Hope springs from Evan Ferguson as Ireland defeat Bulgaria

“If it’s the hope that kills you,” writes Ken Early, “these suddenly feel like dangerous times.” That hope springs from Ireland getting the job done against Bulgaria on Sunday evening, their Nations League B spot secured by a 4-2 aggregate win. “It feels as though the team is in a better place than it has been for a while,” he says, with Evan Ferguson giving the crowd “a glimpse of the player they all dream he will become”.

Gavin Cummiskey heard from Ferguson after the game, along with the night’s other goalscorer, Adam Idah, the former having gone into “superhero mode” when he scored on 63 minutes to kick-start the rescue of what looked like being another night to forget. But, mission accomplished.

If Ireland had to work hard to see off Bulgaria, that’s nothing compared to the effort Gordon Manning had to put in to sum up “a manic last day of drama” in the National Football League. “After all the huffing and puffing, it will be a Mayo-Kerry final,” he writes, Mayo’s win over Donegal nudging them over the line, while Seán Moran was at Pearse Stadium to see Kerry book their slot by seeing off Galway.

At the other end of the table, Derry and Tyrone have slipped through the trapdoor to Division Two and will be replaced by Monaghan and Roscommon next season. And we have round-ups from all the action in Divisions Three and Four.

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Conor McManus: ‘The pain was so bad I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it back to the house’

In hurling, Cork and Tipperary set up their first league final meeting since 1960, Denis Walsh was at Páirc Uí Chaoimh to witness Cork’s 12 point destruction of Galway, Tipperary having a tighter time of it against Clare, but winning out.

Ireland celebrate their third try against France in Saturday's Six Nations opener in Belfast. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire.

In rugby, Gerry Thornley was at Kingspan Stadium to see Ireland left rueing missed opportunities in the opening game of their Six Nations campaign against France. Head coach Scott Bemand took heart from the performance, but, he said, “we don’t want to be noble losers”.

Gerry rounds up the rest of the weekend’s rugby news, including the likelihood of Simon Easterby and John Fogarty being added to Andy Farrell’s coaching ticket for the Lions’ summer’s tour to Australia. On the pitch, it was a largely frustrating few days for the provinces, save for Ulster’s last-ditch win at the Dragons. Leinster suffered their first defeat of the season, with Munster and Connacht suffering losses too.

Denis Walsh, meanwhile, looks at the decision facing Jack Crowley: does he accept a lucrative offer from a thriving Leicester team that would rule out Test rugby, or does he stay in a struggling Munster set-up, still without a central contract?

In athletics, Ian O’Riordan reflects on a World Indoor Championships that saw Kate O’Connor win pentathlon silver, and in golf, Philip Reid brings news of Séamus Power finding his mojo at the Valspar Championship where he had his first top-10 finish on the PGA Tour since last August.

TV Watch: It’s game two in the Thomas Tuchel revolution, England taking on Latvia in their World Cup qualifier this evening (Virgin Media Two and ITV, 7.45). And at 8pm TG4 has highlights from the GAA weekend, while RTÉ 2 brings the best of the rugby action on Against the Head.