It was always going to be a case of 'when' rather than 'if' in terms of Johnny Sexton signing a contract extension that takes him through to the 2023 World Cup. When the news came through yesterday that he had put pen to paper, the most noteworthy part of the news was not that the deal was done, but that Sexton confirmed that the tournament would be the end point for his career. Still, he had plenty to say when asked about what will now be his last 18 months or so as a professional athlete. "I've always invested in myself, in that I've always done stuff outside of the Leinster set-up or the Irish set-up at home, or meeting new people and investing in that, researching things. There's lots of good people in the environment who help guys be professional and if you buy into it, obviously you can have a long career." Elsewhere, Gordon D'Arcy's column this morning explains how even an excellent Ireland display does not guarantee victory given the difficulty of playing at Twickenham.
Liverpool had a bit of a nervy passage through to the Champions League quarter-finals after suffering a 0-1 defeat to Inter Milan at Anfield. The visitors won on the night despite Alexis Sanchez seeing red but ultimately Jurgen Klopp's side had enough of an advantage from the first leg to progress. In the night's other tie, Bayern Munich confirmed their spot in the quarter-final with a 7-1 thumping of RB Salzburg, thanks largely to a hat-trick from Robert Lewandowski.
Caomhin Agyarko Hynes was 12 inches from bleeding to death. Yet the Belfast boxer has risen from being stabbed in the face outside a Belfast McDonald's to the undercard of Michael Conlan's world title fight on Saturday night. It's a remarkable story that reflects the power of sport when it comes to dealing with adversity; Agyarko Hynes credits boxing with giving him the strength to not look for some sort of retribution: "It's one of those things where you have to make a decision. What do you do? Do you go and seek revenge or do you live with it, go down a different path and control your career. Was it worth it? For me it was about my career and trying to do great things. They outweighed me trying to get revenge. Know what I mean. I understood that."
12 years ago Dublin travelled to Omagh and secured a win that relegated Tyrone from Division One. Now, the tables have turned as a winless Dublin outfit travels to the same venue fighting for their own league survival. As Seán Moran points out, "In Dessie Farrell's first season, his team lost in Omagh just before the pandemic struck. This Sunday, he's back and bringing a side low on confidence and short of ideas. Unlike their predecessors of 12 years ago, they don't come with that classic blend: a cadre of experienced players, seasoned by frequent disappointment, to drive and to complement confident and ambitious newcomers." Speaking of Dublin's barren run, 1995 All-Ireland winner Paul Beain has been looking at the joy that their struggles have brought to the rest of the country and believes that Farrell's side will be using that as motivation.
