Holders Tyrone reached yet another Dr McKenna Cup final with a nine points win over Down at the Athletic Grounds.

Ireland Women’s head coach Adam Griggs has kept changes at a minimum for their Six Nations Championship showdown with Italy at Viale Piacenza in Parma on Saturday (kick-off 6.45pm, Irish time).

The game was played without the controversial hand-pass rule which had just hours earlier been ditched by Central Council, and Sunday’s FBD Connacht League final between Galway and Roscommon at Tuam will also be played without the ill-fated regulation.

Ireland 35 Wales 12: Adam Griggs sang the praises of the “immense” Claire Molloy, after she secured a brace of tries in Ireland’s bonus-point victory over Wales in the Women’s Six Nations Championship at Donnybrook yesterday.

Wexford native Katie Fitzhenry is hoping that Ireland can build on victory over Italy when they welcome Wales to Donnybrook Stadium tomorrow afternoon (3pm).

New Ireland women’s head coach Adam Griggs believes a daunting test in France tonight will be the making of his team.

Rugby star Sophie Spence wants female Irish players to “receive an equal level of respect and treatment” as their male counterparts.

Battle-hardened by four long years on the road, Slaughtneil chiselled out an Ulster Club SFC quarter-final win in the most pressing of circumstances at Celtic Park.

Omagh 0-10, Errigal Ciaran 0-8...Omagh’s second Tyrone SFC triumph in four years owes much to a sound defensive system with former Tyrone star Joe McMahon at its heart.

Ireland women’s coach Tom Tierney has named five uncapped players in his Six Nations squad but it is the absence of former World Player of the Year nominee Sophie Spence that stood out.

When you’ve locked horns and beaten women’s rugby giants New Zealand and World Cup champions England in the recent past, taking on highly-ranked Canada isn’t quite the frightening prospect it could be.

With Kim Flood, Liz Burke and Claire McLaughlin set to make their debuts against Italy in Donnybrook tomorrow (1pm), Ireland coach Tom Tierney is continuing his development of new playing talent during this Six Nations campaign.

Women’s International

Tyrone withstood a barrage of late Tipperary pressure to secure the county’s fifth All-Ireland U21 football title this evening.

Tyrone 0-17 Roscommon 0-12: TYRONE showed pace, power and panache when overcoming last year’s beaten finalists, Roscommon, in Saturday’s EirGrid All-Ireland U-21 semi-final at Sligo’s Markievicz Park.

Tyrone reached their first All-Ireland U21 Football Championship final since 2003 with a hard-working win over Roscommon, embroidered by the grace of ace finisher Lee Brennan.

Tyrone 1-11 Donegal 0-13: Tyrone converted an injury-time free to win a first Ulster U21 title in nine years last night, condemning Donegal to a third final defeat in a row at this grade.

Two first-half goals against Armagh helped Tyrone into the Ulster U21 final for the first time in three years last night.

Tyrone 0-17 Fermanagh 0-07: Mark Bradley and Mark Kavanagh formed a deadly strike force as Tyrone booked a place in the Ulster U21 Championship semi-finals.

Winger Jack Conlin’s 51st minute try proved decisive as Royal Belfast Academical Institution collected the Dansk Bank Ulster Schools’ Cup for the 30th time at the Wingspan Stadium yesterday.

Wallace High School is not a name which has yet been engraved as winning rugby’s second oldest trophy.

Christopher Bradley sent a glorious winner sailing between the posts in stoppage time to give Slaughtneil their first ever Ulster Club SFC title in a dramatic and pulsating Athletic Grounds decider.

AIB ULSTER CLUB SFC SEMI-FINAL:

Omagh (Tyrone) 2-8 Crossmaglen (Armagh) 1-9

Omagh/St Enda’s 1-10 Carrickmore 0-12

Burt 3-13 Setanta 2-14

Burt 3-14 Sean MacCumhaills 1-12

Tyrone were crowned Ulster minor football champions for the 23rd time, following a composed and assured performance at Clones yesterday.

Donegal maintained their NHL Division 3A status with a narrow win over Sligo at Brewster Park yesterday.

Donegal 2-12 Sligo 0-16

MILLTOWN-Castlemaine held off the determined Craigbane challenge and secured a Croke Park date in three weeks’ time.

Tyrone have won the inaugural Lory Meagher Cup, and promotion to the Nicky Rachard series for next season, with a one-point win over Donegal at Croke Park.

Banbridge's Richard Kilpatrick fired a sensational six-under par 66 to scorch into an impressive six-stroke lead at the halfway stage of the East of Ireland Amateur Open Championship at Co Louth.

Limerick's Pat Murray fired a three under par 69 to share the first round lead in the East of Ireland Amateur Championship at Baltray.