World Rugby U20 Championship: Ireland 39 - Japan 33: Irish coach Noel McNamara believes that many of his squad will go on to professional careers and represent the national senior side despite a miserable fortnight at the World Rugby U20 Championship.

The World Rugby U20 Championship has been horrendous for Ireland but one of the few bright sparks has been the emergence of Jack Daly, the latest to come off the remarkable Currow conveyor belt in Kerry.

THE qualifying structure for future Rugby World Cups is to be changed to better reflect the modern game and increase the profile of one of the world’s largest sporting events, with the number of automatic qualifiers increasing to 12.

Raymond van Barneveld showed why he is odds-on favourite to win a fourth Lakeside World Championship title with a 5-0 demolition of compatriot Vincent van der Voort tonight.