Racing

F1 teams and Pirelli had no warning of “painted” Shanghai track surface

Neither teams nor tyre supplier Pirelli were informed about the “painted” surface treatment at the Shanghai circuit before arriving in China for this weekend’s Formula 1 race, it has emerged.

‘I don’t know much about snooker… I thought I did’ – Ronnie O’Sullivan gets coaching advice in bid to win record Crucible title

Ronnie O'Sullivan has gone back to basics in his bid to eclipse Stephen Hendry and become the first eight-time world snooker champion in the modern era. At the age of 48 and with a record 41 ranking titles - including 23 triple crowns - behind him, O'Sullivan has discovered that he "doesn't know much about snooker" and has linked back up with a for...

'The Italians looked at Joe and couldn't believe what he was doing'

Pat Jennings recalls his former Spurs teammate, Joe Kinnear, while Kenny Cunningham reflects on his impact as Wimbledon boss.

Sligo teacher selected to represent Ireland at World Tennis Masters in Mexico

Tennis Ireland are sending three teams to the ITF World Tennis Masters Team Championships 2024 in Mexico City from April 28 to May 3. Among those representing Tennis Ireland is Sligo’s Noreen Cassidy, a teacher in Colaise Muire, Ballymote. Tennis Ireland have selected three teams of four men and four women in each age category 50, 55 and 60. Noreen...

Why Norris' China F1 sprint pole lap was deleted and reinstated

McLaren's Lando Norris pole lap for Formula 1's sprint at the Chinese Grand Prix was deleted and then reinstated, as race control manually overruled its scoring system.

Cooney kicks Ulster to last-gasp win over Cardiff

The province lost James Hume to injury before snatching a dramatic win.

Cork and Kerry name starting sides ahead of Munster championship games

The Cork hurlers are away in Walsh Park, while the Kerry footballers are at home in Killarney.

You ain’t seen nothing yet as Liam Turner’s overdrive ramps up in South Africa

There are two sides to every coin, even the most valuable. As Leinster flexed strengthened muscles this week, Ross Molony quietly confirmed his intention to leave. Any designs on an international cap, or persistent provincial recognition, will be cast aside. His is not at all a sad story; even his own deeply held personal and professional regrets, ...

Managerless Dundalk's search for first win continues as they share spoils in Sligo

Jamie Gullan’s penalty earned The Lilywhites a point after Fabrice Hartmann’s opener for Sligo Rovers.

Why Aston Villa’s controversial keeper Emiliano Martinez wasn’t sent off despite second yellow in penalty shootout

Emiliano Martinez was once again at the heart of the action as he upset French opposition with his heroics in a penalty shootout – as well as some controversy as the Aston Villa goalkeeper survived being shown a second yellow card from the referee in the middle of the shootout against Lille. The Argentina goalkeeper was the star of the penalty shoo...

O'Donoghue drives Tipperary U20s to win over Waterford

Tipperary outscored Ken McGrath’s side by 14 points to five in a one-sided second half.

Paul Townend takes on extra rides in an effort to save jockey crown from Jack Kennedy

You wouldn’t need to use many fingers to count the number of outside rides Paul Townend has had this season, so you know that things must be getting serious when he is looking beyond his boss, Willie Mullins. Townend and Mullins are a lethal combination – they head to Ayr today for the Scottish Grand National meeting trying to sow up the British tr...

Kerry GAA delegates fully endorse proposal to increase to 10 the clubs in the County SFC and Senior Club Championship

Kerry’s County Senior Football Championship and the County Senior Club Football Championship will both change to incorporate 10 club teams from 2026 and beyond, following unanimous support for that recommendation from a review committee report, which was enthusiastically adopted this week. A full delegate meeting of the Kerry County Committee on Th...

The tragic downfall of Emma Raducanu, winner of the 2021 US Open

Akintunde on target as Bohemians continue winning run

The Dublin side recorded a 1-0 win at home to Drogheda United.

FAI confirm new deadline for Ireland manager is September for England showdown

THE FAI have confirmed that their new deadline for appointing an Ireland manager is September’s UEFA Nations League showdown with England. In a four minute interview released through FAITV, director of football Marc Canham apologised for the ‘expectation’ and ‘confusion’ created by previous statements, and accepted that the FAI might have gone abou...

