The dust has nearly settled on last weekend's All-Ireland hurling final, and in his column this morning Jackie Tyrrell reflects on a match which saw Tipperary beat Kilkenny 3-25 to 0-20 at a sodden Croke Park. And he argues that Richie Hogan's controversial red card on the stroke of half-time wasn't the main reason for the Cats' heavy defeat - instead suggesting that Liam Sheedy's side deserve all of the credit for a masterful performance. He writes: "Everybody in Ireland knows what the main talking point out of last Sunday's final was. Richie Hogan was sent off in the 33rd minute and the game changed drastically around the same time. . . The sending off didn't decide the All-Ireland final. Tipperary decided the All-Ireland final." Tipp blew away Kilkenny with a stunning second-half showing, but Tyrrell believes the seeds of victory were planted before Hogan had received his marching orders in the 33rd minute. "The point I'm making is that the momentum had shifted before the red card happened. And the fact that the sending off was so controversial has robbed Tipperary of their due in the days that have followed . . . This was an awesome display of controlled, measured and clinical hurling. I have yet to see a performance as good as it when it comes to the use of an extra player."
Rory McIlroy's bid to land the $15 million end of season jackpot in the Tour Championship got off to a strong start at East Lake yesterday, with the four-time Major winner carding an opening round of 66 in Atlanta. McIlroy headed into the tournament on four under par and now lies on nine under - one stroke off the joint lead of Brooks Koepka and Xander Schauffele - after an opening round which included five birdies and a single dropped shot. You can read Philip Reid's first round report from Atlanta HERE. McIlroy's second round gets underway at 7.20pm this evening (Irish time).
Ross Byrne has been given the nod to start at outhalf for Ireland in tomorrow's second Rugby World Cup warm-up fixture against England at Twickenham (kick-off 3pm). Joe Schmidt has named a strong XV, with Jean Kleyn resuming in the engine room, while Garry Ringrose partners Bundee Aki in midfield as Robbie Henshaw is kept on ice. Replacement outhalf Jack Carty is also expected to get minutes from the bench in London, as Joe Schmidt continues to monitor the fitness of the injured Joey Carbery: "I know Joey well and I've got a lot of time for Joey. One of the frustrations for us is that versatility Joey gives us. The other three 10s tend to be locked on 10s. Joey can play 15 and 9, that's massive in a World Cup squad."
Celtic took a huge step towards the Europa League group stages last night, as they beat Swedish side AIK 2-0 at Parkhead in their first leg clash thanks to goals from James Forrest and Odsonne Edouard. Elsewhere Wolverhampton Wanderers secured an eye-catching 3-2 win away to Serie A's Torino to gain the upper hand in their tie ahead of the return leg at Molineux.
Jofra Archer was the star of the show at Headingley yesterday, taking 6-45 as Australia were bowled out for 179 in their first innings in Leeds. England captain Joe Root won the toss and elected to field on the opening morning of a crucial third Ashes Test, with only David Warner (61) and Marnus Labuschagne (74) offering real resistance on a rain-affected day.
And Enable bid farewell to Britain in style yesterday, running out a stunning winner of the Yorkshire Oaks at York. Aidan O'Brien's Magical was unable to lay a glove on John Gosden's mighty filly, who will now bid to win the Arc for an unprecedented third time in October.
