MUNSTER rugby star and former international Alan Quinlan was yesterday named as the 2010 Tipperary Person of the Year.

England are on course for a place at next summer's World Cup after coming from behind to beat Slovakia 2-1.

Premiership Rugby has backed proposals for a newly integrated global season that have been tabled by the International Rugby Players’ Association.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has defended the organisation’s rankings which has placed England fourth in the world and Brazil 11th – but admitted the system can sometimes appear to be “not very logical”.

Scotland head coach Frank Hadden revealed how the summer trip to South America has taken on added importance with results counting towards the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.

ASTON VILLA boss Martin O’Neill yesterday got his man when he clinched a £12million (€14m) swoop for England winger Stewart Downing.

Fifa is facing the prospect of losing two of its biggest sponsors after airline Emirates decided not to renew its contract while electronics giant Sony consider ending its links with the world governing body.

Rory McIlroy will be Europe’s talisman at next week’s Ryder Cup and then go on to become the sixth player to complete the career grand slam,according to Gary Player.

Two detectives from Pakistan are helping investigate the mysterious murder of the country’s World Cup cricket coach after Jamaican police failed to make a breakthrough after more than three weeks, a security official has said.

Manchester City forward Nicolas Anelka claims there is no dispute between him and France coach Raymond Domenech.

Wales coach Steve Hansen has warned that rugby could miss a vital opportunity to sell itself to the rest of the world if the enthusiastic part-timers cannot close in on the elite professionals.

Ulster winger, Andrew Trimble, will miss the rest of this season following a reoccurrence of the toe injury that he sustained in October against Glasgow Warriors.

“Lionel Messi is in a right mood because you didn’t come to his gig.”

Fan's paper plane really gets crowd going as it flies all the way from the back of the stands to hit Peru player on head.

Arsenal have agreed terms with Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa to sign teenage striker Joel Campbell, the London club have confirmed.

England 1 Spain 0

The Irish woman killed in a bomb blast in Uganda on Sunday has been named as Marie Smith.

Three of Liverpool’s youth team have signed new contracts with the club.