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Challenge Cup Rugby Kick Off times – Benetton Rugby v Connacht Rugby

Clubs with 14 EPCR titles between them, including as many as six former tournament winners, are still in the hunt for coveted silverware following today’s announcement of the EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 fixture dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage.

Last weekend’s tense concluding pool stage round saw both South African representatives – the Emirates Lions and the Toyota Cheetahs – book their places in the knockout stage along with the No 1-ranked club in Pool A, RC Toulon, and the Scarlets who emerged as the No 1-ranked club in Pool B.

Also in the mix to punch their tickets for the 2023 Dublin finals weekend in May are last season’s EPCR Challenge Cup winners, Lyon, who qualified from the Heineken Champions Cup along with Racing 92, ASM Clermont Auvergne and the Sale Sharks.

Scarlets are first into action on Friday 31 March when they take on CA Brive at Parc y Scarlets live and free-to-air on S4C, and on the same evening, 2020 champions, Bristol Bears, host the 2019 winners, ASM Clermont Auvergne, at Ashton Gate live on Viaplay-Premier Sports.

RC Toulon, who have reached the tournament final on three occasions, will meet the Toyota Cheetahs at Stade Félix Mayol on Saturday 1 April live on SuperSport and Viaplay-Premier Sports, while the Emirates Lions are at home against Racing 92 on the same day again live on SuperSport and Viaplay-Premier Sports.

The Round of 16 concludes on the evening of Saturday 1 April with what promises to be a compelling Anglo-Welsh clash between Cardiff Rugby and the Sale Sharks at Cardiff Arms Park live on S4C and BT Sport.

EPCR CHALLENGE CUP – Round of 16
(Pool stage rankings in brackets / All kick-offs local times)

Friday 31 March
Match 4: Bristol Bears (A4) v ASM Clermont Auvergne (HCC9), Ashton Gate (20.00)
Viaplay-Premier Sports / beIN SPORTS

Match 8: Scarlets (B1) v CA Brive (A6), Parc y Scarlets (20.00)
S4C / beIN SPORTS

Saturday 1 April
Match 1: RC Toulon (A1) v Toyota Cheetahs (B6), Stade Félix Mayol (13.30)
France TV / beIN SPORTS / SuperSport / Viaplay-Premier Sports

Match 5: Stade Francais Paris (B4) v Lyon (HCC9), Stade Jean Bouin (16.00)
beIN SPORTS

Match 7: Benetton Rugby (B2) v Connacht Rugby (A5), Stadio di Monigo (16.00)
epcrugby.tv

Match 2: Glasgow Warriors (A2) v Dragons RFC (B5), Scotstoun (17.30)
Viaplay-Premier Sports

Match 6: Emirates Lions (B3) v Racing 92 (HCC10), Emirates Airline Park (18.30)
SuperSport / beIN SPORTS / Viaplay-Premier Sports

Match 3: Cardiff Rugby (A3) v Sale Sharks (HCC10), Cardiff Arms Park (20.00)
S4C / BT Sport

Quarter-finals – 7/8/9 April
QF 1: Winner Match 1 v Winner Match 5
QF 2: Winner Match 7 v Winner Match 3
QF 3: Winner Match 2 v Winner Match 6
QF 4: Winner Match 8 v Winner Match 4
NB The highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home advantage

Semi-finals – 28/29/30 April
SF 1: winner QF 1 v winner QF 2
SF 2: winner QF 3 v winner QF 4
NB The matches will be played in Europe and the highest-ranked clubs from the pool stage will have home venue advantage

2023 EPCR Challenge Cup final: Friday 19 May; Aviva Stadium, Dublin

Make Cheltenham racecourse your final resting place

The Cheltenham Columbarium Wall, announced last year in partnership with Spirit of Sport UK Limited, will hand those with a passion for both Jump Racing and Cheltenham Racecourse the opportunity to make it their final resting place.

Spirit of Sport is an innovative expert in installing columbarium walls in famous sporting venues and the Home of Jump Racing is proud to be the first major racecourse to offer the service.

Dating back to Roman times, a Columbarium is a wall made up of individual spaces known as ‘niches’, into which urns are inserted containing the cremated ashes of loved ones. The niche is closed off with a granite frontispiece bearing the occupant’s name and age and the date of their passing.

