“To me, Hugo Keenan was man of the match.” It was not all smooth sailing for Ireland, on Saturday, despite what the final scoreline of 32-15 might suggest. That being said, the Irish back three of Andrew Conway, James Lowe and Hugo Keenan all had fine games against England. After Mike Lowry starred with two […]

4 years ago

“James Ryan will not be considered for selection this week Monday’s Ireland team update came with unfortunate but, all things considered, welcome news about James Ryan. The Leinster lock sustained another bad concussion – his fifth in the past two years – in the weekend win over England. The IRFU today confirmed that he is out […]

4 years ago

The Ulster lock played his longest Test stint in 12 months. Every replacement must get into the mind-set that they can be called on at any moment. Still, Iain Henderson could not have expected that he would be needed as early as the second minute. Having enjoyed an excellent couple of season’s – he was […]

4 years ago

“I feel like Conlan isn’t as efficient as me makes out.” Many of us as still getting our heads around what was an all-time classic, on Saturday night, between Leigh Woods and Michael Conlan. The Belfast boxer headed to Wood’s home-town of Nottingham and put on one hell of a show. Had he been up […]

4 years ago

‘It wasn’t funny the first time’ Daniel Jarvis (a.k.a ‘Jarvo 69’) may think twice about invading a rugby pitch again. Brian O’Driscoll certainly hopes so, and he is not the only one. After making multiple pitch invasions during England cricket games, last summer, Jarvis switched to rugby in time for the Autumn Nations Cup. He […]

4 years ago

‘Whisper it in Munster… ‘ Peter O’Mahony has ramped it up so many times against England that it was strange to see him so muted at Twickenham. The Munster captain had a decent game in the home win over Italy, and was retained to the starting XV for Saturday’s game against England. The 2017 Lion […]

4 years ago

“We haven’t had a completed scrum yet.” We were nearing 55 minutes played, during England’s Six Nations clash with Ireland at Twickenham, and Tadhg Furlong was throwing his arms into the air again. It has been seven years since the Leinster tighthead made his Test debut and he has come up against the very best […]

4 years ago

“No questions about the red.” Even when the question included reference to Charlie Ewels being ‘a gentleman’, Eddie Jones did little to argue the point of the England lock’s red card. Jones was in decent post-match form, despite his England side dropping their second Six Nations loss of the campaign. England were reduced to 14 […]

4 years ago

“Something stood to me from my time in France!” Johnny Sexton was taking his seat at the post-match press conference, at Twickenham, when Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his third goal against Tottenham in what ended up being a 3-2 win. A Manchester United fan (as if he does not have enough sporting drama in his life), […]

4 years ago

“Thoughts are with him.” Following Ireland’s 32-15 win over 14-man England, Jonny Wilkinson put all match chat to one side to focus on the wellbeing of one man – James Ryan. The Leinster and Ireland lock, who has struggled coming back from a few concussions in recent years, shipped a fearsome blow to the head […]

4 years ago

ENGLAND 15-32 IRELAND After 82 seconds, it was looking like Ireland would coast, but it was anything but. Still, our Ireland ratings have plenty of stand-outs. Whatever plans both sides had for the contest were upturned after 82 seconds when England lock Charlie Ewels clattered into James Ryan. It was the end of both their […]

4 years ago

“It has to be the quickest red card in Test match history.” So declared Nick Mullins on ITV as Bath and England lock Charlie Ewels was sent off against Ireland. After only 82 seconds of action in England’s Six Nations clash against Ireland, play was stopped as James Ryan was clearly in a bad way. […]

4 years ago

“Oh God! Stop the show, I’m outta here!” Cliodhna Moloney was prepared for just about any question the House of Rugby hosts, or listeners, could throw her way. In the end, it was her own partner that stitched her up. The Wasps and Ireland star is enjoying another decent season in the Premier 15s and […]

4 years ago

“We showed the footage to everyone working here, earlier, and there was a cheer!” In his rugby career, Dylan Hartley was suspended on seven different occasions, for a total of 60 weeks. 2007 saw him banned for 26 weeks for ‘making contact with the eyes’ of Wasps forwards Jonny O’Connor and James Haskell. He had […]

4 years ago

A host of changes after the heavy win against Italy, as several frontliners return. Ahead of this Saturday’s Six Nations clash with England, at Twickenham, Andy Farrell has named his Ireland team. Johnny Sexton returns to the starting XV after being among the replacements for that bonus-point win over the Italians. The Ireland captain will […]

4 years ago

“We came from a tee-total culture.” As assistant coach to Stuart Lancaster [England] and Joe Schmidt [Ireland], Andy Farrell observed how to meticulous planners went about getting their teams ready for sessions, games and tournaments. As assistant to Warren Gatland on a couple of Lions tours, he saw how the Kiwi loosened the reigns in […]

