The Irish rugby team produced some great performances in the World Cup in defeating Australia and Italy. They flattered to decieve in the quarter-final defeat to Wales as the “golden generations” last chance to make their mark on the world stage disappeared in bitter disappointment. But has anyone considered how Ireland will do when the two genuine world-class players, captain Brian O’Driscoll and Paul O’Connell retire? Maybe we should be grateful we did reach the quarter-finals of the World Cup. It might not happen next time!

Ireland do have some excellent young players who have proven they are international standard performers and have been mightily impressive in the Heineken Cup. However the men behind their 3 triple crowns, Grand Slam and great test victories since the early noughties are at a crossroads as they hit their early thirties. Apart from the talismen O’Driscoll and O’Connell, Ronan O’Gara, Gordon D’Arcy and Donnacha O’Callaghan know their time in the green jersey is limited. Apart from maybe O’Connell and at a big push O’Callaghan, none will be around for the next World Cup in 2015. They may not all retire in one lump but its likely they will retire in dribs and drabs over the next few seasons. Only then will we see if Ireland can still compete year in year out in the Six Nations or will we slip back to the bad days of the nineties where the ‘give it a lash’ approach was all that got Ireland through before another demoralising loss.

O’Gara at 34 is the oldest member of the squad and while Johnny Sexton is his heir apparent and rival, the Leinster man has a long way to go to prove he can control a game and keep the scoreboard ticking over like the Corkman has done for over a decade. The 2 pylons in the second row, the O brothers O’Connell and O’Callaghan have less obvious replacements. Donnacha Ryan is the best of an average lot at the moment as players like Devin Toner, Dan Tuohy and Ian Nagle look a long way off International class. This could be as problematic a position as our current prop situation. Obviously O’Driscoll, possibly Irelands greatest ever rugby player, is irreplacable but his trusted partner D’Arcy will be severely missed too. Numerous combos have being tried in midfield with very little success as Keith Earls and Luke Fitzgerald don’t look like proper centres. The case to move Tommy Bowe there may gather pace while Andrew Trimble may be worth an experiment there due to his physique.

Its clear Declan Kidney will have to improvise to make sure Ireland can stay a force in world rugby where they currently stand at no 6 in the IRB rankings. There should be more of a transparent relationship between the provinces and the national team as priority must be made to play Irish qualified players in key positions where Ireland need replacements so to give young players experience of top level rugby on a consistent basis. Ireland possess some outstanding back-rowers like O’Brien, Heaslip and Ferris but as the WC highlighted, we lack an out and out number 7 who supports the play and is a nuisance on the ground a la McCaw, Pocock and Warburton. Peter O’Mahony from Munster and Dominic Ryan of Leinster are young tyros who could grow into good no sevens but it will take time.

Ireland will likely remain more than competitive for the next 2 years at least and it will be interesting to see how many representatives we will have for the Lions in Australia in 2013. For the time being, lets savour all the moments these great rugby men will continue to achieve as we might not see their likes for a long time again.

It seems so inevitable and bookies Paddy Power have promised money back to punters who have backed New Zealand to win. It is 17 years since they lost a test match in Eden Park, Auckland but that team happened to be France and it was the last time the All-Blacks lost a test series at home. Factor in amazing semi-final defeats to the French at previous World Cups in 1999 and 2007 and perhaps its not a foregone conclusion. New Zealand were coasting through the tournament until they faced Australia in the semi-final last weekend. They trimmed France already in the group stage 37-17 although Les Blues didn’t over-exert themselves in that fixture. However, the manner of the 20-6 victory over the Wallabies was hugely convincing as the intensity the AB’s displayed was astonishing as they overwhlemed the Aussies in the physical stakes.

If they replicate that effort, no amount of off-the-cuff French magic will defeat the host nation.The loss of Dan Carter hasn’t being noticable yet as Aaron Cruden has filled his shoes admirably while Piri Weepu has kicked the goals from scrum-half. Richie McCaw may have a screw in his ankle but as captain, he will not let this opportunity pass him so expect another huge performance from the NZ pack.With such an attacking back-five, Nz will probably score a couple of tries especially with Ma’a Nonu and Israel Dagg in electrifying form. But what can a dysfuntional France bring to the party?

