It feels a little wrong that the rugby World Cup is carrying on without us when, strictly, the shutters should have been drawn on the whole tournament last Saturday evening. But on it goes, the last four nations standing fine-tuning their preparations for the semi-finals. New Zealand, we learn, are “sitting up like enthusiastic meerkats and exuding renewed optimism”. Grr. Who are you rooting for? Well, if you’re of the Leinster persuasion then you’re probably pinning your colours to Argentina’s mast ahead of their meeting tomorrow with the All Blacks, given that their ship is being steered by your former head coach and outhalf, Michael Cheika and Felipe Contepomi. Gerry Thornley heard Cheika pay tribute to his attack coach who will succeed him as Argentina’s head coach after the World Cup. “The great players don’t always make the great coaches,” he said of Contepomi, “but he was a great player and he’s going to be a great coach.” England, meanwhile, are, somewhat ironically, flying the flag for Europe and are the tournament’s only unbeaten team, but their next challenge is a sizeable one: defending champions South Africa.
In Gaelic games, Ciarán Murphy puts the boot in on Kilcoo’s behaviour ahead of last Sunday’s county final in Down when they objected to the appointment of referee Paul Faloon for the game. It was, he writes, “worthy only of contempt”. And worse, they ultimately got their way, the lack of leadership shown by the Down County Board on the matter “pathetic”. Gordon Manning talks to Davy Fitzgerald as he shapes up for another season in charge of Waterford’s hurlers, but one that won’t feature Austin Gleeson who is taking a year out from the panel. Gordon also rounds up the managerial comings and goings around the country, Dessie Dolan among those staying put - he has been reappointed as Westmeath manager.
In soccer, we have the latest chapter in the remarkable career of Ciara McCormack, the former Republic of Ireland international who has gone from being a whistleblower in Canada, where she gave testimony before a parliamentary committee about abuse and corruption in the game, to becoming the first female CEO in the League of Ireland following the investment by Vancouver-based investment group Tricor Pacific Capital in Limerick club Treaty United.
Dave Hannigan writes about Mary Lou Retton, the legendary Olympic gymnast who is currently in a Texas hospital battling a rare form of pneumonia. Conspiracy theories abound over her daughters’ fundraising efforts to cover her medical costs, especially when Retton earned $8 million through her career and lives in a $2 million Houston mansion. There is, writes Dave, “no shortage of keyboard warriors savouring the irony of a millionaire Republican now relying on handouts from others to foot mounting bills”.
TV Watch: We’ve been moaning for much of this week about the lack of (potentially) thrilling live sport on our tellies. Here we go again. The very best we can offer you is the World Cup cricket clash of India and Bangladesh (Sky Sports Cricket, from 9.30am). Stop laughing at the back.
