A long day for sports fans as Ireland bid for glory

ONE of the biggest weekend’s of sport kicks off this morning when the nation’s soccer and rugby stars bid for world and European glory.

And after the dust has settled from the crunch ties in Australia and Switzerland, the only real winners will be the publicans.

More than 8,000 Irish supporters have travelled to see the Euro 2004 showdown between Ireland and Switzerland, while 12,000 more are in Australia for the Rugby World Cup opener against Romania.