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©INPHO/Lorraine O'Sullivan
Early Doors

The Morning Score: Friday

Wake up and smell the weekend.

All the nuggets of sporty goodness you can handle by 9am.

1. #COYBIG The road to Brazil 2014 is paved with pitfalls and Ireland this evening have a chance to navigate around the first of them.

Kazakhstan are our first exalted opponents and they say they expect nothing less than a win from our visit.

Trap’s team selection – start of a new era and all that – has raised a few eyebrows. Here it is.

2. #PARALYMPICS We’re round the bend and into the home straight of what I feel comfortable in saying have been the best Paralympic Games ever.

Stop by the village to see how our athletes got on yesterday, or take a bite from the Paralympic Breakfast to set you up for the day. You’ll miss it when it’s gone.

3. #PRO12 Round two of provincial rugby’s often humdrum day-job gets underway tonight. Connacht and Munster are in action against Italian sides tonight. The western province go away to new boys, Zebre, and the double European champions are at home to Treviso.

Tomorrow, the Heineken Cup finalists are up against welsh opposition. Leinster, with an ever-swelling injury list, host the Dragons while Ulster visit Pro12 champions Ospreys.

Keep an eye out for our Pro12 Cheat Sheet later this afternoon for all the team news and previews.

4. #GAA Of course, it’s quite a big weekend in gaelic games too. It’s only time for the All Ireland hurling final (no we can’t believe it’s September 9 already either). But before that throws in Dublin and Tipperary will duke it out for the minor title. Read our interview with Dubs boss Shay Boland here and Premier manager Willie Maher here.

5. US OPEN Andy Roddick made a tearful exit from Flushing Meadows yesterday as he bade farewell to tennis. but the show must go on even without the big-serving American. Last night David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic progressed into the Grand Slam’s semi-finals where they will play eachother. Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych occupy the other semi spots.

VIDEO: Peacock takes Pistorius’ 100m crown