Questions to be asked of 20-minute red cards and referees

For Owen Doyle, “speed of thought” is the most important asset for a top-level referee, but, alas, when he looked through the appointments for the upcoming series of international matches, he didn’t see enough names on the list that possess that quality. All of which is adding to his concerns about the state of officiating this weather. “As professionalism has developed and evolved in its playing and coaching structures, refereeing has miserably failed to keep pace,” he writes.
Gerry Thornley has his own concerns about another issue in the sport, namely World Rugby being “intent on foisting ‘20-minute red cards’ on the game”. This would allow teams who have had a player sent off for a technical offence to bring on a replacement after a period of 20 minutes, if the act of foul play is deemed to be “accidental”. It all “runs counter to World Rugby’s ongoing campaign to reduce tackle height and make the game safer,” he argues.
Johnny Watterson, meanwhile, caught up with Jacques Nienaber who is loving life at Leinster since he joined the coaching set-up, not least because he’s finding club rugby more “creative” than the international version. And Linley MacKenzie spoke to Connacht coach Pete Wilkins ahead of their key URC meeting with the Dragons on Saturday
In football, Gavin Cummiskey reports on a group of Republic of Ireland players being among 106 professionals who have signed a letter to Fifa president Gianni Infantino protesting against Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, being the chief sponsor of both the men’s World Cup in 2026 and the women’s tournament a year later. It is “a middle finger to women’s football,” reads the letter’s opening line.
In Gaelic games, Gordon Manning reflects on the brilliant career of Limerick hurler Graeme Mulcahy who has announced his intercounty retirement, and he also brings news of an effort to reverse the decision to cancel January’s pre-league competitions, including the Dr McKenna and O’Byrne Cups.
Those competitions would have been an ideal testing ground for the Football Review Committee’s news rules, performance analyst Paul O’Brien looking at the impact of one – the 40-metre arc – in the weekend’s interprovincial games.
In his Different Strokes column, Philip Reid has word on the schedule for Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods’ new venture, a “tech-infused golf league”. “Golf, but not as we know it.”
And Brian O’Connor previews today’s ‘Amateur Derby’ at the Curragh, among the contenders Paddy Smullen, the 17-year-old son of the late champion jockey Pat Smullen, who teams up with Dermot Weld’s hope Grappa Nonino.
TV Watch: The Champions League is back. Among today’s offerings are AC Milan v Club Brugge (Virgin Media Two and TNT Sports 2, 5.45pm) and at 8pm Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund (Virgin Media Two and TNT Sports 2), Aston Villa v Bologna (Virgin Media More and TNT Sports 1) and Arsenal v Shakhtar Donetsk (Premier Sports 1 and Amazon Prime).