“You get an idea, from the selections, of who they really like.” Ireland finished their slate of 2020 Test matches with a win over Scotland, on Saturday, that secured them third place in the inaugural (and perhaps only ever) Autumn Nations Cup. As England and France were playing out a sudden death joust at Twickenham, […]

5 years ago

The Ireland captain feels ‘you guys’ in the media are not convinced his team can challenge the very best in world rugby. Johnny Sexton returned to the Ireland fold and rallied the troops by defending them to the media, before and after their win over Scotland. One hopes James Ryan was taking note as this […]

5 years ago

“You p*****!” Blair Cowan could not have had it more wrong about Peter O’Mahony. As bodies heaved and thumped against each other, the insults were flung out. O’Mahony emerged with the ball and stared down the Scottish flanker. He was in his element. The Munster captain and Caelan Doris have been Ireland’s two best players […]

5 years ago

IRELAND 31-16 SCOTLAND Andy Farrell’s side did not have it all their own way against Scotland in the Autumn Nations Cup. Our Ireland player ratings reflect the big impact made by two impressive forwards. The first half saw Ireland go unrewarded on the scoreboard after a bright start. The Scots grew into the contest and […]

5 years ago

Buckle up! The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz kicks off with some sporting surprises before dipping into our classic Geography, Records and General Knowledge rounds.

5 years ago

“Sorry, I’ve gone off on a massive rant there!” In the Pacific Islands, challenging your elders is something that is frowned upon. When Dan Leo decided he had seen enough greed, unfairness and corruption, he could hold his tongue no more. Back in 2014, Leo was one of the driving forces in a Samoa squad […]

5 years ago

“Come the end of the week, there’s still pressure to get everything right but it’s probably done in a slightly different way.” Back in December 2018, Jacob Stockdale reminisced about what it was like to be in Ireland camp with Joe Schmidt as head coach. At the time, Stockdale had scored 10 tries in 12 […]

5 years ago

“They see themselves as Irish Pacific Islanders.” Former Samoa international, and programme director of the Pacific Rugby Players Welfare, Dan Leo joined House of Rugby Ireland this week to discuss his acclaimed documentary Oceans Apart: Green, Betrayal & Pacific Islands Rugby. Leo played 39 times for Samoa – as well as club rugby with Wasps, […]

5 years ago

Uncertain times, even for some of our finest rugby talents. The state of the rugby nation delivered by IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora, this week, was as stark as you can get. Normally, the boss of a country’s head coach describing his first year at the helm as “average” would garner a lot of headlines, […]

5 years ago

Eight changes from the side that started against Georgia. “It’s a six-day turnaround so there’s not going to be that much time on the field to fix a few things,” Ireland coach Andy Farrell reflected after his side’s dour win over Georgia. “We’ve got to be honest with each other and make sure there’s a […]

5 years ago

For a clutch of Irish professionals, the festive season will be an uncertain period. IRFU Performance Director David Nucifora says he does not foresee players losing their jobs, despite Covid-19 disruptions, financial issues and delayed contract talks. Nucifora was up for the Monday press briefing, following Ireland’s 23-10 win over Georgia, but the focus was […]

5 years ago

If you were looking for positives after that Ireland grind against Georgia, look no further than our 10th Test debutant of 2020. Hopefully, in time, we’ll look back on Georgia as the beginning of a long number of years for Shane Daly in the Ireland squad. The Munster back got on for the final 16 […]

5 years ago

Ireland drew the second half with Georgia 3-3. There was no talk from Andy Farrell of boys becoming men after Ireland struggled to see off the world number 12 at the Aviva Stadium. After losing two of their last three Test matches, Ireland did just about enough in the first half to defeat Los Lelos […]

5 years ago

IRELAND 23-10 GEORGIA Andy Farrell’s men badly struggled against a game but limited Georgian side as they secured an Autumn Nations Cup finalé with Scotland. Our Ireland ratings reflect a tough day at the office. Ireland started brightly as Billy Burns cruised over for his first Test try after a sumptuous Chris Farrell pass. Burns […]

5 years ago

“Don’t turn your back on me, sucka!” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is swinging for the fences from question one and not letting up. You’ll need to dip into the memory banks to score over 16 today. It won’t be easy, but it will be rewarding.

