‘A war for the ages.’ Conor McGregor timed this one well. ‘The Notorious’ was conspicuous by his lack of social media commentary, last weekend, as UFC 241 took place. McGregor remains a massive fan of the fight game and often takes to Twitter during big pay-per-view nights. Many would have expected him to jump on-board, […]

6 years ago

“WhatsApp groups, carnage! Brilliant, though.” Jon Walters and Steve Sidwell had a fair few clubs between them, especially in the later years of their footballing careers, so they would have been well used to the club WhatsApp group(s). According to Walters, there would usually be three groups at a club – one with players and […]

6 years ago

“They’re the guys you want to be doing well, really, if the World Cup is to go well for us.” This Saturday at Twickenham, Ireland come up with the team that shook them to their foundations in the 2019 Guinness Six Nations. England came to Dublin, in early February, and took the fight to the […]

6 years ago

Ireland take on England at Twickenham, and could go number one in the world if they defeat Eddie Jones men. The House of Rugby gang is back together and there’s a crucial game to look forward to. Ireland boss Joe Schmidt would be much happier with his main men getting some minutes into their legs, […]

6 years ago

France are back and, by God, were they a joy to watch. For far too long, Les Bleus have been a rabble. The days of Joué have been few and far between over the past decade as Ireland, England and Wales have taken a strange-hold of the northern hemisphere. Rugby fans would have been forgiven for […]

6 years ago

Brought to you by Centra “The three assassins up front.” The Sunday Game panel has named their Hurling Team of the Year, with Tipperary and Kilkenny players taking up 10 of the 15 slots. Amid torrential rains and thankful bursts of sunshine, Tipperary roared back from a slow start to defeat Kilkenny with a scoring […]

6 years ago

– Brought to you by Centra #WeAreHurling When the moment arrived, John ‘Bubbles’ O’Dwyer was not found wanting. Winning once is everything you ever dreamed of. Winning again is when you tell yourself you truly belong. Tipperary’s top five scorers went into the All-Ireland final with an impressive tally of 12-124 (160 points) during the […]

6 years ago

– Brought to you by Centra #WeAreHurling “I’d nearly just tip my cap to him, yeah.” The Sunday Game’s All-Ireland final day punditry panel of Henry Shefflin, Donal Og Cusack and Anthony Daly mentioned four players when giving their Hurler of the Year choices: Noel McGrath (Tipperary) TJ Reid (Kilkenny) Seamus Callanan (Tipperary) Patrick Horgan […]

6 years ago

TIPPERARY 3-25 KILKENNY 0-20 Kilkenny charged out of the blocks like men possessed but Tipperary responded like champions and left their old rivals far in the distance. After 21 minutes of the 2019 All-Ireland final, Tipperary were trailing Kilkenny 0-8 to 0-3. By the time Jason Forde lapped over a fine score, 30 minutes later, […]

6 years ago

– Brought to you by Centra #WeAreHurling In the space of four minutes, all that Kilkenny and Tipperary worked so hard for had been erased. TJ Reid was the orchestrator for the Cats as, following on from a similar trend against Limerick, bolted from the traps in the All-Ireland final. Brian Cody’s men had effectively […]

6 years ago

This is a fight that MMA fans will be baying to see. Nate Diaz is back after three years out of Mixed Martial Arts and he has already given himself a belt. The Stockton native won a unanimous decision over Anthony Pettis at UFC 241 and Dana White later declared him to be ‘a needle […]

6 years ago

Miocic even had energy to dance a jig after the referee stopped his onslaught. Former champion Stipe Miocic finally got his rematch with Daniel Cormier at UFC 241 and the pair combined for 304 strikes, a new heavyweight record. The night ended with a new heavyweight winner, too, as a fourth round assault by Miocic […]

6 years ago

“Myself and Felix Jones said to each other, ‘If we never do anything else in rugby after this, that was worth it for that game’.” Jerry Flannery opened up, this week, about how tough it was for all involved at Munster Rugby when, in October 2016, head coach Anthony Foley passed away, aged 43. Munster […]

6 years ago

“It took me a few years but I think I got there in the end.” Growing up, you would be more likely to find Jack Conan clutching onto an O’Neills ball rather than a Gilbert. His sporting dream was to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, who captained Kilmacanogue, and one day line out […]

6 years ago

Arsene Wenger was the untouchable man, but everyone else seemed fair game. Not long after he hung up his playing boots, former Munster and Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery was given a strength and conditioning coach role at Arsenal Football Club. Persistent calf injuries forced Flannery to retire from rugby at the age of 33. He […]

6 years ago

No half measures here. On Liquid Football, Jon Walters joined host Kelly Cates and former Chelsea and Fulham star Steve Sidwell. The trio discussed the increasing need for footballers to have protection after a spate of robberies and threats received. The last decade has seen a host of footballers have their homes targeted for burglaries when […]

