SPORTS DIGEST:RUGBY: Harlequins' director of rugby Conor O'Shea has revealed he would be "delighted" to be part of the panel that helps select the new England head coach, writes John O'Sullivan.
The former Ireland international fullback along with the current Bath director of rugby Ian McGeechan have been linked with a role as Premiership Rugby representatives on the five-man committee charged with recommending Martin Johnson’s permanent successor.
The panel will be chaired by the English RFU’s new chief executive Ian Ritchie, who took office on Monday after joining the organisation from Wimbledon.
The rest of the committee is likely to be filled by Rob Andrew, the RFU’s professional rugby director, and head of elite coach development and former Wales coach, Kevin Bowring.
O’Shea admitted: “Within the agreement (between the clubs and the English RFU), Premiership Rugby are going to have an input and if the ones nominated are myself and Geech (McGeechan) then I’d be delighted and will be delighted to be part of that process. I will leave the process to take its path and be involved as and when I am asked.”
Stuart Lancaster is in charge of England for the Six Nations and has applied for the full-time post while former South African and Italian coach Nick Mallett and ex-Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan have been linked with the post.
Ireland share the spoils in Istanbul
SOCCER:The Republic of Ireland Under-19s battled to a 1-1 draw against Turkey in snow-covered Istanbul yesterday.
The first of this week’s friendly double-header was in doubt as the Pendik Stadium pitch remained submerged in a blanket of snow up to an hour before kick-off.
When the game started, Paul Doolin’s side raced into a 25th minute lead through Tottenham Hotspur winger Kenny McEvoy. He swept home a cross from newly-crowned Under-17 FAI player of the year, Sean Kavanagh.
Arsenal goalkeeper Sean McDermott preserved Ireland’s lead with a series of stops until Chelsea’s Okan Derici beat him from long-range on 51 minutes for the equaliser.
REP OF IRELAND: McDermott (Arsenal); Barker (Bohemians), Byrne (Rochdale), Hoban (Watford), Kavanagh (Fulham); Smith (Watford), Dillon (Hull), Smith (Southend); McEvoy (Spurs), Knight (Bray Wanderers), O’Brien (Millwall). Subs: Horgan (Salthill Devon) for Knight inj (29 mins), Sutherland (QPR) for Dillon (65 mins), Morrissey (Cork City) for McEvoy, Glasgow (QPR) for O’Brien (both 78 mins).
Taylor to meet US opponent in Cork
BOXING: Katie Taylor will continue her intensive preparations for May's World Championships and Olympic qualifiers in China when she faces Cashmere Jackson in Cork next month.
The US light-welter weight is scheduled to meet Taylor at the Silver Springs Hotel on March 30th. Jackson, who fights out of the Martin Luther King BC in Ohio, usually boxes at 64kg but will drop towards Taylor’s lightweight limit of 60kg. Ranked fifth in the world, she claimed a bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships in Barbados where Taylor won her third successive gold.
Meanwhile, Taylor will line out for Ireland in two international meetings with Holland in Dublin and Cavan on March 23rd and 25th. The Bray woman last weekend won two unanimous decisions over Switzerland’s Sandra Brugger and Norway’s Ingrid Egner.
Taylor will see action in Qinhuangdao, China, on May 9th.
Bekele back for Great Ireland Run
ATHLETICS: Kenenisa Bekele, the world's greatest cross country and track distance runner, will return to the city of one of his greatest achievements when competing at the SPAR Great Ireland Run in Dublin. It is 10 years ago next month when, aged 19, he became the first and only male athlete to lift the IAAF World Cross Country long and short course titles in the same year with two magnificent performances at Leopardstown racecourse.
Bekele’s appearance in the Great Ireland Run on April 15th suggests the Olympic 5,000 metres and 10,000m champion, after taking part in this summer’s London Games, could be taking a preliminary step in the transition of proving himself as equally successful on the roads. Bekele’s appearance adds to the recognition of the event which this year has been upgraded to IAAF silver medal status.
New plans for Red Bull and Ferrari
MOTOR SPORT: Champions Red Bull and rivals Ferrari have changed their plans for the final pre-season F1 test after the sport's governing body ruled that all testing must end by March 5th.
Both teams had planned to start the test at Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya on Friday, a day later than others, and run through until the end of Monday.
However they changed their plans after the FIA sent teams a clarification of the regulations on Monday evening. Both will now test from Tomorrow to Sunday.
Article 22.4 states no testing can take place “between the start of the week preceding the first event of the championship and December 31st of the same year” with the exception of a three-day test in August.
The season starts in Melbourne on March 18th.
The two teams had interpreted the rule to mean Monday, March 12th was the cut-off, although the first practice session in Australia is on March 16th.
