A new national rugby competition, dubbed the IRFU Club Sevens Championship, has been launched today.

HURLING sensation, Joe Canning, says his favoured management team for next year is one in touch with the modern methods of the game and warned Galway chiefs that he and the panel wouldn’t favour a “celebrity management” team.

FROM bantam hens to cooks, all-Ireland champions of all kinds emerged at the agricultural shows in August and September.

TOP exhibitor Dessie Gibson of Dromara, Co Down took the €2,540 winner’s prize in the €7,000 Tullamore Dew Broodmare and Foal All Ireland Championship at Iverk Show last Thursday.

THE winner of the non-pedigree suckler cow and calf All Ireland championship at Mohill Show in Co Leitrim last Sunday was shown by Derry and Sharon Rothwell, Greenhall, Tinahely, Co Wicklow, with a qualifier from Ossory Show. Garret McGuinness, Drogheda, took the reserve honours.

Eircom has given details of a number of initiatives to further improve broadband availability and help drive broadband take-upthrough the country.

A leading crystal firm has made replicas of the Sam Maguire to commemorate Tyrone’s All Ireland Championship triumph.

Colm O'Connor looks at the enduring appeal of the last GAA championship final of the year. ON SUNDAY, sports followers of all persuasions will speed past a golfing wonder of the world to get a ringside seat on an hour of local squabbling in Ballybunion.

Manchester United's John O’Shea said today he hoped next month’s Premiership curtain raiser would not rule him out of watching Waterford's hurlers on the same day.

THE Ulster Council is unperturbed by the failure of All-Ireland champions Tyrone to qualify for the provincial final in Croke Park on July 11.

IT COULD reasonably be said that as Seanie McMahon goes, so goes Clare.

There is plenty of action in the Allianz National Hurling League this afternoon with focus turning towards the big hitters as Cork, Tipperary, Limerick and Kilkenny are all involved in semi-finals.

Today sees another round of matches in this year’s All Ireland Championship with a football game in Ulster, two football Quarterfinals in Leinster and a hurling Quarterfinal in Munster.