Why didn’t South Africa win the right to host Rugby World Cup 2023? That is the question being grappled at the moment because it seems, not for the first time, the country is pulling daggers from its back.

‘I thought that John and myself had agreed to stay on…but we’ll see.”

Mark Kinsella feels history will repeat itself over the next 12 months when it comes to revamping Ireland’s international squad.

Gavin Moynihan and Ruaidhri McGee will need to put on their putting boots if they are to secure European Tour cards in the final round of the grueling European Tour Qualifying School marathon in Spain.

Ireland as a nation suffered three significant setbacks in the past two days, at least one of them self-inflicted. Our soccer team succumbed to the Danes on Tuesday night, and yesterday we lost out to France to host the Rugby World Cup.

If last Saturday proved a pretty humbling experience for South African rugby, it wasn’t a great week for the game’s governing body, World Rugby, either.

World and European champion Mark O’Donovan is happy to keep everyone guessing his next move after a dream year in which he and Shane O’Driscoll won every piece of gold available.

Now that the Global Champions Tour has concluded for another year, the FEI World Cup series provides the main international show jumping focus in the months ahead.

Ireland’s half-back hopefuls, Joey Carbery and Kieran Marmion, have been told to forget Johnny Sexton and Conor Murray and to play to their strengths.

While most soccer-loving fans around the globe will be glued to their televisions next year during the World Cup, restaurants and cinemas around Italy might find themselves extra busy during the summer.

Team hierarchies reveal themselves in all manner of ways and places.

FAI chief executive John Delaney is a man of his word.

Rep of Ireland 1 Denmark 5

The moments that mattered at the Aviva last night.

Denmark’s players — including Christian Eriksen — were all in agreement that class told in the end as Ireland’s World Cup ambitions came to a crashing halt in the most humiliating circumstances.

Martin O’Neill didn’t want to deal with questions about his future so soon after last night’s World Cup play-off loss, but such is life for a modern manager and he duly offered a word or two on what may happen next.

Right, here we go. Time to give the checklist a final once-over.

Sergio Aguero could line up for Manchester City against Leicester at the weekend after the club eased worries about his health following a dressing-room incident on Argentina duty.