6 years ago

Can only imagine the carnage that unfolded. As team bonding experiences go, marking out a big fight pit and holding a WWE-style ‘Last Man Standing’ scrap takes some topping. One cannot imagine such a dust-up being given the go-ahead in today’s game but an infamous one took place around a decade ago and left those […]

6 years ago

“We had pieces of paper slid under the door, saying, ‘Be careful. Wild animals on the loose’.” As Ireland tours go, the 2015 Tbilisi Cup was certainly memorable for those involved. Jack Conan was a late call-up to the Emerging Ireland squad, along with Andrew Browne and he featured in all three games of their […]

6 years ago

“Salah was my captain… my little boy wasn’t happy!” As much as many current professionals may protest, there are hundreds of them playing fantasy football along with the rest of us. Last season, the fantasy teams of Manchester United stars Luke Shaw, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones were shared on social media and they featured […]

6 years ago

It worked grand for Rocky Balboa. Whether it’s Belfast, Galway, Limerick, Carton House or Portugal, Joe Schmidt is running his Ireland training squad hard. The weather forecast in Japan, today, reads 32 degrees with 71% humidity. Saturday is forecasted at a peak heat of 37 degrees. It should be a bit cooler by the time the […]

6 years ago

10 years on and the Kilkenny lads have no problem admitting they got a soft one. Ahead of Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling final between Tipperary and Kilkenny, Colm Parkinson managed to squeeze Lar Corbett between Eoin Larkin and JJ Delaney on a cosy couch in Dublin. Just to be safe, he got along referee Brian Gavin […]

6 years ago

Given the injury suffered by Joey Carbery, it is surprising to see a versatile player like Cooney cut loose. Joe Schmidt and his coaching team have made further cuts to their World Cup training squad, with John Cooney, Mike Haley and Finlay Bealham the unlucky men to miss out. The departure of Cooney from the […]

6 years ago

If only we had more time. Two of the real bright spots of Ireland’s season-opening win over Italy, on Saturday, were playing together in midfield for the first time. Garry Ringrose and Chris Farrell had not started a Test match beside each other before, but they were running plenty of reps together this summer. Much […]

6 years ago

One suspects the toughest cuts will come in the Irish backline. Ireland do not need to name their 31-man squad for another three and a half weeks. Whether Joey Carbery is included in that squad, or not, will be on a lot of minds over those coming days and weeks. Sitting down to select Ireland’s […]

6 years ago

Play him smart, but play him. Johnny Sexton best rest up in Portugal as it gets far too serious from the moment he lands in London, late next week. As a rugby nation awaits on reports on Joey Carbery’s ankle, attention will soon turn to a warm-up game against England can could well increase the […]

6 years ago

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will hope the faith he has placed in Rashford and Martial will continue to be repaid. Only one of Romelu Lukaku’s 28 Premier League goals for Manchester United was scored against ‘The Big Six’. The Belgian was only of the best goal-scoring bullies against the lesser lights but was often bottled up […]

6 years ago

“The reality is in the World Cup, you’re going to have to have one prop who can play either side. Potentially maybe even two.” – Joe Schmidt Andrew Porter made an early name for himself as a loosehead prop before, at the prompting of coaches, he shifted over to give tighthead a go. On Baz & Andrew’s […]

6 years ago

The big call here will revolve around who wears the No.10 jersey. Ireland got their 2019/20 season underway, on Saturday, but the real business should begin at Twickenham on August 24. Of the 23 players involved against Italy, only Devin Toner, Jordi Murphy, Joey Carbery, Garry Ringrose and Jordan Larmour would have realistic designs on […]

7 years ago

It will be a small consolation for ‘Platinum’, he pocketed an extra $50,000 bonus for his bout. Mike Perry will be feeling that Vincent Luque a while yet. UFC Uruguay took place on Saturday night and the headliner saw Valentina Shevchenko successfully defended her women’s flyweight belt after being pushed hard by Liz Carmouche. That fight […]

7 years ago

Do not be surprised if Ross Byrne and Jack Carty get more game time than expected during the upcoming warm-up games. Johnny Sexton and the Ireland squad will head out to Portugal on Wednesday. He will be the most closely monitored of the Irish squad over there, and over the next six weeks. Ireland simply […]

7 years ago

The next few days and weeks will see many of us rugby fans becoming experts on ankle injuries and rehab procedures. Ireland knew that they were unlikely to get through their four World Cup warm-up games without picking up any casualties. They would have ben left cursing, all the same, when Joey Carbery was brought […]

7 years ago

IRELAND 29, ITALY 10 A comfortable win for Ireland, but at what cost. Ireland recovered from a slow and shaky start to beat Italy with 19 points to spare but head coach Joe Schmidt will be anxiously awaiting fitness updates on some of his starters, most notably Joey Carbery and Rob Herring. The early exchanges […]

7 years ago

It was all going so well. Ireland have been left with two injury concerns after hooker Rob Herring and outhalf Joey Carbery were both forced out of the World Cup warm-up against Italy with knocks. Herring lasted only 16 minutes of the game, at the Aviva Stadium, while Carbery was looking good until he appeared […]

