RUGBY
Paul O’Connell says he couldn’t resist the chance to turn down a role on the Ireland coaching staff.
The former international captain is offering the forwards his line-out expertise.
Ireland’s Six Nations campaign begins on Sunday away to Wales, but Caelan Doris and Quinn Roux won’t be involved.
Doris eported "symptoms that could be associated with concussion", while Roux has a neck injury.
They’re replaced by Ryan Baird and Gavin Coombes.
O’Connell says the offer to join Andy Farrell’s coaching staff came as something of a surprise
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French involvement in the Six Nations has been green-lit by their government.
They’d been seeking assurances regarding player safety amid the pandemic.
However, hooker Camille Chat has been ruled out of their first three games with a calf injury.
SOCCER
Arsenal are looking to extend their unbeaten Premier League run to eight matches this evening.
Mikel Arteta’s side are away to Wolves from 6.
There’s a meeting of the bottom two at the same time with Sheffield United playing host to West Brom.
Manchester United can pull level on points with leaders Manchester City when they take on Southampton from 8.15.
At the same time, Newcastle welcome Crystal Palace to St. James’s Park.
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says Sergio Aguero is still a few weeks away from a return, despite being back in training this week.
The Premier League club's record goalscorer had been self-isolating, first as a close contact of someone to have tested positive for coronavirus, then after falling ill with Covid-19 himself.
City go to Burnley on Thursday before Sunday’s heavyweight tussle with Liverpool.
But Guardiola says Aguero won’t be rushed back.
OLYMPICS
Tokyo 2020 President Yoshiro Mori insists this summer's Olympics will go ahead "regardless" of what the coronavirus situation is.
Parts of Japan are in a state of emergency after a spike in the number of cases.
The Games were postponed by a year last summer, but the president is adamant they will happen this time around.
RACING
Today’s cancelled meeting at Limerick will instead be run on Friday February 19th.
