No player has racked up more minutes for Ireland during Andy Farrell’s reign than Hugo Keenan, so if, as now looks increasingly likely, he is ruled out of Saturday’s game against Wales with a knee injury, the coach will have the unfamiliar enough task of choosing a different fullback. “While no one is indispensable,” writes Gerry Thornley, “if there is one player harder to replace than anyone else in this Irish squad, it is probably Keenan.” So, who will fill his boots? Gerry makes the case for the versatile Ciarán Frawley, Keenan’s understudy at Leinster, arguing that he is “the most seamless solution of those available”.
Welsh fullback Cameron Winnett made his Six Nations debut against Scotland earlier this month and if the 21-year-old holds on to his place for Saturday, he’ll be “hoping that the third time’s a charm”, John O’Sullivan telling us that his two previous outings against Ireland, both in the Under-20 Six Nations Championship, ended in heavy defeats. Owen Doyle, meanwhile, takes a look at the unintended consequences of World Rugby’s law trials, among them the “dreaded kick tennis”, and their efforts to come up with an antidote. He’d also like them to deal with the scourge of “slow ball”, and makes an earnest plea to referees at ruck time: “Call ‘use it’ a lot sooner. It would help us all.”
In Gaelic games, Armagh manager Kieran McGeeney has defended the current state of football, dismissing the sentimental revisionism that it was better back in the day. “We must be the most negative sport in the world,” he tells Gordon Manning, “it seems to be the world is going to end in the GAA”. Gordon also brings news that GAAGO is to produce two midweek shows during this year’s championship, while Denis Walsh calls for the provincial championships to be reimagined as pre-season competitions. “For a team like Kildare to bomb out in the league and maybe sneak back into the Sam Maguire through a kind provincial draw is simply ridiculous,” he writes.
In football, Gavin Cummiskey hears from Republic of Ireland manager Eileen Gleeson ahead of her team’s friendlies away to Italy and at home to Wales, and we also talk to a fit-again Niamh Fahey, the 36-year-old defender who has returned to the squad for the first time since last summer’s World Cup.
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TV Watch: We have two more Champions League round of 16 games on our screens tonight, Inter Milan at home to Atlético Madrid (TNT Sports 1, 8pm) and PSV Eindhoven hosting Borussia Dortmund (RTÉ 2 & TNT Sports 2, 8pm).
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