IRFU won’t publish women’s review; Stars emerge on the pitch for Stephen Kenny

It looks like Joey Carbery is going to get his chance then. After steering Ireland home against New Zealand with three successful penalties - including a very impressive nudge from the halfway line - the Munster outhalf looks set to be given a starting berth against Argentina this weekend now that Johnny Sexton has been ruled out with a knee/ankle problem. Gerry Thornley this morning looks at what other potential changes Andy Farrell could make, pointing out that Sunday would be a good opportunity to give Robbie Henshaw his seasonal bow now that he has been in camp for a few weeks and has overcome an injury of his own. In a separate column, Thornley also looks at the greats of Irish rugby who do not have the All Blacks' scalp on their CV. IRFU chief executive Philip Browne has said that that the review into the disappointment that was the women's team failing to qualify for the World Cup should be completed by Christmas, but it will not be published publicly. Instead, a number of key findings will be made available. When pressed on if the review will delve into the controversy surrounding Anthony Eddy's comments last week, as well as his role as a whole, Browne declined to go into such specifics.

Ireland's Word Cup qualifying campaign has gone from extreme lows to some fairly steady highs, with the latter leaving an air of positivity around the team after managing to come third in their group. Gavin Cummiskey takes stock of the side's development, noting that the likes of Gavin Bazunu, Callum Robinson and Chiedozie Ogbene have emerged as genuine stars on the pitch, but issues such as Stephen Kenny's contract and the lack of a main sponsor still remain unresolved off the park. Elsewhere, other nations have been wrapping up their respective campaigns, with England putting up a ridiculous 0-10 scoreline in their win over San Marino - Harry Kane helping himself to four goals. Northern Ireland frustrated European champions Italy in a 0-0 draw at Windsor Park, while Scotland secured a play-off spot with an impressive 2-0 victory over Denmark.

Kellie Harrington admits that the postponement of the World Championships until March may have come as a blessing in disguise. The Dublin boxer outlines how she looked to dive straight back into a rigorous training programme after her Olympic heroics without building slowly back into things, a decision which took its toll: "I got a little run down, I started to get cold sores, that's when I'm run down I get a cold sore on my mouth. The coaches called me in and were like, 'Kellie, you can't just come back and finish where you left off, you have to slowly, slowly, slowly come back up'." The opportunity to gradually build things up towards March instead is something which Harrington believes will leave her in a much better position as she seeks to add a world title to her Olympic gold. Harrington also believes that staying amateur is what is best for her, after a recent approach from Michael Conlan who tried to get her to go pro: "Professional, they're like sharks. They just get their teeth in and they just want what they want."

The GAA's TV rights deals expire in 2022, but the organisation is confident that interest will remain high from media partners despite the lack of clarity on the future of the football championship's structure. Next summer's championship is set to revert to the format last seen in 2017 after Option B was rejected by a Special Congress, but what shape the 2023 competition will take remains uncertain. As Seán Moran points out, "a new format for 2023 and onwards is expected to be decided at next February's annual congress and has obvious implications for the value of the rights agreements, as it is expected to incorporate a greater number of matches." In golf, Jon Rahm has become the latest big name to pull out of the DP World Tour Championship after an exhausting season, while Stephanie Meadow is looking forward to some time off after narrowly holding onto her LPGA tour card for next year.