Gordon D’Arcy on Ireland’s green shoots; security in Barcelona gears up for highly charged clásico

As 2019 draws to a close, those of a rugby persuasion may well be inclined to look back on it as a failure what with a disappointing Six Nations campaign followed by a torrid World Cup but Gordon D'Arcy sees it differently in his final column of the year. "This was not a systematic failure. The support structures around the national team, especially what comes from the feeder provinces, remains robust. So, if we dig a little deeper and try to figure out what we are about and where we want to go next, the downward spiral can be halted," he writes. One of the members of those squads was Josh van der Flier and the Leinster man has put those disappointments well behind him now as he and his teammates face into the festive interpros. With seemingly endless competition for his jersey at Leinster, van der Flier knows he must be fully committed at every turn, as he told John O'Sullivan yesterday. Leinster face Ulster this weekend while the return of a key trio has gone a long way to strengthening Connacht's case as they face into a clash with Munster.

Moving on and Shane Lowry's British Open win at Royal Portrush has come out as Ireland's greatest sporting moment for 2019 while two-weight world champion Katie Taylor remains the country's most admired sportsperson. Key findings from the Teneo Sport and Sponsorship Index (TSSI) 2019 also show that the Olympic Games, as opposed to Euro 2020, are what Irish fans are looking forward to most next year while Gaelic games marginally remains the most popular sport.

In soccer there's a big night ahead in Barcelona as the first clásico of the season takes place tonight. Real Madrid's visit to Catalonia was first scheduled to take place on October 26th but had to be rescheduled due to political protests and this evening's match will see a heavy security presence with both sides staying in the same hotel just a few hundred metres from the Nou Camp before being bussed into the ground. Last night Aston Villa made light work of Liverpool's second string with a convincing 5-0 win as Jürgen Klopp and his first team prepare in Qatar for the Club World Cup. The bizarre situation sees Liverpool play two matches in 24 hours as they now face Monterrey in the Club World Cup semi-finals at 5.30 this evening. Last night Klopp questioned the timing of the matches in Qatar.

Finally to racing and, as next week's Christmas Festival at Leopardstown draws closer, the JP McManus team are keeping their fingers crossed for soft ground conditions to see if they might have a Gold Cup dark horse in Darasso.