Firstly, their possibly the luckiest finalists ever in the competitions history. They were blessed to beat Wales in the semi despite playing 2/3′s of the game with an extra man as the Welsh left 8 points behind them in a narrow one point win for France. Coach Marc Lievremont appears not to a) have a clue what he’s doing and b) have the backing of his players who he called brats after the Welsh win. Regular scrum-half Morgan Parra is now out-half while Lievremonts pet project Francois Trinh-Duc is on the bench. Its difficult to see France controlling the game as they will need to do so to put NZ on the back-foot, certainly at the start anyway. Captain Theirry Dusatoir and Imanol Harinordoquoy will bring aggression and fight to the home side but it might not be enough over the 80 minutes for a schizophrenic side.

A stadium of four million holds its breath this Sunday. Expect the roar to engulf the Pacific as New Zealand will finally claim back the No 1 country in world rugby at long last!

How the luck changes! The Republic of Ireland soccer team are looking a gift horse in the mouth after drawing Estonia, the lowest ranked side in the European Championship qualification play-offs. The Baltic nation have never been at this stage of the competition before so opportunity knocks for Giovanni Trappatonis sluggers.

If Ireland do expect the two ties to be a cakewalk, players and supporters alike will be in for a shock. We only have to look at how inept at times Ireland appeared in the final qualifier match against Armenia last Tuesday. The criticism appears like a broken record at this juncture but Ireland cannot or are unable to play passing football and hold onto possession for a lengthy period of time. This results in sproradic attacks low on creativity and penetration (Slovakia at home) or puts the defence under consistent pressure like against Russia in Moscow last month. There are a few reasons for this problem mainly the manager and the calibre of player available.

We all appreciate this Ireland squad aren’t the most tehcnically adept but when did Ireland possess gifted footballers all at the one time? Once in a blue moon with individuals like John Giles, Liam Brady and Roy Keane but Ireland, just like their British counterparts, very rarely produce skillful footballers capable of keeping the ball for long spells. However, Ireland never produced this style of aimless long ball which is posion for the eyes under recent managers such as Mick McCarthy or Brian Kerr. Trappatoni has deemed the only way Ireland can compete for major tournaments is to eliminate the ploy of ‘trying’ to play with the ball on the ground and use the ball in airspace instead! By selecting very limited players like Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews (and previously the odious Paul Green) in central midfield, we leave ourselves open to ceding possession to any decent opposition and being outnumbered due to the antique 4-4-2 formation. If Ireland cannot hold onto the ball to hurt their opponents, at least play 3 in the middle to stymie the risk of being overrun as every good side that studies Ireland exploits this tactical misnomer and wins the midfield battleground.

Jack Charlton, the most successful Ireland manager of course, played roughly the same way with the long ball to big strikers and putting the opposition under pressure when they had possession by playing high up the pitch. Back then, we had some fine players and tall forwards like Niall Quinn and Tony Cascarino to aplly this method. Sadly only 2 or 3 of the current crop would make those 88-94 teams if we had that discussion. However the punts upfield aren’t really successful in this era as we have smaller, quicker strikers now who are unable to win many balls in the air against big centre-backs and any advantage they have isn’t utilised i.e Robbie Keane, Shane Long. To that end, Ireland have done remarkably well to get to two successive play-offs under Trappatoni with the personnel he selects and the people he leaves on the bench e.g. James McCarthy, Darren Gibson, Stephen Hunt, Keith Fahey. No world-beaters granted but they have not been given the chance to prove their worth at this level.

As has being remarked before, and is forgotten in the furore of Thierry Henrys handball incident, Irelands best performance under the Italian was in the 2nd leg of the World Cup play-off in 2009 against France in Paris. 1-0 down from a timid home leg effort, Ireland went for broke and played intelligent football to try and stretch the French which almost worked if chances didn’t go a begging before the ‘Hand of Frog’struck! Indeed many of Irelands worthy performances have come away from Dublin under Trappatoni so perhaps the key is approaching the first leg in Tallinn with a mind to not just lose or get a score draw but win. The win in Dublin is not a given as Estonia have hit form beating Serbia and trouncing Northern Ireland recently so Ireland must be brave like in Paris and stamp their authority on what will be a nervous Eastern European country in unchartered territory. That was the position Armenia were in and we needed luck and bad refeering to earn a 2-1 victory. Could our luck hold out if we play so poorly in November? Over to you Trap!

