Cathal Noonan / INPHO Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO

(Cork camogie stars Briege Corkery, Ashling Thompson and Gemma O’Connor, pictured above with 16-month-old Grace Curtin from Midleton, brought the O’Duffy Cup to Crumlin Children’s Hospital today).

Home

• A clean bill of health has been issued from the Ireland squad ahead of Saturday’s Rugby World Cup opener, with Cian Healy, Jonathan Sexton and Conor Murray all cleared to face Canada in Cardiff.
• Bolton Wanderers are nearing a deal to bring in a member of Martin O’Neill’s Republic of Ireland backroom staff as their assistant manager.
• The dream final is still a possibility following the draw for the FAI Cup semi-finals.
• Wicklow GAA chairman Martin Coleman is leading the criticism of The Sunday Game after the Garden County’s historic Bord Gáis Energy All-Ireland U21 hurling championship win was overlooked last night.
• Some quick thinking, expert support and the presence of a defibrillator helped to save the life of a young Westmeath footballer.
• A GAA club in Tyrone has been badly damaged in a suspected arson attack.
• The UFC’s Cathal Pendred is considering a return to rugby with Clontarf.
• The card for UFC Dublin was finalised today following the addition of one more bout.

Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

(Ireland team manager Mick Kearney and hooker Rory Best were on media duty for today’s press conference at Carton House.)

Away

• England head coach Stuart Lancaster has named the first starting XV of the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
  
• The average price of a ticket for this month’s Rugby World Cup makes it the most expensive major sports tournament ever, according to new research.
• Frankie Edgar says he’s on standby to fight Jose Aldo or Conor McGregor at UFC 194 if either fighter pulls out.
• The US Attorney General says she expects more charges to be brought against “individuals and entities” as part of her office’s probe into corruption at Fifa.

The Best Thing We Shared

You’ll need to do more than tear off JJ Watt’s helmet to stop him from making a sack, as the Kansas City Chiefs discovered last night.

On The Record

“She’s fighting really hard, really sick with cancer. She’s the person that’s there and who I play camogie for through the years. She’s been there at every game – camogie is her life. It was emotional that she wasn’t there yesterday, it was extra emotional.”

Gemma O’Connor won another All-Ireland senior camogie medal for Cork yesterday but her thoughts are on her mother Geraldine’s cancer battle.

The Fixture List

The Champions League kicks off tomorrow night at 7.45pm, with eight games — including PSV Eindhoven versus Manchester United and Manchester City versus Juventus — down for decision.

Showbiz, baby!

Notts County and Republic of Ireland U21 striker Graham Burke has got the skills to pay the bills.
https://vine.co/v/eFUlBgq7p9w

Liverpool treading water as Brendan Rodgers desperately tries to stay afloat in the deep end

Champions League returns tomorrow night but where will you be able to watch it?