The Morning Sports Briefing

Women in Sport

Today sees the beginning of our Women in Sport series, with a special e-book available on the website to commemorate the achievements of Irish women in sport in the last 15 years. As part of the series Sonia O'Sullivan has penned her first column for The Irish Times on the subject of the recent Russian doping scandal.

“Around the summer of 2001 I really got turned off. I wasn’t racing as I was pregnant with my second daughter Sophie. So I was just an interested spectator. Only what I saw was not very inspiring. Some of the middle-distance results that season were so far beyond belief that I was glad to have a season out. There were a number of Russian athletes doing things at those 2001 World Championships in Edmonton that were simply unbelievable to anyone that knew anything about athletics,” O’Sullivan writes.

Also on the site and in the newspaper this morning are interviews with Dublin footballer and DCU Mercy basketball player Lindsay Peat, Lisa Fallon, who works as a sports analyst with with Cork City and Northern Ireland, and a Mary Hannigan column on how women's sport can take a step forward.

Golf

The season-ending DP World Tour Championship is underway in Dubai. Rory McIlroy leads the standings with Danny Willett in close pursuit. The pair tee off in the final group at 8.30am Irish time.

At 8.20am Shane Lowry will get his tournament underway, alongside Justin Rose. Lowry is fourth in the standings and feeling confident that he can win on Sunday, topple McIlroy and complete a memorable season. He's been writing about that in his column this morning.

Meanwhile, Paul Dunne and Damien McGrane are in-line to win European Tour cards for next season. Both are in the top-25 of the Q-School standings at PGA Catalunya going into today's final round.

And, in somewhat surprising news, David Love III last night announced his Ryder Cup vice captains for next year's contest at Hazeltine with Tiger Woods included alongside Steve Stricker, Jim Furyk and the already named Tom Lehman.

Rugby

The tributes have been pouring in after the death yesterday morning of New Zealand legend Jonah Lomu. A minute's silence was held as All-Black captain Richie McCaw also announced his retirement from the international game, a month after winning the World Cup.

Leinster's Isa Nacewa spoke yesterday of Lomu - "He just changed the game really, a global superstar, but you get talking to him and he's as humble as can be. He'll easily sit down and talk to anyone, [especially]any kids around."

GAA

Footballer of the Year Jack McCaffrey is looking forward to ending his memorable year with a win over Australia in the International Rules match.

McCaffrey is a busy man – he added to his All-Ireland medal with an All Star while simultaneously studying for his medical exams in UCD.

“I always thought the football and the study goes hand in hand with the training. It’s only when I found out recently that when you’re trying to celebrate and study, they are at odds a bit,” he said.

Meanwhile, Australia have arrived in Dublin for this weekend's showdown.

Soccer

In his America at Large column this week Dave Hannigan writes about Abby Wambach. The 35-year-old is the highest goalscorer in international football history – men's or women's – and she is now set to bow out of the game after having a huge impact on and off the pitch.

“That type of character explains why, though her waning physical powers restricted her to mostly coming off the bench in the last major tournament of her career, she still contributed hugely. What other substitute would be on the field at half-time in the centre of a huddle with the starting XI gathered around her, hanging on her every profane word?

“I want to change the world,” said Wambach the other day.

In many ways, she already has.”

What to watch out for

Golf: The DP World Tour Championship begins with Rory McIlroy off in the final group at 8.30am. Sky Sports 4 from 8am.

Meanwhile, Graeme McDowell will look to get his quest for back-to-back wins off to a good start at the RSM Classic on the PGA Tour. Sky Sports 4 (red button) from 6pm.

Rugby: Cardiff play Harlequins in their Challenge Cup Pool 3 match. Sky Sports 2 from 7pm.