Manchester United have made a slightly surreal start to the new football season even by their standards. Goals galore from an offensive point of view but a soft defensive core have given up numerous chances to the opposition, none of whom exploited this until Basle in the Champions League last Tuesday. Basle are an average European outfit who overturned a two nil deficit with 3 second-half goals at Old Trafford before Ashley Young rescued a point with a late equaliser. Will this sloppiness spell trouble for United this season?

United haven’t started a Premier League season as impressively with 5 wins and a draw from their first 6 games. The Red Devils have scored 22 goals in that time including 2 successive Wayne Rooney hat-tricks. They’ve only conceded 5 goals which isn’t a huge worry but their is an an anomaly to that statistic. In the first 3 home games at old Trafford, admittedly against strong, attack-minded sides (Spurs, Arsenal and Chelsea), the away sides had 20 shots on goal. Only 2 sides in the last 3 seasons had replicated this so United appear to be open thanks to an attack at all cost approach. For someone with the experience of Alex Ferguson, this appears a bit naive but there are reasons for this.

The most obvious problem is the personal of the defence. With captain and colossus, Nemanja Vidic out injured for the start of the season, United badly miss his presence and organisational skills. Youngsters like Phil Jones, chris Smalling and Jonny Evans have had mixed performances at centre-back with Jones and Smalling oftem appearing more comfortable going forward than defending. The two veterans still intact, Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra are badly out of form which is compounding the problem. Ferdinand looks rusty and uncertain with all his injuries over the years seemingly catching up with him. His time at United could be drawing to a close. Evra had a suspect season last year and his poor form hasn’t picked up this term. He is getting caught badly even by average wingers and his atatcking forays are no longer incisive as they once where. His potential replacement Fabio Da Silva is struggling to fulfill his potential so United have issues at left-back.

Despite the issues with the back four, just as problematic has been central midfield. Tom Cleverleys injury against Bolton in round four was a blow as he had a made a huge impact with his crisp passing game. In his absence, Anderson who looked to be finally finding his best form has dipped dramatically as both seemed to be feeding off each other. Darren Fletcher doesn’t seem to be the same player since his illness at the end of last season while Michael Carrick is baltantly not good enough for United. There is no serious pressure applied to opponents in midfield while the wingers such as Young or Nani aren’t tracking back enough. This is leaving the United defence vunerable as a result.

Maybe Ferguson has decided the best way to defeat his and Uniteds nemesis, Barcelona,is too take them at their own game and attack at all costs. However, this is a flawed idea as the English side still can’t retain possession as well as the Spaniards and a lack of work-ethic in the offensive areas would leave United even more exposed than the 2 previous Champions League finals. On all evidence so far, no United games will be dull this season whatever the trophy haul will ultimately be.

Another football season over and what have we learned? The Dubs are back on top after 16 years of life without Sam Maguire while Kerry are hurting badly about the nature of the defeat in the All-Ireland final. This is not the way of things in the so-called ‘rivalry’ between Dublin and Kerry as usually the Kingdom come out on top in clashes between the two counties. Dublin have saved Gaelic football, let the country rejoice!

Poppycock of course, Dublins victory isnt going to regenerate football and make it the no 1 sport in Ireland. It will put a few more sky blue jersies out in the underage sections of capital clubs in the next year but this win hasn’t affected southside Dubliners whose heroes are the Leinster team. It also won’t convert more kids to the sport in the likes of Leitrim or Longford but it is good for the GAA coffers and sponsors Vodafone. Undoubtedly the Dubs are deserving champions despite the dubious referee calls in their favour by Joe McQuillin. Four points down with 7 minutes to play, the 1 point victory was the most dramatic and tense finish since Offaly in 1982 where Kerry were the victims again to a late flourish by the underdog.

Since 1980 when they dug out a 3 point win over a defensive Roscommon side, Kerry either win the final convincingly or lose a tight game. This in some way is a back-handed compliment to the Munster men as they are either usually way too good for the opposition and win handsomely or even in defeat, they die with their boots on usually by a very narrow margin. On the otherhand you could read that the large margins of victory have occured against weakish sides psychologically beaten before they take the field (Dublin 84 & 85, Mayo 04 & 06, Cork 07 & 09). When faced with strong-willed, talented sides recently (Armagh 02, Tyrone 05 & 08, Dublin 2011), Kerry fail to get over the winning line in a close finish unlike their predecessors from the late seventies and early eighties.

