The deepening row over Ireland’s bitter World Cup defeat to France after the “Henry handball” scandal risked turning into a diplomatic dispute tonight.

“Dad, I’m cheering for England in the World Cup!”

AFTER the excitement of the Race to Dubai and Lee Westwood’s successes on Sunday, the attention switches to the World Cup of Golf which starts Thursday at the Mission Hills Golf Club in China.

THE ATTENDANCE at yesterday’s final Irish World Cup press conference said it all about the hugely favourable impression the management and players have made on the media.

FRANKIE SHEAHAN’S legal team is hopeful that the Munster and Ireland hooker will have a two-year doping ban overturned when his appeal against the sentence is heard on September 1 next.

Former Ireland stopper Packie Bonner has revealed his long-time friend, Netherlands goalkeeping coach Frans Hoek, had planned Tim Krul’s decisive late entrance into Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final.

TOKYO — The funny thing about World Cups is that they help the All Blacks find their inner Zen.

Roy Hodgson thinks Luis Suarez has a lot to prove before he can be considered a truly world-class player.

The Ireland Sevens team began its charge towards the goal of qualification for the IRB Rugby World Cup Sevens with a positive runner-up spot in the Denmark Sevens competition at the weekend.

Conor Harte says today’s showdown with England is Ireland’s “World Cup final” with a draw or better required against the world number seven side.

The Irish provincial video analysts will be busily plugging into footage of the French Top 14 ahead of this season’s European Champions Cup. All four representatives have been handed French assignments over the next three months - with Connacht getting a double helping.

There is no stage finer for a player with a point to prove than the World Cup, and Turkey’s Hakan Sukur will be eyeing the finals as an opportunity to establish himself in a principle role.

THOSE who like to champion young players will be pleased at the elevation of both Felix Jones and Conor Murray into the Irish squad to begin preparations later this month for the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

Ante-post favourite Bobs Worth spearheads 11 declarations for the Betfred Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday.

Rod Millman hopes to be double-handed in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot with Sergeant Cecil and Hawridge Prince.

FOR the third successive time, Nigel Owens will be the man in the middle for a Munster Heineken Cup match, when the Reds meet Saracens at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena on Sunday week, April 27.