Johnny Sexton went off with a head injury in the second minute. Ross Byrne smashed heads with Nic White a short while after. Sean Cronin lost his tooth, even with the added aide of a mouthguard. Leinster’s 22-17 win over Exeter on Saturday in Dublin was a bruising affair and it’s no real surprise that […]

8 years ago

Leinster Head Coach Leo Cullen said that fly-half Johnny Sexton is fine after leaving Saturday’s win over the Exeter Chiefs with a head injury. Sexton was removed from play in the second minute and did not return after failing his Head Injury Assessment. Cullen said that he was fine, and that he was giving advice […]

8 years ago

Before Mike Tyson’s second world title fight with Evander Holyfield in June 1997, Kid Dynamite famously told reporters “Everybody has a plan until they get hit. Then, like a rat, they stop in fear and freeze.” A few days later, Holyfield was standing in the middle of the MGM Grand Garden Arena with blood streaming down […]

8 years ago

Simon Zebo has never been a player to mask his emotions. The Munster full-back has been described as a free-spirit by teammates and he certainly lived up to that tag last weekend with his post-try celebration in the 33-10 win over Leicester. Munster fly-half Ian Keatley spotted a gap in behind the Tigers defence and […]

8 years ago

The annual Christmas contract carousel is here and the IRFU must once again decide who is worthy of a central contract and who will be left to the provinces, or alternatively, lost to overseas clubs and competitors. There are 17 Irish internationals set to come off contract this summer and all of those players will […]

8 years ago

Connacht and Ireland scrum-half Kieran Marmion has signed a two-year contract extension with the province that will keep him at the Sportsgrounds until the end of the 2019/2020 season. Marmion joined the Connacht Academy in 2011 and has made over 130 appearances for the club whilst also receiving a further 18 caps for Ireland. Marmion […]

8 years ago

Rick Ramos, Jessica McCaskill’s head trainer, was caught on Sky Sports cameras last night encouraging his fighter to throw a ‘f**king missile’ at WBA female lightweight champion Katie Taylor. The Bray native extended her professional record to 8-0 with a 97-92, 97-92, 98-91 unanimous decision win over the American in her maiden title defence. With McCaskill trailing […]

8 years ago

Fantastic news

8 years ago

“Professional rugby is all about survival,” Damian Browne tells me on the eve of the Atlantic Challenge, a 4800km ocean row across the North Atlantic ocean. “It’s like the crucible. Every day, every hour, every minute you’re just trying to survive in that environment because there’s a hell of a lot of pressures from a lot […]

8 years ago

Republic of Ireland U21 international Corey Whelan has signed a new deal to stay at Liverpool. Whelan has come through the club’s youth academy and has cemented himself as a regular in Neil Critchley’s Liverpool U23 side, scoring the second goal in the Reds 4-0 win over the Everton U23’s at Prenton Park last month. The […]

8 years ago

The Irish international trio of Keith Earls, Niall Scannell and James Cronin are set to return to Munster training this week ahead of the province’s trip to Welford Road on Sunday to face the Leicester Tigers. Earls returns to training this week after injuring his hamstring while training with Ireland last month while Scannell will […]

8 years ago

Unbeaten Irish middleweight Jason Quigley is set to leave Manny Robles’ ‘The Rock Gym’ in Carson, Los Angeles, to link up with new trainer Dominic Ingle at the Ingle Gym in Sheffield. Quigley moved to Los Angeles in 2014 after he was headhunted by ten-time world champion and leading promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who signed […]

8 years ago

“I really want to win this fight,” Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan tells me as his teammate Niall Kennedy hits pads with Paschal Collins in the ring behind us. “I really want to win. This is the hardest I’ve ever trained for a fight, and I know a lot of fighters say that, but I have never […]

8 years ago

Johann van Graan has been in the Munster hot seat for just over three weeks now but already he can start to feel the flames beginning to fan around him. The South African has walked into a situation where Andrew Conway has been faintly accused of ‘headhunting’ by Leicester coach Matt O’Connor, Ireland internationals Keith […]

8 years ago

This is what it was supposed to look like. This is what it was supposed to look like at Leinster when Stuart Lancaster first joined the coaching ticket as a ‘senior’ coach in September 2016. The former England head coach arrived in Belfield at the beginning of last season as the extra set of eyes […]

8 years ago

English author Terry Pratchett will be best remembered for his work as a fantasy novelist, and for his services to literature, but like all great writers, Pratchett had this natural ability to touch on many different topics through a limited amount of words. ‘Build a man a fire, and he’ll be warm for a day. […]

8 years ago

Ulster Rugby have confirmed the signing of Leinster flanker Jordi Murphy on a two-year deal beginning next season. Murphy leaves the three-time European champions after seven seasons at Belfield where he won a European Challenge Cup, a PRO 12 title as well as Leinster’s Young Player of the Year award. The 26-year-old will link up with […]

8 years ago

Self-awareness is probably the most overlooked quality in professional sport. The ability to recognise and understand your place in an environment and envision where you see yourself in one, three and five years time, may ultimately be the difference between a career of self-fulfilment and a career of self-regret. Jordi Murphy still has a lot […]

8 years ago

He’s back. Brentford and Ireland midfielder Alan Judge scored in his first game of football in nearly 20 months after suffering a horrific leg break for Brentford against Ipswich last season. FT @BarnetFC U23 2 #BrentfordB 3. @10judgey and @mforss_9 secure Brentford B a first win in four pic.twitter.com/TIJWOrRtbY — Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) December 5, […]

8 years ago

What do you get the man who has €140 million for Christmas? €280 million? €420 million? €560 million? €700 million? A billion seems to be the most desired present for Conor McGregor this Christmas but what will that ultimately bring him? The UFC Lightweight champion seems enthralled by the thought of becoming the first ‘#BILLIONAIRE […]

8 years ago