Conor Murray knows he should be cautious. “If this year’s Six Nations has shown us anything, it is to expect the unexpected,” he says. But still, he feels Ireland will have “too much power” for Wales this evening at the Aviva Stadium. He hopes too that Irish rugby will fare better than its Welsh counterpart off the pitch, the dire state of the game in Wales a warning sign to every other union. “The IRFU system is solid. Only five years ago, we could have said the same about Wales.”
In his preview of the game, Gerry Thornley is hoping the Aviva crowd will perform as admirably as the Irish support at Twickenham a fortnight ago, the challenge on the field to maintain the momentum from that “inspired and momentous win”.
John O’Sullivan heard from captain Caelan Doris on the eve of the game, one that will be a special occasion for scrumhalves Jamison Gibson-Park and Nathan Doak - the former winning his 50th cap, the latter set for his debut from the bench.
Doak’s opportunity is part of Andy Farrell’s effort to “grow depth” in his squad, but as Johnny Watterson notes, the coach is “between a rock and a hard place” in trying to give players game time while “serving both Six Nations and World Cup masters”.
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In football, Stuart Gilhooly, a legal adviser to the Professional Footballers Association of Ireland, gives his thoughts on the FAI’s handling of the Nations League fixtures against Israel later in the year.
We also hear from Marissa Sheva ahead of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying game away to the Netherlands tomorrow, and Paul Buttner previews the latest round of Premier Division games, including early pacesetters Bohemians’ trip to Waterford this evening.
In her column, Sonia O’Sullivan looks at the ever-growing number of women taking up running and the ever-increasing popularity of mini marathons, and in golf, Philip Reid reports on another disappointing day out for Shane Lowry, this time at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Neil Briscoe talks to the Cork solicitor who is part of a global team of legal experts putting the world’s racing teams – especially those in Formula One – under scrutiny when called upon.
And in racing, Brian O’Connor looks at the Cheltenham Festival’s efforts to arrest the stark decline in attendances, among them the appointment of Rachael Blackmore to an ambassadorial role to encourage more women to go racing.
TV Watch: Sky Sports Golf will have round two of the Arnold Palmer Invitational from 3.30pm today, and at 6.30 this evening, Channel Four has the opening ceremony from the Winter Paralympics. At 8pm, Shelbourne host St Patrick’s Athletic in the Premier Division (Virgin Media Two) and three days after an injury time goal saw them lose at Wolves, Liverpool return to Molineux, this time in the FA Cup (BBC 1 and TNT Sports 1). And at 8.10pm, Ireland take on Wales in the Six Nations (RTÉ 2 and UTV).