For the also-rans, we had the hullabaloo about Donegal and their style of defensive football which has been hailed as the death-knell of football as we know it. The criticism went over the top and while the Donegalmen were too negative, they still won a first Ulster title in 19 years and earned promotion to division 1 of the NFL. If they approve the attacking aspect of their game, Jim McGuinness’ men will have another prodcutive year in 2012. Mayo were Connacht champions and despite beating reigning holders Cork in the quarter-finals (minus 3 of their best forwards), the Westerners are a long way off being potential champions.

Kildare were again unhinged by dubious referring decisions in both the Leinster c’ship and AI Q-final where the Lilywhites lost to Dublin and Donegal respectively by a point. Kieran McGeeneys men were unlucky certainly but whatever they make up in perspiration and determination, they lack in genuine quality to make the final step. In some ways, Dublin resemble Kildare in that they are superbly conditioned, defensively minded and ravenoulsy hungry but thanks to the Brogans, they have that extra bit of class which is the difference between winners and also-rans.
It wasn’t a vintage football season with very few top quality games but Pat Gilroy and Dublin won’t care the slighest. They lost one game all year, the league final to Cork by a point after blowing an 8 point lead. Sound strangely familiar? What goes around, comes around!

Team of the year:
1. Stephen Cluxton
2. Hugh McGrillen
3. Neil McGee
4. Michael Fitzsimons
5. Tomas O’Se
6. Karl Lacey
7. Emmet Bolton
8. MD McAuley
9. Bryan Sheehan
10. Paul Flynn
11. Alan Brogan
12. Darren O’Sullivan
13. Colm Cooper
14. Andy Moran
15. Bernard Brogan

Game of the year: Donegal 1-12 v Kildare 0-14. Not a free-flowing football contest but a thoroughly absorbing clash between two incredibly fit and committed sdes. Kevin Cassidys last gasp point will live long in the memory.
Honourable mention: Dublin 1-12 Kerry 1-11. See above

Player of the year: Alan Brogan
Not as clear as his brother Bernard last year but without Alan rediscovering his best form and then some, Dublin would have fallen short again
HM: Darren O’Sullivan. If Kerry won, he would have recieved the accolade instead

Young Player of the year: Rory O’Carroll
Again not as clearcut as Aidan Walsh in 2010 but O’Carroll has cemented his place at full-back and solved a troublesome position for the Dubs
HM: Cillian O’Connor. Only 19 but has the potential to be Mayos first real quality inside forward in an age.

Goal of the year: Darren O’Sullivan v Limerick
No other honourable mention as this was a cut above. A soccer style back-flick may not appeal to GAA die-hards but this was as skillful a goal you will ever see on a GAA field.

Point of the Year: Kevin Cassidy v Kildare
An absolute blockbuster effort from nearly 50 yards with the last play of the game, perfect way to end a riveting tussle
HM: Stephen Cluxton v Kerry. See above!

Most improved side: Mayo
Not too difficult after losing to Longford in the qualifiers last year, Mayo have made steady progress under James Horan and look to have some more steel in their play.

Disappointing sides:
As always, a plethora of counties vie for this position. Cork had injuries but they looked a weary side and will need to be revitalised to reclaim Sam again.
Meath under outsider Seamus McEnaney were very poor, losing twice to Kildare in the c’ship and almost relegated to div 3. Huge improvement required next year.
Sligo and Armagh underwhelmed this year but Down probably take the prize. Well beaten by Armagh in Ulster, they crumbled abysmally to Cork in qualifier round 4. James McCartan needs to rediscover their mojo next season despite losing Marty Clarke to Aussie Rules again.

 
Six games into the Premier League season and Manchester City are repaying the faith many pundits displayed in them in pre-season by challenging nieghbours Manchester United for the title. Both sides are level on 16 points with one draw apiece and 5 wins. United have a superior goal difference at the moment but it looks like City will contend with United every step of the way.

