THE WEEKEND of the British Open, which is detailed elsewhere in these pages, is a perfect cue for talk of tradition and the past, though the (doubtless) heroics of various slacks-wearing, v-neck sporting super-athletes need not detain us here.

All-Ireland SFC Qualifier(R3)

DRAW a line through Kilkenny’s last two championship meetings with Dublin and it would appear that the Leinster and All-Ireland champions have somehow managed to improve on their impossibly high standards since 2009.

BRAZIL’S relentless march to the latter stages of this World Cup continued with an effortless victory over Chile last night.

THE exit signs at Breffni Park in Cavan are of exactly the same colour as the jerseys which the Ernesiders wore afield for their sun-drenched encounter with Monaghan in the Ulster championship.

CROKE PARK stadium director Peter McKenna has promised that there will be wholesale review of the venue’s security operation after referee Martin Sludden was physically assaulted by spectators after yesterday’s Leinster final.

UNITED STATES midfielder Landon Donovan and coach Bob Bradley were both left without an answer as to why what would have been a winning goal in their dramatic World Cup Group C match against Slovenia yesterday was disallowed.

THE sight of South African props falling to their knees in relief and their team-mates raising arms to the stars in triumph at the final whistle spoke volumes about how much victory over Ireland meant to an under-fire Springboks camp.

DUBLIN chairman Gerry Harrington last night described as “absolutely unbelievable” the omission of referees from the capital on the list of officials for this year’s senior championships.

TIPPERARY TOWN club St Michael’s advanced to their third FAI Umbro Junior Cup final since 2000 after a surprising but well-deserved victory over local rivals Clonmel Town in Cahir yesterday.

IT’S Conor Counihan’s conundrum.

THERE may have been a school of thought that Tyrone had enjoyed an untroubled ride through the Ulster Championship, but when the stage was shifted to Croke Park yesterday, the Red Hands men were put through an exacting ordeal.

TONY MOWBRAY was handed a harsh dose of reality in his first competitive game as Celtic boss as his side crashed 1-0 to Dinamo Moscow in the first leg of their Champions League third qualifying round clash at Parkhead.

DON’T expect any rash statements from Brian Cody over the next couple of weeks about Kilkenny’s date with destiny as they seek to make it four-in-a-row in the All-Ireland hurling final.

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI said he hopes fans in his native Italy will look back on his time in charge of the national side in a different light, following the arrest of former referee Byron Moreno.

IT was no surprise that Graham Canty’s first thought when the final whistle blew yesterday was not for himself but for a man left standing in familiar shoes.

SUNDERLAND striker Darren Bent is plotting the downfall of more of the Barclays Premier League big guns after having his own say in the title race once again.

THERE’S a subtle connection between Killarney and the Scottish Highlands – both became big tourist destinations in the 19th century and both entertained Queen Victoria.

1. Limerick’s inability to turn dominance and chances into scores

SEAMUS COLEMAN had one of those ‘pinch me’ moments just hours after joining up with the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the first time on Monday.