Brendan Irvine and Michael Conlan join the fray

Finally this weekend, halfway through the Olympic Games in Rio, Brendan Irvine and Michael Conlan join the party.

Flyweight Irvine, the Belfast man they nicknamed “Wee Rooster”, and Conlan, the world and European bantamweight champion, have been twiddling their thumbs or hitting the sparring pads for eight days since the Opening Ceremony while their team-mates have disappeared from the tournament.

Gone before these two start have been Michael O’Reilly, the disgraced doper sent home, and the three beaten Irish: Joe Ward, David Oliver Joyce, and Paddy Barnes.