Ireland's heavy defeat to the All Blacks in still raw, but a new era is already underway - with Andy Farrell replacing the outgoing Joe Schmidt. In his column this morning, Gerry Thornley has suggested the succession won't be easy, and that the Rugby World Cup hangover could easily carry into the 2020 Six Nations. And he writes that the key to rejuvenating Irish rugby is to start at domestic level: "Given the inextricable link with the provinces, reviving the spirits will be difficult, but that's where the rebooting has to begin." And the production of young players throughout the country will be key: "Leinster's plans to create modern centres of excellence in three locations outside of Dublin can't come soon enough, for there must be more Sean O'Briens and Tadhg Furlongs out there. Even better if the other provinces follow suit. Ulster, for example, are not pulling their weight. St Michael's College and a few of the other elite Leinster schools can't remain the primary source of talent indefinitely, even if there are more fine prospects coming through that pool, such as the hooker Ronan Kelleher and the back-rowers Scott Penny and Caelan Doris."
Meanwhile John O'Sullivan has given Joe Schmidt's squad their end of term ratings, after they once again failed to make it into the World Cup last four. Among those to emerge with credit are Rhys Ruddock, Andrew Conway, Garry Ringrose, Jordan Larmour and James Ryan - the only six players in the squad to score seven out of 10 for their efforts in Japan. Conor Murray, Keith Earls and Cian Healy all score five out of 10 while Jacob Stockdale only musters a four - a sign of Ireland's poor game plan and form throughout the tournament. John O'Sullivan writes: "Compiling the end of term report is a flawed process, offering nothing more than a soundbite, but what's unarguable is that very few Irish players emerged from the tournament in Japan with reputations enhanced; the majority underperforming based on standards they have set in the past."
Elsewhere and Sheffield United stunned Arsenal at Bramall Lane last night, out playing and out fighting Unai Emery's side to secure a memorable 1-0 win. Lyn Mousset's 30th minute tap in proved the difference, as the Blades moved up to ninth place - level on points with Tottenham. Spurs are looking to arrest their alarming slide tonight as they take on Red Star Belgrade at the Tottenham Stadium (kick-off 8pm). Elsewhere in the Champions League Manchester City welcome Atalanta to The Etihad.
Mayo GAA have moved quickly to deny "as a matter of urgency" an allegation from the Mayo GAA International Supporters Foundation regarding the county's sponsors and All-Ireland final tickets. Seán Moran writes: "Among the allegations was that the current sponsors of the county, Elvery's, stood to benefit from 100 All-Ireland tickets supplied by the board if Mayo reached the final and so diminishing the value of the sponsorship by nearly as much as the performance bonus for reaching the ultimate stage of the championship. This was refuted by the county board in a statement issued to The Irish Times on Monday afternoon."
And in this week's Pay for Play column Philip Reid has looked at sports photography and how famous images - such as Jacob Stockdale's try against the All Blacks - remain popular as gifts, despite the proliferation of pictures available on the internet and social media. He has also provided information on how to secure tickets, travel and accommodation for Katie Taylor's title fight on the Anthony Crolla undercard in Manchester on November 2nd.
