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Leinster face Connacht at the Aviva; boxing must answer on Kinahan

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with ‘The Irish Times’ sports team

Leinster’s Jack Conan. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Fri Apr 15 2022 - 07:32

Leinster play Connacht in the last 16 of the European Champions Cup this evening at the Aviva Stadium, with Leinster heavy favourites to progress, but Connacht restricting them to just a five-point lead in the first leg gives the Westerners enough reason to hope. Andrew Porter and Rónan Kelleher are back in the frontrow, while key battles are expected to be Caelan Doris v Cian Prendergast and Jimmy O'Brien v Mack Hansen. Follow all the action on the Irish Times Sport live blog at 5.30pm.

Meanwhile, Andy Warwick and Ulster are braced for the task of countering the enormous Toulouse pack ahead of tomorrow night's game. Johnny Watterson says new proposals on the rules dilute the effect of red card punishment in rugby, and are "wrong-headed and dangerous".

Authorities in the US are offering a reward of up to $15 million for information that leads to the arrest or conviction of three senior Kinahan cartel members, one of which is Daniel Kinahan, who is involved in boxing management consultancy. Boxing is refusing to confront the unpalatable truth about Kinahan's key role, writes Donald McRae, as Fury's title fight press conference proceeds as if nothing else happened this week.

The JP McManus Pro-Am organisers have announced the participation of Tiger Woods in the 2022 edition of the event in Adare Manor in Co Limerick. All eyes will be on the world's most famous golfer in the first week of July, as his previous Irish visits have always come with plenty of fanfare. This will be his fourth appearance at the Pro-Am. On the PGA Tour, Lowry and McDowell are both off to strong starts at the RBC Heritage Classic after opening rounds of 66 leave the pair three shots off leader Cameron Young.

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In today's Subscriber Only piece, Lisa Fallon writes that a stellar performance against Sweden in their World Cup qualifier signals Ireland are making real strides, as Pauw's side display the mindset required to push for qualification for major tournaments. It was a good night for the British teams in European competitions as West Ham and Rangers advanced to the semi-finals of the Europa League, and Leicester reached the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League.

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