The international soccer action continues tonight as Ireland welcome next year's World Cup hosts Qatar to the Aviva Stadium. According to Gavin Cummiskey,Tuesday evening's friendly suggests that the Irish football fan believes in what Stephen Kenny is doing while holding a genuine grá for the 19- and 20-year-olds the manager has fast-tracked into the international arena. If you want to know more about Ireland's visitors, James McDermott takes a look at Qatar's recent form and their domestic competition.The biggest name to have played in their 'Domestic Stars League' is one Pep Guardiola, whose spell at Al Ahli between 2003 and 2005 made an unwelcome recent appearance in the Pandora Papers amid allegations that his wages were deposited in an undeclared offshore bank account in Andorra to avoid paying tax.
Moving onto rugby, Gerry Thornley in his column this morning looks at how Johnny Sexton's impressive start to the season continues to defy expectations given his age profile. The disappointment endured by Sexton at having been overlooked for the Lions tour has been offset by the Leinster flyhalf being able to appear in a season opener for the first time since 2009, an opportunity upon which the Ireland captain has pounced. Sticking with Leinster, Johnny Watterson explains how the province is in talks with the government over a €10 million shortfall in their budget for the redevelopment of the RDS. However, any plans must come to fruition relatively quickly as the planning permission awarded for work on the ground expires in 2023. Yesterday's briefing outlined how Munster were nervously awaiting news on an injury picked up by talismanic lock RG Snyman. Confirmation came through last night that the Springbok faces yet another lengthy spell on the sidelines after re-rupturing his ACL.
In golf, both Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy return to PGA Tour action this week at the CJ Cup at the Summit Club in Las Vegas. This will be the first time we see McIlroy in action since last month's unsuccessful Ryder Cup campaign. Philip Reid also takes a look at the recent exploits of Phil Mickelson on the senior tour. The current US PGA champion has racked up three wins in just four appearances among the elders, but it appears as if his focus is still on the PGA Tour for now.
Finally, Monday marked a momentous day for Irish cricket. Amy Hunter, playing in just her fourth One-Day International on Ireland's tour of Zimbabwe, became the youngest person in the history of the game to record a century as Ireland eased to an 85-run victory. Hunter's innings, which came on the very day of her 16th birthday, is also the highest individual score by an Irish woman, while the team total of 312 for three represents a new record too. The result handed Ireland a 3-1 victory in the series, their first in a bilateral clash away from home.
