Has penalty advantage in rugby become too long? The law concerning halting play for a prior legal offence has become very confusing, as far as Owen Doyle is concerned. Essentially, there was a time where a significant line break or tactical advantage ensured advantage disappeared for an attacking side. Now, teams have free rein to play for as long as they like until a mistake comes with the permanent safety blanket of going back for a penalty. As Doyle points out: "Asked recently how long it should be, Nigel Owens smiled, "how long's a piece of string?" Quite, and he is right - for obvious reasons it would be unwise to link it to time, or to a precise number of phases." In this morning's other rugby column, Gerry Thornley is looking at the contrasting attacking styles of England and Ireland ahead of Saturday's showdown. England's new plan is not as developed, meaning for the time being, the game has the look of 'Old England vs New Ireland.'
Things just seem to go from bad to worse for Everton. This season has been a struggle for the Toffees, but a 5-0 away defeat to Spurs in north London probably takes the biscuit in terms of the season's worst performance: "Everton's display of defensive haplessness helped Antonio Conte's unpredictable Spurs side appear like world-beaters, and ended in a scoreline so emphatic it left Spurs with the best goal difference outside the top three." In last night's other action, Nottingham Forest saw off Huddersfield to book an FA Cup quarter-final date with Liverpool.
All-Ireland champions Limerick are still waiting for their first win of the season, as bizarre as it sounds. Still, you wouldn't sense there is any understandable sense panic based on the body language of coach Paul Kinnerk, according to Ian O'Riordan: "Whatever about any pressing need or desire for the All-Ireland hurling champions to secure a first league victory this season - their three opening defeats followed by Sunday's draw with Clare - Kinnerk's action was suitably telling: there is no urgency and certainly no alarm about it, even if time is starting to run away." In football, it is worth looking at the Tailteann Cup trapdoor in Division Two, with Offaly, Cork, Down and Meath all at present at risk of suffering the relegation drop.
Tiger Woods may still be absent from competitive golf due to injuries suffered in that infamous car crash, but that hasn't stopped him from earning an induction to golf's Hall of Fame. A timely one at that too, given there is a minimum age requirement of 45 and Woods is just 46. In tennis,Novak Djokovic has offered financial support and any other help required to Ukrainian former world number 31 Sergiy Stakhovsky, who has enlisted in his country's reserve army amid Russia's invasion of its neighbour.
