“When you get those lows, you just gotta come back and do all you can do.” Sean Cronin is dealing with another low, at present, but he will back himself to come back stronger from his latest disappointment. The Limerick native would have been hoping to get a decent crack at the Ireland No.2 jersey […]

8 years ago

Joe Schmidt has selected a damned strong team. Ireland got off to a losing start in Brisbane but Schmidt has put out an immensely stronger starting XV for the second game in Melbourne. There are eight changes, including an entirely new front row, with a host of Leinster stars recalled for the game. Cian Healy […]

8 years ago

“I probably stepped over the line a bit that day”

8 years ago

“They really played with some kind of collective purpose and that is something we have not seen from the Wallabies in quite a long time.” Georgina Robinson was not the only Australian left invigorated by what she witnessed at Suncorp Stadium last Saturday night. Here was a Wallabies team mixing dialled in aggression, statement-making hits, […]

8 years ago

“We’re going to be brutal in defence and we’re going to be brutal in attack.” Brutal. Brutalising the Irish. That was the Australian game-plan and it worked a treat. Nathan Grey’s paw-prints were all over the Wallabies victory over Ireland in an insanely physical Test match, in Brisbane. We fully expected David Pocock, Michael Hooper […]

8 years ago

“It’s like [he’s] the Mike Brown of Ireland.” Even when Ireland win Test matches, Rob Kearney gets flak. When Ireland snatch it in France or blow England away, we hear that Peter O’Mahony has not done enough. So you can only imagine what follows when Ireland get outgunned by the Wallabies in Brisbane. 12 wins […]

8 years ago

That was a nice, 12-game winning streak while it lasted. Ireland’s 16-month unbeaten run came crashing to an unceremonious end, in Brisbane, as the Wallabies defeated Joe Schmidt’s side 18-9. Both sides now head to Melbourne for the Second Test and Ireland get an immediate shot at redemption. Andy McGeady was joined on The Hard […]

8 years ago

Ireland’s bid for a world record run of consecutive Test victories fell six short but this Saturday in Melbourne is the perfect opportunity to start all over again. It was a case of 12 and out for Ireland in Brisbane, last weekend, as they ran into a Wallabies side intent on smashing them into an […]

8 years ago

“We had to drag him off. He was cramping up in both calves. He wouldn’t come off and we had to order him off in the end.” Michael Cheika was not the only man in awe of David Pocock after his brutalising return to Test rugby. The Australia coach raved about Pocock’s man-of-the-match performance against […]

8 years ago

LAOIS 0-12 – CARLOW 0-8 Laois have reached their first Leinster SFC final since 2007 after seeing off Carlow at Croke Park. John Sugrue has brought Laois to the final in his first campaign as county manager. The game itself was less than pretty but it will not matter a jot to the victors. Ross […]

8 years ago

Worked a… charm. Michael Cheika was under a lot of pressure heading into Australia’s Test Series against Ireland but he had his team primed for war. The Wallabies tore into Ireland from the get-go and overcame some discipline and lineout issues to stretch away for an 18-9 victory in Brisbane. 1-0 up in the three-Test […]

8 years ago

David Pocock and Israel Folau took Ireland to task, town, school and to the cleaners while they were at it. Time to fight back. Ireland went from heavy favourites to mere, one-point favourites with the bookies after making six changes for the First Test against Australia. Johnny Sexton, Dan Leavy, Tadhg Furlong and Cian Healy […]

8 years ago

“Not a scratch on you, brother!” Five days out from their scheduled re-appearance at Brooklyn Criminal Court, Conor McGregor and Cian Cowley were at Belfast’s SSE Arena. McGregor was in attendance at Brave 13 to cheer on his Straight Blast Gym stablemate as he took on Daniel Olejniczak. Cowley and McGregor are due in court on […]

8 years ago

Michael Cheika knows a quality operator when he sees one. The Wallabies coach masterminded a 18-9 victory over an Ireland team that had not been beaten, before Brisbane, in 16 months. Having spent five years in Ireland as Leinster coach, the Aussie is fully aware of the backlash heading his side’s way in Melbourne next […]

8 years ago

“We’ll be showing the action from Nowlan Park very shortly, where Wexford lead Kilkenny by three points to two.” That was what hurling fans tuning into Sky Sports were told, by host Rachel Wyse, as they tried to figure out what had happened to Wexford vs. Kilkenny. Sky had the run of GAA broadcasting matters […]

8 years ago

MEATH 0-19 – 2-14 TYRONE Tyrone were on the verge of being dumped out of the Senior Football Championship in the first round of the Qualifiers before Cathal McShane saved their skin. Trailing by a point with 10 seconds to go in injury time, referee Paddy Neilan awarded Tyrone a free and McShane held his nerve […]

