THE FAI last night expressed confidence the Republic ofIreland will be among the top seeds designated by UEFA today for the Euro 2012 play-off draw in Krakow tomorrow.

RONAN O’GARA vowed tonever turn his back on hiscountry and pledged hisimmediate future to Ireland on hisreturn from the Rugby World Cup yesterday.

AWAIT THE DAWN is “unlikely” to take his chance in the Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

I WOKE on Monday morning without a tricolour, an Irish jersey or a Munster top to be seen anywhere.

PAUL O’CONNELL believes Wales can win the World Cup and would like to see Ireland’s conquerors bring home the William Webb Ellis trophy.

SHAUN EDWARDS has paid tribute to his boss Warren Gatland for following a “gut instinct” that could ultimately see Wales crowned world champions.

IT is unlikely many Irish fans are looking to the future with the World Cup heartache so fresh in their minds.

AS it was in the beginning is by no means necessarily how it’s going to be in the end.

GETHIN JENKINS yesterday hailed Wales’ World Cup marvels as the best team he has played in during his 80-cap Test career.

COMFORT will be in short supply for Andorra — or Ireland for that matter – when Russia look to seal their European Championship deal in Moscow tomorrow night.

MANY of Leinster’s Irish Internationals intend to take out their World Cup frustrations on Edinburgh in the seventh round of the RaboDirect Pro 12 at the end of the month.

EARLY start last Saturday morning, to get the City Special edition out on the final whistle of Ireland-Wales at the Rugby World Cup.

ENGLAND rugby star Manu Tuilagi heaped further embarrassment on his team's poor World Cup campaign early today after jumping from a ferry.

PROP Jean-Baptiste Poux thinks his team’s resurgence at the Rugby World Cup has happened mainly because it stopped trying too hard to copy other teams, and simply got back to doing things the French way.

MARTIN JOHNSON has been backed to continue in his job by the acting chief executive of the Rugby Football Union — before an official review into England’s World Cup failure has even begun.

THERE are many ways to lose a game of rugby, not least through tactical misjudgements, poor decision-making and sloppy execution.

CONOR MURRAY believes Ireland will be able to take plenty of positives from the 2011 World Cup campaign, once the pain of their quarter-final exit has faded.

WALES are daring to dream after arriving in Auckland yesterday with 80 minutes against France lying between them and the Rugby World Cup final.

AUSTRALIA crept into the World Cup semi-finals after James O’Connor landed a late penalty to send champions South Africa crashing out.

WAS it the familiarity of Wales that caught Ireland off guard on Saturday?