From this morning a maximum of 200 people can attend outdoor sporting events as long as it takes place in a stadium with a capacity of at least 5,000, outside of Dublin. In the capital the figure is just 100. On Tuesday afternoon the Government revealed its six month Living With Covid-19 roadmap, and Malachy Clerkin's Q&A breaks down all the confusing details. Although most sports organisations and fans were expecting more, the good news is unlike back in July and early August, the 200 refers to crowds through the gates only - "it's just not as good as the good news that we had been given to understand might be in the post." Seán Moran explains why the GAA must feel a bit like the grand old Duke of York, in the midst of this frustrating process of stadia being closed, then opened, then closed and now opened again. "A championship match is at least as much about the crowds as the teams," he writes. "The phrase, 'It takes a village to raise a child' can rarely be more resonant than in the formation of footballers and hurlers."

In his column this morning (Subscriber Only), Gordon D'Arcy is looking ahead to the weekend's Champions Cup quarter-finals where Toulouse are primed to expose Ulster's limitations: "considering Ulster's overall form since the restart, Cheslin Kolbe, Antonine Dupont and Thomas Ramos must be licking their lips. Dan McFarland's team are still on an upward curve but a reality check could be in store on Sunday because, working off the evidence to hand, they are some way off bringing a trophy to Belfast." Saracens are hoping to end Leinster's unbeaten season on Saturday, and their experienced winger Sean Maitland believes "it doesn't get any better than playing Leinster at the Aviva . . . I know there's not going to be any fans, which is a shame. We've played them in a quarter-final over there, then last year's final, now the quarter-final again. I'm sure they have a lot of motivation to play us after last year. It's a massive game, it's European rugby, and it's the only game that really means anything."

Ireland's Sam Bennett comfortably survived the first of three Alpine stages at the Tour de France on Tuesday, still a safe distance clear in the green jersey. Indeed Bennett finished with nothing lost or gained to his Slovak rival Peter Sagan, while Sagan's Bora-Hansgrohe team mate Lennard Kämna claimed the stage victory. However, with the proper rooftop finish to come today, this was perhaps the simpler survival day than the less straightforward one to come.

Meanwhile, the death took place on Tuesday evening of the nine-times champion jockey Pat Smullen. He was 43 and had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2018. In transfer news, Manchester United are at an impasse over their bid to buy Jadon Sancho and may explore a loan for Real Madrid outcast Gareth Bale as an alternative.