Roberto Mancini has transformed the Blues from a dour, defensive Italian-like team to one who is adventurous and full of goals. The signings of Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri has instilled more creativity and class in front of goal. This is in spite of Citys star striker from last year, Carlos Tevez, being alienated on the bench after his desire to leave the club in the summer. He hasn’t being missed as Edin Dzeko has stepped up to the mark after a poor first 5 months in English football. However it is the marksmanship of ‘Kun’ Aguero which has catapulted the Mancs to become serious title contenders. The Argentinian has scored 9 goals so far and he looks like he could be the difference between also-rans and champions.

The man who makes it tick for City is Spaniard David Silva. He had a decent first season where his touch and vision stood out like a beacon in a restricted City formation. With more attacking quality to aid him, Silva looks a superb player linking midfield and attack seamlessly. Yaya Toure is now back to more defensive duties in the centre of the park after a mixed spell in the space behind the lone striker. New signing from Arsenal, left-back Gael Clichy, has settled in well but he has more to prove before he can be mentioned in the same bracket as Ashley Cole or Patrice Evra. Although Vincent Kompany is an excellent defender, City can often seem suspect at the back as witnessed by losing a two goal lead to Fulham recently. So for the really big games against the elite sides, Mancini may return to his roots to protect his back four which could stymie their attacking threat.

Will City be brave enough to throw off the shackles and go and win the league or hope they accumulate enough points against the lesser sides to emerge victorious? Despite plenty of experience amongst the squad, as a group they haven’t been involved in a title race and this is where Man United and Chelsea have a significant adavantage. City will also want to progress from a tough Champions League group so can they fight on both fronts when it really matters? Questions, questions and there will be no definitive answers until next May. As with everything with City, even before their billionaire benefactors arrived, there will be plenty of fun and drama along the way!

The Gaelic football romantics and nostalgists finally have their dream final again after a 26 year gap when the connoisseurs of football, Kerry clash with the glamour boys from the capital city, Dublin in the All-Ireland final this weekend. While some of the naval-glazing and love-ins between the management and players of the seventies and eighties is a bit nauseating, it is still a mouth-watering clash between a Kerry side looking to win their 5th title in 8 years and  a Dublin team desperate to reclaim Sam Maguire for the first time since 1995.

Despite all the anticipation about how close a game it may be, the rivalry between the counties is an illusion. Dublin haven’t defeated Kerry since that infamous All-Ireland all of 34 years ago in 1977. Its viewed by pundits (or Dublin journalists) as the greatest game of all time but the game has changed so much in the ensuing period. Dublin would take a low-scoring slugfest akin to their semi-final victory over Donegal as long they cross the winning line first. Kerry have won 13 All-Irelands since 77 to Dublins two with a zero win record including a pair of 17 point defeats in 1978 and only two years ago at the quarter-final stage. The Dubs possess a ravenous hunger to reclaim the biggest trophy in Irish sport foor the first time since 1995 but they face the biggest obstacle possible in achieving this goal.

On the surface, it appears Kerry have sleep-walked their way to the final barely breaking sweat or stretching themselves as often appears the case. Two facile victories over Limerick in Munster and Croke Park and a physical but straight-forward win over Mayo in the semi have failed to test the limits of this current Kingdom side. Against Cork in the Munster final, they gave the best 35 minute performance of the year leading the reigning champions by 8 at the break. They wobbled a bit in the second-half but saw the game out. All year the experts believed the Kerry midfield and defence would be exposed like last year against Down but Jack O’Connor must be smirking to himself with these false portrayals. Anthony Maher and Brian Sheehan have dealt with any midfield combo they’ve faced this summer and the defence has wobbled at times but never creaked or sunk. The backs will face their greatest challenge this Sunday against the Brogans but Tom O’Sullivan and Marc O’Se have quelled them before and will be confident of doing so again.

For the Jackeens its new terrority and this is a disadvantage especially when experience may come into play in the closing stages and it oozes out of every Kerry players pores. Pat Gilroys charges will bring a savage intensity, fitness and power to proceedings but it will take some craft and skill to beat Kerry. Dublin don’t have an abundance of creativity but their hard-running and decent footpassing will look to isolate Bernard Brogan and the reprieved Diarmuid Connolly in the full-forward line. There will be more space for them than the claustraphobic grip Donegal applied on the Dublin forwards last time out so a relatively high-scoring game is to be expected. The average winning score in finals is around 16-17 points and although Dublin have the potential to reach that total, Kerry almost certainly will.