7 years ago

James Ryan continues his outrageously rapid rise. A new season is upon us but James Ryan enters 2019/20 with the final award from a previous season that saw his stock rise ever more. Ryan’s debut season as a professional saw him win a double with Leinster, a Grand Slam, go 23 games unbeaten and contribute […]

7 years ago

Rory Best, Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony and James Ryan were all in attendance on a night that paid tribute to Joe Schmidt. Whether it is pool stages, quarters, semis or the World Cup final, Joe Schmidt will soon be parting ways with Ireland. The Kiwi, who is now an Irish citizen, has been here since […]

7 years ago

“It’s nice to get out of camp for a bit. Things are coming to a crescendo and it’s almost time to get down to business.” For a lad that is on the brink of his first World Cup, Jack Conan is incredibly relaxed (on the outside, at least). The Leinster back row made his Ireland […]

7 years ago

Mayo 4 Sam

7 years ago

“He’s almost treating him like the prodigal son.” Diarmuid Connolly is back in light blue but it remains to be seen whether he will feature against Mayo, on Saturday, and beyond. When, after 53 minutes, Connolly traded passes with Cormac Costello, stepped inside his man and curled over a point from just over 20 metres […]

7 years ago

Harry Maguire winning the hearts and minds of Manchester United fans already. Six years after Alex Ferguson recommended the £4m-valued Sheffield United defender Harry Maguire to new boss David Moyes, the England international has signed for Manchester United. United confirmed that Maguire had signed on a six-year contract, with the option to extend for a […]

7 years ago

Manchester United have finally come up with a transfer strategy. United may be still paying over the odds on transfers but at least they can assure themselves they are signing players that truly want to be at the club. They are not convinced about Paul Dybala and James Rodriguez, and one can see their logic. Daniel […]

7 years ago

Simon Mignolet looks set to return to Belgium while Liverpool have sorted an interesting replacement. Ahead of Liverpool’s Community Shield loss to Manchester City, Simon Mignolet took to social media to help whet appetites: First trophy of the season up for grabs! Let’s do this Reds! 💪🏻⚽🏆 #communityshield #YNWA pic.twitter.com/G1BScPwjCO — Simon Mignolet (@SMignolet) August […]

7 years ago

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer appears to have lost patience with Romelu Lukaku and is eager to offload him before Thursday. The ‘Fernandes United’ storyline appears to have been a thing of smoke and mirrors. Lukaku wants to leave Manchester United and the club are happy for him to leave. If only it were that simple. Given […]

7 years ago

Ireland have cut their World Cup training squad down from 45 to 43 ahead of their first warm-up match for the tournament. Joe Schmidt’s Ireland are back in action for the first time since the Six Nations concluded, five months ago. Conor O’Shea’s Italy are paying a visit and will take on Ireland at the […]

7 years ago

TYRONE 0-13, DUBLIN 1-16 A place in the All-Ireland semi finals was already assured but Dublin went right on ahead and took another championship scalp at Healy Park. The reigning All-Ireland champions welcomed back Diarmuid Connolly to their side while Sean Bugler and Cormac Costello impressed and the Dublin bench added some gloss to the […]

7 years ago

686 days after he last lined out for Dublin and Diarmuid Connolly was back. Joe Brolly was fuming before a ball was kicked in Omagh, and you could see his point. The St Vincent’s forward missed the entirety of the 2018 league and championship campaigns and looked set to do likewise this year until a […]

7 years ago

TIPPERARY 8-16, WEXFORD 1-15 Wexford were not the first side to be torn asunder by the Tipperary attack, in this summer’s U20 hurling championship, but they will rue leaking so many goals in such a short spell. Tipperary will face Cork in the U20 All-Ireland hurling final, later this month, after they savaged the Wexford […]

7 years ago

“Oh, people can come up with statistics to prove anything. Forfty percent of all people know that.” Homer Simpson did not let something as trivial as statistics or actual words get in the way of winning an argument. Springfield’s famous (cartoon) son would surely have approved of Steven Gerrard’s Scottish Premiership pre-season interview. The former Liverpool captain led […]

7 years ago

Ireland face Italy at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 10 and Joe Schmidt is expected to name his World Cup squad soon after. The 31-man Ireland squad will be known in about three weeks’ time but there are still some big decisions to be made. Ahead of the 1991 World Cup, Donal Lenihan arranged […]

7 years ago

Aidan O’Shea and the throw-in is a show within a show. We were ready for action at MacHale Park and, at 6pm on August 3, they were already considering whether to knock on the floodlights. Win and rain under a cobalt Castlebar sky. These evenings are made for Aidan O’Shea. There is jostling from the […]

7 years ago

Class fighter, crass side-show. Colby Covington handed ‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler his third consecutive fight [an unfortunate first in his 43-fight career] and effectively sealed his title shot against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in the process. The American attempted a UFC record of 533 strikes over five relentless rounds, took Lawler to the ground on 10 […]

7 years ago