Dublin, Gordon Manning reckons, must be “wondering what ladder they walked under” recently. Three days after losing their first Leinster championship game in 15 years, they found themselves drawn in “Sam Maguire’s group of death” - along with Derry, Galway or Mayo and Armagh or Donegal. If they are to rekindle their season, “the draw has ensured that they must do it the hard way”. Gordon brings you all the details on who plays who.
Ciarán Murphy points to the madness of the draw taking place before the provincial finals are played. “Is this Connacht final worth winning on Sunday,” he wonders. Mayo and Galway now know that their ‘reward’ for triumphing in Castlebar will be a place in a “fiendish” group with Dublin, Derry and the Ulster runner-ups - it could be that the losers will be the ones doing the celebrating.
Meath, of course, were the ones doing the celebrating in Portlaoise last Sunday, Dublin’s Niall Scully putting himself through the ordeal of watching the game twice come Monday morning. “You can’t just go on blindly and hope that you figure it out,” he told Stephen Barry. The five-time All-Ireland winner is, though, still convinced that the Dubs can bounce back this year.
In rugby, Dan Sheehan has bounced back in style from the ACL injury he suffered last summer, seven tries in 186 minutes of competitive rugby since January testament to that. He talks to Johnny Watterson ahead of Saturday’s Champions Cup semi-final.
James Lowe in high spirits ahead of Northampton visit
Leinster v Northampton: TV details, kick-off times, team news and more
Joe Canning: Red card for Darragh McCarthy raises questions about Tipperary’s mindset
Could Shedeur Sanders ever really be another Tom Brady after phone faux pas and NFL draft snub?
Dorothy Wall is now about to embark on a long period of rehab herself after undergoing surgery on her Achilles tendon - in a desperate blow to the 24-year-old and Ireland, she has been ruled out of this summer’s World Cup.
In soccer, David Gorman hears from Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson who is keeping tabs on the growing number of Irish players with clubs in continental Europe, with an eye to bringing some fresh blood in to his squad.
In his America at Large column, Dave Hannigan brings us the peculiar story of young quarterback Shedeur Sanders - having been tipped to be a top-three pick in the NFL draft, he ended up being the 144th selection. What went wrong? Answering his phone during a job interview might not have helped.
In racing, after Galopin Des Champs’ Gold Cup victory at Punchestown on Wednesday, Brian O’Connor believes that “the claim that he may be the best Irish chaser since Arkle looked no exaggeration”. He is, he writes, “turning into a singular cherished talent”. Brian also previews today’s Punchestown action, the feature the Champion Stayers’ Hurdle when Teahupoo will attempt to defend his title.
TV Watch: Sky Sports Golf has coverage of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson from 12.45 this afternoon, Séamus Power in a field that is headed by Scottie Scheffler. There’s more racing from the Punchestown festival on RTÉ 2 (3.30-6.30), and later there are three European semi-finals on your screens - Athletic Club v Manchester United (Premier Sports 1 and TNT Sports 1) and Tottenham v Bodø/Glimt (Premier Sports 2 and TNT Sports 2) in the Europa League, and Djurgården v Chelsea in the Conference League. All three games kick off at 8pm. It’s unlikely we’ll see a performance to match Lamine Yamal’s for Barcelona last night. The boy’s a bit special.
