The story of the anthems offers a sharp insight into how a United Ireland has been imagined by too many of those who profess to desire it as something that is united only in geography but not in much else, writes Paul Rouse.

Man City 3 Brighton 1

Tottenham 1 Newcastle 0

Rory McIlroy believes he is finally ready to win one of the few big titles so far missing from his glittering CV after learning that life really is a beach when it comes to the Players Championship.

The continuing development of the Irish Open has been given a huge boost by Dubai Duty Free’s agreement with the European Tour to extend its title sponsorship of the tournament.

Devin Toner is already the proud owner of three Heineken Cup medals and yet there is a sense that a first Champions Cup trinket would outweigh them all.

Abandon hope all ye who enter here. This is the football championship. Thirty-two counties chase a ball around for four months and at the end, the Dubs always win.

Word was that in-depth medical updates would be a thing of the past.

Every sports person has experienced those god-awful days when you wish the ground would swallow you up, when you’d prefer to stick you head in the sand or become invisible to all and sundry.

Stuart Lancaster has joined the public chorus of voices calling for Joey Carbery to stay at Leinster.

Stuart Lancaster has labeled Jonathan Sexton as the “complete” player and suggested the out-half could even emulate Tom Brady by excelling at the elite level beyond his 40th birthday.

Arsene Wenger would rather shout at the next Arsenal manager from behind the goal in the North Bank than help the club decide who should succeed him.

Daniel Storey on the weekend’s big talking points...

Don’t worry, I’m not expecting sympathy. The real cost of relegation comes when you see a flood of staff members with their lives packed into cardboard boxes that they pack into banged up old cars

The mind has always been willing for more rugby but sometimes in this long season the body screams at Rory Scannell to tell him enough is enough.

There will be a crowd in excess of 40,000 at Wembley today to see Arsenal and Chelsea contest the 2018 Women’s FA Cup final, writes Liam Mackey.

The lead up to tomorrow’s late in the season La Liga Clasico has been quite unique with minds on both sides not quite as focused as usual in the days before the world’s biggest domestic club game.