Jim McGuinness on Tour de France

In his column today Jim McGuinness looks back at last weekend’s Ulster final, where Tyrone edged out his Donegal 0-13 to 0-11 to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup in a scorching Clones.

Watching on the box from Royal Troon McGuinness suggests it was Donegal’s one-dimensional game plan which cost them another provincial title, he writes: “For me Donegal fell into the same trap that caught them in last year’s Ulster final.

“Their game plan is to support from behind the ball. And the players are extremely disciplined in the implementation of that. And when it works, as it did previously, they are a handful for any team.

“But I feel it is a one dimensional game plan in that it does not pose enough problems for opposition teams. They are not playing the long ball or getting ahead of the ball or running the ball aggressively. All the support is from behind.”

And he also pays tribute to the belief Tyrone showed to drag themselves back from a four point deficit in the second half and end a six-year Ulster drought, he writes: “I felt their drive and mentality was coming from something bigger or beyond themselves. They have a cause or an emotional attachment which was bigger than a game of football.

“They had to win it for their county. And they had to win it for the people who are no longer there.”

Russia could face outright ban

Elsewhere Russia could be faced with an outright ban from the Rio Olympics after an independent report commissioned by Wada detailed evidence of widespread state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Sochi winter games.

Sagan wins Stage 15

And Peter Sagan won stage 15 of the Tour de France yesterday, edging out Alexander Kristoff in a photo finish, with Chris Froome retaining the yellow jersey. Ireland’s Dan Martin remains in ninght position.