4 years ago

“Well, what’s the other f***ing option?!” Dylan Hartley can still remember his first press conference after being named England captain by new head coach Eddie Jones, back in 2016. England were not far removed from a disastrous World Cup campaign, when they, as hosts, failed to make it past the group stages. Most of the […]

4 years ago

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they put in a great performance against Leinster. That’s Connacht, you know.” When they look back on the 2021/22 season, few at Connacht will remember their Friday night trip to Edinburgh with much fondness. Andy Friend’s side were leading the Scots 8-0 after 28 minutes, before the wheels came off […]

4 years ago

“Ireland win Grand Slam on English soil after St Patrick’s Day masterclass’ That was our headline, back on March 17th in 2018, as Ireland ruthlessly dismantled England at Twickenham to claim on the third Grand Slam in their history. Joe Schmidt’s men beat England 24-15 in a game that was not as close as the […]

4 years ago

“Just the clean stuff.” Joe Marler let out a ‘Jesus!’ when he heard how former Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan described big England versus Ireland showdowns as ‘bar-room brawls’. As a player that strains away from the trite, safety-first answers in his press appearances, Marler enjoyed musing about truffle pigs, sparring with Ellis Genge and TikTok […]

4 years ago

“When I hang up the boots I’ll be like a lost puppy for the first while.” We can shelve all the Tom Brady talk [unless he rocks up in Major League Rugby like Mathieu Bastareaud or Matt Giteau]. Johnny Sexton has told us all that the 2023 World Cup will be his last dance. Shortly […]

4 years ago

“Gengey punched me four times. He put my nose that way and then that way.” Whenever you see Joe Marler is coming up in the media rotation, you sit back and enjoy the show. If Frank Lampard is the master of the quick-gag-then-serious-answer, the Harlequins and England prop is long-gag-rambling-tangent-funny-sidebar-serious answer. If you get a […]

4 years ago

“I wouldn’t trust Eddie Jones with my puppy!” Andy Farrell will name his Ireland team to face England on Thursday afternoon, and the injury to Andrew Porter and return to fitness of Iain Henderson mean there will be changes. Farrell made six changes from the team that lost to France for the one that filleted […]

4 years ago

As the years go on, the respect levels grow. Johnny Sexton is expected to take the No.10 jersey back from Joey Carbery, this weekend, as Ireland visit England in the Six Nations. Both sides have two wins from three and are the only sides left capable of snatching the championship from France. Les Bleus are […]

4 years ago

“Okay… sorry.” He did not get much of a word in, but Jamie Redknapp made it count on a couple of occasions. In the box-office TV that followed Manchester City’s 4-1 thumping of Manchester United, Redknapp spoke for only about three minutes, but he still made the best point. As the supposed neutral, in amidst […]

4 years ago

Makes you wonder whether the champions were ever really interested in the 37-year-old. It seemed inconceivable, back in August, that Cristiano Ronaldo could ever pitch up at the Etihad Stadium and start chasing trophies at Manchester City. That is exactly what looked to be transpiring in those final 48 hours of the summer 2021 transfer […]

4 years ago

“Good luck to them!” Eddie Jones was far too busy trying to tee up a clash with his underdog England side against the mighty Ireland to concern himself with what a couple of pundits here have been saying. The England coach is trying to do what he so nearly pulled off to perfection in 2019 […]

4 years ago

“Shane was an icon, wasn’t he?” As a proud Australian, a self-confessed trundler and a huge cricket fan, England head coach Eddie Jones was understandably reeling over the recent passing of Shane Warne. The Australian star’s sudden death, on March 4, came as a huge shock and it was since confirmed that he suffered a heart […]

4 years ago

“The same stuff that’s in the media is what I know.” On Saturday afternoon, Cliodhna Moloney had another fine game for Wasps as they defeated reigning champions Harlequins for the first time in Premier 15s history. Wasps did it in bonus point style, too. On Sunday morning, Moloney hopped on a plane back to Ireland. […]

4 years ago

“Whatever is going on in the dressing room, your own pride has to kick in.” Roy Keane says he has written down the names of five or six players who should ‘never play for Manchester United again’. United looked half decent in the opening 45 minutes against their local rivals, Manchester City at Eastlands. They […]

4 years ago

‘The Notorious’ is not expected back until later in the summer. Although he was saying he could return as soon as April, Conor McGregor is not likely to step into The Octagon until much later in the year. Whenever he does return, he could still have a title fight. With Colby Covington trying to set […]

4 years ago

“He was a tough cookie, but a gentleman.” On a day were so many were numb, raw, and still coming to terms with another tragedy, some fine words spoken by Brian Cody, Davy Fitzgerald, Damian Lawlor and Jackie Tyrrell. It was hard, hard going for many asked to line out at represent their clubs and […]

4 years ago

“Going forward, if the players felt they were not being listened to, they are now.” Friday was the first big introduction of Kevin Potts to the media since he took up the role of chief executive of the Irish Rugby Football Union. His first media briefing and he was making an apology to what tallies […]