Dublin will attempt to plug the gaps in their defence by crowding the space in front of Donaghy and the Gooch. They have a habit of fouling though and these indiscretions will be punished. Invariably, Kerrys 2 classiest players among a team of good footballers are Gooch and Declan O’Sullivan and they will perform on the biggest day. Others like Darren O’Sullivan and Donaghy need to find their best form as Dublin will look to choke them. A devasting start akin to 2009 from Kerry could leave Dublin reeling again but Gilroy will look to implement Donegals defensive patterns in the first 10 or 15 minutes and then run at the heart of the Kerry defence exposing their lack of pace there with Paul Flynn and Michael Dara McAuley the main ball carriers. The hope is for an open, entertaining final but so often they are a disappointment. For the hurling decider, I predicted Kilkenny would not accept another year without silverware and that desire from a great team would be the difference. Dublin might want a Sam badly but for Kerry they need an All-Ireland after last years blip. The cutting edge up front will see them home by around 3 points and silence Hill 16.

The 7th Rugby World Cup is just a week ago and the 20 teams are touching down in the land of the silver fern, New Zealand ready to wage war. Only 5 countries have a realistic chance of winning the William Webb Ellis trophy but there will be twists and turns before the victor is decided in October. Ireland had high hopes of excelling in this tournament but four defeats in four warm-up games and some serious injuries have left a cloud over the camp and a possible repeat of the disastrous 2007 competition. All the pressure is on hosts Newz Zealand to win their holy grail so what can we expect from the World in Union?

Pool A
Canada
France
New Zealand
Japan
Tonga

Unlike the other 3 pools which contain at least two sides in contention for second spot, this group is very straightforward. New Zealand and France are heads and shoulders above the opposition and their fixture will decide who comes first. France are the All-Blacks nemesis at World Cups, beating them in the knockout stages in 1999 and 2007 and the sight of the blue jersey could give the favourites the yips. Tonga are the best of the rest but are not the strongest islander team so the big two should be safe. Expect New Zealand to hand out unmerciful beatings to Canada and Japan but there will be bigger obstacles ahead!

1. New  Zealand  2. France

Pool B
Argentina
England
Georgia
Romania
Scotland

Argentina were semi-finalists in WC 2007 but have falllen in the rankings since due to retirements and injuries so Scotland will fancy their chances of reaching the last eight. England of course will be favourites having reached the last 2 finals and are current Six Nations champions. The Roses are a very limited side but should have enough to bludgeon these opponents. Scotland may just nick a very tight decider against the South Americans who will join the SANZAR group in a 4 nations tournament next year

1. England  2. Scotland

Pool C
Australia
Ireland
Italy
Russia
USA

Akin to Pool B, there is a winner takes all clash between two hopefuls for second place Ireland and Italy. Before the Summer friendly series, Ireland had ambitions of claiming top spot ahead of Australia. However four straight defeats including a tournament ending injury to David Wallace and injury doubts for Brian O’Driscoll and Sean O’Brien have Ireland looming towards another early group exit. Throw in Australias Tri-Nations success and it is all doom and gloom at the minute. Italy fancy their chances of toppling the Irish and after going so close to beating them in the Six Nations, the Azzuri will feel their time has come. USA and Russia make up the numbers but there could be some drama in this group before its completed.

1. Australia  2. Ireland

Pool D
Fiji
Namibia
Samoa
Wales
South Africa

Pool D could stand for death as these pairings throw up the inevitable group of death. Reigning World Cup holders South Africa are in rotten form and their age profile has risen further since 2007. Still, they excel in playing by numbers cup rugby, keeping it tight and physical and kicking their points from exerting pressure and forcing errors. Enigmatic Wales could top the group or finish in fourth place such is their schizophrenic personality. Undoubtedly talented, if they beat the Springboks first up, their confidence will flow. The top two Pacific Island nations, Samoa and Fiji will provide serious opposition to the favourites. Samoa beat Australia in a friendly and will target the Welsh while Fiji are mercurial runners and born entertainers. With some degree of uncertainty, I will stick with the fancied nations.

