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- Jared Payne will make his first appearance of the season for Ulster tomorrow night in the province’s trip to the Glasgow Warriors.
- Leinster have also called on fit-again Johnny Sexton to make his seasonal bow in tomorrow night’s game against the Ospreys.
- Conor McGregor’s camp have denied claims that the Dubliner is carrying an injury as speculation mounts that he won’t be fighting at UFC 205 in New York.
- Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew has claimed that Southampton and Ireland striker Shane Long has a ‘history’ of diving following an incident in an EFL Cup game.
- A rematch between WBO world featherweight champion Carl Frampton and Leo Santa Cruz is close to being agreed, according to Santa Cruz’s father.
- The IRFU has unveiled Ireland’s alternative jersey for the coming season and it’s not white or black, but purple.
- Cork have appointed selector Pat Ryan as a coach for next year’s campaign following the departure of Frank Flannery from the setup.
- There are plans afoot to extend the SSE Airtricity League season next year to deal with problems of fixture congestion.
- Irish Olympic boxer Steven Donnelly is set to follow his Olympic team-mates Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes in turning professional.
Away
- World number two Dustin Johnson says he would happily play in a pairing with anyone from the USA team at the Ryder Cup, except for Phil Mickelson.
- Joey Barton and Damon Hill are among the 17 nominees on the longlist for the 2016 William Hill Sports Book of the Year award.
- Brive out-half Matthieu Ugalde has been suspended for 14 weeks after being found guilty of eye gouging Grenoble wing Armand Batlle in a Top 14 clash earlier this month.
- Rangers midfielder Joey Barton insists he is not leaving the club despite growing speculation surrounding his future at Ibrox following a row with his manager and a team-mate.
- Former All Black World Cup winner and Leinster lock Brad Thorn is poised to make a remarkable return to professional rugby in Australia.
- Willem II midfielder Anouar Kali made history on Wednesday as he became the first player to be sent off by the video assistant referee in his side’s 5-0 Dutch Cup defeat at the hands of Ajax.
- Rising star Paddy Pimblett won’t be making his UFC debut until next year at least after the Englisman extended his Cage Warriors contract into 2017.
- Aston Villa manager Roberto Di Matteo has confirmed the club is conducting an internal investigation regarding Jack Grealish and rumours of a late-night hotel party on Sunday.
The Best Thing We Shared
An injured Sonny Bill Williams has taken the advice of the O’Donovan brothers and he is now pulling like a dog. A one-legged dog, but a dog all the same.
He’d want to be careful though, with that power it won’t be long before he rows himself into the next room.
It’s amazing what you can do with a ruptured Achilles, a skateboard and some tape…
Where We Were Today
Sean Farrell was talking to Leinster head coach Leo Cullen and the province’s captain Isa Nacewa ahead of their Guinness Pro12 clash with the Ospreys at the RDS tomorrow night.
On the Record
I think when I was a youngster I saw these teams coming to South Africa and you think that’s the ultimate. It’s class to get in there. When I arrived here it wasn’t really in my mind but then everyone started talking about it and it can happen, so it’s a goal for sure.
CJ Stander is already targeting a spot in Warren Gatland’s British and Irish Lions squad for next year’s tour of New Zealand.
The Fixture List
- There are three games tomorrow night in the Guinness Pro12 with Leinster and Ulster involved in two mouth-watering encounters. Leinster host league leaders the Ospreys at the RDS (TG4) while Ulster travel to Glasgow to take on Gregor Townsend’s side (BBCNI). Both games kick off at 7.35pm. In the later kick-off (8.05pm), Benetton Treviso host the Newport Gwent Dragons.
- There are also five fixtures in the SSE Airtricity Premier Division tomorrow night: Bohemians v Longford Town, Dundalk v Derry City (both 7.45pm), Finn Harps v St Pat’s, Shamrock Rovers v Galway United and Wexford Youths v Bray Wanderers (all 8pm).
- Three games in the First Division are also scheduled: Athlone Town v UCD, Cabinteely v Drogheda Utd and Shelbourne v Limerick (all 7.45pm).
- In golf, the second round of the Tour Championship gets under way tomorrow with Rory McIlroy involved. On the European Tour, Pádraig Harrington, Paul Dunne, Ruadhri McGee and Michael Hoey continue in the Porsche European Open in Germany (both Sky Sports 4).
- In the NFL the Houston Texans are at the New England Patriots from 1.25am (Sky Sports 1).
Showbiz, baby!
The National Ploughing Championships have been delivering in spades but this young fella from Tipp is the talk of the Offaly town of Screggan. Nine-year-old Timmy Costello delivered this rap to honour the Premier County’s All-Ireland-winning hurlers, under the watchful eye of ‘King’ Henry Shefflin.
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DJ: ‘I’d happily partner anyone at the Ryder Cup, except for Phil Mickelson’
Conor Hourihane and the other new faces we’d like to see in tomorrow’s Ireland squad