5 years ago

Oodles of controversy in the early afternoon Premier League kick-off. Liverpool were on the brink of three points until a penalty was awarded to Brighton & Hove Albion deep into injury time at the Amex Stadium after Andy Robertson clashed with Danny Welbeck. Robertson had a nibble at the former Manchester United striker, who then […]

5 years ago

“It’s an absolute assault!” Since news broke of the passing of Diego Armando Maradona, the footballing world has been reminiscing about some of the Argentinean’s finest moments. For all his glory days at Napoli and wild times at Boca and Barcelona, many of us have lingered over that sublime Maradona goal against England at the […]

5 years ago

“There were bits and pieces, but I didn’t really get a lot.” If The X-Files were still open, there would have to be a case near the top of the pile about Stuart McCloskey only playing three times for Ireland. Plenty of quality centres have auditioned to fill the 12 and 13 jerseys of Gordon […]

5 years ago

“If he can keep building on the early form… there’s no reason why he can’t put his hand up for Lions selection.” Much of Andy Farrell’s ‘boys became men tonight’ comment, after Ireland lost 18-7 to England, was taken as a head coach trying to go easy on a much-changed team after a tough loss. […]

5 years ago

“How a coach first looks at you when he sees you on a Monday morning, you can almost get a vibe off him then.” For many of the Irish provinces, after their winning runs in the Guinness PRO14, Mondays will be an enjoyable experience as one result is savoured and another plotted. For the current […]

5 years ago

Robbie Henshaw, Johnny Sexton and Ed Byrne will all sit out this Sunday’s game against Georgia. After an opening win over Wales and a chastening loss to England, Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is eyeing up this weekend’s clash with Georgia and will, no doubt, make changes to his starting XV. Ireland will know by […]

5 years ago

Ahead of the Autumn Nations Cup, Andy Farrell said he was hoping to give game-time to all of his 34-man squad. Ireland are not quite back to the drawing board, but they have been left with more questions than answers after their 18-7 loss to England. If that scoreline does not look too bad, you […]

5 years ago

TIPPERARY 0-17 – 0-14 CORK Tipperary did the jersey proud. 100 years ago, Michael Hogan died playing football for Tipperary. Today his county men wore a jersey in his honour, and created a glorious piece of history in the process. Inspired by Michael Quinlivan and Conor Sweeney, Tipperary defeated Cork by three points and, with […]

5 years ago

“You have to finish those.” Chris Farrell was doing his best to scratch out the positives after Ireland’s 18-7 defeat to England in the Autumn Nations Cup. A fourth defeat in a row to England, but at least it was closer this time. In March 2018, Ireland flew over to London and comprehensively beat England […]

5 years ago

“The lads will learn from this experience.” It was always going to be hard to give Andy Farrell a completely clean slate when he took over as Ireland head coach. After all, he was so often pictured right by Joe Schmidt’s side as the highs of 2018 gave way to the all too familiar lows […]

5 years ago

What a good problem to have. Ireland used to have problems like this. Eddie Jones holds a 5-2 advantage over Ireland in Test match encounters since he took the helm at England. On Saturday, at Twickenham, his side reasserted their recent dominance over the men in green. With Tom Curry, Sam Underhill and Maro Itoje […]

5 years ago

2, 4, 6, (8), who do we appreciate?! The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is coming out of the blocks with a round that Simpsons fans should ace, before dipping into our classic Geography, Records and General Knowledge bag of testing questions. Go out there and get the score you were always destined to!

5 years ago

The Munster man would have little time for the excuses being tossed out after his team’s loss in Twickenham. Peter O’Mahony was by no means guaranteed to start against England, but he more than merited his place in a team that had little else going for it. You know you are grasping at straws when […]

5 years ago

ENGLAND 18-7 IRELAND For the fourth time in a row, England fronted up and proved far too smart and strong for Andy Farrell’s men. Our Ireland ratings reflect the struggle it was at Twickenham for the away side. Ireland started brightly and showed a lot of fight in the opening exchanges but they were ultimately […]

5 years ago

“Philip’s life has always centred around his love of sport and rugby.” Back in July, Philip Caldwell was out in the fresh air and enjoying a game of tag rugby with friends when he suffered an injury that ended up having severe consequences. Caldwell suffered a severe spinal injury during that tag rugby match that […]

5 years ago

“The biggest thing there was they enjoyed playing for their jersey, and for each other” Following the announcement of Ireland’s team to play England, earlier today, both CJ Stander and Andy Farrell were asked about the epic performance put in by Argentina, last weekend, that toppled New Zealand. The Ireland head coach did not give […]

5 years ago

“At least six of England’s pack could all be Test starters.” This Saturday will see “different animal” James Ryan going up against “serious player” Maro Itoje at Twickenham, and both men will be out to prove their arm the northern hemisphere’s form lock. They will do the dance again in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations, […]

5 years ago

The times they are a-changing. Ireland head coach Andy Farrell has provided the reasoning and rationale behind some of his big team selections for the Autumn Nations Cup clash with England, at Twickenham, this weekend. Farrell has made four changes to his starting XV, from the side that defeated Wales 32-9 last time out, and […]

5 years ago

All change in the Irish back row. Ahead of Saturday afternoon’s Autumn Nations Cup game against England, Andy Farrell has made several changes to the Ireland team that defeated Wales 32-9 last weekend. Farrell has restored CJ Stander and Bundee Aki to the starting XV while giving Ross Byrne the No.10 jersey and Keith Earls […]

5 years ago

“It’s not so much about the heat… it’s the humidity that’ll kill you!” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is dipping into sporting glories from bygone years, and there’s a great general knowledge round down the final straight. Anyone that even gets close to 20/20, let us know!

