A round-up of today's other stories in brief
McLachlan has three-pronged strategy for Ireland success
ROWING:Ireland's incoming lead coach Don McLachlan hopes to help Ireland rowers to reach the top and thinks a big breakthrough for even one can get others going; he thinks it is "critical" rowers get a buzz from the sport; he believes the attractions of rowing can draw others in.
“I love rowing, love the movement, love the look of it,” he says.
McLachlan, a New Zealander and who is head of rowing at Imperial College in London, takes up his post at the end of next month.
The Erne Head of the River at Enniskillen this weekend has a cracking line-up. Five senior men’s eights head up a very big entry. The first crew off is a Galway all-star combination: James Wall, Alan Martin and Cormac Folan top a line-up which features Ireland international Niall Kenny and rising star Fionnan McQuillan-Tolan. Rob O’Callaghan of NUIG will stroke and Ruadhan Cooke returns from retirement to cox. Queen’s, UCD, Trinity and St Michael’s are the other eights competing.
In Limerick, the revived Irish Indoor Championships are sited at the University of Limerick on Sunday. Organiser Joe Cantillon says that there are over 400 entries, with 20 per cent from abroad.
LIAM GORMAN
Roche has first target of season in sights in Paris-Nice prologue
CYCLING:Having finished fifth and 11th overall in his first two races of the year, the Tour of the Mediterranean and the Tour du Haut Var, Nicolas Roche has completed a stint of training in Corsica and is poised to begin his first major target of the 2013 season on Sunday.
The Irish professional will get his Paris-Nice campaign under way in the three-kilometre prologue in Houilles and will hope to show the same form which earned him a top-10 finish in the time trial in the Tour of the Mediterranean. With summit finishes at Montagne de Lure and in the Col d'Eze time trial to follow next week, Roche is aiming for an overall podium finish.
He will have to ride in support of his Team Saxo Tinkoff team leader Alberto Contador in several races this season, and is determined to seize opportunities in the other events he rides.
Meanwhile, Ronan McLaughlin will seek to capitalise on his good form in the three-day Driedaagse van West-Vlaandren which begins today in Belgium.
The Donegal rider is the sole Irish representative on the eight-man An Post Chain Reaction Seán Kelly team. He was eighth in last Saturday's Beverbeek Classic.
SHANE STOKES
McGrane trails by three to lead Irish challenge at Tshwane Open
GOLF:Damien McGrane leads the Irish challenge after a 68 on day one of the inaugural Tshwane Open left him three shots adrift of South African leader Darren Fichardt.
McGrane carded five birdies on day one, two of which came in the final two holes for a four under par round. The Meath golfer is one shot ahead of Dungannon's Darren Clarke, who was one of 14 to finish the day on three under par.
The rest of the Irish contingent were unable to break par at the Copperleaf Golf and Country Estate, with Peter Lawrie and David Higgins ending on one and two over respectively, and Michael Hoey on three over after a 75.
Fichardt, who is bidding to claim his second successive win on home soil after victory in the Africa Open two weeks ago, shot a seven-under-par 65, after scoring 31 on the back nine before firing birdies on the first, fourth and sixth holes to take a one-stroke lead over countryman Keith Horne and Sweden's Bjorn Akesson.
Fichardt (37) showed his intent on the Ernie Els-designed course as he claimed one of his birdies on the par four 685-yard fourth hole – the longest in European Tour history. "The swing is good and I'm putting well," Fichardt said. "This golf course is awesome – it's very fair."
