The prospect of an Irish U20s jersey must have seemed a distant dream to a 16-year-old Tom O’Toole, as he looked out the window of Campbell College, in Belfast, on his first night at the school, and thought about the family he had left 10,000 miles behind, in Australia.

Thousands of Irish kids could relate to Harry Byrne’s youthful admiration of Jonathan Sexton and Ronan O’Gara but Ireland’s U20s out-half had another role model to emulate much closer to home.

Rugby star Claire Molloy must be one of the very few who is trying not to lose weight in January, writes Clodagh Finn.

Ireland 7 England 34: England’s women captured their first Six Nations title since 2012 as they swept to victory in a pulsating Grand Slam decider at Donnybrook last night.

Cistercian College, Roscrea will face Gonzaga College in the quarter-finals of the Leinster Schools’ Senior Cup, following their narrow victories over CBC Monkstown and Castleknock College yesterday.

US billionaire John Malone’s Virgin Media — which owns TV3 and the cable operator — has confirmed plans to acquire UTV Ireland from ITV, in a €10m deal which will raise fears for jobs at both broadcasters.

The McAleese report is “neither accurate nor respectful” in the suffering women endured in Magdalene laundries, it has been claimed.

Previews of all today’s Division 1A/1B games.

If your rugby knowledge isn’t up to scratch, Conor Neville has you covered to make sure you impress everyone down the pub.

Over the past few years, no team has served as the stooge for Joe Brolly’s talent for scathing dismissal more than Galway.

Irish broadcasting was plunged into mourning yesterday with the passing of DJ Tony Fenton, after a battle with prostate cancer.

Leinster Schools Senior Cup Semi-Final

One imagines Nigel Carolan and the rest of his U20s management team have spent many an hour poring over footage of England’s opening Six Nations loss to Wales in Colwyn Bay this last two weeks.

Leinster Schools: Cistercian College Roscrea 24 Presentation College Bray 16

No defeats. No injuries. No changes. Ireland U20s coach Nigel Carolan finds himself in quite the enviable position.

Few are expecting Ireland’s clash with England at the Aviva Stadium to be a thing of beauty this Sunday, but those eager for a dash of more aesthetic, attacking rugby would do well to make for Donnybrook on Friday.

It opened with a sigh, continued with a groan, and quickly it became apparent that RTÉ Radio 1’s new — or at least reconditioned — signing was in the soup.

It hasn’t been the greatest few months for Ireland’s batch of indigenous coaches, what with the struggles of Anthony Foley’s Munster and Neil Doak’s Ulster, but Nigel Carolan hopes to change that trend.

More misery for Munster with the selection of just four of their players on Nigel Carolan’s expanded Ireland squad of 30 for the U20 Six Nations.

TENNIS:

Lost amid the post mortems of Munster’s Aviva Stadium victory over Leinster last Saturday was the no-fanfare return pitchside of a former great when the ‘A’ teams faced off earlier that afternoon.

I RETURN to the wines of Spain again this week which I realise is starting to become a bit of a habit.

With the recent warnings from national police forces and internet security firms about the GameOver Zeus virus, people are not being informed enough of simple tips they can use to protect themselves from the thieves who create such viruses.

I am writing this letter to tell the Taoiseach exactly how it would affect me and upset my parents if he doesn’t return my medical card.

I read in your business section (Irish Examiner, Oct 10) how the Central Bank lost communication to a high priority server.

They may be under-represented on the airwaves here, but Irish female broadcasters have been flying the flag abroad for years. Dave Kenny looks at the women who have made an international impact

Joni Mitchell is ringing in these ears this week.

RTÉ hopes its new Cork-based live daytime show will help combat criticism that it exists in a ‘D4 bubble’.

Now that we have had the household charge and water charges are coming, I predict that the next charge that the Government will impose that affects our daily lives will be a tax on sex.

RTÉ personality Mike Murphy has hit out at the station’s “Cromwellian” approach to the arts after claiming his new show’s late-night spot means he has been “banished into the Connacht of broadcasting”.

THE famous economist, Adam Smith’s Canons of Taxation included the following: (i) Tax must be easy to collect.

IT appears that RTÉ, with the mandate for public service broadcasting, has settled the libel action with Fr Kevin Reynolds with a gagging clause so as to hide amount of the award.

WITH just two days separating the games against Connacht and France, Declan Kidney’s resources were always going to be stretched this week, so yesterday’s injury update from Carton House was timely and welcome in equal measure.

NIALL FITZGERALD enhanced his men’s singles title credentials when he gunned down former Wimbledon participant Edward Seator in the National Indoor tennis Championship quarter-finals at David Lloyd Riverview last night.

RYAN TUBRIDY has not only bowed to pressure to wear a Christmas jumper on the Late Late Toy Show tonight but has also confirmed he will be belting out a song.

THE search is on for the country’s newest multi-millionaire after a mystery customer bought the winning numbers for the competition’s third largest jackpot.

Leinster 6 London Wasps 41, Donnybrook

THERE was an “oh my god” moment for Tipperary town woman, Yvonne Ellard, when she won the top fashion prize at the Blossom Hill Ladies’ Day at the Fáilte Ireland Dublin Horse Show yesterday.

I WAS in Dubai at the weekend. Nice enough place if you like that kind of thing: glitzy, a bit soulless, but after the weather we’ve been having at home, who’s complaining?

The Court of Criminal Appeal has today reduced the sentence imposed on an actor convicted of having ten stun guns without a firearms certificate.

THERE is just one change on the Irish A team to meet Scotland from the team originally named to meet England Saxons in last week’s postponed tie.