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24th April 2012
08:00am BST
Sit back, pour yourself a coffee and put your feet up, it's time to read what the sports pages say, all in one place with thanks to our friends at Sueprmac's.
Now that we have come to terms with yesterday’s dramatic draw at the Aviva, the injury news is concerning, with Eoin Reddan out for at least three months.
While Declan Kidney will have been pleased overall with the performance of his charges, the decision to bring off man-of-the-match Conor Murray raised a few eyebrows, with his replacement Reddan suffering a broken leg.
The Leinster scrum-half fell awkwardly under a tackle and was taken from the pitch with an oxygen mask and is expected to be out for at least three months. Donnacha Ryan (shoulder) and Luke Marshall (concussion) are also doubts for the game in Rome next weekend.
Kidney has told reporters that the run of injuries is something unprecedented, but that they will just knuckle down in preparation for the final game against the Italians.
“On any given day Paul O'Connell, Tommy Bowe, Stephen Ferris and Jonathan Sexton would be in the running for a Lions spot. “I've never experienced an injury run like this, but you work your way through and I spoke to Jamie Heaslip about it and we agreed not to complain.”
The game also could have been the last time we witnessed Brian O'Driscoll in a green jersey in Dublin. The centre was in the wars as per usual, and if it was to be his last time in competitive action in front of his home supporters (we sincerely hope not), he can be more than pleased with contribution. Whatever about the skipper's armband, a real leader among men.
In the Premier League survival battle, Harry Redknapp is making all the headlines (does he know any other way) after QPR’s vital 3-1 win over Sunderland. The club remains rooted to the bottom of the table but are within striking distance of their rivals for the drop.
Aston Villa too are moving in the right direction after a 3-1 win at Reading that witnessed a comical own goal and some awful defending throughout, an indication as to why both teams are languishing this season. Ian Harte and Noel Hunt featured for the Royals, who are deep in relegation mire.
In the FA Cup, Carlos Tevez put a difficult week behind him with a hat-trick as Man City brushed aside the challenge of Barnsley, while Everton rolled over and had their bellies tickled by Wigan at Goodison. The Latics bagged three goals in three first-half minutes to book a place at Wembley and their first ever cup semi-final.
Elsewhere in boxing, Bernard Hopkins beat his own record to become the oldest world champion in history. The 48 year-old defeated Tavoris Cloud in New York to claim the IBF light-heavyweight title with a unanimous victory.
Even if the standard of the heavy-weight division is not quite what it used to be, Hopkins gives further credence to the saying that form is temporary, class is permanent.
There's a huge amount of sports on today, and seeing as you probably don't fancy having to whip up a meal for yourself and miss all the games, then why not order from our friends at Supermac's, who have even sorted you out a discount. Just click on the logo below.
