Christmas, hopefully, will come early for Eileen Gleeson and her Republic of Ireland side at the Aviva Stadium this evening when they take on Wales in the second leg of their Euro 2025 qualifying play-off. Gavin Cummiskey tells us that the Welsh actually celebrated Christmas last Saturday, the day after drawing the first leg 1-1 in Cardiff, so, with any luck, that will be the end of their merry-making.
Irish captain Katie McCabe is trusting that Ireland’s play-off experience will help push the team over the line, just as it did in Glasgow two years when World Cup qualification was sealed. But Gavin has put the wind up us: “The smart money is on these evenly matched sides ending up in a penalty shoot-out before 10pm tonight.” Stop it.
In rugby, Gerry Thornley reflects on Ireland’s Autumn Nations Series, one that wasn’t without its positives, but overall, he rates it as “a fitful and slightly disconcerting month”. And Johnny Watterson wonders if Andy Farrell’s Lions sabbatical will hurt Ireland’s Six Nations chances. How they fare against England in the opening game in February will be an early indicator.
Owen Doyle, meanwhile, looks back at the officiating in the Ireland v Australia game. Don’t start him on the handling of the scrum. It’s now “nothing more than an ugly blot on the landscape of the game, rather than a terrific attacking platform”.
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In Gaelic games, the results of the weekend’s provincial finals ensure that come January we will have new All-Ireland club hurling champions. Gordon Manning hears from Na Fianna’s Seán Currie, his club winning their first Leinster title and now aiming to become just the second Dublin side, after Cuala, to collect the Tommy Moore Cup.
David Gorman previews the week ahead for our Irish golfers, Tom McKibbin getting his DP World Tour season under way at the Nedbank Golf Challenge while Sara Byrne and Lauren Walsh will be vying for a place on next season’s LPGA Tour when they take part in the final stage of qualifying in Alabama.
And in horse racing, Brian O’Connor looks ahead to Sunday’s Hong Kong International Carnival where Aidan O’Brien will try to finish another landmark season on a high. He has four runners in the prestigious €15 million race, including Luxembourg, so you wouldn’t be betting against him.
TV Watch: It’s D-Day in Dublin - having drawn the first leg of their Euro 2025 play-off in Cardiff, the Republic of Ireland and Wales battle it out for a place in the Swiss-hosted tournament next summer (RTÉ 2, kick-off 7.30).
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