Ireland's Grand Slam hopes

Can Ireland win the Grand Slam? I believe they can and should. I think that for Ireland to win the tournament on points diffference would be a huge injustice to them. I feel that they have been the best team by far in the 6 nations and to win based on points would be an underachievement. Ireland lead the way in terms of players nominated for player of the tournament with Heaslip, O'Driscoll and O'Connell with O'Driscoll favourite to land the award for a third time. Man for man the irish are better players in most positions and i think that they will win on saturday.

Liverpool crush Madrid

Liverpool reaffirmed their formidable reputation in the UEFA Champions League as they eliminated Real Madrid from the last 16 of the competition with a sensational 4-0 second-leg victory at Anfield.
In the build-up to the match, Reds boss Rafa Benitez called for his side - who held a 1-0 first-leg lead over their Spanish opponents - to be offered greater respect due to a Uefa ranking as the best team on the continent after lifting the European Cup in 2005 and reaching the final two years later.
And a goal from Fernando Torres followed by a Steven Gerrard penalty and a second strike from the Liverpool captain before a late Andrea Dossena effort ensured Benitez's point was proven as record-breaking, nine-time winners Real crashed out at the first knockout stage of the tournament for the fifth successive season.

Ireland 14 England 13: Ireland will reflect on this 80 minutes at Croke Park grateful for several outstanding individual performances but primarily for the fact that England once again displayed such gross indiscipline that ultimately proved their undoing.
Prop Phil Vickery and replacement scrumhalf Danny Care both received yellow cards, the first on the basis of accumulated team transgressions, the second for a stupid shoulder in the back of Irish prop Marcus Horan, off the ball. During the time the English were down to 14 men – those two sin bins take the total in England’s last four matches to a staggering 10 – Ireland managed eight points and that proved decisive.
England coach Martin Johnson should be livid because those indiscretions plus another ridiculously high penalty count effectively cost the visitors the match. His Ireland counterpart Declan Kidney will be grateful to have escaped on a day when Ireland huffed and puffed but lacked the vision to get around a resolute English defence. Kick and chase and lumbering carries around the fringes were never going to discommode England unduly unless the latter was done at pace.
It was largely missing all evening.

Irish Rugby

Are we kidding ourselves about Ireland and the recent generation of players? Viewed dispassionately, Ireland’s results graph over the last seven or eight years would suggest that a relatively golden if slightly unfulfilling era (circa 2000-2007) peaked with that epic, 43-13 win over England and the eight-try, 50-pointer in Rome which ultimately left them one try shy of a first championship title since 1985.
Three Triple crowns in the previous four campaigns are not to be sniffed at, and set against the 1990s, which yielded nought, the Noughties have indeed been comparatively bountiful. Yet – and sorry to go on about this – since that 51-24 win over an Italian side which had enjoyed its best Championship, Ireland have played 15 Tests against countries ranked in the world’s top 10 and have won only four.
Nor do they read like an A-list of scalps – Italy at home twice, and once fortuitously, Scotland at home and an injury-depleted Argentina at home.
Set against the 11 defeats, that would suggest, in line with the world ranking, that Ireland are on a downward graph.
In any event, it’s clear that a change in coaching and strategy was required, with one eye on a rebuilding job. Alas, although the IRFU said they deal in World Cup cycles, the reality is that they have never done so, and so it is that Declan Kidney and his coaching ticket have effectively missed out on the first year of a World Cup cycle, while the need to hang on to eighth place in the rankings for last December’s World Cup draw further reduced their scope for manoeuvre.

Kidney optomistic about 6 nations

As his team prepare for the RBS Six Nations coach Declan Kidney has said this is a golden era for Irish rugby.

The former Munster coach took over the reigns from Eddie O'Sullivan, who paid the price for a disappointing 2008 championship.

And Kidney has the weight of expectations on his shoulders to succeed where his predecessor failed and delivered the title.

Kidney, however, has insisted O'Sullivan's achievements in turning in winning three Triple Crowns should be saluted given the nature of sport in Ireland.

"There's never been such a good period in Irish rugby as the last six years," said Kidney.

"Ireland have won three Triple Crowns and were two seconds away from a championship. That would do me fine.

Belief

"It's nice that people have expectations as it shows belief in our ability. But you have to be realistic as well.

"In Ireland we play hurling, football and soccer as well as rugby. Rugby has grown more popular in recent years and that has increased expectations.

"But the truth is we have four professional sides in Ireland. For some countries it's their primary game. We're competing against that and we're a small country."

Ireland open their campaign at home to France on Saturday, February 7, and Kidney has put his faith in the players to do themselves justice.

"I accepted my job because of my belief in the players. If we work hard let's see what we can do," he said.

"I have a group of players who are honest enough to give everything they have in every match.

"I don't expect to win any match, I expect to roll up and give it our best shot."

United benighted at house of Commons

IN THE seven years their managerial careers overlapped in England, Brian Clough used to love getting one over on the pre-knighted Alex Ferguson, and now there is a fighting chance that the son of Old Big 'Ead can keep up family traditions.

Nigel Clough will certainly be encouraged by his first impressions of a Derby side that deserve the slender lend they will take to Old Trafford for the second leg of this semi-final.

The imbalance of talent between these teams is so immense Manchester United should still be considered favourites to reach Wembley. Last night, however, was as poor a performance from United for as long as Ferguson will care to remember.

Derby, on the other hand, seemed to be inspired by Clough's presence in the directors' box.

It was certainly an uncomfortable evening at times for both of United's centre-halves, Nemanja Vidic and Jonny Evans, and Ferguson will wince when he sees the replays of how Commons was allowed to advance, unchallenged, towards the penalty area en route to punishing Derby's opponents for their lethargy.

As the game wore on, however, Derby began to defend increasingly deeply. This encouraged their opponents and, for the first time, United finally began to put together some prolonged spells of possession and there was a collective shiver of apprehension among the home supporters in the 63rd minute when Ferguson brought on Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo for Welbeck and Paul Scholes.

Even then, United struggled to break down resolute opponents. Ronaldo sent a dipping, swerving free-kick inches wide, but there was little else and, soon afterwards, Hulse blazed over an open goal from a Commons rebound.

How damaging will that miss be for Derby?