8 years ago

“It’s nothing that we didn’t expect. Australia are an unbelievably athletic and talented team.” Joe Schmidt looked understandably crestfallen after Ireland lost the opening game of their three-Test series against Australia, in Brisbane. Ireland led 9-8 after the hour mark but ran out of considerable steam in the final quarter and lost 18-9. David Pocock […]

8 years ago

Back on March 19, Ireland achieved their highest points return since the world rankings system was introduced. Having defeated England to claim the 2018 Grand Slam, Ireland were also on a 12-game winning streak and second in the world rankings. That run saw Joe Schmidt’s side reach 89.11 points and they were closing in on […]

8 years ago

Bundee Aki looked every bit like a player who had not seen competitive action in six weeks and many of his teammates were gassed by the final quarter. It looked like some of Ireland’s players were pegging it around in a stultifying greenhouse in the second half at Suncorp Stadium. In the final 20 minutes […]

8 years ago

The Ireland scrum-half lost the run of himself here. Conor Murray was right to be livid with Australia for slowing the ball down as his side tried to rally, late on, but his tirade against referee Marius van der Westhuizen was several steps too far. The Munster man will surely acknowledge that himself. Ireland fell to […]

8 years ago

AUSTRALIA 18-9 IRELAND Ireland have not won a Test match in Australia since 1979 and, after a brilliant Wallabies performance in Brisbane, the wait goes on. Australia were deserved winners as Ireland gassed out in the final quarter and it was man-of-the-match Dabid Pocock to sink the dagger with a late try. The hosts hit […]

8 years ago

The Munster man has had a superb start at Suncorp Stadium. Australia put it up to Ireland in the opening match of their Test Series but Peter O’Mahony led from the front superbly. James Ryan and Jacob Stockdale did well too but O’Mahony was superb. Named Ireland captain for the fifth time in his career, […]

8 years ago

‘The Notorious’ is heading to the United States this week for his court date in Brooklyn. June 14, in Brooklyn, will be pivotal for Conor McGregor and Cian Cowley and their future fight plans. The pair handed themselves into police back in April after they were sought for their alleged roles in an attack on […]

8 years ago

Near the end of his autobiography, ‘Born to Run’, Bruce Springsteen tells a tale about driving back to his hometown of Freehold, New Jersey. Springsteen had long since moved away from his neighbourhood but could never quit New Jersey. One night, he hopped in a car and headed to Randolph Street and the house he […]

8 years ago

What a shame this would be for the France international. As much as Lyon may have denied it, or wanted to deny it, Liverpool were reportedly all set to announce their second summer transfer and third big addition to their 2018/19 squad. Friday afternoon was supposed to see the Reds release pictures and statements relating […]

8 years ago

As is their right, as favourites, Ireland are trying their damnedest to talk the Australians up and insist they will be up against it. Sekope Kepu, Adam Coleman, Izack Rodda, Samu Kerevi and Caleb Timu have all been talked up a storm by the Irish players and coaching staff this week. Most Irish rugby fans […]

8 years ago

Stephen Rochford has been forced into a couple of changes but has also opted to freshen things up. Mayo kick off what they hope will be a circuitous route to the Super 8s and the All-Ireland final with a Round 1 Qualifier match against Limerick on Saturday evening. Having been beaten by Galway in the […]

8 years ago

Real Madrid could be looking a whole lot more Brazilian next season. Not content with winning their third Champions League title in succession, Los Blancos are set to make some interesting additions to their 2018/19 squad. Real are currently without a manager after Zinedine Zidane decided to step back from his trophy-laden role with the […]

8 years ago

In the grand scheme of it, Ireland only pip Australia as they have a strong bench with three British & Irish Lions on it. Ireland do battle with Australia in the first of three Tests at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium, this weekend, and home hopes are not high. The Wallabies may possess the likes of Israel […]

8 years ago

What an unholy mess. UFC main event fights in pay-per-view events have been dropping like flies these past few months and UFC 225 is no different. The main event at UFC 225 has been thrown into serious doubt after Cuban challenger Yoel Romero twice missed weight for his slated middleweight title fight with Robert Whittaker. […]

8 years ago

Sheer, hard work

8 years ago

Johnny Sexton will not be the only one watching the First Test with interest. Joey Carbery has only started two Test matches for Ireland and, both times, Kieran Marmion was by his side. The Connacht scrum-half was alongside Carbery for his first try of the No.10 jersey in a comfortable win over the USA. Five […]

8 years ago

A few surprises here and Joe Schmidt changes things up. Ireland have made six changes from the team that beat England to claim a Grand Slam for the opening Test against Australia. Peter O’Mahony will captain the side in the absence of long-term leader Rory Best, who missed out on touring due to a hamstring […]

