Owen Doyle believes having a swift decision-making ability is critical for a high-ranking referee, yet this attribute appears to be lacking in those appointed for the forthcoming international matches, causing him to worry about the current state of referees in football. He claims that referees have unfortunately not kept up with the progressive professionalism of players and coaches.
Correspondingly, Gerry Thornley is uneasy about another matter relating to the sport—World Rugby’s determination to implement ’20-minute red cards’. With this rule, a player penalised for a technical foul could be substituted following 20 minutes, provided the offence is considered ‘accidental’. Thornley counters this, saying it contradicts World Rugby’s effort to decrease tackle height with the aim of fostering safer gameplay.
Simultaneously, Johnny Watterson had a conversation with Jacques Nienaber, who is thoroughly enjoying his time with Leinster as part of the coaching crew, mainly because he finds club rugby more innovatively inventive than its international counterpart. Linley MacKenzie also chatted with Connacht’s coach, Pete Wilkins, in anticipation of their significant URC faceoff with the Dragons this weekend.
In soccer news, Gavin Cummiskey highlights an Irish group among the 106 professionals who submitted a letter of protest to Fifa’s president, Gianni Infantino, against Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia’s national oil firm, sponsoring both the men’s World Cup in 2026 and the women’s tournament the following year. They perceive it as a slight to women’s football.
Moreover, new Gaelic football laws are being analysed tactically as they promise to reward those who can capitalise on the game’s dynamics. Lastly, certain players are sharing more personal information than usual, and Max Kruse is leading the way with his struggles.
Reflecting upon Gaelic sports, Gordon Manning pays tribute to the exceptional career of Graeme Mulcahy, a hurler from Limerick who has recently declared his inter-county retirement. At the same time, an initiative has been introduced intending to reverse the cancellation of pre-league matches scheduled to take place in January – including the Dr McKenna and O’Byrne Cups.
These competitions could have provided the perfect platform for an examination of the new rules proposed by the Football Review Committee. Performance analyst Paul O’Brien analyses the potential effect of the ’40-meter arc’ rule in recent interprovincial matches.
In his column ‘Different Strokes’, Philip Reid provides updates about Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ novel endeavour, a tech-enhanced golf league, an innovation that seems likely to change the traditional game of golf substantially.
Additionally, Brian O’Connor provides an insight into today’s ‘Amateur Derby’ at the Curragh, highlighting the promising contenders, including 17-year-old Paddy Smullen. Paddy, son of the late champion jockey Pat Smullen, will be partnering with Dermot Weld’s hopeful Grappa Nonino.
For football fans, the Champions League makes a welcome return. Today’s matchups feature AC Milan playing Club Brugge (to be aired on Virgin Media Two and TNT Sports 2, at 5:45 pm), Real Madrid against Borussia Dortmund at 8 pm, Aston Villa versus Bologna, and Arsenal taking on Shakhtar Donetsk, with these later games broadcast on respective channels Virgin Media More, TNT Sports 1, Premier Sports 1 and Amazon Prime.