ALAIN ROLLAND will help kick-off the 2011 RBS Six NationsChampionship when he referees the opening day clash between Wales and England at the Millennium Stadium on February 4.

JUST for the record, the last train out of Dublin’s Heuston Station to Cork tonight is at nine o’clock.

YOU can always rely on Liverpool supporters to find the right words and the handful of hastily made banners unfurled among the visiting fans at the Shed End captured the mood perfectly.

KILKENNY booked their place in the All-Ireland Vocational Schools Intercounty Hurling final after they easily dismissed a spirited Cork challenge at a wet and windy Mourneabbey on Saturday afternoon.

THREE ROCK ROVERS sprung a South African surprise on Cork Church of Ireland on Saturday, as Jody Hosking’s double helped them to a noteworthy 2-1 Irish Junior Cup round one win at Garryduff.

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.

BARELY had Sars captain Alan Kennedy lowered the Sean Óg Murphy cup from over his head in Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday afternoon, but he was already thinking ahead to November 14 and the Munster club championship date with whoever is crowned champions of Waterford.

NEW Ireland U20 coach Mike Ruddock got off to a winning start, as his new-look side saw off Italy in a friendly at Donnybrook yesterday.

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)

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.

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.

THE Red Knights have vowed not to overpay in their battle for control of Manchester United.

ON A normal day the sympathy for Burnley would have been all too evident in the wake of this cruel defeat.

JAMES COUGHLAN has travelled a long and frustrating road before finally realising the early potential he displayed with CBC and Dolphin.

IN THE end, the final act fell to Jonny Sexton, ball belted into touch to end what had been an absorbing if error-ridden encounter. Victory yet again for Leinster, and fully deserved, let it be added. On the night, however, did Jonny cement his current position as Declan Kidney’s first-choice out-half for Ireland?

JIMMY Mangan hopes to be double-handed as he chases a second success in the John Smith’s Grand National on Saturday week.

THE club official responsible for the proposal to introduce match-specific bans at this weekend’s Congress believes there is nothing to gain by postponing the motion for a further 12 months.

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.