Lyle Jackson
BBC Sport NI in Saint-Georges-de-Reneins

Some reporters following Northern Ireland have had more than Kyle Lafferty’s groin injury to occupy their thoughts.

A group of Belfast-based newspaper men have been told the train they were planning to take to Nice on Saturday has been cancelled because of strike action.

Help is at hand, happily, as Irish FA staff are on the case and say they will arrange car journeys for the stranded journalists.

So Baggies fans... tempted? 

Four Republic of Ireland fans have gone the extra mile to deck their France-bound double decker in all sorts of appropriate furnishings.

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

Image source, PA

The BBC Sport team in Paris really need some actual football to occupy them...

Which non-football personality would you get to give the team talk before your country’s opening match and why?

Mike Sullivan: Father Noel Furlong from Father Ted to the Rep Of Ireland.He'd put them all at ease on the plane too.

James WM Watt: Brian Blessed should give the England team Shakespeare's Henry V "Once More Unto the Breach, Dear Friends" speech.

Matthew Birch: I reckon Uncle Bryn from Gavin and Stacey would put some fire in the Welsh lads.

Image source, Reuters

Listen to live BBC Radio Nottingham commentary from day five of the WTA Nottingham Tennis Open. 

Johanna Konta exited the competition in the second round on Thursday to leave qualifier Tara Moore as the only British player in the tournament. Moore is third on Centre Court this afternoon and coverage from the event gets underway at around 12:00 BST. 

Image source, .

Looks like the Sportsday audience have responded to this earlier post. The tickets now appear to be sold out...

Image source, Getty Images

Muhammad Ali should be given a posthumous honorary knighthood, according to Britain's former two-weight world champion David Haye.

Ali, who is widely regarded as the greatest boxer of all time, died aged 74 of "septic shock due to unspecified natural causes" last Friday. His funeral is today.

"I believe Muhammad Ali is the perfect recipient," said Haye, 35.

The British boxer started a petition in February to get Ali an honorary knighthood, awarded to recognise non-British citizens who have made major contributions to the UK.

Live coverage of the funeral from Louisville, Kentucky, Fri 10 June, 18:45 BST, BBC Radio 5 live sports extra  

Image source, Getty Images

Teenager Brooke Henderson hit a hole-in-one as the world number four posted a four-under-par 67 to lead the KPMG Women's PGA Championship by two shots.

Read more.

Image source, AP

Here's a review of the papers in France courtesy of BBC Monitoring:

Le Monde, external welcomes the expansion of the tournament to accommodate 24 teams, saying it will provide an "orgy of football". The paper says the French team face stiff competition in the early stages (against Romania, Switzerland and Albania) and should not even consider themselves favourites to top the group.

An article in Les Echos, external says embattled French president Francois Hollande will hope that the tournament will boost his dire approval ratings ahead of next year's presidential election, but that the opposite may occur.

Which non-football personality would you get to give the team talk before your country’s opening match and why?

Beep Beep: Liam Neeson to the opponents of both the Irish & Northern Irish teams

Scillaci Ram: Walt Disney to get the players animated in competition for once.

The front-runner so far, Scillaci Ram...

Image source, Getty Images

Have you got your MCC tie on? No?

If you're not at Lord's then you can follow day two of the third Test between England v Sri Lanka on this website and Test Match Special on BBC Radio 5 live extra.

Wakefield Trinity Wildcats have signed Tonga international prop David Fifita on a deal to the end of the season.

The 26-year-old has been playing for Cronulla Sharks in the NRL.

"It's a massive signing for the club," said head coach Chris Chester.

Image source, Getty Images

Carlo Ancelotti (football) - Former Real Madrid, Paris St Germain and Chelsea coach, born 1959, is 57 today.

David Platt (football) - Former England captain who played for Aston Villa, Arsenal, Sampdoria and Juventus, born 1966, turns 50 today.

Andy Schleck (cycling) - Retired Luxembourg cyclist, winner of 2010 Tour de France after Alberto Contador was stripped of title, born 1985, is celebrating his 31st birthday.

Kaia Kanepi (tennis) - Estonian tennis player, a quarter-finalist at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open, born 1985, turns 31.

David Miller (cricket) - South Africa's Twenty20 and one-day international batsman, born 1989, is 27.

Image source, Getty Images

Venezuela pulled off the shock of the Copa America so far by beating Uruguay 1-0 to reach the quarter-finals, while Mexico also advanced with a 2-0 win over Jamaica. 

A goal from West Brom's Salomon Rondon was enough to give Venezuela the points and eliminate the team that leads South American qualifying for the 2018 World Cup.

Image source, Euro 2016 wallchart

You might have woken up today wondering... "when are Iceland playing Austria?"

Our wallchart has the answer to that and your other Euro 2016 fixtures question.

Which non-football personality would you get to give the team talk before your country’s opening match and why?

Dec: A Rocky Balboa like speech from Joe Calzaghe could inspire us Welsh.

Eric Millington: Hugh Grant in his role as Prime Minister from Love Actually to give the England team talk.

Mark Chambers: For England it has to be Jonny Wilkinson #eloquent #winner

Lyle Jackson
BBC Sport NI in Saint-Georges-de-Reneins

Image source, BBC Sport

Kyle Lafferty has jogged out on to the training pitch with his Northern Ireland team-mates, kicking the ball and seemingly in fine spirits.