ULSTER 19-38 LEINSTER Leinster sealed their place alongside Munster in the 2020/21 Guinness PRO14 Final after winning a controversial Conference A clash in Belfast. Ulster were on the wrong side of four big calls – three disciplinary and one disallowed try – as they finished with 14 men and plenty to feel aggrieved about. Leinster […]

5 years ago

No apologies. This is going to be tough. We’re giving you a real test in The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz today. You will need you ‘A’ game to get anything at 15 or over. We’d frankly be amazed if anyone got 20/20, but let us know if you do.

5 years ago

MUNSTER 20-17 CONNACHT Mike Haley produced a moment of solo genius to set Munster on the road to the PRO14 final, but they still required a defensive lapse from Bundee Aki. The match came to live from the very first minute as the visitors ploughed forward in the hopes of striking the first blow. Munster […]

5 years ago

“I wasn’t in camp for much longer after that. Could have been the reason!” The preparations for Ireland’s thrilling 2018 win over France – when Johnny Sexton kicked a drop goal after the clock went red – got pretty heated. As Alun Wyn Jones’ black eye – there for all the world to see when […]

5 years ago

“When we were away, we had to ask for a curfew. We had to say, ‘Jack, we don’t want to go out tonight!’” Andy Townsend was 21 years old and playing non-league football for Weymouth when he got his big break with Southampton. Four years later and he was playing international football for Jack Charlton’s […]

5 years ago

All three men achieved the feat for one club. 90 seconds to answer one football question. Doesn’t sound too bad, does it? That is until we tell you that there are three answers to this question. That ramps it up a bit. However, to be sound, we’ve given you the clubs these three players were […]

5 years ago

Roll up those sleeves and let’s get quizzing! The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz has a great mix of topics and sporting fields that will keep you on your toes today. Anyone getting 15 or higher, well done. Anyone getting 12 or lower, off to the naughty step!

5 years ago

Ed Woodward could finally get the man he has long claimed to be chasing. Raphael Varane to Manchester United: Part 3. Back in 2018, the Manchester United executive vice chairman has been known to give the off press briefing, where he gives his side of transfer dealings and plans. During an increasingly fractious relationship with […]

5 years ago

“It would look like someone has ransacked your room.” Finding the perfect roommate for away trips is not an exact science and there can be several botched experiments before a good match is found. That is why so many players opt to team up and will not be parted. Younger squad players are often roomed […]

5 years ago

“I don’t have a tin hat, but this NFL helmet might be able to protect me.” Back in November, former England and Lions winger Ugo Monye made an appearance on House of Rugby Ireland and had an early crack at picking his strongest XV to take on the Springboks. Three rounds into the 2021 Six Nations […]

5 years ago

“Going to Murrayfield, it is always an incredibly tough game.” Johnny Sexton would have been forgiven for asking reporters to focus on his side’s big win over Italy, but the reality is that the real tests for this Ireland team lie in store. Up next are an away trip to take on Scotland, who started […]

5 years ago

“I warned him!” Former Ireland star Niall Quinn recently recalled how Roy Keane made an early impression on his international teammates by cutting Mick McCarthy – his captain – down to size on the team bus. It was 1992 and McCarthy took it upon himself to scold Keane – then with Nottingham Forest – for […]

5 years ago

“If I was in his shoes, I wouldn’t have been happy. But I’m not, so I’m happy!” Wales centre Scott Williams has been impressed by a number of his countrymen in this Six Nations championship, but he reserved some words of high praise for Robbie Henshaw. Having injured his shoulder in a festive fixture for […]

5 years ago

To think that he delivered this AFTER he had just sung ‘Careless Whisper’ to the Ireland squad makes it even better. Craig Casey has certainly made his impression on this Ireland team, and his new teammates. Having first been called in as a ‘development player’, last autumn, the 21-year-old impressed all around him with his […]

5 years ago

Craig Casey is the only member of the match-day squad from the win over Italy to go back to his province. The IRFU has confirmed that Andy Farrell is has retained 23 players from his wider Six Nations squad and released the other 13 back to their provinces. Casey, who made his debut off the […]

5 years ago

“If you can trap a ball, you can play for your country these days!” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is still laughing about that epic Spurs ‘Good or Bad?’ debate on Sky Sports and enjoying the sunshine streaming through our window. Enjoy this one today. Embrace the challenge!

