Setanta secure live rights to French Top 14

SETANTA SPORTS have enjoyed a coup in securing the live broadcast rights to the French Top 14 tournament.

Irish rugby fans will be able to monitor the progress of the Irish provinces’ Heineken Cup opponents on the Setanta Ireland and Setanta Sports 1 channels.

The service begins this Saturday with the meeting of Perpignan (who are in Munster’s pool in Europe) and Clermont Auvergne on Setanta 1 at 8pm. The following weekend, there will be live coverage of the game between Stade Francais (Ulster’s pool) and Brive (Leinster’s upcoming opponents).

The game kicks off at 7.45pm on Friday, October 2nd also on Setanta Sports 1.

Setanta Ireland will also broadcast a Top 14 highlights programme on Tuesdays.

Meanwhile, the IRFU have announced the appointment of Dr Eanna Falvey as the Ireland team doctor. The previous, long-term incumbent was Gary O’Driscoll, who is now with Arsenal football club.

Falvey, a graduate of UCC, was the Munster team doctor between 2003 and 2007. During this time he also worked in hurling, Gaelic football, boxing and athletics.

As part of the IRFU structures, he also worked as team doctor to the Ireland under-21 teams in 2005 and 2006, the Churchill Cup squad in 2008, and acted as team doctor for the Ireland pre-season camps to Spala.

After finishing with Munster in 2007 he moved to Australia to complete his sports medicine training with a research fellowship in the University of Melbourne, the Olympic Park Sports Medicine Centre and with the medical team of Australian Rules team Geelong.

Upon his return to Ireland, he joined the Sports Surgery Clinic in Dublin where he was recently appointed as the director of Sports Medicine. He has since begun working with the Ireland squad during the recent short pre-season camps.

He is a former international amateur boxer.