Sport

The Morning Sports Briefing

D-Day at the OCI, lure of the land still strong for Kiernan, fee paying schools only half the story, Earls out to right wome wrongs, pressure eased on Ranieri and what to watch out for

Ardscoil Ris’ Killian Deenan tackles Cian Whooley of CBC during their Munster Schools Junior Cup quarter-final. Photo: Tommy Dickson/Inpho
Thu Feb 09 2017 - 07:40

D-Day for the OCI

We start this morning with tonight’s OCI elections where a new president will be appointed for the first time in 28 years and take the mantle of driving the organisation forward of the ticketing scandal that overshadowed this year’s Rio Olympics and ultimately ended Pat Hickey’s reign.

Keith Duggan writes that now the Hickey era is over, the new leader - whether it be Bernard O'Byrne, Willie O'Brien or Sarah Keane - must restore faith in the organisation.

Meanwhile Ian O'Riordan takes a look at all of the details of tonight's election and how it will play out.

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Lure of the land still strong for pig-headed Kiernan

In our women in sport pages Clíona Foley speaks to Shelbourne's FAI Cup final hat-trick hero Leanne Kiernan on the offers she's been attracting from foreign teams and how she would rather simply stay at home and look after the pigs on the farm where she lives.

We also have Sonia O'Sullivan's column on the revolutionary new Nitro Athletics Series in Melbourne, Gavin Cummiskey speaks to Eimear Considine about her meteoric rise to playing international rugby for Ireland and Glanmire basketball star Gráinne Dwyer is The Irish Times/Sport Ireland Sportswoman of the Month for January.

Fee-paying schools only tell half the story in Irish rugby

On to rugby and John O'Sullivan writes in his stats column that the old belief of fee-paying schools contributing almost solely to the Irish senior rugby set-up is changing. Over the last 11 and a half years there are 46 schools which have provided players to the senior team.

Earls out to right some wrongs

Meanwhile Johnny Watterson speaks to Keith Earls about how he is out to right some wrongs against Italy – a game in which Donnacha Ryan is set to be recalled while Johnny Sexton is definitely out.

Pressure eased on Ranieri

In football there was some relief for Claudio Ranieri last night as Leicester eventually got past Derby in their FA Cup fourth round replay, winning 3-1 on aggregate.

What to watch out for

Golf

Sky Sports 4, 3am-5am, 7am-10am: Malaysia Maybank Championship

Sky Sports 4, 7pm-11pm: California AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am