MotoGP schedule: When is the next MotoGP race and where will it be held?

The fourth round of the 2024 MotoGP season is set to take place at the Circuito de Jerez as part of the 21-race calendar.

Hamilton: Norris would have been better off conceding in Turn 1

Lewis Hamilton thinks Lando Norris would have been better off conceding position in their Turn 1 battle in Formula 1’s China sprint, as he had the pace to overtake later.

WRC Croatia: Neuville sets the pace to lead title rival Evans

World Rally Championship points leader Thierry Neuville made an almost perfect start in Croatia to lead Toyota’s Elfyn Evans after Friday morning’s asphalt stages.

FAI: No permanent men's manager until September, hope to appoint O'Shea as interim for June games

Canham apologised and acknowledged supporters’ frustration around a process that began in November last year.

Emi Martinez banned for first leg of Aston Villa’s semi-final against Olympiacos

The Argentina international saved two penalties in the 4-3 quarter-final shootout victory over Lille.

IndyCar Long Beach: O’Ward leads Power in opening practice

Arrow McLaren’s Pato O’Ward was quickest in opening practice for this weekend’s IndyCar Series round at the Grand Prix of Long Beach.

Poll: Who do you think will win the Munster hurling championship?

Limerick are the defending five in-a-row champions.

Croke Park an 82,300 sellout! Leinster fans snap up tickets for Champions Cup glamour tie

Leinster’s Champions Cup Croke Park semi-final date with Northampton Saints has sold-out inside a few hours. Over 82,000 tickets have been snapped up since they went on release this morning at 10am as supporters raced to bank the best seats in the house. Leinster’s tie in the 82,300-capacity stadium takes place on Saturday, May 4, with a 5.30 kick-...

Wexford trio make switch to Norwegian football league

There’s a big opportunity on the horizon for three Wexford lads over the course of the next six months as they head to Norway to link up with Bergsoy. The former Shamrock Rovers trio of Dapo Abidoye, Shadrach Onwubiko and Ben Rossiter will join the Norwegian third tier side in the hope of getting some minutes under their belts in a competitive envi...

Shelbourne issue lifetime ban to fan who hit official with smoke bomb

Club fear Tolka Park closure or points deduction if any repeat incident at their games.

UAE head coach unveiling featuring 'Newcastle legend' goes viral

The unveiling video for the head coach role at a brand new Dubai football club featuring a 'Newcastle legend' has gone viral. Soheil Var, who posts regular updates on TikTok as soheil.var, is starting up a brand new professional football club called Al Qabila in just 365 days. Before that, he documented his journey trying to make it as a profession...

James Akintunde proves the difference again as his early goal proves match-winner for Bohemians

They're not quite at the statue-building phase in Phibsboro, but striker James Akintunde really is endearing himself to the Bohemians faithful as, yet again, he was the key figure for Bohs. Former Derry City player Akintunde has scored four goals for the Gypsies this season, but all have been match-winners, and his 15th minute strike was again the ...

Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool bowed out of Europe with a whimper

Anfield boss accepted lack of goal threat failed to pressure Atalanta but insisted Mo Salah form not a concern.

Six-point man Niall Duffy the hero for Sligo as his late free earns minor win over Leitrim

A late Niall Duffy free in the third minute of added time ensured Sligo snatched a late, late victory over Leitrim in sunny Markievicz Park. This extremely close encounter saw the game level on eight occasions before Duffy, excellent throughout for the hosts, scored his sixth point and, ultimately, the winner. Jack Kelly was exceptional for Leitrim...

Seamus Power tied for second at RBC Heritage

Meanwhile, Leona Maguire and Stephanie Meadow both got off to solid starts at the Chevron Championship.

‘It was very sore for four or five seconds’ – James Ryan on the ‘freak’ injury that derailed his season

It’s the day before Ireland are due to fly to London for their Six Nations clash with England, and Andy Farrell is putting his squad through their paces in what is the final proper training session of the week. James Ryan is part of the defensive line in a non-contact drill that is defined as such because players are not supposed to get injured in ...

