The Munster out-half is one of three men vying for the right to back-up Johnny Sexton at the tournament and auditions are very much open for now while the veteran captain sits out a three-match suspension that will elapse in time for the Pool B opener against Romania.

'It’s important for girls to see that we can do whatever we like, whether it’s sport or anything, just that you can achieve whatever your dreams are'

Ramsdale's tell-all piece with The Players' Tribune was published earlier today. 

The Brazil international also missed three months of last season after suffering a knee injury at the World Cup.

Meanwhile Niamh Fahey has refused to be drawn in on discussions surrounding the future of manager Vera Pauw.

The former Open champion is ranked 76th in the standings and needs to climb inside the top 70 at the Wyndham Championship after the field for next week’s first play-off event was reduced from 125.

The former midfielder has never disguised his desire to assist the FAI

Buffon, who in 2006 lifted the World Cup, won 10 Serie A titles with Juventus and a Ligue 1 title with Paris Saint-Germain.

Footballer Dani Alves has denied wrongdoing after being indicted by a judge in a sexual assault case in Spain.

This review will be discussed at the next FAI Board Meeting in the coming weeks.

A goal-fest in Sydney.

Jamaica held on for the scoreless draw that condemned Brazil to an early exit

If there’s a monument to the progress of women’s team sports in Ireland, the national soccer team have added more than a few stones to the pile.

Before Ireland’s incident-packed debut appearance at the finals in Australia, sponsors universally opted not to invest in the team, following qualification last year.

All told, 175 players have seen their names listed in Irish World Cup squads. That’s a lot of hard luck stories and regrets but Conan has a claim to be up there with the most frustrating among them.

The 30-year-old will lead the team in the absence of Jamie Ritchie, who misses out with a minor niggle. Scotland

Readers consider topics including the cost-of-living crisis, history, and sport — while one grieving parent writes that the Sale of Alcohol Bill will adversely affect Ireland's health and wellbeing 

PAC members call on broadcaster to publish all reports relating to the Ryan Tubridy payments scandal and immediately set up a register of interests to ensure full transparency

Sweden will next face holders United States in a blockbuster clash in Melbourne on Sunday - a rematch of the Olympic quarter-finals in 2021 when the Europeans won 3-0 en route to the final.

Striker Kgatlana struck two minutes into stoppage time to send her team to Sydney for a clash with the Netherlands on Sunday and broke the hearts of the Italians, who had needed only a draw to progress.