Viewers were left ‘speechless’ by the remark The BBC is embroiled in another outrage, this time after a former Love Island contestant it hired as a cricket presenter called a female cricketer she looked like a “little Barbie”, live on air. The broadcaster has warned Chris Hughes that his remark was “not appropriate”. The 30-year-old, […]

2 years ago

“There’s probably someone in the building here who is better than you at pretty much everything.” For the whole time Ryan Baird is talking with us, he shivers away, tries to rub some life back into his limbs and muses on all subjects from fishing, defensive lines, tennis and swapping the life of a rugby […]

2 years ago

The brow furrows and the shoulders tense. A Leinster question has been slipped in. I had the good fortune of sitting down with Leinster and Ireland outhalf Ross Byrne for 15 minutes, recently, and check in on how World Cup preparations were going. Byrne is a guy that is much more at ease when you […]

2 years ago

“I know they didn’t get the result they were wanting but, to me, they were a total inspiration.” Cian Prendergast is in camp with the senior Ireland team and hoping to make their World Cup squad. He has taken inspiration from his younger brother, Sam, and all the Ireland side that reached the final of […]

2 years ago

“Only a few of heavy hitters were left standing!” Chatting to Ross Byrne recently, we asked the outhalf for the Ireland teammate that brings smiles to the most faces. Without hesitation, he replied, “Dave Kilcoyne leads the social committee so he’s always great for a laugh.” During a couple more Ireland player interviews, in the […]

2 years ago

This game could be the only chance some fringe players get. Andy Farrell’s side officially get their 2023/24 season, and World Cup journey, underway this weekend by welcoming Italy to Aviva Stadium. We have, below, selected a bold Ireland team we’d love to see take to the field. On Monday, the IRFU released a squad […]

2 years ago

First they looked at Jeff Hendricks, now his young Ireland teammate. Andrew Omobamidele has been linked what would be a sensational move to Serie A, but one that follows a trend of Irish players heading to Italy for their football. The 21-year-old, who joined Norwich City back in 2019, is subject to some reported negotiations […]

2 years ago

“I do get a bit nervous when this man is up here with a microphone in his hand.” To keep Jack McCaffrey in check, RTÉ sent him up for a Sunday Game chat with Dublin boss Dessie Farrell by his side. There would be no background video-bombing, at least. The Dublin flyer returned to the […]

2 years ago

Fitting words after an historic journey. Courtney Brosnan got her fair share of attention after a fantastic clean sheet, but much of the post-match focus was on Vera Pauw and Katie McCabe. Ireland drew 0-0 with Nigeria to take home their first ever World Cup point, even though they are now heading for home. Brosnan […]

2 years ago

“David Clifford showed that he was human.” Three points scored, a goal assist and fouled for two other frees that were dinked over to add to the Kerry tally. For most other forwards, that would have been a decent outing. For David Clifford – the man himself – it was not near enough. No-one puts […]

2 years ago

The Girls in Green take on Nigeria in their final World Cup game. The Republic of Ireland take on Nigeria in the Fifa Women’s World Cup on Monday morning (11am Irish time). Vera Pauw’s team, in their third and final appearance at the finals, take on the Nigerians in Brisbane, with points and pride to play […]

2 years ago

“The harshest call was against Bryan Howard,” argued Lee Keegan. The 2023 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is in the history books, with Dublin defeating Kerry at Croke Park to clinch Sam Maguire. On The Sunday Game, some individual accolades were handed out. The Sunday Game panel was made up of Tyrone pair Sean Cavanagh and […]

2 years ago

“Both were at it.” 55 minutes into a taut, back-and-forth final between Kerry and Dublin, the reigning champs were leading by a point. Play had just broken into the Dublin half when David Clifford hit the deck. Referee David Gough blew for a free in to The Kingdom and Sean Ó Sé would have been […]

2 years ago

“A lot of it is doing it for them, and doing if for the teammates.” Mick Fitzsimons had just held one of the best players of his generation to 0-3 [0-2 from play] in an All-Ireland final, on his way to claiming a ninth Celtic Cross, but he was almost more worried about dropping an […]

2 years ago

“You’re all GPS-ed up, so it’s all kind of monitored.” We are catching up with Tadhg Furlong on his week away from Ireland’s World Cup training camp. Some players have headed for home, others abroad for sun, but the work and preparations continue. “You’ve three runs to do and, and two or three gym sessions […]

2 years ago

“Tough”, “physical”, “brutal”, “horrible to play against”. Ahead of their World Cup games, so far, against Australia and Canada, Katie McCabe and her Irish teammates were portrayed as these battlers and booters that could put ’em under pressure and not much else. Ireland are one of the new dogs on the World Cup block and […]

2 years ago

The Girls in Green take on the Olympic champions next in their World Cup campaign. The Republic of Ireland take on Canada in the Fifa Women’s World Cup on Wednesday afternoon (1pm Irish time). Vera Pauw’s team, in their second appearance at the finals, take on the Canadians in Perth. You can follow the match live […]

