The year was 2002. The location Carisbrook, Dunedin. The All Blacks v Ireland, and Ronan O’Gara remembers it well. New Zealand had an unbeaten streak over Ireland that at that stage had stretched for 97 long years. Having defeated a Divisional XV side by 53 points a week earlier, and back-boned by stars of the […]

5 years ago

By God, there is nothing worse.. That realisation at the beginning of a season when you know you are ridiculously out of shape and have a mountain to climb is the worst thing about playing sport. The off-season was fun though! Pints by the gallon, chocolate bars in twos and pizza for breakfast. But the […]

7 years ago

It’s a pity two of them are missing on Saturday… Joe Schmidt is in the midst of preparing Ireland to take on World Champions, New Zealand on Saturday night at the Aviva Stadium. Irish rugby is riding the crest of a wave at the moment and this eagerly anticipated test match will really give Schmidt […]

7 years ago

The countdown is well and truly on… In just two days time Ireland will take on New Zealand in a game that is being touted as a meeting of the two best teams in rugby at present. Joe Schmidt’s men have a chance to top the world rankings for the first time in history if […]

7 years ago

Artem Lobov just can’t keep out of the headlines, no matter how hard he may try. The SBG fighter found himself at the centre of the rivalry between training partner Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov following his confrontation with Khabib in the lead up to UFC 223 in Brooklyn. What followed this was the now […]

7 years ago

By Sunday evening we will know the two teams who will battle it out on December 2 for the Seamus McFerran Cup. The 2018 Ulster club semi finals throw up a couple of interesting ties as Crossmaglen Rangers go to the well once more against Donegal’s Gaoth Dobhair, whilst Monaghan champions, Scotstown face off against […]

7 years ago

TG4 to the rescue once more… By now, you are all well aware of how the Irish language broadcaster literally saves Gaels from going insane throughout the winter period. This weekend though, they have stepped it up a gear once more with eight hours of uninterrupted GAA action to whet fans’ appetites. Not only will […]

7 years ago

The GAA seem set to alter another one of the five proposed rule changes that will be trialled in 2019. Last week the kickout rule was amended after it had been trialled in schools and colleges games. Under the proposed rules, kickouts had to travel beyond the 45 metre line and only a limited number […]

7 years ago

The New Zealand, All Blacks are the toughest team in sports to overcome. Ireland tried for 108 years to get one over on them, and it wasn’t until two years ago that Joe Schmidt’s men finally came out on the right side of a result against the greatest team in rugby. It wasn’t for a […]

7 years ago

There has been a lot of talk about what XV Ireland should start against the All Blacks this weekend. Saturday’s test match is extremely important. Not only are we heading into a World Cup year, but Ireland are currently second in Rugby’s World Rankings, so Saturday’s game is a grudge match between the two best […]

7 years ago

CJ Stander has been a colossal for Ireland ever since winning the man of the match award on his debut against Wales back in the 2016 Six Nations. The South-African born Munster man has gone from strength to strength from that day on and so far has scored nine tries throughout his 27 caps, including […]

7 years ago

He just has to start against the All Blacks… especially now that Sean O’Brien is out. Dan Leavy stole the show on Saturday night throughout his 42 minute cameo. Had he played the whole game he probably would have picked up the man of the match award, such was his influence. Unfortunately Ireland lost veteran […]

7 years ago

You would be hard pushed to find a club like Aughawillan. One of the biggest underdog teams in the most underdog of counties, “The Willies” have won three Leitrim championship titles in the last five years. It is a unique situation given the size of their club. With only 125 registered members they are fighting […]

7 years ago

Well, we didn’t see that one coming… By now, everyone is aware of the recent business dealings of ONE Championship. Former lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez recently signed an eight figure contract with the Asian based organisation, and Miesha Tate was appointed as vice-president. https://twitter.com/YODCHATRI/status/1060401578824261632 The biggest piece of business without a doubt though was the […]

7 years ago

Dublin have escaped sanction following an investigation into whether they broke training regulations before the championship season. The rule within the GAA prohibits squads embarking on ‘away’ training weekends in the period between the National League finishing and 10 days before their championship opener. Dublin footballers travelled to France during the prohibited period, but insisted […]

7 years ago

Raheem Sterling has apologised after his clumsy fall against Shakhtar Donetsk won a penalty for Manchester City in last night’s 6-0 win at the Etihad Stadium. The Premier League champions led by a goal when the England international raced into the box only to stub his toe and fall over, completely duping the referee who […]

7 years ago

Crossmaglen Rangers could be facing repercussions from the Ulster Council that will no doubt affect them in the lead up to their Ulster semi final clash with Gaoth Dobhair. The Armagh champions defeated Tyrone’s Coalisland last week at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh. The game was a tempestuous affair as 12 yellow cards were dished […]

