Coach Mike Ruddock praised his men for maintaining their composure and seeing off the challenge of a weak Scotland side at Dubarry Park last night to set up a Grand Slam decider away to England next Friday.

Ireland’s U20s captured their share of the headlines on a dramatic weekend for Six Nations rugby in France when they dug deep for a thrilling victory over Les Bleus, surviving a pulsating finale at the Stade des Alpes, Grenoble on Saturday.

Scarcely has a team been so dominant and still have to work so hard in the closing stages to carve out a victory.

IRELAND U20’s hammered a Leinster Development side 40-15 in the annual challenge at Donnybrook yesterday.

MUNSTER A had to wait until the dying moments to secure a hard-earned victory over a youthful and inexperienced Connacht at Thomond Park yesterday.

IRELAND U-20s 24 WALES U-20s 38

Although the Ireland Under-20s have failed to register a point in Pool C of the IRB Junior World Championship, head coach Mike Ruddock has been pleased with their performances so far.

The Westmeath senior hurlers are still without a manager as they prepare to face Down in Allianz Hurling League Division 2 this Sunday.

Ireland U20 15England U20 46

A FEAST of running rugby in the Aviva Stadium – unfortunately for anyone hoping for a competitive opening encounter in the O2 Challenge, all of it came from one side.

THREE years after their heartbreaking final reversal in Ennis, Kerry managed to enjoy some minor football cheer against Roscommon in Croke Park yesterday.

WEXFORD’S footballers may have achieved one major breakthrough at Croke Park yesterday but their hurling counterparts proved to be in no mood to accommodate a second such romantic script.

LIKE the gale force wind at O’Moore Park, Dublin huffed and puffed for three quarters of this Leinster championship opener before finally blowing Westmeath away.

Dublin 3-21 Westmeath 0-11

Christy Ring Cup champions Westmeath are on the lookout for a new manager after Seamus Qualter's decision to step down from the position he has held for more than two years.

Westmeath manager Seamus Qualter has kept faith with the team that beat Carlow ten days ago and named an unchanged side for Sunday's Christy Ring Cup final against Kildare (Croke Park, throw-in 12.15pm).

Carlow lost for the first time in this year's Christy Ring Cup as Westmeath scored a 4-11 to 2-15 win over the Barrowsiders to qualify for the August 5 final at Croke Park.

Carlow lost for the first time in this year's Christy Ring Cup as Westmeath scored a 4-11 to 2-15 win over the Barrowsiders to qualify for the August 5 final at Croke Park.

Antrim 1-13 Dublin 0-12

Dublin 2-13 Kilkenny 0-19

Johnny Dooley, a former All-Ireland winner with Offaly, will act as coach to the Westmeath senior hurlers for next season.

The injury-hit Westmeath hurlers will be playing in the Christy Ring Cup next season after being relegated by Dublin in a 0-16 to 0-08 defeat in Tullamore.

Enda Loughlin has shaken off an ankle injury to be included in the Westmeath line-up for this afternoon's crucial All-Ireland SFC Relegation final against Dublin (Tullamore, throw-in 2pm).

The loss of centre back Darren McCormack to a cruciate knee ligament injury is a severe hit to Westmeath's hopes of holding onto their Liam McCarthy Cup status.

IT’S not often you see a manager smiling after his team has just been beaten by more than double scores, but that was the case in Mullingar on Saturday evening.

Westmeath manager Seamus Qualter has named an unchanged line-up for Saturday's Leinster SHC semi-final against reigning champions Kilkenny (Cusack Park, throw-in 7pm).

WESTMEATH senior hurling manager Seamus Qualter is confident that Kilkenny will not have matters all their own way in Saturday evenings’s Leinster SHC semi-final.

JOHN HAYES is out of Cork’s Munster SFC semi-final against Limerick at the Gaelic Grounds on Sunday.

A LOT of people were shocked at Westmeath’s win over Dublin in the Leinster senior hurling quarter-final on Sunday; they shouldn’t have been.

THE first match of the 2006 Leinster senior hurling championship and the first shock.

Westmeath manager Seamus Qualter has included three championship debutants for Sunday's Leinster SHC quarter-final against Dublin (O'Moore Park, Portlaoise, throw-in 2.10pm).

OLLIE BAKER will return to the inter-county hurling scene in 2006, as a selector with Westmeath.

Westmeath 1-23 Down 2-18

Seamus Qualter is set to take charge of Westmeath's hurlers following the departure of Tom Ryan as manager.

Tipperary Institute 5-13