The week’s best live action
RUGBY Domestic rugby wraps up for the year with both the men’s Mitre 10 Cup and the women’s Farah Palmer Cup reaching finals stage this week. The first Mitre 10 Cup semi-final is set for 7.35pm on Friday, October 19, with the other three played the following day at 2.30pm, 4.45pm and 7pm. The championship final is at 7.30pm on Friday; all games screen on Sky Sport 1.
Meanwhile, the Farah Palmer Cup final will screen from 2pm on Saturday on Sky Sport 2.
SOCCER For soccer fans, there’s action at home and abroad. The Wellington Phoenix and their new coach Mark Rudan will be attempting to prove their pre-season win over 2017 champs Melbourne wasn’t a mirage when they take on the Newcastle Jets in round one of the Hyundai A-League (Sky Sport 1, Sunday, 5pm). Another feast of matches kicks off in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday morning, with four third-round matches starting at 7.40am on Sky Sport 1, 2 and 3 and Sky Sport Pop-Up 1 respectively, plus matches at the same time on Thursday morning on Sky Sport 1 and 2. Sky had yet to announce exactly which matches will screen at press time, but you can be very sure that one of them will be Manchester United v Juventus at Old Trafford.
CYCLING This year’s nine-day cycling Tour of Hainan, the last for the 2018 calendar year, will hopefully go off without any bizarre mid-race scraps like last year. Live coverage starts at 5.30pm daily on Sky Sport Pop-Up 2 from Tuesday.