5 years ago

“Pascal was the first to admit to this when he re-watched the match on Sunday.” French referee Pascal Gauzere has admitted he erred twice in his officiating on Wales’ Six Nations clash with England, on Saturday. Gauzere invoked the ire of English supporters with two big calls in the first half that both resulted in […]

5 years ago

“We’ve been incredibly frustrated that we didn’t get the results that the work we put in, we felt we deserved. We got it today.” Johnny Sexton may have rowed back on the comments he made in the ‘live’ section of his press briefing, in previewing the Italy game last week, but he knows his Test […]

5 years ago

‘Send me location’. Ellis Genge was probably lost in thought, mulling over a costly away defeat to Wales, when Wayne Pivac’s side filtered past the English squad. A minority of rugby fans, watching on, felt Genge was showing disrespect to the Welsh players by not applauding them off the pitch. A smaller minority went so […]

5 years ago

“The best player on the park, for me.” It was interesting to note how both Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton lit up, following Ireland’s 48-10 win over Italy, when talking about Robbie Henshaw. While many of us were keen to talk about Will Connors, Hugo Keenan and debutants Craig Casey and Ryan Baird, the Ireland […]

5 years ago

“Tell us a little about Tag Beirne.” As long as the Man of the Match awards keep coming, Tadhg Beirne will not mind too much about how they are (mis)pronouncing his name. There was a massive sense of anticipation, back in the summer of 2018, when Beirne received his first Ireland call-up and headed to […]

5 years ago

“Everything I’ve dreamt of. It makes it a lot better to get the win. So I’m delighted.” Back in July, as Ireland’s rugby players readied themselves to return from an elongated, pandemic-enforced break, Craig Casey spoke with SportsJOE about the months ahead. The Limerick native had made his first ever European appearance earlier in 2020, […]

5 years ago

“Every single water-carrier was still on the pitch!” England captain Owen Farrell was livid with French referee Pascal Gauzere as a couple of first half try decisions went against his side. The scores were level at 3-3, after 16 minutes, when there was a small break in play for a penalty. Water-carriers from both sides […]

5 years ago

“What’s Porridge’s name again?” Back in February 2018 and James Lowe interrupted his own post-match press briefing to clarify the name of the young No.7 that he had just played with. Will Connors, he was told. Just over three years later and both men were lining out for an Ireland team in desperate need of […]

5 years ago

ITALY 10-48 IRELAND A much better performance from Ireland stopped the Six Nations rot, in Rome. The player ratings are dominated by some big forwards making huge impacts. Had Ireland lost their fourth straight Six Nations game, stretching back to October 2020, they would have slipped to 8th in the world. However, as soon as […]

5 years ago

“Thank you very much. End of discussion.” Mathieu Raynal and Johnny Sexton were not seeing eye-to-eye at Stadio Olimpico. Ireland looked to have scored an early try against Italy, in Rome, this afternoon but a combination of the French referee and Romain Poite, his Television Match Official, left their players, and millions of TV viewers, […]

5 years ago

I feel the need, the need for… quizzes! The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is starting off with a straight-up crazy sports scene from an adrenaline-fuelled movie. We then have your favourite geography, records and general knowledge rounds. As Tom Cruise once said, ‘Hey Slider, you stink!’

5 years ago

“What’s wrong with you?” The origin story of that Fergus McFadden headband is just what we need this week. Rugby physios and medics are often required to make running repairs on two or three players at once – so have a lot on their plate. Even so, when a player clearly has some sinews holding […]

5 years ago

“Flying to France and having the chat worked!” Back in January of 2014, Sean O’Brien came perilously close – for Leinster’s sake – from leaving Ireland for a move to the Top 14. With Johnny Sexton already playing with Racing 92, back then, O’Brien was approached by Toulon to gauge his interest in making a […]

5 years ago

In better news for the Irish provinces, Munster and Leinster are guaranteed home fixtures next. A revised tournament format has been announced for the 2020/21 Champions and Challenge Cup competitions. Both tournaments will resume on the weekend of April 2-4 and go straight into knock-out rugby. We start with a Round of 16 before continuing […]

5 years ago

Roll up, roll up! The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is coming at you hard and fast today. Straight in with a cult TV classic, a zip around some much-loved football grounds, a deep dive into Tiger Woods’ golfing records and wrapping up with general knowledge. Let slip the dogs of war!

