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Former Ireland full-back Conor O’Shea is the new coach of the Italian rugby team after agreeing a four-year deal with the Azzurri.

Jonathan Sexton has not been included in Leinster‘s squad for Saturday’s Pro12 clash with Connacht but Luke Fitzgerald will return to win his 150th cap.

Meanwhile, Pat Lam has handed a first start to academy centre Peter Robb with Robbie Hewnshaw on the bench.

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Martin O’Neill handed a senior Ireland debut to Alan Judge for Friday’s friendly against Switzerland.

Ireland’s Dan Martin is closing in on the podium as the Volta a Catalunya draws to a close.

There has been a setback for the Clare hurlers as David McInerney will be sidelined for up to a month because of a back injury.

Away

David Beckham‘s dream of a MLS franchise in Miami has inched forward with the news that two parcels of private land have been purchased in the city with the aim of building a football-specific stadium.

Lynne Sladky Lynne Sladky

Manchester United youngster Donald Love has revealed that Louis van Gaal hasn’t spoken to him since he fell back into the reserves following his debut last month.

Where We Were Today

Ben Blake and Niall Kelly were at the Aviva Stadium to see how the Republic of Ireland fared in their Good Friday friendly against Switzerland.

Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

The Best Thing We Shared

It’s good to have Harry Redknapp back in management. He’s currently in Jordan, having taken on a clearly lucrative short-term gig.

And as much as his first game was a success, his first post-game interview…wasn’t.

On The Record

In the early days of FORAS’ ownership of Cork City, a number of board members arrived at Turner’s Cross with personal savings in their pockets to cover bills and wages in case one particular home game, our only one across a seven-week period, hadn’t attracted a sufficient attendance. Scheduling of fixtures is vital to clubs’ financial well-being, and that’s probably not very well understood. For a club like Cork City, a postponed fixture, replayed away from your regular match night, could cost well over €20,000.”

Another thought-provoking column from John O’Sullivan on the very real financial burden of postponed games for League of Ireland clubs.

The Fixture List

GAA

• There are plenty of Allianz Football League fixtures to be decided. The big one is at GAA HQ as Dublin host Donegal at 7pm.
• At the same time on Saturday evening, Tyrone take on Armagh in Division 2.
• Earlier in the day, Tipperary host Kildare in Clonmel. The Division 3 clash gets underway at 2pm.   

Rugby

• There’s a pretty mouthwatering Pro12 clash at the Sportsground as Connacht play host to Leinster. Kick-off is at 5.15pm.   

Soccer

There are four SSE Airtricity League fixtures with an assortment of kick-off times.

• Galway United v Bohemians, 2pm
• Wexford Youths v Derry City, 5pm
• Bray Wanderers v Sligo Rovers, 7.30pm
• Finn Harps v Longford Town, 8pm. 

There are a host of international friendlies too with Germany‘s hosting of England the marquee event. Berlin’s Olympiastadion is the venue and kick-off is at 7.45pm.

Showbiz, Baby!

It’s been a long time coming but the Pele biopic hits the big screens in May and it stars none other than Colm Meaney as George Raynor, the man who coached Sweden to the 1958 World Cup final.

Anyway, the official trailer has dropped and it looks pretty slick.

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LIVE: Ireland v Switzerland, international friendly

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