Ireland make it two from two
Ireland made it two Rugby World Cup wins from two yesterday as they eased to a 44-10 victory over Romania at a sun kissed Wembley Stadium.
Joe Schmidt’s side were dominant throughout in front of a world record crowd of 89,267, the majority of whom were donning green, racking up six tries and securing the bonus point which moved them back to the top of Pool D.
It was a particularly good day for Ireland's back three, with Tommy Bowe showing a welcome return to form with two good finishes, while on the other wing Keith Earls also helped himself to two scores. This was complemented by the consistently dangerous running of Simon Zebo, who threw three try-scoring passes.
Sterner challenges await Ireland
Gerry Thornley was at Wembley to see Ireland get the job done in what was their last relatively straightforward task before much sterner World Cup challenges begin, starting with next Sunday's game against Italy at the Olympic Stadium, where the Azzurri are likely to be boosted by the return of the talismanic Sergio Parisse.
Skipper Paul O'Connell, who came off the bench for the closing stages of yesterday's win, is well aware his side will have to change their mindset for their remaining pool games: "I wouldn't say we've a lot to improve on, probably bit of a mind shift in the next two weeks as we're playing against two Six Nations teams, teams that know us very well, teams we know very well."
Schmidt could well face himself with a selection headache, with the likes of Bowe and Chris Henry reminding everybody of their ability.
World Cup round-up
There were also World Cup wins yesterday for Australia, who hammered Uruguay 65-3 at Villa Park, and Scotland, who produced a brilliant second half display to see off the USA 39-16 at Elland Road.
South Africa are paying the price for Saturday's bruising win over Samoa, with captain Jean de Villiers announcing his retirement after he was forced off with a fractured jaw.
There are also countless injury concerns in the Welsh camp, but boss Warren Gatland was delighted with his side's brilliant win over England at Twickenham despite the toll it took on his squad.
Five-in-a-row for Cork women
Meanwhile Cork women’s footballers added another chapter to their recent legacy of success yesterday, edging past Dublin 0-12 to 0-10 at Croke Park.
Malachy Clerkin reports from HQ where Eamonn Ryan's side secured a staggering 10th All-Ireland title in 11 years and their fifth in a row in front of a crowd of 31,083 - the highest gate for any women's sporting event in Europe this year.
Jordan Spieth secured FedEx Cup
Elsewhere Jordan Spieth rounded off a sensational season in typical style last night, shooting a final round 69 in the Tour Championship and securing the FedEx Cup (and scooping the $10 million prize),as well as returning to the world number one spot.
Rory McIlroy finished tied-16th in Atlanta, the four-time Major winner closing with a disappointing 74, including a triple-bogey seven on the 17th hole, which left him one over par for the tournament.
Manchester United top of the league
In yesterday's only Premier League fixture Crystal Palace edged past Watford at Vicarage Road thanks to a Yohan Cabaye penalty.
Manchester United sit top of the league after their 3-0 win over Sunderland at Old Trafford on Saturday, which followed Tottenham's 4-1 rout of Manchester City.
What to watch out for:
Football
West Bromwich Albion welcome Everton to the Hawthorns in tonight’s monday night football. (SS1, 8pm ko)
