The thing about the Rugby World Cup is that, because matches are so spaced out (particularly in the knockout stages), there is a lot of time to fill between them with analysis and build-up. The final is still three full days away so you can expect plenty more of that before England and South Africa actually take to the field but at least this morning Gordon D'Arcy has come up with a fresh take – that being to compare the teams to Star Wars characters. D'Arcy writes this morning that the Springboks are this final's Darth Vader facing up against England's Luke Skywalker. "The Springboks are not playing the villain – they are the bad guys at this World Cup. It's dreadful to watch; boring, dour, ultra-physical from the biggest humans we have ever seen play the game. They are Darth Vader to England's Luke Skywalker. England are the good guys," he writes. The power of the South Africans, and indeed England, is also backed up by English defence coach John Mitchell who says that the two finalists are the two most powerful teams in the world.
Yesterday it was confirmed that Jérôme Garcès will take charge of the showdown in Yokohama and this morning former IRFU referee director Owen Doyle writes that communication at the breakdown and the scrum will be key. And while Ireland's journey is now long over, there is still time to reflect, with former All Black Justin Marshall the latest to get in on the act. "All of a sudden the 50/50s that Ireland were winning by kicking and getting the ball back – they weren't getting it back anymore. Yet they were still doing the same thing. So you're now kicking the ball back to the opposition instead of kicking it and getting it back," he said.
On to football and Mick McCarthy yesterday named an extended squad for Ireland's make or break Euro 2020 qualifier against Denmark on November 18th. The Ireland manager brought Shane Long and Robbie Brady both back into the fold and discussed potentially unleashing Brady on the Danes. Last night Manchester City strolled into the last eight of the Carabao Cup with a 3-1 victory over Southampton. Meanwhile, Richarlison was on target as Everton saw off Watford. This evening Liverpool meet Arsenal while Manchester United take on Chelsea. This weekend Dundalk meet Shamrock Rovers in the FAI Cup final and Robbie Benson spoke yesterday about how proud he is to play a key role in the Lilywhites' pursuit of records.
On to golf and Mount Juliet was yesterday announced as the host for next year's Irish Open but a host still has to be found. This morning Philip Reid writes that it will likely be either 2020 Ryder Cup captain Pádraig Harrington or last year's host Paul McGinley.
