With most of Leinster’s players unavailable for selection for the Lions side that takes on Argentina in Dublin tomorrow evening, Andy Farrell’s chosen 15 for the game might not give too many clues about the shape of the side he’ll pick for next month’s tests against Australia. But, reports Gerry Thornley, Bundee Aki, Tadhg Beirne and Finlay Bealham all have a chance to stake their claim having been named in Farrell’s starting line-up, while Tadhg Furlong, Ronan Kelleher and Mack Hansen are on the bench. Gerry hears from Farrell and captain Maro Itoje ahead of the game.
Beirne partners Itoje in the secondrow, Johnny Watterson talking to the Munster captain who has been impressed by the English man, not least his politeness. “He speaks incredibly well. He doesn’t curse,” he said.
John O’Sullivan, meanwhile, dropped in to the Argentina camp to keep an eye on their preparations and heard coach Felipe Contepomi’s thoughts on his old pals Leinster and their season. He talked too about Sam Prendergast’s development and Johnny Sexton’s move in to coaching.
In Gaelic games, it’s do or die for Donegal and Louth in the championship on Sunday, the counties meeting in Ballybofey in the preliminary quarter-finals. Gordon Manning talks to Donegal’s Shane O’Donnell, and he also has a word with Armagh’s Oisín O’Neill who has the luxury of a weekend off, his county straight through to the last eight. O’Neill shared his frustration with the continuing tweaking of the Football Review Committee’s rules, the latest the ditching of the 50m penalty for impeding a kick-out mark.
In his column, Ciarán Murphy writes about the art of keeping cool in front of goal, while in hurling, Galway’s Fintan Burke looks ahead to his county’s championship quarter-final against Tipperary in Limerick on Saturday.
Brian O’Connor rounds up yesterday’s action at Royal Ascot, Ombudsman producing a resounding success for Godolphin in the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, and he previews today’s Gold Cup when Aidan O’Brien’s hopes of a 10th success in the race rest on Illinois.
In golf, Philip Reid previews the PGA Championship in Texas where Leona Maguire is in the field, and after a frustrating time of it at the US Open Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are in action again, this time at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
And in his America at Large column, Dave Hannigan writes about the extraordinary relationship between Brian Wilson, the Beach Boy who died recently, and his “bodyguard-cum-minder”, NBA journeyman Stan Love, father of Miami Heat centre Kevin.
TV Watch: The big one at Royal Ascot today is, of course, the Gold Cup at 4.20, Virgin Media One and UTV’s coverage starting at 1.30. And in golf, Sky Sports have the Travelers Championship from 12.30 this afternoon and the women’s PGA Championship from 4.0.
