Emmet Moloney writes for the 'The Irish Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

With a great weekend of sport about to kick off, Emmet Moloney wonders why the GAA can’t be mindful of the Six Nations when scheduling games...

We’ve a bumper weekend of sport ahead. Top-class racing in Leopardstown (we hope) on Saturday, Tipp and Kilkenny going at it that night under lights and then the rest of the hurling league on Sunday, along with the clash of France and Ireland in the Aviva Stadium. Of course, the rugby match starts at 3pm in Dublin and most of the hurling matches begin at 2.30pm.

Excellent timing once again. It’s not rocket science. These games could have been scheduled for 1pm or Saturday and allowed us all see our counties and our country in the one afternoon.

Putting the rematch of the All-Ireland hurling final on Saturday night makes perfect sense and we need more of this. Clare and Limerick clash in division two on Sunday afternoon and there could have been a bumper attendance in Cusack Park, but the rugby will take from it. Not everyone has Sky Plus!

Once upon a time the GAA, FAI and IRFU all stuck their heads in the sand when it came scheduling matches. Many is the time we headed for Croke Park on All-Ireland Sunday and saw a few forlorn soccer supporters trying to go against the tide into Tolka Park, almost beside Croker, for a League of Ireland match. Then we had the Ulster Council putting on a championship match as Ireland played a World Cup game in Japan. Madness.

There’s nothing wrong with a little give and take. Ireland will only play five games in the Six Nations. Surely the GAA could take this into account. It is their own supporters and the gate receipts they should be thinking of. Changes have been made before when Munster and Leinster met in the Heineken Cup. Changes should be made again.

Okay, gripe over. Down to business. Ireland will probably beat France on Sunday, Kilkenny will probably beat Tipperary, while Clare and Limerick has draw written all over it!

Picking Ireland to beat the impressive French – just a week after we stole the win over Italy – might appear foolhardy, but the logic is sound enough. No team ever looks good winning in Rome and we are notoriously slow starters in this championship. The competition is also littered with teams who transform their game from one week to the next. Ireland will improve immeasurably from last weekend and France will probably struggle, as they usually do, away from home. This is set up for us.

Thankfully our squad is filled with players who have gone from the lows one week, straight back up to the highs the week after. Putting a poor display behind you to excel just seven days later is what separates the professionals from the also-rans. Have faith, Ireland can and will deliver a performance.

This is our first Six Nations game in the new Aviva. It will finally be full and that will count for something. Players we know that are seriously capable will prove it again. Paul O’Connell is a week further into his comeback and Sean O’Brien a week wiser. So, too, is Declan Kidney, who as usual didn’t over react to the Italian escapade.

Changes to the personnel will come in the next few weeks. Once fitness permits, Bowe, Heaslip and Ferris will be back in the frame. All are first-choice and all offer options. While Sunday comes a little soon for some of them, one or two squad members have a chance to catch Kidney’s eye against a serious force in world rugby. Expect a couple of them to take that chance.

Beating France is certainly not beyond us. Any team at home in the Six Nations has a real chance. Italy proved that. And Declan Kidney has shown he can conjure up such a performance in a short space of time. Ireland are notorious for confounding their critics and I expect them to do the same on Sunday. The worst case scenario will be looking back at a game we should have and could have won. Best case is talk of a Grand Slam.

REVENGE NOT AN ISSUE
Any talk of revenge on Saturday night for Kilkenny will be misplaced. A league match in Thurles on a Saturday night in February is not a dish best-served cold. That will be on the Cats’ menu for August or September, but there won’t be any harm in laying down a marker.

While the Kilkenny side will be a little unfamiliar to us, Brian Cody will still be prowling the sideline. This time last year himself and Liam Sheedy hopped off each other on the line. Tipp put quite a lot into that evening and it showed. This time around they have had the traditional All-Ireland winning holiday in recent weeks and a change in management. We can’t expect them to be at the same level and the smart money says the Cats. Indeed the smart money all year will be on the Cats.

Waterford and Dublin usually provide a high-scoring contest and their game could be the tie of the weekend. A little bird told me that Dublin will be putting a lot of eggs into the league basket this spring. I’m expecting some notable performances from them. Galway and Wexford are always good value too, despite the experimental look to both squads.

At the end of this year it is mooted that the hurling league will be redrawn again. This could mean that the prize for winning division two will lessen. A pity. It meant something to Wexford last year and it should matter as much to Clare and Limerick this season. They meet in Ennis on Sunday – a league match that always brought a crowd and atmosphere. It is Donal O’Grady’s first competitive game in charge and he has a relatively full Limerick squad to pick from. And thank God for that!

Last Sunday, Clare and Limerick’s best college sides met in the Gaelic Grounds. Ard Scoil Rís and St Flannan’s served up a thriller, with the Limerick side clinging on for a merited 2-19 to 0-22 win. A game half as good this Sunday would keep our minds off the events in the Aviva.



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