1. South Africa  2. Wales

Quarter-Finals
Australia V Wales
The second favourites with the bookies will fancy their chances against Wales or the Pacific Islanders rather than the suffocating game South Africa could bring if they finished second. With creative players like Quade Cooper, Will Genia and James O’Connor, the Wallabies have too much behind the scrum for Wales who are hard to break down but low on tries despite their traditional values of off-the-cuff rugby.

England V France
A potential repeat of the meatiest Six Nations fixture, ‘Le Crunch’ could be explosive. England have held the upper hand against Les Bleus in World Cups and will fancy strangling the life out of them again. France have an excellent backrow with Dusatoir and Harinordouqouy superior players to anything England possess in the back-row. The brute force of the Rosbifs could be the difference however when the game is in the melting pot and you would trust Jonny Wilkinson more than Trinh-Duc at fly-half

South Africa V Ireland
At this stage of the tournament, SA know how to eke out a win and they would aim to beat the Irish up all over the field. Ireland would need to move the Afrikaaners around the field and entice them into playing rugby. For Ireland, its a more winnable tie than Australia or NZ but they will likely fall short again but not by much

New Zealand v Scotland
The one tie which would be a dead rubber. The Scots have never beaten the All-Blacks ever anywhere so it will not happen here!

Semi-finals
Australia  V England
The English surprised the Aussies at the quarter-final stage in France four years ago by dominating the scrum and tight exchanges. Expect that to be the tactics for Martin Johnson again. The Sweet Chariots have some backs who would make the Australian team like Ben Foden and Chris Ashton but the Antipodeans will likely prevail Down Under in revenge for the last two World Cups

South Africa v New Zealand
New Zealand may have had only one decent Test match by the time they hit the semi-finals. Graham Henrys boys will either be fresh and ready to cut-loose or under-cooked and wallowing in expectation over the preceding weeks. South Africa will look to tie up the home side but if Dan Carter is on song then the likes of Mils Muiliana and Conrad Smith will prosper and dethrone the champions.

Final
Australia v New Zealand
If this clash takes place, it will be the first final between these close rivals and neighbours. Eden Park would be rocking in anticipation for a high intensity game with the Kiwis finally reclaiming the top prize in world rugby after 24 years. Australia defeated the All-Blacks 25-20 in the Tri-Nations decider and look to be timing their run perfectly in contrast to the host nation who appear to be tighting up. If they play to their devasting potential, Richie McCaw should be holding the trophy aloft. Expect a tight affair with no more than a score in it.

Winners- New Zealand

This Sundays All-Ireland hurling final has a monumental feel to it. For the first time in history, the same two counties will battle for Liam McCarthy for the third year in a row in the decider. Its one apiece results wise so which of Kilkenny or Tipperary will claim the spoils at Croke Park?

Tipperary are the reigning champions and will be marginal favourites against hurlings aristocrats, the Cats of Kilkenny. They goal-jacked Kilkennys ambition to win 5 All-Ireland titles in a row last September with 4 goals including a hat-trick from player of the year Lar Corbett. The Premier County have already scored 7 goals against Waterford this year in the Munster final and goals are their oxygen. In the semi-final, Dublin restricted them to one goal which came from  Corbett in fortuitous fashion after a minute which proved the difference between the sides. Brian Codys main perogative will be keep Tipp goalless or at least to one green flag and this will enhance their chance of victory. In the 2009 final, Kilkenny scored 2 late goals while keeping a clean sheet at the other end so its well within their compass to repeat this.

The truly great Henry Shefflin has fully recovered from his cruciate injury which restricted him to 10 minutes in last years final so Kilkenny have their main attacking option back to his best even at 32. He will free up the 2 Richies, Hogan and Power to hit the net though Colin Fennellys potential loss through injury is a blow as his pace can unsettle a sometime suspect Tipp backline. Brian Hogan is restored to centre-back after being absent last season and his presence can aid Kilkenny. JJ Delaney is back at his rightful place of half-back and alongside the imperious Tommy Walsh, they will hope to stop the Tipp movement at source. The KK full-back line is not the paciest last line of defence in the country and Declan Ryan will aim to hit Corbett, Eoin Kelly and Noel McGrath quick and often to hit a goalrush again.

