Category News

Returning head coach Andy Farrell has included captain Caelan Doris in his Ireland squad for the autumn internationals, but Joe McCarthy misses out.

Doris, who has not played since undergoing shoulder surgery in early May, recently returned to Leinster training, but it remains unclear if he will be fit to face New Zealand in Chicago on 1 November.

Lock McCarthy, however, was not considered after failing to recover from the foot injury he sustained during the first British and Irish Lions Test against Australia in July.

Ulster forward Cormac Izuchukwu and Munster wing Calvin Nash also miss out because of injury, while full-back Hugo Keenan had already been ruled out after undergoing hip surgery following the Lions tour.

Leinster prop Paddy McCarthy – Joe’s younger brother – is the only uncapped player in the 34-man squad, but the Irish Rugby Football Union [IRFU] says uncapped Munster duo Edwin Edogbo and Brian Gleeson and once-capped Connacht wing Shayne Bolton will travel to Chicago as “cover”.

After facing the All Blacks at Soldier Field in a rematch of their 2016 meeting, Ireland host Japan, Australia and world champions South Africa in Dublin.

In a largely familiar-looking squad, Leinster’s Sam Prendergast and Munster’s Jack Crowley will once again vie for the starting fly-half spot. Ciaran Frawley is the third fly-half selected with Farrell opting against calling up Leinster’s Harry Byrne.

At scrum-half, Farrell has picked British and Irish Lion Jamison Gibson-Park and Craig Casey, who captained Ireland to the summer Test wins over Georgia and Portugal. There is also a return for Connacht’s Caolin Blade, who is preferred to club-mate Ben Murphy.

Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, Garry Ringrose and Stuart McCloskey represent an experienced cohort of midfield options. Jamie Osborne is another option in the centres, but the 23-year-old is also a frontrunner to deputise for Keenan at full-back.

Wingers James Lowe, Mack Hansen, Tommy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale are included. O’Brien impressed on his first Ireland outings over the summer with two tries apiece in the wins over Georgia and Portugal.

Forwards (19): Thomas Ahern (Munster), Ryan Baird (Leinster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), Tadhg Beirne (Munster), Jack Boyle Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster, capt), Tadhg Furlong (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Gus McCarthy (Leinster), Paddy McCarthy (Leinster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Cian Prendergast (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster)(73).

Midfielders Jamie Finn and Jess Ziu have been recalled to the Republic of Ireland squad for their two-legged Women’s Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium later this month but goalkeeper Courtney Brosnan is ruled out through injury.

Sunderland player Finn and Ziu, on loan at Bristol City, return to the squad for the first time since February and July 2024 respectively.

Finn suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury during training before a friendly against Italy back in February 2024 while Ziu has been recovering from the same injury.

Goalkeeper Katie Keane earns a second senior call-up following her recent move to Leicester City and a brief loan spell with Sheffield United.

Everton stopper Brosnan misses out with a knee problem, while also on the injured list are defender Megan Connolly (foot), midfielder Lily Agg (knee) and forward Leanne Kiernan (foot).

Megan Campbell has announced her retirement after accumulating 57 caps.

Aston Villa defender Anna Patten is included in manager Carla Ward’s squad for the matches but will be unavailable for the first leg through suspension.

Shamrock Rovers defender Maria Reynolds and Athlone Town forward Kelly Brady will both participate in training sessions with the squad at the FAI National Training Centre after impressive seasons in the Irish Women’s Premier Division.

The Republic of Ireland and Belgium will be competing for a place in League A, a move which would improve their seeding for the 2027 Women’s World Cup qualifiers.

The Belgians sit 20th in the Fifa women’s world rankings, seven places above the Irish.

The Republic finished level on points with Slovenia in League B, missing out on automatic promotion on goal difference.

Goalkeepers: Grace Moloney (Sunderland), Sophie Whitehouse (Charlton Athletic), Katie Keane (Leicester City)

Defenders: Heather Payne (Leicester City), Aoife Mannion (Newcastle United), Jessie Stapleton (Nottingham Forest – on loan), Anna Patten (Aston Villa), Caitlin Hayes (Brighton & Hove Albion), Hayley Nolan (Crystal Palace), Chloe Mustaki (Nottingham Forest), Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Izzy Atkinson (Sunderland)

Midfielders: Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Ruesha Littlejohn (Crystal Palace), Jamie Finn (Sunderland), Tyler Toland (Durham), Marissa Sheva (Sunderland), Jess Ziu (Bristol City – on loan), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City)

Wales’ greatest female footballer Jess Fishlock has announced her intention to retire from international football.

The 38-year-old is her country’s record goalscorer with 48 international goals, and she will play her 166th and final Wales game in the friendly against Australia at Cardiff City Stadium on Saturday, 25 October (14:00 BST).

The Seattle Reign midfielder became the oldest scorer at a Women’s European Championship and Wales’ first at a major finals, in the 4-1 defeat by France at Euro 2025.

Fishlock started her career with hometown club Cardiff City Ladies – now called Gwalia United – making her first-team debut at 15.

