Kearney and Stander winning fitness battles
Joe Schmidt will name his Ireland side today for Saturday’s clash against Australia, and Gerry Thornley has predicted he will stick with a largely unchanged XV.
CJ Stander and Rob Kearney are both winning their fitness battles meaning the two absentees from the defeat to the All Blacks will be the injured Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw - with Ulster’s Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding the likely replacements.
Celtic out of Europe
Celtic are out of Europe after they were beaten 2-0 by Barcelona at a rocking Parkhead last night, with a Lionel Messi brace enough to see off the spirited Scots. In the group’s other game Manchester City drew 1-1 with Borussia Monchengladbach - securing their place in the last-16.
Meanwhile Arsenal’s hopes of finishing top of Group A look slim after they drew 2-2 at home to PSG, and there was an early shock as Rostov beat Bayern Munich 3-2 in Russia.
Dundalk welcome AZ
Tonight Irish champions Dundalk can put themselves on the brink of improbable passage into the Europa League knock-outs as they take on AZ Alkmaar at Tallaght, while Manchester United need three points of their own as they welcome Feyenoord to Old Trafford.
Sonia O’Sullivan
In her column today Sonia O’Sullivan looks at how key it is for athletes to step out of their comfort zone - something Katie Taylor is doing when she makes her professional debut on Saturday night.
She writes: “Taylor certainly appears to have been re-energised, found something that was missing before and during the Rio Olympics. This is at least partly down to the change of focus and renewed drive that an athlete experiences when they find a new target, a change of coach and surroundings.”
Steady start in Melbourne
Elsewhere Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry have made a solid start to the World Cup of Golf in Melbourne, the Irish duo shooting level par in the foursomes to sit three shots off the lead of first round leaders - Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello and John Rahm.
