Monday Morning Headlines

RUGBY UNION

The Ireland squad will train just after 10 this morning as they gear up for Saturdays Six Nations clash with France at the Aviva.

One player who won't be in Maynooth is Ronan O'Gara after he was left out of Declan Kidney's 32 man squad.

The Ireland head coach has gone for Paddy Jackson and Ian Madigan as the back up to Jonathan Sexton who's a major doubt for the weekend with a hamstring injury.

O'Gara is Ireland's most capped player with 128 appearances and he's also the leading point scorer with more than 1,000.

Blackrock College came back from 20-9 down with 10 minutes to go to defeat Cistercian College Roscrea yesterday in the Leinster Schools Semi Finals

Sub Dane Fitzpatrick scored a last gasp try for Rock as they dramatically won 23-20 at Donnybrook

Longford moved a step closer to a playoff spot in Division One B of the Leinster League with a 37-7 win over promotion rivals Portarlington

Tullamore ran eight tries as they demolished Newbridge ahead of receiving the 1A title on Saturday

In 2A Portlaoise were 55-27 winners over Mullingar, Roscrea lost to Kilkenny

Edenderry had a 39-21 home win over Arklow in 2B

While in Division Three the derby spoils went to Midland Warriors as they defeated West Offaly lions 37-15, Birr were 63-3 winners over Tallaght

Buccaneers promotion hopes suffered a setback following a 23-19 loss to Dublin Univeristy

The Trinity students are now four points ahead of the Pirates in third

GAELIC GAMES

Tyrone and Kildare both made it three wins from three in Division One of the Allianz Football League.

Tyrone beat All Ireland champions Donegal by 1-13 to 12 points in Omagh, Kildare got the better of Kerry by 2-8 to 12 points in Newbridge.

Ahead of their meeting in Muillingar this weekend Laois and Westmeath both had draws in Division Two of the Nationall Football League

Westmeath came back from six points down at half time in Tuam to rescue a point against Galway

Midfielder Denis Corroon scored the crucial goal in the 54th minute of the 1-10 to 0-13 draw which keeps the Lake County top of Division Two

Laois also showed plenty of battling qualities on Saturday night, clawing back a five point deficit to draw with Louth at O'Moore Park

Captain John O'Loughlin scored 1-2 and Gary Walsh kicked six points in the 1-17 to 2-14 stalemate

WhileDerry beat Wexford by 19 points to 10 at Wexford Park to move up to second place.

In Division 3, Roscommon and Wicklow drew at Dr. Hyde Park while Monaghan beat Sligo by 1-12 to 7 points in Clones.

In Division Four Offaly suffered their second successive home defeat as Clare left Tullamore with a 0-13 to 2-5 win

Niall McNamee and Brian Darby scored the Faithful's goals but Mick O'Dwyer's Banner side were able to finish strongly, kicking four of the last five points of the game

Leitrim and Tipperary registered there first wins

Meanwhile Munster beat Connacht by 1-22 to 15 points to win the Interpro senior hurling final in Ennis.

There was disappointment for St Fergal's Rathdowney in the Leinster Vocational Schools Senior Hurling Final, they lost out to Ballyhale by 1-14 to 0-10

St Mary’s, Edenderry’s Leinster Colleges Senior Football Final with St Pats, Navan has been fixed for Cusack Park in Mullingar at 2pm this Saturday

LADIES FOOTBALL

Laois ladies footballers moved joint top of Division One of the National Football League with a 4-9 to 2-10 win over Mayo in Stradbally

Westmeath remain unbeaten in Division Two, they drew 1-13 to 2-10 against last year's All-Ireland finalists Kerry at Cusack Park

Offaly were handed a walkover by Carlow in Division Four

Scoil Chriost Ri, Portlaoise will face Virginia in the All-Ireland Schools Senior C Final on Saturday week, Portlaoise were three point winners over Connacht champions Tuam on Saturday afternoon

CAMOGIE

In the Leinster Under 16 C Championship Laois were 6-7 to 1-3 winners over Kildare, Westmeath won against Carlow in the Shield

While Dublin defeated Offaly in both the A and B championships

SOCCER

Arsenal are in danger of missing out on a place in the Champions League for the first time in 16 seasons after a 2-1 defeat away to Tottenham in the Premier League.

The result leaves Arsenal seven points behind Spurs and five off fourth place Chelsea.

Tonight Manchester City will be hoping to close the gap on leaders Manchester United back to 12 points with a win away to Aston Villa.

Pat Fenlon's Hibs are into the semi finals of the Scottish Cup after a 4-2 win away to Kilmarnock.

Dundee United beat Dundee 2-1 to book their place in the last four.

In the Leinster Senior League's Sunday Senior Division second from bottom Edenderry lost 2-0 to Cherry Orchard

Tullamore Town are also second from bottom in the Major following a 1-0 loss away to Mid Sutton Schalke

While Portlaoise are 10 points clear in the Premier, the Laois side won 7-1 away to Blackrock yesterday

The draw for the Counties Cup Quarter Finals was made on The Inside Line yesterday evening

Monksland are set to host CK, Rosenallis play Willow Park, Melville will be at home to the winners of Killavilla and Longford Wanderers and its St Peters against Mullingar Athletic

Tullamore Town’s Under 19 team advanced to the quarter finals of the LFA Under

19 Cup following a 2-1 win over Monasterevin

In the Senior Division there were big wins for Mullingar Athletic and Saint Paters

over Clara Town and Gallen United respectively, and Monksland United also took

three valuable points from their game against Arlington with fine strikes from Cian

Duffy and Matt Scally

In the Billy Hyland Cup 1st round two of the more fancied sides Willow Park B and

C.K United both fell at the first hurdle.

Willow Park lost out 2-1 in extra time to

Mullingar Town while C.K also went out 2-1 after extra time away to Birr Town

ATHLETICS

The successful Irish team arrive back from the European Indoors at teatime today.

It's the third time in five Championships that Ireland have won more than one medal.

Both medal wins were in the 3000 metres - Ciarán Ó Lionaird's Saturday success followed up by Fionnuala Britton:

GOLF

Rory McIlroy will hold a press conference in Miami later this week to clear up his withdrawal from the Honda Classic in Florida.

The world number 1 walked off the course during his second round on Friday claiming he had a toothache.

Michael Thompson won the event in Florida by two shots.

The American finished up on 9 under par while Graeme McDowell was seven shots back on 2 under which was good enough for a top 10 finish.

AMERICAN FOOTBALL

Tullamore Phoenix opened the new IAFL Division One season with a 6-6 draw against Drogheda Lightening at Spollenstown yesterday

In the other Division One match Waterford were 14-12 winners over North Kildare

Mullingar Minotaurs have their season opener against Drogheda on April 14^th while Tullamore are away to North Kildare on April 21^st

RACING

Willie Mullins has confirmed he’s set to take one of his most powerful teams ever to next months Cheltenham Festival, and he’s keeping his fingers crossed they all stay sound.

Mullins worked a few horses after racing at Leopardstown yesterday, and revealed its so far so good, with only one of his intended runners now ruled out of the trip to England.

Connections of Sizing Europe may wait until next weekend before making a final decision as to which race he goes for at the Cheltenham Festival.

The dual previous Cheltenham hero is in both Queen Mother Champion Chase and Ryanair Chase.

Aidan O’Brien is set to have his first runner at the Cheltenham Festival for more than a decade.

Shield, owned by his wife Anne Marie is set to run in the Champion Bumper, with Champion Flat jockey, their son Joseph taking the mount.

O’Brien’s last trip to the Festival was for Istabraq’s ill fated final appearance there in 1992.

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