If the incoming management team of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane represent a breath of fresh air to the Ireland players, then the FAI can expect to benefit financially by a gust of goodwill from the public and corporate sector.

Matt O'Connor has been appointed Leinster head coach on a three-year deal and will link up with the team on July 1.

Ho hum. This column has touched before on sport’s propensity to be sidetracked by events which have little or nothing to do with the events taking place inside the white lines, or whatever the equivalent parameters may be in the various codes that demand our attention, and here we are again.

Football kit-maker Umbro was today sold by its owner Nike to an American clothing giant for $225m (€173m).

Cricket Ireland have turned down an offer to host an Indian Premier League franchise this summer.

O2 has today extended its partnership arrangement with the Irish Rugby Football Union to 2016.

AUSTRALIA captain Ricky Ponting feels that Test match cricket is the natural next step for the Ireland national team.

PAUL HEALION (Ireland National Team) put down an important marker along the road to London 2012 by beating some of the world’s top sprinters for the stage victory when the FBD Insurance Rás arrived in Castlebar yesterday.

NICHOLAS WALKER (Australia Cinelli-DownUnder) was the surprise stage winner and Simon Richardson (Britain Rapha Condor) took the race-leader’s yellow jersey, but it was young Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) who turned in the performance of the day to finish sixth in the uphill sprint when the FBD Insurance Rás arrived in Killorglin last evening.

JAAN KIRSIPUU powered his way up the finishing straight to thrill the fans who thronged Cahirciveen at the end of the longest stage in this year’s FBD Insurance Rás yesterday.

STEPHEN GALLAGHER (An Post/Sean Kelly/Martin Donnelly/ Grant Thornton) won the overall title and the national road race champion, David O’Loughlin (Pezula Racing), won the high-profile final stage of the FBD Insurance Rás in Skerries yesterday as Irish riders reclaimed control of Irish cycling’s showpiece.

DAVID McCANN (Ireland National Team) just can’t wait for tomorrow’s penultimate stage which takes the FBD Insurance Rás high into the Wicklow Mountains where he feels the destination of the overall title will be decided.

EXACTLY 25 years and a day after his father, Philip, claimed his first yellow jersey in the FBD Insurance Rás, Mark Cassidy donned the yellow fleece for the first time in Lisdoonvarna after yesterday’s dramatic stage from Claremorris.