7 years ago

When longtime UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson jumped ship and joined ONE Championship last week, many doubted the division’s future. It now seems that fans were right to doubt the division’s future, despite the fact that Johnson was no longer champion when he left. MMA media outlet, FloCombat reported last night that the men’s flyweight […]

7 years ago

Wow… Mixed-martial arts organisation, ONE Championship have made some huge statements as of late. Last month they signed multiple world lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez to a reported eight figure contract that will see the “Underground King” live comfortably the rest of his life. They followed that up with one of the most historic moments […]

7 years ago

A lot of criticism has been levelled at Gaelic football in the past couple of seasons, with many supporters calling for rule changes in order to improve standards. Whilst some agree and others disagree, at the end of the day there is no harm in trying out new things, which is exactly what Meath club […]

7 years ago

Donegal are one of the top counties in Ireland, but their record in club championship football leaves a lot to be desired. The Ulster club championship is a notoriously tough competition to win, and it has proved very elusive for Donegal clubs. Dating back to 1968, they have competed in just six Ulster finals, and their […]

7 years ago

No matter where in the world you are, nothing beats a home cooked meal and your own bed. That was the sentiment shared by Leona Maguire, one of Ireland’s greatest golfers as she settles back into life in Ballyconnell, Co. Cavan for a couple weeks. “It’s always nice to be home, in your own home […]

7 years ago

Thank God for TG4… You could be forgiven for thinking that once the inter-county season ends, the GAA scene goes quiet, however it’s quite the opposite as the club game takes over from September through to Christmas, and every weekend TG4 completely spoil fans with some top quality club action. Whether it’s the big ball […]

7 years ago

It’s been a sub-standard year for Tipperary’s norm, in both codes. Despite making a national league final their hurlers failed to make it out of the inaugural Munster round-robin series and their season was over by June 10, following defeat to Clare. The county’s footballers didn’t fare out much better either. Their championship season opened […]

7 years ago

Stipe Miocic is the most successful heavyweight champion in UFC history. Until he came along nobody had defended the title of ‘baddest man on the planet’ more than twice. Miocic defended it three times. The Cleveland native was sitting a top his perch having taken on all comers in the heavyweight division, that was until […]

7 years ago

Ben Askren has an opponent… After all his call outs and his insults, it turns out his first opponent inside the UFC Octagon will be one of the few welterweights he failed to mention throughout his tirade. As first reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN, Askren’s first opponent under the UFC banner looks set to […]

7 years ago

MMA promotion, ONE championship has made a couple of huge statements over the past number of weeks with the signings of Eddie Alvarez and Demetrius Johnson. “Underground King” Alvarez signed a reported 8-figure contract with the promotion a few weeks back, and if that wasn’t big enough, news broke last week that ONE and the […]

7 years ago

It seems as though every position in the Ireland rugby team is up for debate, and the two centres are no different. This month’s November series is extremely important for Joe Schmidt’s charges as they face into 2019, a year that will see them trying to put together back-to-back Grand Slam wins for the first […]

7 years ago

Ruby Walsh has paid tribute to Alexander Banquet after the horse died aged 25 at Willie Mullins’ stables. Alexander Banquet was the horse Walsh was on during his first ever Grade 1 victory in 1999 when he was victorious in the Royal Bond Novice Hurdle at Fairyhouse. The horse was also responsible for Walsh’s first […]

7 years ago

Nobody envies the task Joe Schmidt has in front of him… You would be hard pushed to pick your best 15 for Ireland at the minute, there are at least two players for each position, in some cases three. However, the biggest problem at present is picking three players for the back row. It’s a […]

7 years ago

Conor Murray is Ireland’s most important player right now, and with a World Cup less than a year away, his injury has some supporters worried. The Munster scrum half has really showed his class on the world stage over the past couple of seasons, and the thought of Ireland facing into the World Cup in […]

7 years ago

It was a good weekend for Scotstown GAA club. On Friday, goalkeeper Rory Beggan picked up the club’s second ever All-Star award after a stellar season in the blue and white of Monaghan that saw them reach a first All-Ireland semi final in 30 years. There was no time to celebrate his maiden All-Star victory […]

7 years ago

Finally, a compliment has been paid… Conor McGregor versus Khabib Nurmagomedov was the most highly anticipated fight of 2018, in fact it was the most anticipated fight in the history of the UFC, and the numbers backed it up. UFC 229 sold 2.4 million PPV’s making it the most lucrative card in the history of […]

7 years ago

Some of you may have heard of Aaron Chalmers due to the Englishman’s undefeated streak inside the MMA world. However, most people know him as a former cast member of popular UK reality show, ‘Geordie Shore’. The Newcastle man, who fights at welterweight has come in for some backlash from MMA fans who claimed he […]

