MULTI-NATIONS TOURNAMENT SOFIA SO GOOD, GIRLS

MICHAELA WALSH and Kellie Harrington got off to a winning start on the first day of the Strandja multi-nations tournament in Sofia.

The pair were among four of the nine-strong Irish team that were in action yesterday but the other two competitors, George Bates and Kiril Afanasev, lost their preliminary bouts.

Walsh, competing in the 57kg category, beat Wildad Bertal of Mauritius on a 4-1 split while Harrington was assured in securing a unanimous decision victory over Poland’s Aneta Rygielska at 60kg.

BRIAN O’driscoll has welcomed the increase in squad numbers and tournament time for the 2023 Rugby World Cup as the right thing for player welfare. Squad numbers for the finals in France will increase from 31 to 33 and, with the pool phases extended by a week, the action will take place over seven rather than six weeks.

The finals will feature increased rest periods for all teams – with at least five days preparation for all matches for the first time.

“The game has become too physical and competitive for short turnarounds,” said O’driscoll (inset), a recent appointment to the Rugby World Cup board. “This is a positive step forward and shows how everyone can work together towards better outcomes.”

Cliftonville v Ballymena United

Solitude, 7.45pm

CLIFTONVILLE boss Paddy Mclaughlin is bracing himself for a Ballymena backlash at Solitude.

While the Reds have lost just one of their last nine outings and beat Larne 1-0 at the weekend, David Jeffrey’s men are on a four game losing streak. But Mclaughlin (left), who endured a 4-0 loss to United at Solitude earlier in the season, is taking nothing for granted.

“Ballymena have a good squad of players and one of the best managers in the Irish League for a long, long time,” he said.

“They’re never going to be a bad side as long as David Jeffrey is in charge and those players don’t become bad players overnight.

“They still have the potential to batter anybody, so we’ll prepare as if that’s a possibility, which it is. It’ll be a tough game.

“The 4-0 defeat to Ballymena here wasn’t good enough and it wasn’t acceptable. It’s also proof if you don’t turn up against them, they can hurt you badly.

“Our performance levels have risen since then and on the back of Saturday’s performance and result against Larne, our tails will be up. We’ll look forward to the challenge.” TONIGHT’S GAMES (7.45pm unless stated): Portadown v Larne (7.30pm)

Cliftonville v Ballymena United

Carrick Rangers v Coleraine

Dungannon Swifts v Glenavon; Linfield v Glentoran

SHANE DUFFY has shared a photo showing disgusting sectarian messages sent to him online.

The vile troll called the Republic of Ireland international a ”fenian b ****** ” and also sent a sick message about Duffy’s late dad, who passed away last year.

The abuse was sent to Duffy (above) after Celtic’s 1-0 defeat to Ross County on Sunday evening. Sharing a screenshot of the messages he received on Instagram, the defender said: “There’s abuse which is fine but surely there’s a limit nah.”

One of the sick messages read: “Yous are s*** you fenian ugly b ****** .”

Another said: “Ur f***ing s **** u c***.”

The final message was a disgusting taunt about Duffy’s dad Brian, who passed away at the age of just 53 last May.