Coach Gregor Townsend says Scotland are keeping a close eye on Ireland as both sides prepare for their opening weekend showdown at the World Cup in Japan next month.

Connacht’s focus for the remainder of the season will be trying to claim a knockout spot in the PRO14 and a place in next season’s Champions Cup but they will be disappointed to bow out of the Challenge Cup without firing a decent shot.

Luke Connolly's 2-5 haul in Portlaoise fired club kingpins Nemo Rangers through to yet another AIB All-Ireland club football final.

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.

Scotstown (Monaghan) 1-15 Slaughtneil (Derry) 0-15 (Ulster Club SFC): It has been a very difficult week for Derry kingpins Slaughtneil. 

Corofin claimed the All-Ireland Club SFC title for the first time since 1998 and only the second time in their history with a superior show of football against Slaughtneil.

A crunching Kieran Donaghy in the penultimate minute of normal time appeared to have provided Austin Stacks with the platform to secure extra-time only for Shane Carroll to kick the free wide.

AIB ULSTER CLUB SFC SEMI-FINAL:

Slaughtneil 1-8 Ballinderry 0-9

Connacht 12 Glasgow Warriors 19

RABO DIRECT PRO12:

Allianz Hurling League Division 3A relegation play-off

Munster coach Rob Penney is expecting fireworks at Thomond Park tonight when his side battle for a RaboDirect Pro12 top four spot against Glasgow Warriors.

Glasgow Warriors 0 Leinster 6

They had nearly finished sweeping the stand in preparation for the Connacht final the following day when Mickey Harte went off to the dressing rooms on Saturday night, the last man to leave the pitch, alone with his thoughts as he headed down to the changing facilities at Hyde Park.

Roscommon 0-8 Tyrone 1-16

Donegal 0-12 Tyrone 0-10

Donegal booked their place in the Nicky Rackard Cup semi-final with three points in injury-time but they were pushed all the way by a resurgent Monaghan in an entertaining game in Clones on Saturday.

MICKEY HARTE has made three changes to the Tyrone team that beat Roscommon for tomorrow’s All-Ireland quarter-final against Dublin. Justin McMahon replaces Ryan McMenamin, while Martin Penrose and Owen Mulligan come in for Tommy McGuigan and Kyle Coney.

NICHOLAS MURPHY, Tomás Ó Sé and Paul Galvin are all set to start from the off in Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final double-header in Croke Park after both Conor Counihan and Jack O’Connor named the experienced figures in their respective Cork and Kerry line-ups last night.

THERE’S not another team in the land that has nurtured a relationship with the All-Ireland Qualifiers quite like Tyrone.

LIMERICK senior hurling manager Donal O’Grady has made two changes in personnel from the team that started against Antrim for Sunday’s All-Ireland SHC quarter-final against Dublin at Semple Stadium.

MICHEAL MEEHAN returns to the Galway starting lineup for tomorrow’s All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Meath in one of five changes made by manager Tomás Ó Flatharta following the Connacht semi-final defeat to Mayo.

Tyrone 0-09 Donegal 2-06

JOE McMAHON will make his first appearance for the Tyrone senior footballers since suffering a broken jaw in a club game two months ago in Sunday’s Ulster SFC semi-final against Donegal at Clones.

Tyrone 1-13 Monaghan 1-11

CORK boss Conor Counihan has made six changes for Sunday’s Munster SFC semi-final against Waterford from the team that defeated Clare in last month’s quarter-final.

ARMAGH staged a strong finish to defeat Monaghan in the Ulster SHC quarter-final at Pairc Esler.

Armagh 2-17 Monaghan 2-7

THE tables turned in Navan yesterday. After Martin Penrose restored parity with a free that proved the last kick of the game, both teams remained on the sun-soaked Páirc Tailteann pitch to hear their fate.

EIRCOM will be named as the new associate sponsors of the All-Ireland football championship on Monday.

SEAN KIELY and James Fitzpatrick are set to make their first competitive starts for the Cork senior footballers in Sunday’s Allianz Football League Division 1 trip to Castlebar to face Mayo.

TOM O’SULLIVAN will make his first start for the Kerry senior footballers since last August’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat against Down in Sunday’s Allianz Football League Division 1 tie against Armagh in the Athletic Grounds.

CONOR COUNIHAN has named an unchanged side from the team that beat Monaghan a fortnight ago for Cork’s Allianz NFL Division 1 game tomorrow night against Down.

Derry 2-12 Tyrone 2-11

EOIN BROSNAN will line out for Kerry for the first time since the 2009 Munster semi-final replay defeat to Cork, when the Kingdom travel to face Mayo in Sunday’s Allianz Division 1 Football League clash in Castlebar.

Tyrone 2-11 Cavan 0-14

TWO second-half goals, one each from Martin Penrose and Paddy McNiece settled this McKenna Cup semi-final at Brewster Park last night.

Derry 1-11 Tyrone 0-13

JACK O’CONNOR has moved 2009 All-Ireland winning captain Darran O’Sullivan from his customary forward role to left-half back for tomorrow’s McGrath Cup opener against Tralee IT.

All-Ireland SFC Quarter-Final

Tyrone manager Mickey Harte has made a single change to his team for tomorrow's All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Dublin at Croke Park (throw-in 4pm).

CONOR COUNIHAN has given a vote of confidence to the Cork team that stuttered over Limerick after extra-time last weekend for Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC tie with Roscommon.

DERRY provided the most compelling evidence for coach Damien Cassidy’s claim that the squad is singing off the same hymn sheet as they clung on with 14 men to survive this stern All-Ireland SFC qualifier (Round 2) test from Westmeath on Saturday.

RYAN McMENAMIN and Davy Harte have both been omitted from the Tyrone team for Saturday’s Ulster SFC semi-final against Down due to hamstring and calf injuries respectively.

Derry 1-7 Armagh 1-10

Galway 1-12 Derry 2-13, Pearse Stadium

Tyrone 1-11 Dublin 2-14

AFTER prolonged absences, Alan Quirke, Anthony Lynch, Graham Canty, Donnacha O’Connor, Kevin McMahon and Colm O’Neill return to the Cork team for Sunday’s final game in the preliminary rounds of the Allianz NFL against Mayo at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.