Conor Murray should start at scrumhalf for the Lions in Saturday's opening Test match against the Springboks - according to Gerry Thornley. The Ireland number nine had looked a shoo-in for a starting berth after being named tour captain following the withdrawal of Alun Wyn Jones through injury. The return of the Welshman, coupled with Murray's performance in the defeat to South Africa A, has led to some debate over who should start in the halfbacks - but Thornley believes the Munster man remains Warren Gatland's best choice. He writes: "Ronan O'Gara talks about some players bringing presence, and Murray has long since belonged in that category. It comes with 94 Test caps, including five for the Lions. He also brings a calmness, a low error count, that box-kicking, a footballing assuredness, excellent defending and physical strength on both sides of the ball."
In his column this morning Kevin McStay has admitted to becoming an Ulster Championship convert, after last weekend's thrilling semi-finals between Monaghan and Armagh, and Tyrone and Donegal. He writes: "Through commentary work, I have found myself frequently attending these games over the past decade. And I found myself becoming fascinated by what is in many ways an independent competition within the All-Ireland. You have to attend the games and the places to fully appreciate what the Ulster championship is about. It is a secret in full view." And he believes Sunday's defeat to Tyrone showed Donegal are a team at the end of their cycle - while the victors are on their way up. "Donegal's failure to reach the next level will lead to the departure of a lot of familiar faces on the pitch and the sideline. New voices shake things up. And Donegal have probably reached that moment now. In contrast, Tyrone had that new voice and new approach on Sunday."
Last night's BBC Panorama investigation, "The Dark Side of Horse Racing", looked at the practice of euthanising racehorses after their retirement - often due to injury. And Brian O'Connor has looked at the work the sport has to do after this latest reputational setback: "But such a programme is another wake-up call to racing here of the importance of public trust in relation to welfare. There have been significant steps taken in recent years in providing horses new careers and homes after racing. The push however has to be to provide a much more thorough and systemic route for racehorses once they've stopped racing. The fear is the surface is currently only being scratched."
The Tokyo Olympics draws ever closer, meaning it is just days until Ireland women's hockey team make their first-ever appearance at the Games. They take on South Africa in a must-win group fixture on Saturday, and Hannah Matthews insists the 2018 World Cup finalists will fear nobody in their pursuit of a medal in Japan. Speaking to Johnny Watterson, she said: "We're ranked eighth in the world. It's not like we are up in the top five. I'd say we are relatively under the radar but not as much as in the World Cup. Teams would definitely be more aware of us." Meanwhile Ruaidhrí Croke has put together a comprehensive guide to the Olympics - which you can find HERE.
And the dust is still starting to settle for Ireland's Séamus Power, who claimed a career and life-changing maiden PGA Tour win on Sunday, as he took the Barbasol Championship in a playoff. And as Philip Reid writes, victory will be worth far more to the 34-year-old than the $630,000 payday alone: "For starters there's the two-year exemption on tour until the end of 2023; and direct entry into The Players and the US PGA Championship next year. He is also in the limited field for next year's Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii, confined solely to winners of the previous season."
