Munster will play Leinster in the Pro14 semi-finals this weekend, after they routed 13-man Connacht 49-12 in a fraught encounter at the Aviva Stadium yesterday. Two red cards for Andy Friend's side in the first-half - one for debutant Abraham Papali'I, one for Shane Delahunt - left them with a mountain to climb, and a strong Munster side capitalised on their numerical advantage to set up a last four showdown back in Dublin on Friday night, against a Leinster side bidding for an unbeaten season.
It's international week, with the Republic of Ireland taking on Bulgaria on Thursday and Finland on Sunday in Stephen Kenny's first two fixtures in charge of the senior side. Kenny has just two days with his players before they face Bulgaria, and the former Dundalk boss has made no secret of his main ambition in the Ireland hot seat: "Life is short. You have got the Euros next year and the World Cup the year after. You want to do everything you can to qualify." Meanwhile he has also paid tribute to Matt Doherty, after the fullback's switch from Wolves to Tottenham was confirmed yesterday: "I think it's a great deal for Tottenham. They'll be delighted to get him and he'll certainly improve the team." It is also a big day for the FAI today, with the association's EGM taking place as it bids to move on from a deeply divisive period.
La Liga have yesterday sided with Barcelona over Lionel Messi's contract, saying his €700 million release clause should be paid if he is to leave the Catalan club. And in his column this morning Ken Early has questioned Messi's potential move away from the Nou Camp, as well as his potential suitors Manchester City: "It still seems hard to believe that Messi is about to uproot himself from the club and the city where he has spent 20 years, to head north into the dark and cold and isolation of a Manchester pandemic winter, to take his chances in the Premier League at 33 years of age." Meanwhile Manchester United are reportedly on the verge of making Donny van de Beek their first signing of the summer, the Dutch midfielder joining from Ajax in a deal worth around €40 million.
Ballygunner are Waterford SHC champions for the seventh-consecutive year after they thrashed Passage 1-23 to 0-9 in yesterday's final. Seán Moran was at Walsh Park.
The US Open tennis starts in New York today, and in his column this morning Brian O'Connor has suggested this year's tournament - with a severely depleted field due to coronavirus - could present Serena Williams with the perfect opportunity to secure her 24th Grand Slam title. He writes: "In such a parlous environment, this iconic event has rarely if ever seemed more inconsequential. Yet there still lurks a storyline for the ages. Serena Williams has in her sights the sort of sporting history to make the outcome of a tennis championship seem a lot less frivolous than it might otherwise be."
Lewis Hamilton moved closer to a record-equalling seventh Formula One world championship title yesterday, as he led throughout to take the Belgian Grand Prix following an imperious performance at Spa-Francorchamps.
And Jon Rahm drained a 66-foot putt to beat world number one Dustin Johnson in the first hole of a play-off at the BMW Championship in Chicago. Rory McIlroy finished seven shots off the pace after he rounded off his week at Olympia Fields with a 71.