2 years ago

“Enjoying pre-season, and the grind that it brings.” Recently, as Ireland launched their World Cup jerseys for France 2023, we had an opportunity to catch up with Ulster captain Iain Henderson. He was in typically laconic humour and opened up on a number of subjects. It had been a while since I had been to […]

2 years ago

The rugby times are a changin’ Several changes are being brought in for the upcoming World Cup warm-up games, with one eye on next year’s Six Nations. The matches, which make up the Summer Nations Series, include a new Television Match Official ‘Bunker review process’, as well as Hawk-eye and a shot-clock [for conversions and […]

2 years ago

He grasped the nettle on this one. In the aftermath of another mile-a-minute All-Ireland hurling final, Donal Og Cusack tried his best to put into words what Limerick’s four-in-a-row achievement meant. On the afternoon and evening coverage, on RTÉ, the former Cork goalkeeper teed off about the daring, work ethic and majesty of the Treaty […]

2 years ago

“That’s the fantastic thing.” “For every sports team,” said Dónal Óg Cusack, “the dressing room is the epicentre. It’s like a sanctuary.” Standing beside the former Cork goalkeeper, Anthony Daly and Liam Sheedy nodded in agreement. Just hours out from the 2023 All-Ireland Hurling Final, John Kiely and the Limerick management had allowed the RTÉ […]

2 years ago

“We’ll see what she says!” Cian Lynch was having a great gas with Joanne Cantwell, on The Sunday Game, as Limerick’s four-in-a-row success began to sink in. Standing in for injured captain Declan Hannon, Lynch had another fine game and Limerick boss John Kiely praised him for doing ‘a phenomenal job’ taking up the leadership […]

2 years ago

We have a first-time major winner for the second time in a row. Brian Harman has followed US Open champion Wyndham Clark in clinching a major for the first time. Rory McIlroy will head into 2024 having not won a major in a decade. The 36-year-old Georgia native started the final round of The Open […]

2 years ago

Stood in for the injured skipper and delivered on and off the pitch. Cian Lynch made an excellent victory speech as his Limerick teammates, and their supporters, basked in another All-Ireland final triumph. Kilkenny gave the reigning champs a few scares but the Treaty men upped the ante for the final 30 minutes of the […]

2 years ago

“Unbelievable. Jesus Christ!” Diarmaid Byrnes delivered the goods for Limerick as they won their fourth straight All-Ireland Hurling Final, then stepped up to the microphone and did the same. Byrnes and his Limerick teammates were in a hole, on a couple of occasions, against Kilkenny but produced a striking masterclass in the second half to […]

2 years ago

“We were like, ‘we expected this’.” Cian Prendergast was first called into an Ireland camp in June 2022, in a season that saw him win the young player of the year accolade. Just over one year on and he believes he has made massive improvements, as a player and a person. Having not found an […]

2 years ago

The 151st Open Championship is taking place at Royal Liverpool, and we have you covered for all the big and clutch moments. Here we are at the final major of the year and we’ll have all The Open live action and big moments in our special news feed. Cameron Smith is defending champion golfer after […]

2 years ago

“I’ve not let myself [think about France]. I’m waiting until the squad is picked.” It is July 20th but we are almost at the part of Ireland’s World Cup preparations when it is time to start asking about the opposition. At present, though, Jimmy O’Brien says the squad are finding time to check out another […]

2 years ago

“I’m addicted to this and like, I don’t do things by half. I go all in.” On Saturday, Shauna Bannon will become only the second ever Irish woman to fight in the UFC. A martial arts star, in her teens and early 20s, the Tallaght native set her sights on MMA four years ago and […]

2 years ago

A towering performance from the 33-year-old. I must start off with an admission – I had a concern over Louise Quinn, coming into the World Cup. She had it tough in a warm-up against Zambia, at Tallaght Stadium, and Courtney Brosnan got her out of jail on a couple of occasions. Zambia are a strong, […]

2 years ago

We love to see the unions coming together like this. The British & Lions tour fixtures have been announced and there is an historic Combined XV match, as well as the three-Test series against Australia. Two years out from the tour – giving us all plenty of time to plot, plan and save – the […]

2 years ago

‘Skeletor’ gets a second bite at the cherry. The UFC has announced Northern Irish fighter Rhys McKee is returning to the promotion, and will appear at a Fight Night event in Paris. The 27-year-old [13-4-1], a former Cage Warriors champion, will take on Swiss fighter Ange Loosa [9-3] at Accor Arena, Paris. That fight card […]

2 years ago

Being discussed in the four corners of the [Tier One] rugby planet. If you wanted to take stock of how much Irish rugby has risen, over the past five years, look no further than the reaction of rugby pundits, outlets, fans and former players to the Johnny Sexton ban. Despite the fact that Ireland have […]

