In another coup for the IRFU, London Irish lock Malcolm O'Kelly will return to the domestic game next season, writes Gerry Thornley. O'Kelly has signed up with the IRFU in a deal which ties him here until the end of the 2000-2001 season and will play for Leinster and his former club St Mary's. It is hoped that O'Kelly will be able to take contact on the shoulder injury which has sidelined him for much of this season by the time the Australian tour begins at the end of May. He will, therefore, be included in the squad of 28. However, the injured Eric Miller was definitely ruled out of the tour yesterday.

Meanwhile, Peter Clohessy has been selected in a World XV to take on the Pumas in Buenos Aires on saturday week as part of the Argentinian rugby federation's centenary celebrations. Accordingly, he will miss Young Munster's concluding AIL game at home to Garryowen.

Sailing: Gale-force winds continue to sweep Royal Cork's Marty Moloney and Revlin Minihane towards overall victory in the Mirror World championships at Saldanha Bay, Cape Province, South Africa. After yesterday's exhausting penultimate racing, Moloney (18) and Revlin (14) go afloat this morning with a narrow margin of only a few points over Australia's Mark Padget and John Fletcher.

Snooker: Fergal O'Brien scored a 5-4 victory over England's Peter Ebdob in the British Open quarter-final at Plymouth. The fourth frame proved decisive when O'Brien scored 101-0 win and only dropped one other frame after that. He now meets John Higgins in the semi-final.