To prepare for his job of keeping Lionel Messi quiet in Iceland’s opening game of the World Cup, defender Birkir Saevarsson worked as a salt-packer at a warehouse in an industrial zone of Reykjavik, the Icelandic capital. 

Brazil have spent four years trying to atone for its last World Cup match, the calamitous 7-1 defeat as hosts by Germany.

The ideal scenario for the club where Paul Pogba played football as a kid might go something like this: The France midfielder shines so brightly at the World Cup that a money-no-object club — for argument’s sake, let’s say Real Madrid — decides that it cannot live without him and pays a nine-figure fee to shake him loose from Manchester United.

If ever there was a microcosm of the battle for hearts and minds in Australian sport, then today’s fare is it.

It is difficult to imagine Ireland’s season being remembered as anything but an unheralded success after a Six Nations Triple Crown, Championship and Grand Slam was secured on the back a 12-Test winning run.

It is a triumph to either the human spirit or man’s capacity for self-delusion that the tournament continues to be the repository of dreams...tune in, tun on and drop out, writes Michael Clifford

When does an underdog need to stop behaving like an underdog?

‘Alie told often enough becomes the truth.’

There have been some remarkable stories in the World Cup over the years but this one you really couldn’t make up.

Marcus Rashford is set to boost England’s World Cup preparations by returning to training today.

Uruguay captain Diego Godin bristled at the suggestion that his team might resort to a physical approach to neutralise Egypt forward Mohamed Salah on his return from a shoulder injury in their World Cup opener today.

On Wednesday, Rory McIlroy spoke of how much fun he had prepping for the 118th US Open at courses such as National Golf Links of America, Friar’s Head Golf Club, and Garden City Golf Club.

Joe Schmidt has turned to Niall Scannell as the hooker to tighten up Ireland’s scrummaging power for the must-win second Test against Australia at AAMI Park tomorrow morning.

Michael Cheika still adores Johnny Sexton and the Leinster veterans he coached to a Heineken Cup victory in 2009 but the love-in with a player he calls “the maestro” will have to go on hold tomorrow as Australia attempt to close out their Test series with Ireland.

Joe Schmidt put the band back together yesterday and reminded his Grand Slam winners they were the rock stars in this Test series with Australia, not the support act, writes Simon Lewis in Melbourne.

Dan Leavy has a face you don’t want to argue with. Every crease, crevice, and scar speaks of a personality which doesn’t take a backward step, neither physically or metaphorically. 

Daniel Brennan, all 6ft3in and 20 stone of him, sits in a small chair in the courtyard of the vineyard where the French U20 team are staying outside Narbonne, and tries to rattle off his phone number before realising he can’t do it in English.