7 years ago

Paraic Duffy stepped down from his role as director general in 2018, but don’t think for a second that his involvement in the association has come to an end. Duffy spent 10 years in the GAA’s top job, but what’s more impressive is the list of roles he’s held within the association. Apart from his […]

7 years ago

Jon Jones is back in the UFC! The much maligned fighter was in New York last night at a press conference promoting his UFC 232 comeback fight with Alexander Gustafsson, and fans are very eager to see the two light-heavyweights square off following their fight of the year performance back in 2013. The winner of […]

7 years ago

With the Rugby World Cup a year away, this year’s November series is as important as any that has gone before it. Joe Schmidt named a 38-man squad last week for the 4-game series, and news broke this week that he would be bringing 26 along to Chicago for this weekend’s game against Italy. Now […]

7 years ago

Irish Rugby is currently riding the crest of a wave heading into a World Cup year. It’s great to see, but we have been here before. Ireland entered the 2015 Rugby World Cup coming off back-to-back Six Nations wins. On that occasion we fell to a shock defeat against Argentina after a series of injuries […]

7 years ago

The All Blacks are all conquering and have been since the dawning of time. They are just too bloody good at it. From the minute they step onto the field in that iconic uniform they are captivating. It starts with the world famous Haka, which has the potential in itself to blow teams away. What […]

7 years ago

It wasn’t that long ago that Irish rugby was viewed as being in a bad place. Having won the Six Nations in 2014 & 2015, Ireland went into the World Cup with legitimate hopes of reaching a first ever semi final. After topping Pool D, Ireland faced into a quarter final clash with genuine minnows […]

7 years ago

Outrage, total outrage… The 2018 Gaelic football All-Stars select has been announced and there is some cause for concern. Stephen Cluxton has been snubbed for the fifth year in a row. Since his last All-Star win, he has lifted Sam Maguire four times. The man has captained the All-Ireland winners five times in total, and […]

7 years ago

Neil Lennon is no stranger to controversy… The former Celtic captain is currently manager of Hibernian FC who took on Edinburgh rivals Hearts tonight in a fiesty encounter that ended 0-0. In a game that saw Hibs striker Florian Kamberi sent off for a second bookable offence, before Hearts had a late winner from Clevid Dikamona denied […]

7 years ago

Willie Mullins has identified five-year-old Laurina as ‘special’ and is plotting a run at the Champion Hurdle. The star mare arrived from French trainer Guillaume Macaire and has since went on to win all four of her starts by a whopping total of 52 lengths. Laurina cruised to an 18 length win in the mares’ […]

7 years ago

Derrick Lewis faces the biggest fight of his career on Saturday night when he challenges Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight title at UFC 230. “The Black Beast” was granted the main event slot at Madison Square Garden following his dramatic last gasp knockout win over Alexander Volkov earlier this month at UFC 229. However, the […]

7 years ago

It doesn’t look like he’s stopping anytime soon… Although no official announcement has been made, Ben Askren is now a UFC fighter. The organisations refusal to highlight it though, has only added fuel to his fire. Hey @ufc are you gonna make an announcement? You are like that guy with a GF who’s embarrassed to […]

7 years ago

The death of Leicester City owner, Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha on Saturday after a horrific helicopter crash has the whole of Britain in mourning this week. The Thai billionaire was very much to the forefront of the Foxes rise from Championship stragglers to Premier League champions, but what many don’t know about the sport enthusiast, was that […]

7 years ago

Ben Askren is officially a UFC fighter, and if you think he was going to enter the organization quietly, then you’ve another coming. “Funky” has signed as part of an historic trade deal, the likes of which has never before been seen in MMA. The UFC get Askren, whilst long-time dominant flyweight champion, Demetrius Johnson […]

7 years ago

We’ve always wondered how much scouting goes into the recruitment of Gaelic footballers who make the move to Australian Rules football. For decades now the ‘Irish Experiment’ has seen countless underage talent travel half way around the world to try their hand at the AFL. Out of this experiment has come legendary players like Jim […]

7 years ago

It’s no secret that Kerry legend Tomás Ó Sé is not a fan of the AFL’s recruitment process with regards to Gaelic football’s brightest young talents. The legendary wing back is not happy at the number of players that are seemingly being poached, and lured away from home by the professional game. Last year, Ó […]

7 years ago

Much deserved… Leinster and Ireland’s Jordan Larmour has been nominated for World Rugby Breakout Player Of The Year 2018, it was announced on Friday. The full back made his Ireland debut earlier this year, coming off the bench against Italy in February. It has been a meteoric rise for the 21-year-old who went on the […]

7 years ago