5 years ago

“I was thinking, ‘That’s a bit odd’.” Six months after it was announced he was signing for NEC Green Rockets, in Japan, and after umpteen pre-season games, Alex Goode finally made his Top League bow. “It turns out it’s the league for me,” the Saracens and England star remarked, “as there is absolutely no defence! […]

5 years ago

“Emm, nearly, yeah, nearly, nearly, nearly.” Johnny Sexton has a fair idea of what he will be doing after he hangs up his playing boots. He does not want to broadcast his plans, but insists it will not be a pivot into rugby coaching or punditry. Sexton will turn 36 in July – when he […]

5 years ago

“It depends what you classify as pressure… “ There were not that many people discussing Mike Catt and his role with the Ireland team, heading into the 2021 Six Nations. Two games, and two defeats, in, Catt has been a hot-button topic this past week. Ireland did as well as could be expected of them […]

5 years ago

“Yeah, you’re actually going home now.” Conor Murray, at his best, was right up there with Aaron Smith as the top scrum-half in world rugby for six straight years, and not far off for the rest of his time on the international stage. Murray will be hoping to be restored to the Ireland team for […]

5 years ago

There are now 10 players out of contention for this Sunday’s game. France are leading the Six Nations standings after two rounds, but they are without several players for their upcoming game with Scotland. Five new cases of Covid-19 have affected the French squad including captain Charles Ollivon, the French Federation has announced. Ollivon, Cyril […]

5 years ago

Andy Farrell is sticking to his guns, even if some of them are misfiring. A 36-man Ireland squad for the Six Nations clash with Italy, in Rome, has been confirmed by the IRFU this afternoon. There are no players dropping out of the squad after the opening two defeats to France and Wales. There are […]

5 years ago

Buckle up! The SportsJOE ‘Who Scored More’ Quiz is back for Part 2 and giving you more tap-ins and toughies to consider. In each round of the quiz, we give you a list of club stars and asks you who has scored more for the club they both played for. There are 20 to get […]

5 years ago

LIVERPOOL 0-2 EVERTON Heading into this evening’s Premier League clash at Anfield, Seamus Coleman was the last Everton player to experience a victory over Liverpool. That has all changed now. The Toffees had not defeated Liverpool since 2010, back when David Moyes was their manager, but they would have fancied their changes despite a losing […]

5 years ago

“I could continue not being put into a box… because I love big picture too.” It is coming on eight years since Paul O’Connell and Ronan O’Gara last rode into battle together. A year after O’Gara retired and headed to Paris to start off as skills coach at Racing 92, Anthony Foley stepped up from […]

5 years ago

“Zammo had 40,000 followers on Instagram, before the weekend, and now has about 100,000.” Louis Rees-Zammit is already attracting British & Irish Lions talk, despite only making his Test debut in October 2020. The Welsh winger may have scored three tries in his first two Six Nations games, but the kick to touch – with […]

5 years ago

“People don’t start playing ball at your age, they retire!” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is dipping back into one of Hollywood’s golden ages before testing your geography and general knowledge skills and paying tribute to the retired Dan Carter. Go get ’em, tiger!

5 years ago

“There were rumours, when I was in New Zealand, that I was a spy for Irish rugby. I was like, ‘What’s that about?!’” During his appearances, in the past, on our shows The Hard Yards and House of Rugby, Ronan O’Gara has often stated that he was still early into his coaching journey. On our […]

5 years ago

‘F***ing hell, mate, this is me done for the day!’ The respect between Sean O’Brien and Jerome Kaino has existed for a vast number of years but they never shared the same pitch until the 2017 Lions Tour to New Zealand. Kaino and O’Brien are two of the best flankers of the past decade and […]

5 years ago

“It would be good to see him get a taste.” Craig Casey would have been disappointed to miss out against France, but he could get his Test chance very soon. Already resigned to losing Peter O’Mahony [suspension] and James Ryan [concussion] for the game against France, most of us were surprised by both Conor Murray […]

5 years ago

‘Darren would like to apologise to Alan and the club for his actions’. The Professional Game Match Officials [PGMOL] has released a statement that includes an apology from referee Darren Drysdale after his confrontation with Irish midfielder Alan Judge, on Tuesday. Drysdale appeared to stick his head out towards Judge before players from both Ipswich […]

5 years ago

“You’re in my world now Grandma!” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Happy Gilmore’s cinematic release with a special edition. Choke on that, baby!!

5 years ago

Some modern day legends in here. This Champions League quiz will give you a real appreciation for the top goalscoring operators out there. The Uefa Champions League has been going for 25 years now and has provided the stage for a host of deadly goalscorers. Today, we are asking you to guess the 10 top […]

5 years ago

“It’s difficult on the edge at Test level – you can get exposed.” Before James Lowe even arrived in Ireland, many of us where excited about what he could bring to our Test side. That sense of anticipation only heightened when he started lighting it up for Leinster. Those that scoff that his try-scoring stats […]

5 years ago

Six changes and two lads than could win Test debuts off the bench. “Our approach, our attitude doesn’t change,” declared Andy Farrell, less than an hour after his Ireland side bowed out of the Six Nations title race. “I’ve just said to the boys in the changing room that we talk about the strength of […]

5 years ago