YOU could read in Micheal Donnellan’s eyes how much Galway wanted to win this match. As he stormed into the dressing-room, disappointment was etched into every contour of the inspirational centre-forward’s face.

THE Wexford dressing room was eerily quiet as players tried to come to terms with what might have been after they came back from the dead to force a replay next Saturday at the same venue.

Grasshoppers 0 Middlesbrough 1

Leinster 19 Bath 22

THE insider who blew the whistle on the tobacco industry has come out in favour of the Irish smoking ban.

Kilkenny 0-18 Limerick 0-13

THREE top civil servants will be appointed next week to vet any private sector public relations consultants that the State hires in future, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed yesterday.

ANOTHER retirement — this time permanently — might very well have been inevitable for DJ Carey if he had not made it back to the Kilkenny team for the All-Ireland series.

AUDITORS have already blown the whistle on 30 companies suspected of breaking the law in their accounting practices.

AN apology this week, and a plea, but they are not unconnected.

ANDREW THOMPSON, one of the three “old men” in the Shannon team, remains one of the most formidable forces in the club game in this country.

THE blood is up, lads.Ireland's World Cup odyssey in Australia was undoubtedly exciting but there is something about a big Munster away day in Europe that leaves you breathless and shaking with anticipation.

THE GAA will pocket over 30m euro from this year's football and hurling championships in another bumper season for the organisation.

THE complex nature of Heineken Cup quarter-final qualification ensured that rugby fans across Europe were mathematically challenged for the weekend.

Limerick 1-19 Waterford IT 3-10

Middlesbrough 3 Coventry 0

Cork City 0 UCD 1

TO say the Taoiseach revealed little that was substantially new about the Ray Burke affair when he addressed the Dáil yesterday would be an understatement.

St Mary’s College 7

SO, for the second time in two weeks we were treated to the highly unusual sight of Westmeath players, officials and management bounding across the Croke Park pitch in joyous abandon.