Saskia Tidey Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

Home

• Irish sailor Saskia Tidey has confirmed that she has started training with Team GB in the hope of representing Britain at the 2020 Olympics.
• Munster have made 10 changes for tomorrow’s rescheduled Champions Cup game against Racing 92.
• Connacht have made three changes from the side that started against Munster ahead of their Pro12 clash with Ospreys at the Liberty Stadium tomorrow.
• All-Ireland winning Cork footballer Paddy Kelly has announced his retirement from the inter-county game.
• New Meath boss Andy McEntee will bring back some familiar faces for his opening game in charge on Sunday against Wicklow.
• Derry City have announced the signing for former Republic of Ireland U21 goalkeeper Eric Grimes on a one-year deal.
• Anto Flood is set to return to League of Ireland football as he committed to Bray Wanderers today for the 2017 season.
• Kevin Foley has joined League One strugglers Coventry City following his release from Charlton Athletic earlier in the week.
• Seventeen-year-old Leanne Kiernan is among the nominees for the Women’s National League Senior Player of the Year.
• Twelve-year-old Denis Gilevskiy this morning became Ireland’s first-ever British Junior Open champion as he won the U13 category at one of squash’s most prestigious tournaments.

Johnny Sexton pictured during the warm-up for Leinster's game against Zebre this evening. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Away

• Four days after being sacked by Leicester, Richard Cockerill has been handed a role as a consultant at Toulon.
• Paul Gascoigne has gone into rehab to try to “get free of his demons” and attempt to win his battle with alcohol, his agent said today.
• Jose Mourinho has issued a clean bill of health ahead of the start of Man United’s FA Cup defence with Wayne Rooney and goalkeeper Sergio Romero set to start tomorrow’s clash with Reading.
• Celtic assistant manager Chris Davies insists they have no intention of selling Moussa Dembele for €23 million amid reported interest from West Ham.

The Best Thing We Shared Today

The glory days of darts…
https://www.facebook.com/dartfreakz.dotnl/videos/1848085272134593

Where We Were Today

Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Ryan Bailey is at the RDS for Leinster’s Guinness Pro12 clash with Zebre.

On The Record

This is something that we have under review. It should be, at the very least, strictly regulated. I find some of the scenes in it quite disturbing. I think the rules should ensure that there is an absolute absence of brutality or savagery or anything like it. We are reviewing this, to find the best way of regulating it to ensure it is as safe as any other sport.

Minister for Sport Shane Ross has vowed to tackle and regulate mixed martial arts in Ireland.

The Fixture List

• In their rescheduled Champions Cup fixture, Munster take on Racing 92 in Paris tomorrow at 3.45pm Irish time.
• There’s also Irish interest in the Guinness Pro12 as Connacht face the Ospreys in Swansea at 1.30pm.
• Kildare and Longford square off in the O’Byrne Cup at 2pm.
• The big guns enter the FA Cup when the third round kicks off this weekend.
• It’s also National Cup semi-finals weekend in basketball here at home, while the NFL playoffs also get underway this weekend with the four wildcard games.

Showbiz, baby!

A week after getting his first start for QPR, Galway youngster Ryan Manning makes the cover of the matchday programme for tomorrow’s FA Cup tie against Blackburn Rovers.

Richard Cockerill lands job with Toulon just 4 days after being sacked by Leicester

Former Leeds United goalkeeper swaps Cork for Derry