How has Ireland’s Olympic Games started? Perfectly. “All is as they hoped it would be,” writes Johnny Watterson after he saw the men’s rugby Sevens side open their group campaign at the Stade de France on Wednesday with wins over South Africa and Japan. All of which means that they’re through to the quarter-finals, regardless of the result of their meeting with New Zealand this afternoon, a game that will decide who tops the group. “You don’t want to get too ahead of yourself,” captain Harry McNulty told Ian O’Riordan, “but these two wins ease the mental side of things, you’re not worried going to bed tonight, worrying about winning your last game”. And so, after playing New Zealand they’ll be back in quarter-final action tonight – a win there and they’ll be through to Saturday’s medal matches. As starts go, you’d take it.
Madison and Michaela Corcoran will hope for a similarly fruitful opening to their Olympic campaigns, Ian talking to the canoeists who happen to be identical twins. They’re not alone in having siblings for company in Paris, boxers Michaela and Aidan Walsh and athletes Jodie and Luke McCann also in the Irish team.
Kieran McGeeney, meanwhile, is focussing on getting Armagh on the podium on Sunday, Gordon Manning hearing from the Armagh manager ahead of their All Ireland final against a Galway side whose defence has been the key to their success this year. John Fallon takes us through just how stingy that rearguard has been, just one goal conceded in their road to the final.
That’s partly why a “Zen calm” had settled over Ciarán Murphy this week, his confidence in Galway’s chances of prevailing on Sunday rather high. But then he travelled to Crossmaglen to talk to Oisín McConville and discovered that he was feeling just as optimistic about Armagh’s hopes. “If I went up the road in search of a niggling doubt or two,” writes Ciaran, “mission accomplished.”
Your complete guide to all the festive sporting action including TV details
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In soccer, Gavin Cummiskey hears from Stephen Kenny ahead of St Patrick’s Athletic’s Uefa Conference League qualifier against Liechtenstein’s FC Vaduz this evening, and in golf Philip Reid talks to Pádraig Harrington about his hopes of making it third time lucky at the British Senior Open which gets under way today – he has been runner-up in the tournament for the past two years.
And in his America at Large column, Dave Hannigan brings us the tale of former college quarterback Johnny McEntee who has worked his way in to Donald Trump’s inner circle and is now “senior adviser to Project 2025, the ultra-right wing group who’ve been busy formulating the policies and staffing of the next republican administration”. Some story.
TV Watch: There are six Irish players in the field for the British Senior Open which starts today at Carnoustie (Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm-6pm), Padraig Harrington carrying the favourite’s tag in to the tournament. And the men’s rugby Sevens side are back in action at the Olympic Games – they complete their pool campaign against New Zealand at 3.30 (RTÉ 2) and will then play their quarter-final at either 8.0 or 9.0 tonight, depending on the outcome of that game.
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