8 years ago

Ireland have not won a Test match in Australia for 39 years, yet they headed Down Under as heavy favourites. You have to go back to 1979 to find the last time Ireland got the better of the Wallabies on their home sod. There was the famous World Cup win in 2011 but that game […]

8 years ago

“Ireland have already done a great service for Australian rugby… they’ve sold out the Sydney Test already and the sales are really good for Brisbane and Melbourne.” Irish rugby supporters will be out in force during their country’s Test series against Michael Cheika’s Australia and one would be hard pressed to find many locals that […]

8 years ago

The deed is done and Joey Carbery is a Munster player, but it could be a while before he gets a run out in that famous red jersey. Carbery was the one to break the news of his move to Munster, from Leinster, last week and it left one of the four Irish provinces beaming. […]

8 years ago

Back in September 2011, three days out from their World Cup encounter with Ireland, Australian forward Radike Samo admitted that he did not know much about Sean O’Brien at all. The Reds star was honest enough to make the concession but given the fact that O’Brien had just been named European Player of the Year […]

8 years ago

Get this Sevens World Series craic over to Dublin, pronto. Ireland were at Twickenham as an invitational side for the London leg of the HSBC World Series and they left with a brilliant bronze medal. Having failed to qualify for the full series, the Irish were asked over to take part in a tournament featuring […]

8 years ago

Not the Champions Cup. Not the Heineken Cup. Not far away from either. After four years of calling the Heineken Cup the ‘Champions Cup’ we are going for a hybrid. The beer company is back as title partner to the European Cup competition from the start of next season and the continent’s top 20 teams […]

8 years ago

KERRY 0-32 CLARE 0-10 It was all looking so good for Clare… for about two minutes. Kerry made them pay, and pay, and pay. Eoin Casey ans Pearse Lillis put Clare 02-00 ahead of their hosts, at Fitzgerald Stadium, but spent the rest of the first half chasing shadows and cursing the resumption of normal […]

8 years ago

Fermanagh really put it up to Monaghan in their Ulster SFC semi-final but there was no pleasing a couple of prominent RTE pundits. Football is back on our televisions, this championship summer, as Monaghan did battle with Rory Gallagher’s Fermanagh at Healy Park, Omagh. The Maguire County won out after Eoin Donnelly got a late […]

8 years ago

“I’ve relished every minute of it… to top it off with a goal, I don’t think I can really put it into words.” All week, in training, Graham Burke was determined to show Martin O’Neill, Roy Keane and the entire Ireland squad that he was not out of place ‘and that I can mix it […]

8 years ago

Our strongest Ireland XI features seven of the team that started against the USA. Losing to, or even drawing with, an under-strength USA side was looking on the cards for a while at Lansdowne Road, on Saturday, but goals from Graham Burke and Alan Judge secured a welcome win. Neither side are off to the […]

8 years ago

“At least it was a clean sheet while I was on.” John O’Shea was in top form following Ireland’s 2-1 win over the USA at Lansdowne Road. The Waterford native bowed out of international football and, as he remarked to RTE, he was pleased that the scoreline was 0-0 when, after 34 minutes, he left […]

8 years ago

This would lead to record pay-per-view numbers for the UFC. Having gone the guts of two years without an active champion, the UFC came up with a superb plan to push the lightweight division front and centre. Khabib Nurmagomedov is now the champion after his UFC 223 victory over Al Iaquinta. That win saw Conor […]

8 years ago

“May have been Cork or Kerry” = “May have been car can carry” The accents are not even that thick but whoever was looking after the YouTube subtitles for the Munster Senior Football Championship previews – and particularly one for Kerry versus Clare – was in way over their heads. Players from Cork, Kerry, Limerick, Waterford […]

8 years ago

No short-cuts here, just a lot of dumbbells. Having started off with a hurley in her hand at the age of six, Ashling Thompson has lived and breathed camogie for over 20 years but is showing no signs of slowing down, or easing off. The three-time All-Ireland winner and two-time All Star is one of […]

8 years ago

The Manchester United boss had to strike a deal with players over their FA Cup haircuts. Jose Mourinho thrives in cup competitions. One-off games against teams where meticulous planning and specific tactics can get the better of foes. The United boss would have liked nothing better than to finish off 2017/18 with an FA Cup […]

8 years ago

Joe Schmidt may not have been far off when he told the press, on Thursday, that the 22-year-old’s move to Munster was ‘new news to me’. An image still stands out from the mixed zone at the San Mames stadium, just over 90 minutes after Leinster had won the Champions Cup. Rhys Ruddock, Luke McGrath, […]

8 years ago

Crafty as you like. 11 years on and Gary Brennan is still going strong for the Clare footballers. Brennan has been lacing his boots up for championship summers for over a decade now and, on Sunday, he will do so again. The midfielder and his Clare teammates are off to Killarney to take on a […]

8 years ago