Verstappen 'deserves' fourth in China F1 sprint qualifying with wet struggles

Max Verstappen felt Red Bull "deserve to be where we are" having struggled to get the tyres in the right window in the wet Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix sprint qualifying.

‘I’m the first person to do a 147, nine-darter and hole-in-one’ – Shaun Murphy living up to his nickname

As a winner of each of snooker’s three Majors, Shaun Murphy is part of the most illustrious 11-man club in his chosen profession. But there is another group of which he claims only a membership of one that just might be the most exclusive in all of sport. A maximum 147 break in snooker. A hole in one in golf. And the precision throwing of a perfect...

Beijing Half Marathon champion has medal taken away after other runners slowed down to let him win

The winner of Beijing's half marathon He Jie and three African runners have had their results cancelled after an investigation found that the three slowed down near the line allowing the Chinese athlete to finish first, organisers said today. He had won the race held last Sunday in China's capital in a time of 1:03:44, a second ahead of Ethiopian D...

RG Snyman starts as Munster ring changes for Bulls clash

The South African is one of six personnel changes and one positional switch to the side that lost to Northampton.

Leclerc: Sainz “over the limit” with defence in F1 Chinese GP sprint race

Charles Leclerc felt Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz went “over the limit” in defence during the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix as the pair glanced blows.

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Alan Conroy goal key as Roscommon minors bounce back with win over Galway

Roscommon got their Connacht Minor Football Championship back on track with a deserved win over Galway at Dr Hyde Park. After last week’s defeat to Mayo the home side needed a response, and that’s exactly what the young players wearing they produced against a wasteful Galway side that kicked 12 wides over the hour. Roscommon made a brisk start and ...

Former All-Black Ngatai makes Leinster return for Lions showdown

Charlie Ngatai was has been sidelined with a calf injury since December.

Kelly named on bench for Clare, De Búrca to start for Waterford in Munster SHC openers

Limerick have named 13 of their All-Ireland winning team for the trip to Ennis.

‘Davy Fitzgerald will be rubbing his hands’ - Belief grows that chip on Waterford’s shoulder can yield victory over Rebels

Despite a league campaign where they managed just one win in five games, there is a growing optimism in Waterford that this weekend’s Munster Championship opener can bring out the best in the Déise. And former Waterford hurler John Mullane is confident that as Cork arrive in Walsh Park on Sunday to open their championship campaign, a mixture of out...

All-girl football team of 11 and 12-year-olds destroy male opponents

Queens Park Ladies U12s finished with 18 wins, four draws and no losses in the league of 11 boys' teams and theirs.

Supercars New Zealand: Heimgartner splashes to Taupo opener victory

Andre Heimgartner has turned a terrible Supercars season around with an impressive victory in a wet opener to the third round of the season in New Zealand.

Miguel Delaney: Still much to play for but Jurgen Klopp’s mood music hits downbeat note

For a performance that ended as meekly as this, Jurgen Klopp was in a surprisingly buoyant mood. He was even joking about not complaining about fixtures any more, despite the two-legged defeat to Atalanta denying him that last chance at another European trophy. It was difficult not to feel the German had already been resigned to elimination in some...

Centre Charlie Ngatai returns to Leinster team as Lions coach lauds Irish province’s strength in depth

Charlie Ngatai returns to action for the first time this year against the Lions tomorrow proving that even Leinster’s reserve reserves are stronger than most – and even their opponents agree. The Kiwi’s return from a calf injury sustained in December against Sale bolsters their chances of completing an opening week win in South Africa against Lions...

Abby Moyles: The Ulster out-half with a Royal connection

Abby Moyles represented Meath at minor level in Gaelic football before deciding to focus solely on rugby.

Leinster's Aimee Clarke smashed perceptions when she moved to rugby from GAA

Seeing Aimee Clarke play rugby now you'd never realise that she only came to the sport seven years ago and didn't know many of the rules when she first stepped onto the pitch. The Leinster winger honed her skills playing Gaelic Football but made the decision to change to rugby in 2017 - and she's […]

Hansen: Central contracts 'the only way Irish rugby is going to get stronger'

The Connacht winger believes Irish Rugby is ‘set up in a genius way.’

Galway United inflict back-to-back defeats on Shelbourne

Ed McCarthy’s first-half goal was enough to earn United a fourth win of the season.