Anyone can reserve their niche before their own death, while the service will also be available to those who already have the ashes of their loved ones safely stored. Niches are offered on a 30-year lease. At the end of the lease, ashes will be buried underneath the racecourse. Cheltenham Annual Members will be handed a priority window of six weeks through to the end of The Festival, before opening it up to the wider racing community.

The number of niches is limited to 800 and offered on a first come, first served basis.

An Inurnment Ceremony will take place to insert the urn into its own niche, while an Inurnment Day – a separate dedicated occasion – will give friends and family the opportunity to visit the Cheltenham Columbarium Wall and raise a glass in their memory.

With a stylish design created specifically for Cheltenham, the wall is situated by the Centaur Bridge at the entrance to the racecourse and provides a resting place which can be visited all year round.

Gentlemansgame set for NAAS this weekend

The opening Grade 3 Finlay Ford at Naas Novice Chase could prove to be a lucrative stepping stone back to Grade 1 level for the Mouse Morris-trained Gentlemansgame.
The Robcour-owned seven-year-old has been placed three times at the highest level and made the ideal start to his chasing career at Leopardstown over Christmas when winning his beginners chase by eight lengths.
Gentlemansgame has nine potential rivals, seven of which hold Cheltenham Festival entries. They include the Willie Mullins-trained Ramillies and the Gordon Elliott-trained pair of Chemical Energy and Frontal Assault.
Chemical Energy is seeking a hat-trick over fences after bolting up in a three runner race at Cheltenham back in October while Frontal Assault was third in a Leopardstown Grade 1 over Christmas.
Ramillies, who was campaigned at Grade 1 level last season, opened his account over fences at Thurles before Christmas.
“This would look a nice race for Ramillies,” Patrick Mullins, assistant to his father Willie, said of the Joe Donnelly-owned eight-year-old. “He was good in Thurles last month and he would appear to be a better chaser than he was a hurdler. The trip on Sunday would look ideal for him so we’ll see how he is in the next few days before making a final decision.”
Thedevilscoachman is another high class entry for the race for Noel Meade and JP McManus, while the Stuart Crawford-trained Gold Cup Bailly is on a four-timer in the colours of Simon Munir and Isaac Souede.
This weekend will mark the beginning of a new partnership between Naas Racecourse and Finlay Motor Group who as well as backing the €30,000 feature race on Sunday will provide Naas Racecourse with a Ford Ranger for head groundsman, Shane Webb.
Bob Olinger could well be the star of the show at Naas this weekend as the Henry de Bromhead-trained eight-year-old drops back to two miles for the Naas Racecourse Business Club Limestone Lad Hurdle.
The 2021 Lawlor’s Of Naas Novice Hurdle winner could return to the scene of his first Grade 1 victory as he drops back to the minimum distance for the first time since his novice hurdle season.
Bob Olinger is joined in the second of Sunday’s Grade 3 races by another Grade 1 winner, Echoes In Rain. Champion trainer Willie Mullins has also entered the talented veteran Cash Back, while last year’s winner Darasso for Joseph O’Brien and Oliver McKiernan’s locally-trained course and distance winner Meet And Greet are other interesting names among the nine entries.
Echoes In Rain was last seen in the Hatton’s Grace Hurdle at Fairyhouse and Mullins issued an upbeat bulletin on the seven-year-old.
“Echoes In Rain was fine after her fall in the Hatton’s Grace at Fairyhouse. She raced far too keen on that occasion but this would be a drop in grade for her and a chance to rebuild her confidence. Like Ramillies we’ll see how they are later in the week before deciding if they run,” Mullins added.
Tickets are available on naasracecourse.com.

list of 2023 cheltenham preview nights 

Mohammad Siraj becomes no. 1 bowler in MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings

Gill overtakes Kohli to take sixth position in batting rankings; Tector, Raza, Conway and Little among others to move up in latest weekly udpate
India fast bowler Mohammad Siraj has grabbed the top position for bowlers in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings after a superb show in the home series against New Zealand which his team won 3-0 to take No.1 position in the team rankings.

The 28-year-old took five wickets in the two matches that he played in, including a haul of four for 46 in the first ODI on his home ground of Hyderabad. This followed another fruitful series against Sri Lanka, in which he had finished with nine wickets to move up to number three.

