The ultimate test beckons in Paris next weekend after Ireland cleared the first hurdle in style against Wales. Andy Farrell will have some difficult selection calls with Iain Henderson and Robbie Henshaw back in the mix, and "it will be fascinating to see how Ireland's attacking game fares against the French outside-in defence honed by Shaun Edwards." Johnny Watterson explains why Saturday's Six Nations win was another step forward and a continuation of the Irish coach's promise to constantly bring emerging players into the Irish squad: "Agree or not with his choices, Farrell has found a new fullback, two new wingers, a new centre and several new options in the secondrow and backrow positions."
Wexford's hopes for a decent performance were more than met in a surprise win over All-Ireland champions Limerick yesterday. Having worked themselves to a standstill and surfed the good fortune of Limerick's multiple wides, the home team turned it all around with a well-taken goal in the 59th minute. Armagh picked up where they left off against Dublin last weekend with a 2-14 to 0-14 win over All-Ireland football champions Tyrone, before the red mist descended on the Athletic Grounds. Five red cards were shown in injury time as for reasons not immediately evident, a dozen or so players from each team suddenly got stuck into the other.
Sadio Mane went from villain to hero as he broke Liverpool club-mate Mohamed Salah's heart by firing Senegal to Africa Cup of Nations Cup glory for the first time. New £37.5million signing Luis Diaz gave Anfield a glimpse of what he can offer with an encouraging 30-minute cameo in Liverpool's 3-1 FA Cup fourth-round win over Cardiff. In his column this morning, Ken Early writes about reports linking Roy Keane with the vacant Sunderland job: Forget about managing, Roy Keane should stick to what he's good at.
Meanwhile, Honeysuckle and Rachael Blackmore lived up to their billing as the Dublin Racing Festival's headline act with a record breaking success in Sunday's Leopardstown feature. Brian O'Connor writes this morning: for racing, losing the battle over the whip is preferable to losing the war.
