SOCCER
The Republic of Ireland have been drawn in Group A for next year’s World Cup qualifiers.
Stephen Kenny’s side will face Portugal, Serbia, Luxembourg and Azerbaijan.
Northern Ireland were drawn in Group C with Italy, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Lithuania
Only the group winners will qualify automatically for the finals in Qatar, with ten sides then competing for three playoff places.
Matches get underway in March.
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The English FA have launched investigations into fans at Millwall and Colchester booing players taking the knee.
Both incidents took place ahead of their respective Championship and League Two games on Saturday.
Clubs have until Thursday to respond.
Show Racism the Red Card' chief executive Ged Grebby says it's important footballers continue to take the knee
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Southampton have the chance to crack the Premier League’s top-4 this evening.
They make the trip to the Am-Ex to face Brighton, with kick-off at 8.
RUGBY
Iain Henderson will miss Ulster’s opening Heineken Champions Cup match with Toulouse.
The lock sustained a knee injury during Ireland’s victory over Scotland on Saturday and needs to see a specialist.
Rob Lyttle is also out with a back injury, and joins Billy Burns, Louis Ludik and Robert Baloucoune on the sidelines.
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Jonathan Sexton is set to be fit for Leinster’s Champions Cup trip to Montpellier.
The Ireland captain sustained a dead leg at the weekend.
Flanker Will Connors is also back in contention, but James Ryan is a major doubt as he undergoes the return to play protocols.
GOLF
It's been confirmed Royal Liverpool and Royal Troon will host the Open Championship in 2023 and 2024 respectively.
The tournament calendar has been reshuffled after this year's event was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Royal St George's in Kent will now stage it in July 2021, with St Andrews the venue for the 150th Open in 2022.
RACING
Jack Kennedy played his part as Gordon Elliott dominated the action at Navan on Saturday. Elliott saddled four winners at the meeting and Kennedy rode two of them, Clondaw Secret and Conflated. The pair won in contrasting style, 8/1 shot Clondaw Secret took the second division of the 2m4f maiden hurdle by half a length from the Jessica Harrington-trained Lifetime Ambition while Conflated romped to 17-length win in the beginners’ chase from the Dermot McLoughlin-trained Opposites Attract. Elliott other winners on the day, Magic Tricks and Andy Dufresne, were both ridden by Mark Walsh.
The intervention of the stewards saw the Phillip Enright-ridden Feyan, land the day’s finale, the 2m4f handicap hurdle at Cork on Sunday. An 11/1 shot, Robert Tyner’s charge lost out by a head to the Philip Fenton-trained 3/1 favourite Zaccaerla but was awarded the race subsequently when he was deemed to have been hampered in the closing stages.
Fog was the ultimate winner at Punchestown on Sunday. A fine card at the home of jumps’ racing was cut short but not before Min had landed his third straight win in the Grade 1 John Durkan Memorial Punchestown Chase. The manner of his success was literally shrouded in mystery, those watching in on television saw precious little as the nine-year-old led home a 1-2-3 for trainer Willie Mullins. His son Patrick was in the saddle as the 13/8 favourite saw off the gamble of the race, Tornado Flyer by a length with Melon six and a half-lengths away in third place. The winning rider commented, “He put in an exhibition of jumping, he was absolutely brilliant everywhere. I was really looking forward to going back home and watching it back!” The Ryanair Chase is the Cheltenham Festival target for the winner. Willie Mullins had also won the opening rated novice hurdle with Power Of Pause which was ridden by his nephew David. The 6/1 chance easily got the better of the Jessica Harrington-trained 6/5 favourite Crosshill by two and three-parts of a length. Another chapter was added to the remarkable Skyace story as she won the Listed Voler La Vedette Novice Hurdle for Shark Hanlon and owners, the Birdinthehand Syndicate. Ridden by Jody McGarvey, the 28/1 outsider of the eight-runner field got to the front before the final hurdle and skipped clear to win by five lengths from Gordon Elliott’s Sliding Rock, a fourth career success for the £600 purchase.
Willie Mullins also captured the highlight at Cork on Sunday afternoon where Chacun Pour Soi, already favourite for the Champion Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, impressed with a 19-length win in the Grade 2 Kerry Group Hilly Way Chase. Paul Townend had the race safely in the bag when he was left clear on the 1/5 favourite by the final fence exits of both Cash Back and Djingle to beat the trailing Darasso in great style.