2 years ago

The Clara native was in great form, until the Skins game got going. Shane Lowry was doling out golfing history lessons as he got down to brass tacks and prepared for another run at The Open Championship. The 2019 champion golfer, who claimed the Claret Jug at Royal Portrush, is at Hoylake, this week, to […]

2 years ago

It was looking like another chapter would open on this saga. Just as all of Ireland was decompressing after a few tense days when the World Cup future of Ireland captain Johnny Sexton was in doubt, a suggestion from a prominent rugby writer plunged some back into despair. Among the most active, on social media, […]

2 years ago

The kit designers have saved their creative splashes for the ‘alternate’ kit. We are deep into 2023 World Cup preparations and kit launch season is upon us. Ireland’s new offering left fans divided, last week, while the latest England jersey has been launched. Umbro and England Rugby have revealed the new home and alternate kits […]

2 years ago

‘Hmmmm’ The Johnny Sexton ban topic still rages wild, even though a decision has now been made. Former Gloucester and La Rochelle outhalf Ryan Lamb has taken to social media to express his surprise over Johnny Sexton receiving just a three-match ban for his actions after the Champions Cup final, in May. Sexton was banned […]

2 years ago

Andy Farrell effectively has five games to get his team primed for the crunch clash with South Africa. In the full Johnny Sexton disciplinary committee decision, released on Sunday, the Ireland captain admitted he said ‘something to this effect: “It’s a disgrace you guys can’t get the big decisions right” Those comments, he conceded, were […]

2 years ago

‘In this instance, Johnny Sexton’s misconduct was confrontational, aggressive, and disrespectful of the match officials.’ Late on Sunday evening, the EPCR informed rugby fans of a misconduct ruling against Johnny Sexton, on behalf of an independent disciplinary committee. Referring back to post-match incidents from the Leinster vs. La Rochelle Champions Cup final, at Aviva Stadium, […]

2 years ago

One moment saw the Djokovic facade crumble. For the first time since 2013, Novak Djokovic lost on the Centre Court of Wimbledon, after playing his part in an all-time classic men’s singles final against Carlos Alcaraz. The most successful men’s tennis player started off well in the opening set but soon discovered he was in […]

2 years ago

“That is definitely something Faz has spoken about growing.” While Warren Gatland has been putting his Welsh World Cup hopefuls through the wringer, Iain Henderson is thankful that Andy Farrell has taken player feedback on-board. The Ireland squad is still being put through some swift paces and pushed extremely hard, but nowhere like that Wales […]

2 years ago

The legends had a post-match difference of opinions. Colm Cooper took exception to Sean Cavanagh’s take on the refereeing of Joe McQuillian, in the RTÉ studio, after Kerry defeated Derry. Kerry defeated a spirited Derry side by two points in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-finals, after a second half comeback against the Ulster side. […]

2 years ago

When he had to do it, McIlroy reached down deep to finish birdie-birdie. Rory McIlroy has become the Scottish Open champion for the first time in his career, and the first ever golfer to win The Open, Irish Open and this tournament. McIlroy started his day in the lead but fell down the pecking order […]

2 years ago

Of all the questions that he would get thrown his way, Byrne knew this was coming. If it only feels like the 2022/23 finished a few short weeks ago it’s because it did. I meet up with Barry, our cameraman, and wave at the print and radio journalists as we make our way into the […]

2 years ago

Once more unto the disciplinary breach, dear friends… Johnny Sexton is in front of a disciplinary panel today after having a misconduct complaint lodged against him, concerning his actions during and after the Champions Cup final. The Ireland captain missed that cup final loss to La Rochelle but was said to be involved in a […]

2 years ago

IRELAND 14-50 FRANCE Ireland U20s got off to a flying start in the World Rugby U20 Championships final but they ran into a class French outfit, in Cape Town. Having impressed throughout the tournament, and dealt with some personal heartbreak and loss, Richie Murphy’s Ireland deservedly reached the final, earlier in the week, when they […]

2 years ago

Nice way with words, this one. Colombia star Daniela Caracas has labelled Vera Pauw’s Ireland side as ‘little girls’ and declared ‘let them eat shit’ after a contentious World Cup warm-up match that left Denise O’Sullivan in hospital. The game, billed as a friendly and played behind closed doors, was called off after only 23 […]

2 years ago

No messing about

2 years ago

“I’m not sure Mack and James are alike, at all!” We had the pleasure of seeing what the Ireland World Cup jersey looks like on the lads that will be filling it out, and it held up better than that Milan catwalk unveiling, back in June. In news that will stun few of you, these […]

2 years ago

The club would be getting a great prospect but still left short. While a hefty clutch of Manchester United supporters will be concerned their club is not featuring with marquée strikers like Harry Kane or Victor Osimhen, the club does seem to be nearing a deal for Rasmus Hojlund. The Danish striker scored 10 times […]

2 years ago