Sonia O’Sullivan on her relationship with Ciara Mageean

From the moment her talent became apparent in her teenage years, Ciara Mageean had to carry the tag of “the next Sonia”. And as fate would have it, Sonia O’Sullivan herself was in Brussels on the night Ciara broke her 1,500m record. That’s when she “earned her own place as the best Irish female runner” at that distance, Sonia writes in her column today, “she could take the baton from me”. They shared “the warmest embrace” after the race, one of many special moments between the two greats down the years.

Michael Darragh MacAuley has his own special memories of Ciara having spent six days trekking across Costa Rica with her for an episode of RTÉ’s Uncharted show earlier this year. Gordon Manning talks to the former Dublin footballer about the woman he came to know.

In the build-up to Friday’s Nations Championship meeting with Argentina John O’Sullivan hears from Robert Baloucoune, the Ulster winger having taken no end of confidence from his form in last season’s Six Nations Championship. Are you wondering what on earth is this Nations Championship business? Wonder no more, Gerry Thornley explains all.

Gerry also gives his thoughts on Leinster’s choice of Noel McNamara to succeed Leo Cullen at the end of the season. The appointment, confirmed by Leinster this morning, “may lack a bit of the stardust and experience possessed by other notional candidates”, not least Felipe Contepomi and Ronan O’Gara, but “it makes sense”.

And in his Whistleblower column, Owen Doyle gives his view on the verdict in that, well, alleged “testicle-grabbing” business, and he also rates the officiating in the weekend’s URC games. All we can hope is that Scottish referee Sam Grove-White doesn’t have a subscription to the Irish Times.

In golf, Rory McIlroy still has a chance of topping the DP World Tour order of merit for a record-equalling eighth time, but, as Philip Reid explains, it’s a tall enough ask with Eugenio Chacarra and Patrick Reed ahead of him in the rankings. Séamus Power, meanwhile, is aiming to finish his season on a high having already secured his full card for next year, the Waterford man in action this week in Mexico.

In racing, Point Of Law proved himself to be Australian racing royalty with victory in the Lexus Melbourne Cup in the early hours of this morning.

Gordon Elliott is having a think about sending his Grade One Aintree festival heroine Mange Tout back to Liverpool this weekend for the Molyneaux Hurdle. And you know the way you’d have a flutter now and then, maybe, say, a €1 each-way bet on the National?

TV Watch: You have another batch of Champions League games to choose from this evening, among the 8pm kick-offs Atletico Madrid v Bayern Munich (TNT Sports 2), Barcelona v Aston Villa (Virgin Media Two and TNT Sports 1), Manchester United v Roma (Premier Sports 1 and Amazon Prime) and Villarreal v PSG (TNT Sports 4).