Vera Pauw described the task of choosing her World Cup squad as the toughest of her 25-year coaching career, but the deed is now done, the 23 players – plus three travelling reserves – who will set off for Australia next week named on Wednesday. Gavin Cummiskey takes us through the manager’s selections and we have profiles of each of the players who made the cut.
Kellie Harrington, Michaela Walsh and Dean Clancy, meanwhile, will all set off for Paris next summer after booking their Olympic slots at the European Games yesterday. Johnny Watterson brings news from the event where there are more Irish boxers still in contention for Olympic qualification.
In Gaelic games, Ciarán Murphy wonders if Dublin and Derry’s relatively stress-free championship campaigns so far will hurt them when they head in to their quarter-finals at the weekend, with the rest of the line-up having had to dig deeper along the way and display some bouncebackability.
Like Mayo. Lee Keegan tells Ian O’Riordan that his former comrades are “relishing” meeting Dublin – and if the game “descends into any sort of chaos”, it will bring the best out of them. Ian also hears from Kerry’s Gavin White ahead of their quarter-final against Tyrone.
Your complete guide to all the festive sporting action including TV details
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In rugby, John O’Sullivan previews this morning’s meeting between Ireland and Australia at the Under-20 World Cup, Ireland having to make do without the gifted centre Hugh Cooney who has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament after his red card against England.
And in his America at Large column, Dave Hannigan tells us about a new biography on David Feherty that “might be the rawest, most compelling book about an Irish sportsperson since Vincent Hogan’s seminal collaboration with Paul McGrath”. No higher praise.
Telly watch: After drawing their opening Under-20 World Cup game against England, Ireland are back in action this morning, this time against Australia (Virgin Media Two, 10am). Later, there’s day two of the second Ashes test at Lords (Sky Sports Cricket from 10.15am) and tonight, Pádraig Harrington begins the defence of his US Senior Open crown in Wisconsin (Sky Golf, 11am).
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