PAUL O’CONNELL will captain Ireland against England tomorrow looking to end the frustrations of three World Cup warm-up defeats in a row.

MUNSTER have named a team mixed with youth and experience for their pre-season clash with London Irish at Thomond Park Stadium tonight (7pm).

MARTIN JOHNSON has labelled Ireland “desperate” as he brings his England side to Dublin for their final World Cup warm-up game.

PHILIPPE SAINT-ANDRE will take over from Marc Lièvremont as the French rugby coach after the world cup.

MISSED out, called out, dead cert; David Wallace has run the gamut of World Cup selection scenarios yet even a three-time Lion still gets nervous when crunch time comes and squads are being named.

IRFU chiefs yesterday rejected claims the national squad are snubbing events organised by their New Zealand hosts at the Rugby World Cup next month.

WAS it the £25 million goal or the £25 million save?

RIGHT from the very start of European Championship qualifying, Ireland’s game against Russia in Moscow on September 6 was seen as the big one in the group.

WHEN Donegal unveiled their new defensive system on May 15, the wails and howls of protest weren’t the sole preserve of RTÉ’s match analysts.

CRICKET IRELAND chief executive Warren Deutrom admits the board are putting in place contingency plans should coach Phil Simmons quit before the end of the year.

THE newly crowned Rose of Tralee finds herself torn in four this weekend with a double sporting dilemma that is causing consternation.

WARREN GATLAND accepts there will be “no second chances” for Wales if they fail in their World Cup victory mission against Samoa early tomorrow morning.

IRELAND’S show jumpers failed in their goal of Olympic qualification at the European Championships in Madrid, Spain, yesterday, while Billy Twomey also saw his aspirations for an individual medal come crashing down.

BY the very nature of the events tickets for premium, national or international, sports events are too often beyond the reach of ordinary sports fans.

IN my absence a few weeks ago, I noticed Liam Horan handing out the bouquets to Martin Johnson, pictured, for trusting his players at the World Cup and allowing the bit of leeway for tweeting, pinting and conjugal visiting during the tournament.

WHO was the first person to learn the Ireland team to face Australia once Declan Kidney had signed off on his first XV?

ENGLAND manager Martin Johnson insists he would not start locking his team in their hotel following reports about a night out in Queenstown.

THE ODDS are stacked against them and history suggests they haven’t a hope but there is something tangible about Ireland’s demeanour heading into the World Cup Pool C showdown with Australia that suggests something special is on the cards at Eden Park tomorrow morning.

SEAN O’BRIEN is ready for the true litmus test tomorrow, the game which will tell us exactly where Ireland are and how far they can go in this Rugby World Cup.

FORMER Leinster hero Rocky Elsom has labelled Ireland’s back row as one of the most underrated in international rugby ahead of Australia’s World Cup game with the Irish at Eden Park tomorrow.