However hard they sell us Adam Scott’s win as an inspirational recovery from calamity.

Former Ireland winger Denis Hickie believes the Irish Rugby Football Union has a tough task to find the right man to replace Declan Kidney.

It might be worth buying a boat for the house viewings at Lough Derg — there’s a rapidly growing mix of waterfront period homes here for sale, many for millions of euro.

PADRAIG Harrington last night insisted that the best was yet to come where his golfing career was concerned.

Former Leinster and Leicester Tiger hooker Gavin Hickie will start in the middle of the front row as St Mary's College go about maintaining their 100% start to the AIB League on the road to UL-Bohemian in round five on Saturday.

Former Leicester Tigers hooker Gavin Hickie has returned to St Mary's College ahead of their season opener at home to Dublin rivals Clontarf at Templeville Road.

FORMER Irish rugby international Denis Hickie suffered many injuries throughout his illustrious career but never let his asthma hold him back.

Three home wins is the least beleaguered Irish coach Eddie O’Sullivan requires from the Six Nations.

Eddie O’Sullivan has chosen to inject some youth into Ireland’s creaking squad with Cian Healy and Jonathan Sexton among the fresh faces.

Denis Hickie will draw inspiration from the enormity of the prize at stake as he prepares for probably the final match of his career.

DENIS HICKIE pulls on the Irish jersey for the 62nd time at the Parc des Prince on Sunday. And if the team fails to score four tries and beat Argentina by more than seven points, it will be his last time to do so.

Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan will decide who will start at hooker for Sunday’s group finale against Argentina in the next 24 hours.

BRIAN O’Driscoll was one of many Leinster players left in Eoin Reddan’s wake as he ran in two tries for Wasps in last season’s Heineken Cup quarter-final.

Ireland have turned to Eoin Reddan to revive their fading World Cup ambitions as Eddie O'Sullivan once again opted against making wholesale changes.

Eddie O’Sullivan will name his team to face France at lunchtime with all eyes on whether the Ireland coach has succumbed to calls to wield the axe.

IRELAND hooker Rory Best may have played his last match in the 2007 World Cup after being ruled out for up three weeks with a dislocated thumb.

WITH criticism of Ireland’s rugby performances coming thick and fast, Denis Hickie says there’s “nobody more frustrated than us” as one of the pre-tournament favourites face a meltdown.

After the bruising encounter with Georgia last night, Rory Best has suffered a dislocated right thumb.

Ireland emerged for their hazardous World Cup clash with Georgia under immense pressure to justify coach Eddie O’Sullivan’s loyalty.

MEETING expectations has proven difficult for Irish rugby’s ‘Golden Generation’ in this World Cup.

THERE can be no equivocating or refusal to face facts after this near horror for Irish rugby at the Stade Chaban Delmas last night. Ireland were awful, and deeply embarrassed by a Namibian side ranked 24th in the world and who were in no way flattered by running their vaunted opponents to a margin of 15 points when many good judges believed it would be three or four times that amount.

The Ireland team trained this afternoon in balmy sunshine and 25 degrees Celsius at their training field in the Stade Bordelais in Le Bouscat, just outside the city of Bordeaux.

Ireland 23 Italy 20

Ireland 10 Italy 13

Bayonne 6 Ireland 42

IRELAND, Lions and Leinster winger Denis Hickie is to call a halt to his rugby career at the end of the World Cup.

Leinster and Ireland wing Denis Hickie has announced he is to retire from professional rugby immediately after the Rugby World Cup.

Tommy Bowe is preparing for his duel with Ireland team-mate Brian Carney insisting he does not resent his rival’s switch from rugby league.

SOME players will quickly tell you that their World Cup preparations began in the regimental environs of Spala, Poland eight weeks ago, but in glorious sunshine at University of Limerick yesterday, Brian O’Driscoll led 47 Irish hopefuls onto the training ground for the official run-in to France 2007.

Leinster 31 Borders 0

Leinster 31 Borders 0

Coach Michael Cheika admits Leinster "need five points" from their final home Magners League game of the season against The Borders at Donnybrook on Saturday.

It is possible that Luke Fitzgerald could get the nod over Denis Hickie to line up on the oppposite wing to Robert Kearney on the Leinster side to play The Ospreys in Friday night's Magners League clash the Liberty Stadium.

LEINSTER crashed to a second successive defeat after losing to Glasgow at Hughenden last night in a match that went to the wire. The defeat also ended a ten-match winning sequence by Leinster over Glasgow but more crucially could put a dent in hopes for a Magners League title.

Glasgow Warriors 26 Leinster 20

TEN minutes of madness cost Leinster a Heineken Cup lifeline and allowed London Wasps to romp to victory at Adams Park on Saturday.

Leinster overcame a sluggish start and a determined Connacht side to move back to the top of the Magners League table with a 30-21 victory at Donnybrook.

IRELAND coach Eddie O’Sullivan admitted on Saturday night that he and his players were “a bit down in the mouth” at finishing runners-up to France for the second successive year in the RBS Six Nations Championship in spite of racking up 51 points against Italy at the Stadio Flaminio.

Ireland may mourn the cruel demise of their RBS 6 Nations title dream for some time to come but Denis Hickie is adamant the experience will prove invaluable at the World Cup.

Ireland placed one hand on the RBS 6 Nations trophy after putting Italy to the sword at the Stadio Flaminio.

Man of the match Dennis Hickie admitted Ireland were relieved to overcome Scotland and clinch the Triple Crown after a gruelling encounter.

Scotland 18 Ireland 19

Ireland prop Marcus Horan has emerged as a major injury worry for tomorrow's Triple Crown clash against Scotland.

Dennis Hickie has emerged as an injury doubt for Ireland's RBS 6 Nations clash with Scotland this weekend.