4 years ago

“The Irish management obviously have high regard for him.” Back in October, Harry Byrne jumped the outhalf queue ahead of the likes of Billy Burns, Joey Carbery, Ben Healy and his older brother, Ross. The 22-year-old had made his senior Ireland debut in a whopping summer 2021 victory over the USA. Ahead of the Autumn […]

4 years ago

‘May Paul rest in peace.’ Tributes are pouring in to Paul Shefflin after the Ballyhale Shamrocks clubman died suddenly on Friday, at the age of only 41. Shefflin, the younger brother of Kilkenny legend and former Galway manager Henry Shefflin, was a key figure in a Shamrocks side that had more than its’ fair share […]

4 years ago

The vow was made by the Irish Rugby Football Union, late last year, but the full report will not be published. Following the failure of Ireland Women to reach the World Cup, an independent report was commissioned to look into the reasons why, and other improvements that could be made in and around the national […]

4 years ago

“I’m enjoying being back in and around the team.” This is a purely personal, but having Joe Launchbury in your squad – Wasps, England, Lions, whatever – makes it better. He has made a welcome return to the England squad, and the England gym. The 30-year-old is back in the England set-up after a [too] […]

4 years ago

“And I was always saying to myself, ‘Why would you do that?’” George North was only 21 years old when he was selected for his first ever British & Irish Lions tour. However, such was the undoubted talent of the lad, he had already amassed 31 Test outings and 11 tries. Then part of a […]

4 years ago

“I know it’s my role to get back there and stop it.” It is a little over 16 months ago since James Lowe endured a sobering Test experience at Twickenham, only to have former England winger Chris Ashton rinse him on the BBC. Lowe had gone into his second Test cap, after to England, after […]

4 years ago

There will be an opening training session for Irish fans at the Aviva Stadium, later this week. Iain Henderson has been cleared to play again after his recent Covid positive, but Andy Farrell is sending him back to Ulster for some game time. Henderson, who has also been held back by injury issues this season, […]

4 years ago

“In Ireland’s green, he is playing with a real spring to his game.” Given that Peter O’Mahony and Ireland were up against only 13 Italian players for over an hour, on Sunday, most of their players were always going to be hard-pressed to get lasting credit. Italy are winless in the Six Nations since 2015. […]

4 years ago

Just what Eddie Jones needs, another ex-player wading in with some strong opinions. Jamie Heaslip, Fiona Coghlan and Stephen Ferris all shared their opinions of England after their 23-19 victory over Wales, at the weekend. None of the former Ireland internationals are fully convinced of the latest direction England head coach Eddie Jones is taking […]

4 years ago

“Great, lively and as brave as we knew he was going to be.” Three moments – among a day full of them – really stood out about Michael Lowry and his Ireland debut. The first arrived ahead of the Six Nations clash with Italy and was captured by the Virgin Media team as the checked […]

4 years ago

“We know that they’re going to come hard at us.” Andy Farrell was adventurous with some of his Ireland team selections for the win over Italy. He may revert to some of his go-to guys for the trip to Twickenham. Following his side’s 57-6 win over an Italian side that played over an hour with […]

4 years ago

“The next 24 hours will be tough, but my kids are here and my family. I’ll get on with my life tomorrow and I’ll be fine.” Shane Lowry was trying his damnedest to find the positives after going from underdog to favourite, at the Honda Classic, only for a late belt of torrential rain to […]

4 years ago

The mind games did not exactly go the Spaniard’s way. With 90 seconds to play in League Cup Final extra-time, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel brought on substitute goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga. Having started Edouard Mendy for the final, the German rolled the dice on getting Kepa in for the upcoming penalty shoot-out. He had saved three […]

4 years ago

Fairly stinging from the former Leinster and Scotland coach. Matt Williams is leading the charge calling on World Rugby to make an immediate law change after the circumstances that led to Italy losing TWO players after ONE man was sent off. 18 minutes into their Six Nations clash with Ireland, the Italians had replacement hooker […]

4 years ago

IRELAND 57-6 ITALY Andy Farrell’s men were forced to show 13-man Italy no mercy after a tough law call. Our Ireland ratings have three players that really shone. The turning point in the game arrived when replacement hooker Hame Faiva was red-carded for a shoulder-to-head tackle on Dan Sheehan. As starting hooker Gianmarco Lucchesi was […]

4 years ago

An absolute kick in the teeth for Italy. Hame Faiva was looking to make a statement with his tackle, but over-stepped the mark. 18 minutes into Ireland’s Six Nations clash with Italy and the visiting side were holding their own. Joey Carbery had converted his own try but the score was just 7-3 after Italy […]

4 years ago

“Still, to this day, that is one of my best Lions memories.” It is almost nine years on from the British & Irish Lions heading Down Under to get back on winning track. Justin Tipuric will never forget the words of Paul O’Connell, early on that journey. In 2013, Tipuric was selected for his first […]

4 years ago