Thank goodness for that frozen Parisian pitch.

Liverpool have already set their sights on launching a new era of silverware at Anfield after finally ending a six-year wait for a trophy by beating Cardiff at Wembley.

Daniele De Rossi faced a dilemma.

Nelson Mandela was discharged from a South African hospital after a minor diagnostic procedure showed nothing “seriously wrong” with the 93-year- old anti-apartheid icon.

Munster Rugby chief executive Garrett Fitzgerald insists the race to succeed Tony McGahan as the province’s director of coaching will not be a “personality competition”.

Cast aside the disruption caused by the unscheduled absence of Ireland forwards coach Gert Smal and forget the frozen frustration of Paris, however well-placed the annoyance of the postponement and rescheduling debate surrounding the game with France.

France flanker Imanol Harinordoquy anticipates Scotland will provide a much sterner test for the Rugby World Cup finalists than many observers are anticipating in tomorrow’s RBS 6 Nations clash at Murrayfield.

Arsene Wenger maintains it would be “criminal” for Arsenal to just sit and feel sorry for themselves ahead of tomorrow’s north London derby against Tottenham at Emirates Stadium.

Back in my Hot Press days, there was a football-mad colleague of mine whose first words upon arriving in the office of a morning were not “hello” or “good day” or even “there were leaves on the track at Donabate”.

Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood kept alive their hopes of securing the world No 1 ranking when they cruised into the last 16 of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Jayne Doherty would be the first to acknowledge she does not do “quietly confident”.

Les Kiss insisted yesterday he hasn’t even considered the possibility of replacing fellow Australian Tony McGahan as Munster coach.

Having gone 35 days without a game, and almost five months since he pulled on a green jersey, Ireland centre Keith Earls is possibly the last person you will find complaining about four games in as many weeks.

It is less than four months since Ireland and Les Kiss were being hailed as innovators-in-chief at the Rugby World Cup for their ‘choke’ tackle tactics.

John Kirwan last night joined the race to succeed Tony McGahan at Munster.

TV3’s Tallafornia has caught the attention of both Time Magazine and MTV after just one episode. Deirdre Reynolds looks at how reality TV is plumbing new depths

HARD facts first.

SATURDAY

WE may be at the very start of a World Cup cycle with three and a half years to shape an Ireland team to take on all comers in 2015 but the Six Nations squad unveiled by head coach Declan Kidney yesterday was very much in the ‘as you were’ mould.

DESPITE a 15-month win drought and a fall to 89th in the world rankings, Pádraig Harrington says he “expects’’ rather than hopes to win more majors.