Tipp will likely start Brendan Maher at midfield to counter the strength of Michael Fennelly. The two other Mahers, Padraic and Bonnar are critcial for feeding the Tipp forwards and disrupting Kilkennys rhythm. Ryan will have paced Tipps training to peak at the right time for the second year in a row but Kilkenny have been forewarned. It wont be a game for the faint-hearted and it will likely go to the wire as there is little between the sides. Tipp might be the younger, quicker team but this Kilkenny side is laden with experience, quality and ultimately winners. Under the tutelage of Cody, Kilkenny will have absorbed their lessons and I expect them to be ahead by 3 points at the final whistle.

With no major International tournament having taken place this summer, there is much anticipation for the impending Premiership season. It feels like no time since Barcelona trumped Manchester United at Wembley in the Champions League at the end of May. What can we expect for the 2011/12 campaign?

The media spin this year is the battle between the two giants of Manchester, the reigning champions United and the nouveau riche pretenders City. The recent Charity Shield clash was an entertaining affair with a youthful Red Devil side coming from 2 nil down to defeat the Blues 3-2. Roberto Mancini will hope Uniteds dominance can be subdued when it really matters. City signed Sergio Aguero but the Carlos Tevez saga is procrastinating and the Argentinian isnt keen on staying in rainy Manchester. Without him, and despite their defensive solidity, they won’t win enough games to win the title.

Elsewhere only a fool would rule perennial challengers Chelsea out of the equation. Andre Villa Boas has a lot to prove to his owner Roman Abramovich, the mini-Mourinho has impressive credentials with Porto despite being only 33. His biggest task is bringing the best out of Fernando Torres who is in rotten form presently. Michael Essien is injured for 6 months and Frank Lampard is not the player he once was. The Londoners will be there but most likely only thereabouts. Across town, Arsenal apppear in freefall as Arsene Wenger time could be ticking down as boss of the Gunners. Cesc Fabregs wants out while Robin van Persie and Samir Nasri appear to be unsettled. With no big signings so far, a Champions league place is in jeopardy. Indeed, Udinese may scupper their ambitions in the coming weeks to qualify for the group stages proper for this season.

For the romantics (or the scousers), the return of King Kenny Daglish to Liverpool halfway through last season was a sign that the Koppites were about to return to glory and in a roundabout way from Fergies comment many moons ago to knock United off their f*****g perch! The Old Trafford side have overtaken Liverpool as the side with most championships and Daglish has been enlisted to summon past glories. He has made a number of British signings to rekindle the old Kop spirit but Jordan Henderson, Stewart Downing, Charlie Adam and Andy Carroll have a lot to prove to match former greats. Uruguyan Luis Suarez is the ace in the pack and he can give Liverpool a cutting edge and maybe 4th spot.

The best of the rest include Spurs, Everton, Aston Villa, Fulham and Sunderland. Its unlikely any of the mentioned will claim a Europa League place through the league so cup success is the best hope. Harry Redknapps Spurs haven’t progressed as expected and he will be glad to have held on to Luka Modric it appears. Everton have stalled with no new signings. There are at least 10 sides who could be in relegation trouble including of course the newly promoted sides QPR, Norwich and the first Welsh club in the Premier League, Swansea.

As to who will win it, well it really is Manchester Uniteds to lose. Goalkeeper could be an issue with Edwin van der Sar retired and Paul Scholes is finished also. Ryan Giggs time may also be coming to a close. Still with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez around, goals will be in plentiful supply and Nemanja Vidic will keep them out at the other end. Whatever the outcome, controversy and entertainment is guaranteed.

Predictions
Champions: Man United
CL places: Chelsea, Man City, Liverpool
Europa place: Arsenal
FA Cup: Chelsea
Carling Cup: Liverpool
Top Scorer: Luis Suarez

Projected final league table
1. Man United
2. Chelsea
3. Man City
4. Liverpool
5. Arsenal
6. Spurs
7. Everton
8. Sunderland
9. Aston Villa
10. Stoke City
11. Bolton
12. Fulham
13. QPR
14. Newcastle
15. West Brom
16. Wolves
17. Blackburn
18. Wigan
19. Norwich
20. Swansea