Here is our selection of five events that we feel will give you the best of sport from across Ireland and around the world this weekend, together with all the broadcast details.
Kansas City Chiefs at home to the Buffalo Bills in the NFL Divisional Round
If you are going – It’s a long haul to Kansas but there are verified resale tickets on Ticketmaster for €116 up to €3,000. Flights on Virgin via JFK and Detroit will set you back €988
If you are watching – Sky Sports will have full coverage of the game kicking off at 11:30 on Sunday night.
Why it will be worth it – Josh Allen and the Bills played the perfect game of football against the New England Patriots last weekend scoring seven touchdowns on their seven drives and never once turning over the ball, punting or kicking a field goal. If that sounds a bit nerdy then maybe American Football isn’t for you but in context, it had never been done in the history of the sport. Now they face a Chiefs team led by Patrick Mahomes who scored five touchdowns in a little over ten minutes last weekend against the Pittsburgh Steelers. This is effectively a Quarter Final in the Super Bowl race but it would grace the biggest stage in any year and promises something very special.
Ballygunner of Waterford against Slaughtneil of Derry in the Semi-Final of the AIB Club Championship
If you are going – The game is on at Parnell Park in Dublin with a throw-in time of 1-30 but you’ll need to be a club member of either team to get a ticket with a Covid reduced capacity.
If you are watching – It’s the first of a doubleheader on TG4 with a throw-in at 1-30 and extra time if needed.
Why it will be worth it – Getting out of Munster and Ulster is an achievement in itself and both these teams did it in style. Ballygunner claimed their third ever Munster title with a win over Kilmallock and have ambitions to go all the way this season.
World Athletics Northern Ireland Cross Country in Belfast
If you are going – The event is on at the Billy Neill Country Park off the Comber Road in Belfast.
If you are watching – The event will be live-streamed by Athletics NI on YouTube here.
Why it will be worth it – World cross country champion Hellen Obiri is the star attraction. She is one of the most successful world-class athletes in recent years. Her roll call of wins includes two world 5,000m titles and two Olympic Silver medals; the latest being in the Tokyo Olympics where she lost to multi-gold medallist Sifan Hassan.
InsureMyVan.ie National Cup Basketball Finals at the National Basketball Arena
If you are going – Well done. Tickets are like gold dust for the biggest weekend in the Basketball calendar. The Men’s Final is on at 5-45 on Saturday and the Women’s at 5-20 on Sunday.
If you are watching – TG4 will be showing the Men’s final live on its YouTube channel with full deferred coverage at 7:45 pm.
Why it will be worth it – Kieran Donaghy played in the AIB Munster Football Final last weekend and now he lines out for Tralee Warriors in another Munster clash against Neptune. An incredible achievement for any player. But to do it when he turns 39 on his next birthday. That’s something special.
Munster Vs Wasps in the Heineken Champions Cup at Thomond
If you are going – It would need an immediate lifting of restrictions to get a ticket at this stage but watch out for the announcement later today from Taoiseach Micheal Martin.
If you are watching – The game will be televised from 3 pm on BT Sport 2, part of the Sky Sports Premium package here.
Why it will be worth it – Ireland against England always has extra spice and Munster could top the group with an impressive win and results elsewhere going their way. That would guarantee home passage for the knock out stages, and the potential of a full capacity Thomond.
