Jamie Heaslip will captain Ireland for the RBS 6 Nations Championship after leading the side during the Guinness Series in November.

For the first time during the 24 years of the U21 Uefa championship, Ireland approach the tail-end of their qualifying campaign in contention.

Ireland U21 manager Noel King is refusing to give up the Euro qualification quest following last night’s defeat to 10-man Turkey.

Robbie Brady maintains he’d rather be in Sligo than Serbia tonight.

Noel King has challenged his Republic of Ireland U-21 players to pick up where they left off as they prepare to head into European Championship battle with Turkey.

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni today dispensed with the services of his old guard as he handed some of his younger players a chance to prove themselves.

MARTIN JOHNSON believes any one of seven teams can win the Rugby World Cup — and he places England right at the heart of the pack.

Toby Flood will start at inside centre alongside fly-half Jonny Wilkinson in England’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against France.

England’s back row resources have been stretched before they even depart for the World Cup after Tom Wood was forced to pull out of tomorrow’s final warm-up international against Ireland.

USA head coach Eddie O’Sullivan last night said he believed he had picked his strongest available squad for the World Cup.

Matt Stevens’ return from the ignominy of a drugs ban continued today when he was confirmed in England’s 45-man Rugby World Cup training squad.

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has today named an unchanged squad for next month’s World Cup qualifier in Cyprus.

REPUBLIC OF IRELAND U21 manager Don Givens has selected a new-look 18-man squad for the friendly International away to Luxembourg, on Wednesday in the Stade Fr Trausch, Mamer.

David Beckham has topped the latest football rich list with an estimated fortune over twice that of his nearest rival, Dennis Bergkamp.

The Republic of Ireland U19s got their UEFA Championship qualification hopes back on track last night with a 3-1 victory over Serbia and Montenegro in Knokke, Belgium.

DON GIVENS yesterday named four uncapped players and three Irish-based players in Ireland's U21 squad of 18 for a challenge game in Poland on Tuesday, August 19.

Des Smyth flew into Cork from Celtic Manor in Wales to top the leaderboard after the Motorola pro-am at Little Island - a tournament that finished in darkness because of the bulging field.

Headfort professional Brendan McGovern has won the MasterCard Irish PGA Southern Championship at Arklow but had to survive the drama of a five-holes play-off with Jimmy Heggarty before taking the title.

Philip Walton put in a stroming finish at sunny Castlerock when he carded a two-under-par 71 to snatch the overnight lead in the first round of the £110,000 Smurfit PGA Irish Region Championship.

Paul McGinley began the defence of the £110,000 Smurfit PGA Irish Region Championship at Castlerock.

Smurfit PGA Irish championship qualifier at Seapoint

Eddie Doyle, from The Heath Golf Club in Co Laois, upstaged the European

European Tour player Des Smyth leaped into the lead after the first day's

European seniors tour player Paul Leonard took the lead after the first day’s play in the 54 holes Great Northern Hotel Tournament at Bundoran.