SINCE mid-January 12 farmers have vied to win a new Land Rover valued at over €40,000, competing in tasks such as livestock handling and selling, general knowledge, machinery skills and tests of their business acumen.

LIVE GAA coverage will soon become the poor relation in the RTÉ sports schedule.

Shane Williams says his Wales career will come to an end following next year's World Cup.

LIVE provincial rugby will return to free-to-air TV screens for the first time in four years on Friday evening when RTÉ broadcasts the first of its proposed 35 to 40 Magners League games this season.

IRISH rugby boss Philip Browne believes the announcement yesterday of expanded free-to-air television coverage of the Magners League from next season is positive proof of a total commitment to the development of the sport in this country.

Welshman Nigel Owens has been appointed to referee the Leinster-Munster Magner’s League semi-final, following Brian O’Driscoll’s request that he be chosen.

The dates and times for the 15th and 16th rounds of the Magner's League have been confirmed.

Presenter Richard Hammond has been nominated for a Bafta for his Blast Lab children’s TV show.

Heineken Cup champions Leinster will start their bid to retain their title against London Irish on the evening of Friday 9, October 2009 at the RDS in Dublin, it has been announced.

THE man planning to re-launch the Cork-Swansea sea route is flying to Finland today where he hopes to conclude a deal to acquire a new €10 million ferry.

The fixtures, dates and kick-off times the first four Rounds of the 2008/09 Heineken Cup tournament were today announced by ERC with a record 10 matches being televised on each of the opening two weekends in October.

The Welsh Rugby Union have paid tribute to Ray Gravell “as a man who epitomised the passion, flair and dignity of his beloved Welsh nation” after the rugby legend died of a suspected heart attack aged 56.

MORE than 1,000 Joneses proved last night that there is no keeping up with them when they broke the world record for the biggest get-together of people with the same surname.

MUNSTER will have little time to rest on their laurels as Heineken Cup Champions. In the opening tie of next season’s competition, the heroes of Cardiff must travel to former winners Leicester Tigers.

THE CELTIC League has finally unveiled the fixtures for next season after a summer of wrangling.

RTÉ have lost live broadcast rights for the Heineken Cup to Sky.

Connacht's Parker Pen Challenge Cup home quarter-final clash with Pontypridd will be taking place in Leinster.

CONNACHT will be at home in the first leg of their Parker Pen Challenge Cup quarter-final clash against Pontypridd on the second weekend of January.

Connacht will be at home in the first leg of their Parker Pen Challenge Cup quarter-final clash against Pontypridd on the second weekend of January.

Home advantage in the Celtic League quarter-finals on the last weekend of November is the golden carrot on offer in the final round of pool matches this weekend.

CELTIC LEAGUE coaches Matt Williams and Alan Gaffney are both sweating ahead of their respective matches this weekend against Glasgow and Ebbw Vale.

A former RAF worker claimed today that she has new evidence linking Gulf War Syndrome to vaccinations given to UK military personnel before serving in the Gulf War.