Continuing our look at the key dates in the sporting calendar for 2015…
8. Republic of Ireland vs Poland – March 29
The first of six qualifiers that will decide whether the Boys in Green will go to Euro 2016 and perhaps the most important. Poland are top of Group D having beaten Germany in October and should Ireland fail to get a result the prospect of playing catch-up with Scotland for a play-off place becomes the uncomfortable reality.
9. The Masters – April 9
If you think the Rory hype was bad this year, wait until the week of the Masters. The world No.1 has made no secret that his main ambition for 2015 is to claim a green jacket at Augusta, and the Northern Irishman will be under the microscope like never before. His game is widely accepted to suit the course but can he succeed under this level of pressure, both from the public and himself.
10. Dublin doubleheader – May 31
The provincial championships will already be up and running but the last Sunday in May marks that special day when GAA headquarters throws open its doors for the summer. The capital’s hurlers kick things off against Galway before Jim Gavin’s footballers take on the winner of Offaly and Longford.
11. Tour de France Stage 20 – July 25
The penultimate stage of cycling’s summer showpiece finishes at the summit of the mighty Alpe d’Huez. If the race is yet to be decided, the 21 hairpins of one of the race’s most famous climbs should provide a thrilling denouement in the battle for the yellow jersey.
12. World Athletics Championships – August 23
Day two of the championships means only one thing – the men’s 100 metres final. It’s never quite matches the build-up of an Olympic sprint final, but any time the fastest men in the world settle in the blocks it’s impossible not to hold your breath. Usain Bolt will no doubt be the favourite to win a third title and the Jamaican should be eager to prove to the world that we haven’t already seen the best of him.
13. World Amateur Boxing Championships – October 5
Billy Walsh and band of merry men will head for Doha optimistic they can improve upon the haul of one silver and one bronze two years earlier in Almaty. The championships also provide an early opportunity for fighters like SportsJOE’s own Paddy Barnes to secure that all-important ticket to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
14. France vs Ireland – October 11
Ireland’s final group game in the Rugby World Cup is likely to be the one that decides whether Joe Schmidt and his squad live up to their current billing and qualify from their pool as winners or end up as runners-up with a likely quarter-final against the mighty All Blacks.
15: Andy Lee’s world title defence – TBD
We haven’t got a date for it yet, but Andy Lee has all but guaranteed the first defence of his newly-earned WBO middleweight title will be on home soil. Chances are it will be in late spring/early summer, with mandatory challenger Billy Joe Saunders in line for the first crack at the Limerick man. Whether the bout takes place in his home town of Limerick, in Thomond Park, or in Dublin, Lee is certain to have huge support as he looks to cement his status among the world’s top middleweights.
