sullivan it would have been framed, writes Gavin Cummiskey, “as an impending disaster”. Not so much this time, Kazakhstan, their opponents this afternoon in the first leg their World Cup qualifying play-off, ranked a whole 77 places below them in the Fifa list. Gavin previews the game in Astana, the return leg taking place in Páirc Uí Chaoimh next Tuesday.
Mercifully, Republic of Ireland head coach Carla Ward doesn’t have to cope with egos quite as humongous as the one Cristiano Ronaldo possesses, his carry-on with Portugal recently, including issuing a bizarre 1,800 word statement, persuading Gavin Cooney that the Ronaldo v Messi debate has been settled. And there is only one winner.
On the home front, Paul Buttner reports on Shamrock Rovers going top of the table after their 3-1 win over Drogheda United on Thursday night, John McGovern helping himself to a double.
In Gaelic games, Malachy Clerkin doffs his cap to Cillian O’Connor, the Mayo man who announced his retirement from intercounty football earlier this week. He was “one of the all-time greats of the game”, who produced “one of the greatest careers in the history of the GAA”.
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Gordon Manning has news on John Horan being confirmed as the new chair of the Steering Group on Integration, the former GAA president taking over from Mary McAleese in the role. And Gordon also talks to Dublin goalkeeper Evan Comerford who, after a decade as Stephen Cluxton’s understudy, has set his sights on a long stint as number one.
In rugby, it’ll be a poignant occasion at Pairc Ui Chaoimh tomorrow week when Munster will mark the 10th anniversary of Anthony Foley’s death before their Champions Cup game against Racing 92. And as Gerry Thornley reminds us, it was on the eve of a game against the same opponents in Paris in 2016 that the Munster legend died.
Gerry has all the team news ahead of this weekend’s URC games, Bundee Aki set to make his first start of the season for Connacht away to Glasgow Warriors this evening. Leo Cullen has named a completely changed Leinster starting XV for tomorrow’s meeting with Cardiff at the RDS, their first competitive game at the venue in over two years. And there are changes aplenty too in the Ulster and Munster line-ups ahead of their tussle in Belfast tomorrow afternoon.
And in racing, after Daryz won back-to-back Prix de l’Arc de Triomphes, where does he sit among the pantheon of greats? Look away now, Daryz: “It’s an easy starter for 10, since the answer is that he’s hardly on it at all,” writes Brian O’Connor.
TV Watch: The Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying play-off away to Kazakhstan kicks off at noon (RTÉ 2), and an hour later Sky Sports Golf starts its coverage of the second round of the Spanish Open - Shane Lowry had a solid opening round of 70, leaving him four shots off the lead. Connacht are away to Glasgow in the URC (TG4 and Premier Sports 1, 7.45pm), and at the same time Bohemians and Waterford square up in the FAI Cup semi-finals (RTÉ 2).
