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Ryder Cup – Day One; Ulster and Connacht kick-off United Rugby Championship

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with ‘The Irish Times’ sports team

Pádraig Harrington’s European team are looking to retain the Ryder Cup trophy they won at Le Golf National in Paris three years ago. Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Pádraig Harrington’s European team are looking to retain the Ryder Cup trophy they won at Le Golf National in Paris three years ago. Photograph: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
Fri Sept 24 2021 - 06:42

At last it's here - the 43rd Ryder Cup gets underway today at Whistling Straits, a year later than originally planned due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The action begins at 1.05pm (Irish time) with the Friday morning foursomes. Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia lead off the European challenge with Rory McIlroy and Ian Poulter hoping to do the business in the last match - check out Philip Reid's preview of the foursomes here. The formidable USA team may be favourites but Pádraig Harrington's men are capable of upsetting the odds: "Europe have been here before, many times, cast as underdogs. Revelling in it; turning perceived wisdom into a motivational tool and, time and time again, defying the odds." Our live blog tees off at 12.30pm - until then check out Ruaidhrí Croke's all you need to know guide to the Ryder Cup here.

Also kicking off today is the United Rugby Championship, née the Celtic League/Pro12/Pro14/Pro16. Connacht and Ulster are both in action - with the latter hosting Glasgow. Ulster are looking to bring the flare as Kingspan gets ready to roar again in front of a crowd of 15,000. Connacht face a tough opener away to a Cardiff side packed with internationals. Both games kick-off at 7.35pm.

Irish defender Liam Scales played the last half-hour on his Celtic debut while Jota scored his first goal for the club as Ange Postecoglou's side moved into the Premier Sports Cup semi-finals following a straightforward 3-0 win over 10-man Raith Rovers. There are five League of Ireland Premier Division matches this evening, with the meeting of St Patrick's Athletic and Shamrock Rovers (Richmond Park, 7.45pm - live on RTÉ2) topping the bill.

Meanwhile, Johnny Watterson explains this morning that if the Olympics kick out boxing, Ireland will be the biggest loser: "Of the 35 medals won since the first (Dr Pat O'Callaghan's 1928 gold in the hammer event in Amsterdam), 18 of them, or more than 50 per cent, have been won by boxers. The sport has featured in all of the summer games since 1904. Shutting off that opportunity for Ireland would have serious downstream consequences for funding.