Other Indian bowlers to be No. 1 in the ODI rankings are Kapil Dev, Maninder Singh, Anil Kumble, Ravindra Jadeja and Jasprit Bumrah.

Siraj’s new-ball partner in the New Zealand series, Mohammad Shami, too has moved up the rankings, up 11 places to 32nd position after taking four wickets in two matches. Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav and seam bowler Shardul Thakur have reaped the gains of finishing with six wickets each in the series. Yadav has moved from 21st to 19th while Thakur has progressed five places and is 35th.

Opener Shubman Gill led the charge of India’s batters as he stormed into the top 10 for the first time. His Player of the Series effort of 360 runs, that included a double-century and a century, has lifted him 20 spots to sixth position. He is now the leading India batter in the rankings, one slot above Virat Kohli.

Captain Rohit Sharma’s 186 runs in the series have helped him move up two slots to eighth position while all-rounder Hardik Pandya has progressed in all three lists. He is up six places to 75th among batters, has gained 26 slots to reach 80th position among bowlers and has moved from 32nd to17th in the list of all-rounders.

Michael Bracewell, who was the leading run-scorer for New Zealand with 188 runs, has rocketed 71 places to 85th position while Devon Conway has moved up from 50th to 37th.

In the latest weekly update which also considers performances in the three-match series between Zimbabwe and Ireland that was drawn 1-1, Ireland batter Harry Tector has advanced 12 places to 13th position after leading the series aggregate with 176 runs.

Zimbabwe star Sikandar Raza (up two places to 31st) is another batter to progress after the series while Ireland seam bowlers Joshua Little and Mark Adair have both advanced after finishing with five wickets each in the series. Little has progressed 27 places to 33rd position and Adair is up 46 places to 57th.

Favourites for the Irish Premier Division

With the start of the Irish Premier Division just around the corner, another competitive season is beginning to shape up. 

Keep up to date with all the latest news, statistics and live scores from the Irish Premier Division via the Flashscore app or website. 

But who are the favourites for the title this season?

5 – Bohemians (33/1)

Three-time winners of the Irish title, Bohemians slumped to their lowest league finish since 2018 last time around, ending the campaign in sixth. 

Bohs are going to struggle to enter the title conversation this time around, not least because of rivals Shamrock Rovers’ tight grip on the league. 

As rank outsiders for the title, Bohemians best chance of a silverware this season is likely to come in the domestic cups. 

4 – Dundalk (14/1)

Winners of five Irish Premier Division titles between 2014 and 2019, it’s now four years since Dundalk were last crowned winners of the division. 

A third place finish last time around represented an improvement on their sixth place finish from the season before. 

But a title charge this time around remains unlikely for the County Louth outfit. 

3 – St Patrick’s Athletic (14/1)

Fourth place finishers last term, St Patrick’s Athletic will be keen to improve on that this time around. 

It’s almost a decade since St Pat’s last won the league title, with that drought unlikely to end this year. 

Representing a healthy value for a title win, watch out for St Pat’s in the 2023 season. 

2 – Derry City (6/4)

Best placed to challenge Shamrock Rovers in the league this season, Derry City will be keen to go one better than last time around. 

Eventually finishing 13 points behind Shamrock Rovers, Derry will be hoping their 33 year wait for an Irish title ends in 2023.

Regular winners of the FAI Cup in recent years, can Derry add to their silverware with the Irish Premier Division title this year? The odds suggest they have a chance. 

1 – Shamrock Rovers (5/6)

Odds on favourites for the Irish Premier Division once again, Shamrock Rovers are looking to make it three league titles in a row for the first time since the mid-1980s. 

Cruising to the title last season, the side from Tallaght made it to the group stages of the Europa Conference League and are tipped for another strong campaign this time around. 

Expect Shamrock Rovers to be leading the way in the division during 2023, as they target yet another league title. 

Head of Rugby Operations Role for Ian Costello

Munster Rugby and the IRFU are pleased to confirm that Academy and Pathway Manager Ian Costello will assume the newly created role of Head of Rugby Operations at the end of this season.

Costello will take on further responsibility in an all-encompassing Head of Rugby Operations role that will oversee the long-term strategic development of the elite player pathway, succession planning, and provide recruitment support for developing, retaining, and recruiting players in conjunction with the Head Coach.

