Tonight Leinster welcome Ulster to the RDS in one of the matches of the Pro14 season (kick-off 7.35pm). Dan McFarland's side travel south currently in pole position in Conference A, with 10 wins from 10 matches. The defending champions are in second place - 10 points behind Ulster with two games in hand - and are looking to bounce back from last weekend's defeat to Connacht, their first in 26 fixtures. And the importance of the match has been reflected in Leo Cullen's Leinster selection - Johnny Sexton leads a side of full internationals, with Jordan Larmour returning from injury and Ross Byrne starting in the alien position of outside centre. As Gavin Cummiskey writes this morning, it is a mouth-watering fixture - but the hosts should have the edge: "On paper, Leinster have plenty to spare. In reality, Leinster by whatever margin is determined by a combination of Sexton's health and Ulster's physicality." And one particularly intriguing battle will come between number eights Caelan Doris and Marcell Coetzee, writes John O'Sullivan.
A number of this weekend's FA Cup fixtures look set to be hit heavily by Covid-19 cases. Tonight Aston Villa are set field a team of youth players as they welcome Liverpool to Villa Park for their third round tie (7.45pm), with Dean Smith's first team squad and staff all isolating due to a number of positive tests. Southampton could also be awarded a walkover in their tie with Shrewsbury Town, after the Shropshire club also returned a high number of cases. Tonight's other fixture is an all-Premier League affair, with Wolves welcoming Crystal Palace to Molineux.
Paul O'Connell is back in the Ireland set-up, after he was confirmed as Andy Farrell's new forwards coach yesterday. The former Ireland and Lions captain will join up with the side ahead of this year's Six Nations, with current forwards coach Simon Easterby now focussing on defence. O'Connell was an inspirational, totemic presence during his 108 Ireland caps, and Gerry Thornley believes his appointment could prove to be a shrewd move by Farrell: "Always a very driven man, O'Connell wouldn't have taken on this job if he didn't believe he was capable of making a positive contribution, and one thing is for sure, in the same way that he did when pulling on any jersey he played for, he will give everything to the job."
In his column this morning Johnny Watterson looks at the sportspeople who have vocally backed Donald Trump, and who might now be regretting their stance following this week's insurrection at the White House. He writes: "Like NFL's Brett Farve, golfer John Daly, basketball's Denis Rodman, boxer Mike Tyson, MMA's Dana White and Conor McGregor and a slew of Nascar drivers, Nicklaus became involved in America's culture war at the wrong time and for the wrong man with the wrong message. Back in the day that kind of decision-making would never have won 18 majors. Nicklaus is in bad need of a Mulligan."
And Justin Thomas has opened his account for 2021 with a 65 in Hawaii, to take a share of the first round lead alongside Harris English. Sergio Garcia sits too off the top in the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