After coming through Wales’ age-group teams, she made her senior debut against Switzerland in 2006.

Games and goals flowed until, in April 2017, Fishlock became the first Wales footballer, male or female, to win 100 caps, the then 30-year-old marking her milestone with a goal in a 3-1 friendly win over Northern Ireland in Ystrad Mynach.

In July 2024 she became her country’s leading international goalscorer, claiming her 45th – beating Helen Ward’s previous mark – as Wales beat Kosovo 2-0 to seal a seeded spot in the European Championship qualifying play-offs.

The crowning point of her career came with Wales qualifying for their first appearance at a major women’s tournament, as Rhian Wilkinson’s side reached the 2025 European Championship.

Although Wales would come away from Switzerland without a win from their three group games, fittingly it was Fishlock who scored their first goal – in the game against France – in the process becoming the oldest scorer in women’s Euro finals history aged 38 years and 176 days.

“From kicking my first ball with my brothers in Llanrumney, football has been in my blood,” Fishlock said in a social media post.

“When I had my debut against Switzerland in Kloten in 2006, never did I imagine I would have the honour of representing my Cymru more than 150 times. Every minute was a pleasure, a privilege, and an honour.

“The Euros was the pinnacle of my football career, seeing the dragon on the world stage for the first time will be a memory that will stay with me for a lifetime.

“To all the players and staff, past and present, diolch (thanks). It has been an incredible journey. The team has always felt like a family and after all the good and bad times, we finally achieved what we always dreamed of.”

Fishlock thanked her wife, her former team-mate Tziarra King who she married in 2023, friends and family for their support during her career.

“I love you all, she added. “Without the support you have all shown, without you getting me through the difficult moments, I never would have achieved what I achieved.

“To my Mum, a woman whose love and guidance allowed me to chase and reach my dreams. You believed in me before I believed in myself.

Fishlock’s club football has taken her around the world, playing for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, Melbourne Victory in Australia, Seattle Reign in the United States, plus Glasgow, Frankfurt and Lyon – winning the Champions League with each of the latter two sides.

Her career has straddled the rise of women’s football from an amateur game to one that is increasingly at home in the professional ranks, and Fishlock is adamant that the legacy left behind by herself and her fellow players must be used to further grow the game in Wales.

“The journey the women’s game in Wales has taken has been incredible and things can only continue to grow,” she added.

“I see so many young girls playing football across Wales now, and the future is bright for our country.

“To all that are involved in growing the game at both grassroots and elite level in Wales, it is vital that the support continues to be there and we don’t sit still for one second. Only together we can achieve success.

“The shirt is being passed on in a better place, and that is my biggest achievement of all.

India is set to host the centenary Commonwealth Games in 2030 – the second time in 20 years that the event will have been held in the world’s most populous nation.

The city of Ahmedabad in the west of the country has been chosen ahead of Abuja in Nigeria by an evaluation commission from governing body Commonwealth Sport.

And the decision to hold the Games there in five years time is now expected to be ratified at the organisation’s general assembly in Glasgow on 26 November.

Ahmedabad can boast the Narendra Modi Stadium – the largest in the world, with a capacity of 132,000 – which hosted the Cricket World Cup final in 2023.

The city has a population in excess of five million people, and has even been suggested as a potential bidder to host a future Olympic Games.

“We see the 2030 Games as a powerful opportunity to inspire our youth, strengthen international partnerships and contribute to a shared future across the Commonwealth,” said Dr. P T Usha, president of Commonwealth Games Association India.

The Games first visited India in 2010 when Delhi hosted.

It is the second time Abuja has missed out on staging the Commonwealths, having been overlooked for the 2014 edition in favour of Glasgow.

The news looks set to end fears that Glasgow 2026 might be the last-ever Games, with Scotland’s largest city having stepped in after the Australian state of Victoria withdrew for financial reasons.

That came after Birmingham took on the 2022 event after the South African city of Durban pulled out.

However, a reimagined format – with fewer sports, athletes and venues – has lessened the cost and enticed India, Nigeria and a handful of other countries to make their pitch to welcome the 74 Commonwealth Sport nations and territories.

A Commonwealth Sport statement said they “assessed candidate cities against a wide range of criteria including technical delivery, athlete experience, infrastructure, governance, and alignment with Commonwealth Sport values”.

It added: “The Commonwealth Sport Executive Board has agreed to develop a strategy for supporting and accelerating Nigeria’s hosting ambitions for future Games, including consideration for 2034.”

It was not long ago that many wondered if Glasgow 2026 could be the very last Commonwealth Games, such was the difficulty in finding hosts.

But members of the Commonwealth movement will see this as vindication of its controversial decision to adopt a slimmed-down version of the event for next year.

Reducing the cost of staging it has clearly helped encourage potential host countries to bid after a period in which the future of the Games appeared to be in jeopardy amid scrutiny over its relevance and association with the British Empire.

BBC Sport has been told there is now a willingness to expand the sports programme for 2030, and new optimism about future editions.