Commenting on the appointment, Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan said, “We are delighted that Ian will step into this newly created role.

“This has been a work in progress in the background for some time as we look to align our resource support with the IRFU and other provinces.

“When Ian returned to the province as Academy Manager he was identified as the ideal candidate for this role when incorporating his previous coaching experience, managerial skill-set, and strategic abilities for aligning and developing our player pathway.”

Head Coach Graham Rowntree added, “I’m delighted to have someone of Cossie’s calibre (Ian Costello) taking on this role.

“We work very closely as it is through his academy role, and from my own personal point of view it has been a really positive working relationship. Ian and his academy team play a key role in everything we are trying to achieve each week.

“It’s great to have a dedicated resource to driving long-term succession planning and coordinate recruitment operations, and I believe it will be of huge benefit to not only me and our coaching team, but to Munster Rugby.”

Which Gaelic Footballers Could Play in the NFL

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) of Ireland has been around since 1884. Gaelic football is a beloved Irish sport that has been around since at least the 1600s and is said to be the precursor for both soccer and rugby. The sport has a mythical air surrounding it, and the fact that it has remained an amateur sport means that the passion for it is like no other.

The American National Football League (NFL) is quite the opposite. It was only formed comparatively recently, in 1920. This is a very stop-start game where tactics are crucial and one player controls much of what happens on the field. American Football is also very much commodified; it’s a full-blown entertainment package. With the growth in global viewing, its popularity has seeped into recent Irish interest. And with that, due to the similarities between the two games, many viewers are wondering if any GAA players can make it big in the NFL. Here are the top three players we feel can make the cut.

Paudie Clifford – Wide Reciever

Given recent performances, unsurprisingly, NFL odds have the Chiefs as the favourites to take home the Super Bowl at 3/1, closely followed by the Buffalo Bills at 7/2 and the San Francisco 49ers at 5/1. Nevertheless, this isn’t about him powering a side to victory; it’s about seeing him succeed in the NFL. The Chiefs would be unstoppable if Paudie Clifford were alongside Patrick Mahomes, catching his rocket passes for yards.

Clifford cemented himself as one of the best players in the country with his All-Ireland wins with Kerry in July 2022. But could he lead or guide an NFL team to the promised land, like the Kansas City Chiefs? He is an unbelievable athlete: strong, tall, quick, good in the air, and most importantly, he can catch anything. He caught marks during the Championship last season and seeing him pluck NFL balls out of the sky would be a sight to behold.

Dean Rock – Kicker

The crafty Dublin forward is as slick as they come. Over the past decade, he’s built a name as one of the coolest forwards in Gaelic football. The man has ice in his veins and has proved this over and over again by taking frees for Dublin and guiding them to seven All-Ireland titles.

With his deadly accurate free taking, it would be only natural to assume he could transition into one of the best kickers in the NFL. The kicker is the highest-scoring position in American Football, so it would only be fitting for a footballer as deadly as Rock to flourish in that role.

The San Francisco 49ers have an excellent kicker in Robbie Gould, but if they could take that position up just a tick, they could be the favourite to win the Super Bowl. If Dean Rock tried his hand at the sport, he could be the person to allow Brock Purdy the room to make mistakes with the insurance of his kicking. With that freedom, the team could soar.

Ciarán Kilkenny – Quarterback

Ciarán Kilkenny has been a household name in Gaelic football for years, being part of several Dublin All-Ireland teams. Kilkenny has a mastery of Gaelic football and seems to dictate games that he is a part of. Although his unbelievable motor could translate to other positions, his sporting brain would translate the best to American Football.

He has a feeling for the game and an understanding of where his teammates will be at all times, which could see him lead an NFL side. A team like the New England Patriots could do a lot worse than having him at the helm. You never know–he could be the next Tom Brady.

Although there are many differences between the two sports, there remain similarities. The athletes in the GAA are something else; seeing them perform in another sport would show that they are no amateurs.

Should Ireland Put a Greater Focus on Grassroots Football than Traditional Irish Sports?

