Irish warm up with Dragons

ROWING: A team of eight will compete at next week's World U23 Rowing Championships in Varese Italy.

Paul O'Donovan of UCD who finished second in the singles sculls behind Lee Valley's John Keohane at last weekend national championships, goes in the men's lightweight single sculls, hoping to improved on his bronze meal win of last year.

Compempeting in the women's lightweight sculls, is Skibbereen's Denise Walsh, who finished sixth last year.

Her Skibbereen clubmates Shane O'Driscoll and Gary O'Donovan are entered for the lightweight doubles, while a Galway crew of Kevin Neville, Robert O'Callaghan, Richard Bennett and Fionnan McMillan-Toal goes in the men's four.

*NUIG/Gráinne Mhaol took their third consecutive men's senior eight at the Irish Rowing Championships in Cork.

NUIG/Cork won the women's eight.

Women's Rugby: With the Women's World Cup in France starting on August 1, Ireland have a last run-out against Wales in Malahide RFC tomorrow (3.0).

Captain of the Irish team is Dubliner Fiona Coghlan, with 10 members of the 26-strong squad coming from Dublin clubs.

The only new cap is Sharon Lynch, one of six Old Belvedere players selected .

Back in the squad is the vastly experienced scrum half Tania Rosser, who comes in for the injured Amy Davis, one of the mainstays of the Irish team that won the Six Nations in 2013 and finished third this year.

Ireland open their World Cup campaign on 1 August against the USA.

They also face three-times champions New Zealand and Kazakstan in their group matches.

Swimming: Over 900 swimmers from more than 100 clubs are competing at the Irish Age Group Championships and Summer Open at the National Aquatic Centre.

A total of 3,762 individual and 151 relay swims will take place fore the championships ends tomorrow.

The competition caters for swimmers from eight to over 40.

Swimmers from South Africa, Singapore, Oman, Dubai, Italy, England and Scotland are among those competing, many of them preparing fro the Commonwealth Games starting next Wednesday in Glasgow .

Leading the home challenge are Barry Murphy, Brendan Hyland, Nicholas Quinn and Dan Sweeney who will compete in next month's European Senior Championships in Berlin.

Ireland's Paralympic squad of five will all compete before they leaving for a training camp in the Canary Islands before the European Championships in Eindhoven from August 4.

Hockey: Ireland's U21 hockey teams made good starts to their campaigns at the EuroHockey Junior Championships II, where the goal is promotion to the A groups.

In Vienna, Austria, the Irish women progressed on goal difference after a 3-3 draw with Scotland.

Playing in Lousada, Portugal, the men 
were held to a 1-1 draw by hosts Portugal, which didn't help their promotional 
chances.

The men's final takes place today with the women's final tomorrow.

Triathlon: In her last race before the Commonwealth Games, Irish Olympian Aileen Reid finished an encouraging ninth in the Hamburg Sprint Triathlon, the biggest triathlon in the world.

Reid had one of the fastest swims of the day and her time of 57 mins 42 secs for the 750m swim, 20km cycle and 5km run put her less than a minute behind the winner Gwen Jorgensen of the USA.