The Agenda: Tour Down Under; Six Nations squads; Masters snooker; NFL playoffs

The cyclists are back on the road, Wales and England name Six Nations squads, Ronnie O’Sullivan defends his Masters crown and it’s the NFL divisional round

ROAD RELIEF

The opening salvos of cycling’s calendar arrive this week with the start on Tuesday of the Tour Down Under (Bike Channel). Lately, however, the focus on elite cycling in this country has been overwhelmingly on Team Sky: the controversy about therapeutic use exemptions and questions over a package delivered to Sir Bradley Wiggins in 2011. Then there are hints that relations between Chris Froome, who begins his campaign to win a fourth Tour de France title in five years at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race later this month, and Sky’s principal Sir Dave Brailsford are somewhat strained. That suggests a return to the business of actual racing may come as a welcome relief to the tribulations away from the road and velodrome.

SIX NATIONS SELECTIONS

With the start of rugby’s Six Nations drawing ever closer, both England and Wales name their squads for the tournament this week. First up are Wales on Tuesday, and the background noise to their 2017 campaign centres on the captaincy, with Alun Wyn Jones (below left) set to take over from Sam Warburton, ending the Cardiff Blues flanker’s six-year spell as leader. The stewardship of Rob Howley is also under the microscope after a disappointing Autumn series. For England, a torrid injury list means Eddie Jones’ selection, which is due on Friday morning, should prove interesting reading, particularly in the pack. The Australian has seen the injury list steadily grow and will be missing Chris Robshaw, the brothers Vunipola, Joe Marler, Manu Tuilagi and the suspended Dylan Hartley for the defending champions’ opening game against France at Twickenham on 4 February. Then there are doubts over the fitness of James Haskell and George Kruis.

ROCKET HITS ALLY PALLY

The Masters begins on Sunday, with the top-16 players in the world flocking to London’s Alexandra Palace to fight for one of the most prestigious prizes in snooker. The six-times champion Ronnie O’Sullivan (above) begins his defence against Liang Wenbo and other highlights of the opening round include Shaun Murphy’s meeting with last year’s beaten finalist, Barry Hawkins, and the world No1, Mark Selby taking on Mark Williams (BBC 2, from 1pm).

NFL CRUNCH TIME

Following on from the drama of last weekend’s wildcard ties, the divisional rounds of the NFL playoffs continue on Sunday. The wildcard week winners come up against the teams with the best records in the league and upsets are unlikely, as the latter group have both the home field advantage and the added rest from their bye week, although, if the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (left) has any more Hail Mary touchdowns up his sleeve things could become interesting. The Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Kansas to face the Chiefs (Sky Sports 2, 6.05pm) and the Packers are in Dallas playing the No1 ranked Cowboys (Sky Sports 2, 9.40pm).

LOOK OUT FOR … A SASSY GIRAFFE

A what? Jenny the Giraffe: Sutton United’s all neck, no trousers mascot – ready for more romance in Tuesday’s FA Cup third round replay at AFC Wimbledon. Don’t be fooled by her upbeat demeanour, though. Inside, she’s smarting.

What’s wrong? She’s been snubbed again. Sutton’s tie looked like a shoo-in for live TV Magic of the Cup™ coverage – non-league, shock-famous minnows taking on the former FA Cup winners. But once again, it’ll be highlights only. The BBC is showing Lincoln v Ipswich instead.

How has that gone down? Sutton aren’t happy. “There couldn’t be anything more romantic than putting us on TV,” says manager Paul Doswell. “The money would go a long way as well: we need to improve our dressing rooms, we’ve had to take asbestos out, get a new boiler and do up the toilets …” As it is, they’ll have to focus on a fourth-round windfall instead: beat Wimbledon and they’ll face Leeds at home – a tie already chosen for live coverage.

Tasty. What about Lincoln, then? The Imps were four minutes away from an upset, drawing 2-2 with beleagured Mick McCarthy’s Ipswich. This time they’ll be at home, though, so confidence is high. They haven’t reached the fourth round for 40 years, but if they get there, they’ll host Brighton.

Anyone else on TV? Plymouth’s impressive and tense 0-0 bus-parking at Anfield has teed them up for drama at Home Park on Wednesday, live on BT Sport. “We’ll welcome Liverpool to the real world,” says manager Derek Adams. “Our dressing rooms aren’t quite so luxurious …”

Who else is replaying this week? There are nine replays in total, six of them on Tuesday, three on Wednesday. Among the most eye-catching: Sunderland go to Burnley after a gruelling 0-0 – David Moyes calling their display “very poor, and we put out our strongest team”; new Palace manager Big Sam and his newly appointed assistant Little Sam(my Lee) face Bolton again, with the winners playing Manchester City at home; Newcastle host Birmingham after their 1-1 draw, with the winner heading to Oxford United; and Norwich take on Southampton at St Mary’s for the right to face Arsenal. Replays go to extra time, then penalties.