Galway's Cillian McDaid kicks a first half point in a man of the match display against Armagh. Photo credit: Shane Tighe

During the World Cup in Qatar, an interesting fact started to spread around the internet. Croatia has a population of 3.263 million and regularly manages to put forward a team that challenges into the latter stages of the top tournaments. Ireland has a larger population of more than five million people but has only appeared in the ultimate football tournament on three occasions.

With Ireland having a much larger population, surely it should have more professional footballers to choose from when putting a squad together. However, this isn’t the case. It could be that the country is putting too great a focus on GAA sports when more should be done to promote football and develop a team capable of challenging in the future.

GAA Sports Aren’t Well-KnownInternationally

Traditional Irish sports are great, and there’s no doubt that Ireland should keep pushing these games to boost their popularity. If organisations in the country don’t want to focus on building a competitive national football team set up for the future, they should put more effort into helping GAA sports get more international recognition.

 

The problem that Irish sports face in gaining spectators outside of Ireland is that a lot of people in other countries simply don’t know about them. The GAA could turn to the entertainment industry to boost their notoriety, and a new docuseries on Netflix or Amazon could be an excellent idea.

 

Another option would be to turn to online gaming and get more officially licensed products in that sector. Online mobile casinoshave loads of Irish-themed games already, with Irish Luck being one of the top slots out there. It features typical imagery associated with the Emerald Isle, including lots of green, and can be played on any mobile device. Games about hurling or Gaelic football wouldn’t look out of place in these lists, and it’s something that should be considered. If Irish sports aren’t going to be pushed internationally, the country should do more to compete on the world stage in sports that are played globally like football.

How Can Ireland Build its Football Infrastructure?

There are numerous ways that Ireland could improve its football infrastructure and build for a better future in the sport. This would all stem from increased funding. For instance, the government could provide financial support for grassroots clubs and larger teams, helping them to develop talent at youth level. There could also be investment in marketing and other initiatives to boost football’s popularity.

 

To develop top players, Ireland will also need amazing coaches. Therefore, putting together a comprehensive coaching development system would be highly beneficial. This could involve implementing a nationwide coaching education program and establishing a network of youth academies to identify and develop talented young tacticians.

Promoting and supporting women’s football is another option that could lead to fruitful results down the line. Encouraging more girls and women to play football could help cultivate the success of the sport as a whole. The growth of the women’s game is skyrocketing, with commercial revenue increasing by 33 per cent each year. Now is the time to get involved in the action.

 

If Ireland isn’t going to push its own sports internationally and boost their appeal outside of the country, it needs to do other things to compete on the world stage. Developing a better infrastructure around football in the country could lead to more success for the national team in the future.

3 Irish Players Involved in Major Cricket Competitions in 2023

13 July 2021; George Dockrell of Ireland, centre, celebrates the wicket of Janneman Malan of South Africa with team-mates during the 2nd Dafanews Cup Series One Day International match between Ireland and South Africa at The Village in Malahide, Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

The Ireland cricket team continue to make big strides at the international level, as they showed at the 2022 ICC T20 World Cup when they qualified for the Super 12s.

Victory over eventual winners England was their highlight of that tournament. It was one of the country’s biggest wins against a full member of the ICC.

Cricket is not one of the leading sports in Ireland. It has yet to gain the same popularity as GAA and rugby. However, now that more Irish players are becoming involved in major domestic competitions, that could change in the future.

Here is a look at three Irish players who are set to feature in big domestic events in 2023.

Josh Little

Pace bowler Josh Little is one of the most exciting players in the Ireland national team. He already has 61 appearances for his country across T20Is and ODIs. His performances for Ireland and domestic cricket for Leinster Lightning have earned him so many contracts across the world.


Little has begun his year in SA20, the new franchise league in South Africa. He was drafted by the Pretoria Capitals to play in the T20 competition. As of the 23rd of January, the Capitals are the 39/20 favourites in the SA20 betting to win the finalon the 11th of February.

Just like in soccer and other sports, scoring a hat-trick in cricket is a big deal. The Irish bowler took his first international hat-trick in 2022. It came at the T20 World Cup in Australia. He dismissed Kane Williamson, James Neeshamand Mitchell Santner in an incredible spell of bowling against the Kiwis.

Little is set to become the first Irish player in history to feature in the IPL in 2023. He has been purchased by the defending champions the Gujarat Titans. That is a huge opportunity for the bowler to test himself in the leading franchise league in world cricket.

