Peter O’Mahony’s elevation to the British & Irish Lions captaincy for Saturday’s first test against New Zealand is as much a signal of intent as the bestowal of a coveted title on a born leader.

Following another successful weekend for Rowing Ireland, this time at World Cup II in Poznan, Poland, the focus returns to domestic rowing, with the Cork City Regatta taking place this weekend at the National Rowing Centre.

Paddy Jackson is thrilled with the way he is kicking at the moment but admitted he was unaware he is on a streak which has seen him land 33 out of 34 kicks for Ireland since last November.

That there will soon be more plastic than fish in the sea doesn’t even take into account the inevitable decline in fish stocks, writes Victoria White.

Manager Martin O’Neill and leading scorer James McClean could be banned for the last four matches of the Republic of Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign after Fifa confirmed yesterday it has begun disciplinary proceedings against the pair for criticising the official who refereed the 1-1 draw against Austria in Dublin 10 days ago.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez avoided discussing the burning question of Cristiano Ronaldo’s future during the address he gave to mark his re-election last night.

Australia 2

The list of places Brooks Koepka had to go to win golf tournaments looks like a page straight out of a travelogue: Spain. Scotland. Turkey. Japan.

New Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has dismissed the pressure over his €34million price tag, despite becoming the world’s third most expensive keeper in history and the most expensive in British football.

Plastic has become a huge problem for our oceans, taking many decades to break down, and entering the food chain with often deadly results for the birds, fish and other creatures that end up ingesting it, writes Caroline O’Doherty

Never in the history of humanity has prosperity and waste danced together in such lockstep, writes Terry Prone

You’d imagine the Irish management will be hoping for a tougher test from Japan in the concluding test in Tokyo next Saturday as there will be little to be gained from another landslide win.