5 years ago

11 questions, 11 answers and 653 words later, Ireland’s newest captain was on his way. James Ryan had the honour of taking over the Ireland captaincy, last Friday, when Johnny Sexton limped off after 28 minutes of the win over Wales. On Saturday, at Twickenham, Ryan will lead his country in a Test match from […]

5 years ago

It is tempting to fret about the names missing, but Saturday’s game represents a big opportunity for lads to stake claims for jerseys. Andy Farrell will name his Ireland team to face England, in Saturday’s Autumn Nations Cup tie, on Wednesday afternoon and we already know who WON’T be involved. Well-known surnames like Sexton, Ringrose, […]

5 years ago

WALES 1-0 IRELAND The winless run goes on for Stephen Kenny and Ireland. Our player ratings are none too pretty, but there were a couple of positives. Once again, Ireland were decent across two-thirds of the pitch but unable to finish any of the half chances they were able to fashion. A David Brooks header […]

5 years ago

“I used to bounce around the rugby field like a bouncy ball.” On the latest House of Rugby Ireland episode, Welsh rugby star Shane Williams opened up on his own dealings with concussion in a sport that he dearly loves. Williams discussed his recent documentary about concussion and it was interesting to note that Eimear […]

5 years ago

Grip it and rip it! The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is celebrating some of the biggest swingers in town and kicks off with a couple of Karate Kid questions to get your quiz juices flowing. Have at it, friends.

5 years ago

There are plenty of options out there, but this one could well tempt Taylor and her team. For Katie Taylor, Saturday night at the SSE Arena in London was a showcase to let the boxing world know she was back to her best. Miriam Gutierrez was in the role of lamb while Taylor, the undisputed […]

5 years ago

A masterclass from the Irish superstar. Katie Taylor defeated a game but out-classed Miriam Gutierrez at the SSE Arena in London to retain her Undisputed Female Lightweight Championship titles in style. Taylor had far too much speed, power and fighting nous for Gutierrez and emphatically won on points. The only regret for Taylor was that […]

5 years ago

“We got a pool table put in camp so I’ve been winning a good bit of money with that!” James Ryan is growing into it. Getting more comfortable in his skin, and in his growing role within this Ireland team. The Leinster lock has always done his talking on the pitch, but he has never […]

5 years ago

“Yeah, I’ll say it to him. See how he reacts!” Conor Murray the outhalf? Maybe not as outlandish as you’d think. Following Ireland’s 32-9 win over Wales, on Friday, and his 16-minute cameo as the outhalf to steer his side home, Murray was asked if he would approach head coach Andy Farrell on Monday morning […]

5 years ago

“We were looking in the wrong spot.” We’re not sure how comforted Bryson DeChambeau will be after that frank admission by a spotter at Augusta National during the second round of The Masters. “If we’d have been in the right area, we’d have found it, no problem,” he told Golf. And if they had stopped counting […]

5 years ago

We had all been waiting for November 2020 to see what Lowe could do in Test rugby. He did not disappoint. James Lowe is one of the final batch of rugby players to benefit from the three-year residency rule that allows you to represent a country you are playing your club rugby in. That residency […]

5 years ago

In all likelihood, it will be winner takes a place in the Autumn Nations Cup final. Ireland put their Guinness Six Nations disappointment behind them as they defeated a poor Welsh side 32-9 at the Aviva Stadium. Conor Murray finished as emergency No.10, and he has given the coaching team something extra to consider. Tries […]

5 years ago

IRELAND 32-9 WALES Just like that, Ireland have put themselves in contention for another piece of silverware. A solid Autumn Nations Cup performance and lots up high in our player ratings. Ireland head coach Andy Farrell was forced into a quick re-shuffle to his match-day squad as both Jacob Stockdale and Iain Henderson were ruled […]

5 years ago

No. Love. Lost. Liam Williams was quick to remind James Lowe that he had spurned an early try-scoring chance for Ireland on his Test debut. For the past 15 years, there has been a huge amount of needle to Ireland vs. Wales games. The two nations have fought out some mighty battles and have shared […]

5 years ago

“I opened the door, to come out for the game, and it was snowing sideways!” Three years on from his Gaelic football debut for Donegal club side Glenswilly, Shane Williams smiles broadly when he recalls his time there. The former Wales and Lions winger headed over to Glenswilly in early 2017 as part of the […]

5 years ago