The GAA is expected to confirm an acceleration in its return to play programme this evening - via the recommendations of its Covid-19 Advisory Group. It is expected that clubs will reopen later this month – in advance of the original roadmap provision for phase four on July 20th. The belief is that the GAA is planning for a pathway that leads to a resumption of club competition in August and intercounty matches in late September and October.
The standout fixture in the opening weekend of the Premier League's return looks set to be the Merseyside derby on Sunday June 21st at 7pm – a game Sky plans to show on its Freeview channel. The Premier League's clubs have been presented with a provisional fixture list for the first three full match rounds of Project Restart. Chelsea are close to signing German striker Timo Werner for €59 million after holding productive talks with the RB Leipzig forward. He has been linked to European and World champions Liverpool but the Covid-19 pandemic has forced the Premier League leaders to reconsider their budget. Ireland and Wolves right back Matt Doherty says he is happy now to be on the verge of a return to action at club level, and his hope then is to start making much more of an impact for Ireland.
The Six Nations could be played as a home-and-away tournament next season if the coronavirus pandemic prevents the autumn internationals going ahead as planned. In his Irish Times coronavirus diary, Irish prop Andrew Porter explains the joy of walking his dog "Cheika" and listening to a good blast of heavy metal music: "If I need to get up for something I'll put on my headphones and maybe throw on Metallica's Master of Puppets. That's my favourite track of theirs. It calms me down as well. It soothes me, eases the nerves before a game by not thinking about it too much. It's multi-purpose." Former Dragons and Grenoble coach Bernard Jackman has described how he has been helping coaches from around the world share their coaching experiences while there is no action - on Zoom!
Meanwhile the prize fund for this year's Royal meeting at Ascot will be nearly 50 per cent below the total for 2019, despite six extra contests being added to the schedule. Underlining the huge impact of the two-and-a-half month suspension and the ongoing requirement to race behind closed doors. Rafa Nadal says he would not travel to the US Open in the present circumstances and he believes tennis should not resume until players are able to travel safely in order to compete around the world. And keep an eye out for part two of The Irish Times sports shutdown quiz which goes live on the website at 4pm this evening.
