The ongoing exasperation of Gaelic football county managers over the never-ending tinkering with playing rules brought a withering response from Tyrone’s Mickey Harte.

Shamrock Rovers’ prolific goalscorer Graham Burke is to miss Friday’s date with Dundalk but Stephen Bradley will unleash new recruit Rory Gaffney on the titleholders.

Darren Sweetnam scored the bonus-point try six minutes from time to celebrate his first start since October against 14-man Zebre in Italy.

It will be a proud day for the Scannell/O’Sullivan families when Munster take the field against Zebre in the Guinness Pro14 in Milan tomorrow night.

Niall will lead a team that includes his younger brother Rory and their cousin, Jack O'Sullivan.

It took Rory McIlroy four and a half years to get back his No. 1 status in the world. It could take only a week to lose it again.

How many of golf's world number ones since 1986 can you name?

As the newly elected President of the FAI, Gerry McAnaney has a six-month term of office in which to play his part in taking the Association from what he calls ‘a very dark place’. In this exclusive interview, the former League of Ireland goalkeeper and Army commandant takes us through his colourful life and times in football.

His failure to win at home last summer provided Rory McIlroy with a liberating epiphany.

The coaching group have also named four development players who will train with the squad.

Johann van Graan has rated fly-half JJ Hanrahan’s chances of facing Racing 92 on Sunday in Paris as 50/50 with the Munster boss preparing to decide between rookie Ben Healy and Rory Scannell as his starting number 10 in the absence of Joey Carbery.

While on this island we were debating whether Rory, Katie or maybe Paul O’Donovan was our outstanding sportsperson of the decade, the Associated Press gave itself the rather grander task of identifying the finest athlete in the whole world over the same timespan.

‘I trained in Horticultural College in England and then I got into golf course construction and landscaping. I worked on golf courses all over Europe for years and then moved to Ireland in 2000 and set up my own landscaping company.

This year’s selection of children’s books features stories with universal themes, cute dogs and reindeer, superb illustrations, and iconic Irish settings, says Emmet Arrigan

Sorting out Cork people for ages

The recent Patrick Reed incident brings the Rules of Golf back into the spotlight, writes Kevin Markham

John Meyler will return to club management in 2020 as he takes over Wexford champions St Martin's.

Graeme McDowell will host the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open for the next two years, starting with the 2020 event at Mount Juliet.

Munster head coach Johann van Graan was keen to talk up the positives from his side’s home defeat to Edinburgh last Friday, but also reiterated that losing a home fixture was not something to be celebrated.

“I’m enjoying the craic massively,” Michael Carroll begins.

Munster are holding out hope that JJ Hanrahan will pass fit to face Ospreys in their Heineken Champions Cup pool opener in Wales on Saturday but the province will definitely be without Dave Kilcoyne for the first two rounds at least of the European campaign.

Some of the brains behind Ireland’s Olympic assault on Japan next summer are confident that Rory McIlroy and others competing in green can actually profit from the soaring temperatures and high humidity expected throughout the Games.

Six-year-old Kyle Fitzgerald was devastated this morning when his specially adapted chair was taken.

Jared Payne has insisted Joe Schmidt’s record as Ireland head coach is beyond reproach and feels sorry his fellow New Zealander and Rory Best are not leaving on the high they deserved.

Johnny Sexton has warned New Zealand that any repeat of their strong-arm tactics from Dublin in 2016 will lead to red cards in today’s World Cup quarter-final.

Iain Henderson will start against the All Blacks for the first time today, a testament that good things come to those that wait.

World number one Brooks Koepka has dismissed the idea he has a rivalry with Rory McIlroy — by reminding the world that McIlroy hasn’t won a major in five years.

Andy Farrell would have happily sacrificed a heavier deficit in the points difference column in exchange for a victory over Japan but if Ireland can return to form this Saturday it will have meant the lessons of that shock defeat have been learned.

Ireland managed to end up on the wrong side of the penalty count in both the win over Scotland (7-6) and loss to Japan (9-6). That is atypical for a team that takes great stock in its accuracy and discipline.

The Irish team for tomorrow’s elite men’s road race at the UCI World Championships in Yorkshire are a tried and tested bunch of riders at the top level - with the exception of Rory Townsend.

Rory O’Connor, aka Rory’s Stories, is part of a new wave of Irish and international comedians – including Conor Moore, The 2 Johnnies and Giz a Laugh’s Enya Martin – who have used the power of the internet to carve tidy careers.

Rory Best parked an emotional farewell in front of the Aviva Stadium crowds to stay focused on the next job as Ireland depart for Japan and the World Cup this week.

Actor Rory Cowan is joining the cast of RTÉ soap Fair City and his first scenes will air on Sunday night.

Joe Schmidt on ...

Joe Schmidt praised Rory Best’s work ethic and ability to bounce back from is personal Twickenham disappointments as he confirmed the veteran hooker as Ireland’s captain to lead his team into the World Cup in Japan.

It was always the plan that I should run the farm at Ballymaloe.

Conor Murray cracks a wry smile as he sits down to chat about the week that’s been, about Ireland’s shortcomings this season, and about how they intend to fix those issues in time for the more pressing fixtures that lie ahead.

We are, Joe Schmidt admits, in uncharted waters.

Brian O’Driscoll could probably relate to some of the thoughts swirling around Rory Best’s head right now.

Best was poor in Twickenham last Saturday when Ireland shipped over 50 points to a rampant England side.

They were born at just over 25 weeks gestation, weighing between 1 pound 6 ounces to 1 pound 11 ounces.

Rory McIlroy fears legalising conventional gambling in the US may increase the number of fan heckling from outside the ropes at Tour events.