Paul Stirling

With over 5,000 runs, no player has accumulated more runs for Ireland in ODI cricket than Paul Stirling. His score of 177 against Canada in 2010 also remains a record as the highest individual innings for the national team in limited-overs cricket.

The Northern Knights player holds a contract with Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League. He is set to return to the T20 league when it resumes in February for the eighth season in its history.

Stirling was involved in the opening year of The Hundred in England when he played for the Southern Brave. He has also played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2022 Caribbean Premier League.

With the experience he has in domestic and international cricket, Stirling is very attractive to a lot of franchises. Expect to see him prove popular in many auctions around the world in 2023.

Tim Murtagh

Bowler Tim Murtagh has taken more Test wickets for Ireland than any other player. As of the 23rd of January, he had 11 wickets in Test cricket, with his best figure being his 5/13, which he landed against England at Lord’s in 2019.

Despite being 41 years old now, Murtagh remains the club captain at Middlesex where he plays his county cricket. He has been with the county since 2007 and he was part of their County Championship success in 2016.

In 2022, Murtagh picked up his 900th wicket in first-class cricket. That was a huge milestone for English-born Irish bowler. He goes into the 2023 campaign with 985 wickets for Middlesex and, as long as he stays fit across the year, he should reach 1,000 in the early stages of the campaign.

Murtagh’s role with Middlesex is a different one now as he signed a player-coach deal at the start of the year. It remains to be seen how long he will continue playing, but the experience he will get as an assistant coach in 2023 will be very useful. He has been tipped as a potential future head coach of Ireland, but for now, he will be concentrating on helping his county on their return to Division One.

In what is a big year for Ireland, they have a Test series with England to look forward to. As well as a Rugby World Cup in 2023, there is a Cricket World Cup that Ireland will be hoping to be involved in.

Ireland Tennis Looking to Make History in Lima

With their vital 2023 Davis Cup World Group I play-off against Peru on the horizon, Ireland are putting their final preparations in place for the crunch clash in Lima. Can the Irish build on the hype of the thrilling Australian Open in the world of tennis and get the right result against Peru?

Can Ireland Build on Australian Open Hype?

The 111th Davis Cup gets underway in February with the qualifying and play-off rounds. The competition is hoping to live off the hype of the Australian Open, which has kicked off 2023 in style. There will be loads to bet on when the Davis Cup comes around, and there is still lots to play for in Melbourne. Looking at the latest odds on tennis Australian Open, Novak Djokovic, who has featured for Serbia in the Davis Cup throughout the years, is the current favourite at 1/5 in the men’s edition.

The tournament has been a success on the whole, as we have seen plenty of thrills and spills during the first Grand Slam of the year. Brit Andy Murray performed well in the early rounds, while Djokovic has been up to his old tricks on the Melbourne courts.


Will the Irish Seal Spot in Group I?

Ireland have had some back luck in the world of tennis throughout the years. While players from the UK have flourished on the big stage, no male or female Irish player has qualified for a Grand Slam tournament since both Conor Niland and Louk Sorensen reached the main draw of the US Open back in 2011. Unfortunately, both had to retire through injury in their first-round fixtures.

Fast forward 12 years and the Irish national team has a great chance to book their place in Davis Cup World Group I, which is just below the big boys of international tennis.

The Davis Cup officially gets underway in February, with the qualifiers and play-offs taking place at the same time. The group stage of the 2023 Davis Cup will commence in September, as the 12 successful qualifiers will join Canada, Australia, Italy and Spain in the 2023 finals.

Ireland face Peru in Lima in a vital Davis Cup play-off in early February. Victory at Estadio Asia will see the Irish book their place in World Group I. Ireland are in this mouth-watering clash with the Peruvians after beating Barbados in a thriller back in September of last year. It has been 40 years since Ireland have been anywhere near this level. Back in 1983, Ireland lost out to the USA in a relegation play-off.

It would do Irish tennis the world of good if Niland’s men can beat Peru in this play-off in Lima and book their place in Davis Cup World Group I. Of course, it will not be an easy task, but Ireland will take plenty of heart from their stunning victory over Barbados and will back themselves to get the job done over two days of tense action at Estadio Asia.

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