Our swimmers are having a whale of a time over at the European Short-Course Championships in Poland. A day after John Shortt won gold in the 200m backstroke, Evan Bailey produced the best swim of his career to win 200m freestyle bronze. And a fella by the name of Daniel Wiffen earned himself gold with a quite brilliant performance in the 1,500m freestyle final. “This,” writes Ian O’Riordan, “was Wiffen back to his absolute best”, it being just three months since he underwent surgery on his appendix. Some man.
Gavin Cummiskey is some man too for managing to speculate about who Ireland might get in their group at next summer’s World Cup when they haven’t even qualified for the tournament yet. But, “dream a little” he says as he looks ahead to today’s draw in Washington DC.
In rugby, Gerry Thornley brings you a pool-by-pool guide to both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup campaigns that get under way this evening. All Black Rieko Ioane will make his Leinster debut off the bench against Harlequins tomorrow, Nathan Johns reckoning that it isn’t readily apparent where the club’s “latest shiny overseas plaything” will fit in to their “toy box”.
Munster are away to Bath tomorrow, Conor Murray reflecting on his five years playing under Johann van Graan who is now the man in charge of the English champions. And thus far, Conor has been impressed by Munster’s current coach, Clayton McMillan, not least because he hasn’t tried to “reinvent the wheel” since arriving in Ireland.
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On the international front, Johnny Watterson gives his view on South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth receiving just a 12-week ban for that “gruesome” eye gouging incident against Wales. Will his reduced mid-level suspension “sit well with the public’s sense of repugnance”?
In athletics, Gordon Manning talks to Jason Smyth, Ireland’s most decorated Paralympian, about how he’s adjusting to his post-racing life, having retired in 2023, and also about the continuing fight for inclusive sport.
In Gaelic games, Seán Moran reports on the launch at Croke Park of the GAA’s national demographic committee report which addresses the consequences for its sports of rural depopulation. He also heard Jarlath Burns bemoan the lack of local authority pitches, the GAA president looking for help from the government on that front.
And in racing, Brian O’Connor asks “how do you solve a problem like Constitution Hill?” He has fallen three times in his last four races, which begs the question: can jump racing afford “the risk of letting perhaps its biggest star run over hurdles again”?
TV Watch: The draw for next summer’s football World Cup takes place this afternoon (BBC2, 5pm) and at 8pm Ulster open their Challenge Cup campaign against Racing 92 in Belfast (Premier Sports 1).
