8/1 The Sports Pages

Sports coverage bleeds over onto the front page in the case of the Irish Independent, who show a picture of a less-than-happy Keano accompanied by the headline “Roy: face-to-face with failure” and a caption that reads “Roy Keane faces an uphill struggle to restore his managerial reputation after he was shown the door by English Championship side Ipswich yesterday”.

Not much to add to that, really. It’s not like the world didn’t see Keane’s exit coming.

The Indo also feature an interview with veteran Wicklow boss Mick O’Dwyer, who says that this year will be his last campaign and that, in the year in which he will celebrate his 75th birthday, the game of football is like a drug to him.

The man who managed Kerry to eight All-Ireland’s and did his bit for Kildare tells the Indo that he’s been happy to see out his career working with the Garden County.

“I have done everything that I want to do in football, so if I can go and help one of the so-called weaker counties, that’s fine,” he says.

“If young fellas start to play the game as a result of my being there, and that encourages the game in Wiclow, that’s what matters.”

The Irish Times leads with “Sexton steers Leinster to victory”, following Leinster’s 15-10 win in the pouring rain over the Ospreys.

Rugby writer Gerry Thornley reports that it was a “sleeves rolled up” performance that saw Jonathan Sexton’s “largely unerring boot” steer Leinster to an eighth successive home win.

Credit is given to the supporters too, 14,876 headed to the RDS to noisily cheer on their team on what was a foul night weather-wise, but a satisfying one overall.