The schedule for the  British & Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa has been confirmed for eight games in the summer of 2021, with Warren Gatland’s side set to play in front of the largest-ever crowd for a Lions Test in the professional era. As with previous tours, the travelling contingent will cover a large […]

6 years ago

Joe speaks out on the biggest calls. The news that Joe Schmidt would be releasing a book about himself, written by himself, caught everyone by surprise in the last few weeks. Arguably the most influential Irish rugby coach in history, Schmidt has always been somewhat enigmatic and keen in interviews to keep the spotlight on […]

6 years ago

Who said Shakespeare was pointless? Jose Mourinho is box office, he is headline-grabbing, he is the Special One. Maybe, at one stage, his appointment at Tottenham Hotspur would have made sense. But it feels as if we all know now how this will play out before it even begins. It feels as if, regardless of […]

6 years ago

This is not one to be missed. The World Cup this summer should have had us all forewarned and forearmed ahead of VAR’s introduction to the Premier League… Agree or disagree with its merits, it can’t be denied that its arrival has been as graceful as a Paul McShane bicycle kick. Technology and its application […]

6 years ago

It’s in preparation for Euro 2020. Lansdowne DART station will be closed for this evening’s final group game against Denmark as Dublin gets ready to host a number of games in the European Championships next summer. The station will be closed between 5:30 pm and 11pm on Monday 18th. DART services will continue as scheduled, […]

6 years ago

Abacuses out, lads. Ireland are top of Group D, but have the most to do in order to progress. Georgia play Switzerland this evening at 7:45 Irish time… And you would think Ireland would want a favour from the Georgians. But they really don’t. First off, an unlikely Georgian win doesn’t actually change Ireland’s task […]

6 years ago

It’s a red-letter day in Irish football, but a white-ribbon one too. Ireland take on Denmark in the Aviva Stadium on Monday, knowing that (barring a draw in the Georgia-Switzerland game on Friday) any win over the Danes will see the team progress to Euro 2020. In the lead-up to the big game, the FAI […]

6 years ago

Top of Group 1. The Irish u21 side continued their impressive Euro 2021 Qualifier campaign with a hard-earned win over Armenia away from home this Thursday lunchtime. It was a much-changed side going into the game, with injuries to the likes of Caoimhín Kelleher, suspensions for Jayson Molumby and Lee O’Connor and the Senior call-ups […]

6 years ago

Mick’s picked a mix. Mick McCarthy has confirmed that he’ll be handing full debuts to Troy Parrott and Lee O’Connor in tomorrow’s friendly, while Shamrock Rovers’ Jack Byrne will also be awarded a starting berth against New Zealand. McCarthy had hinted during the week that he would be using the fixture as an opportunity to […]

6 years ago

Mick McCarthy prefers it the way it was. It’s been a rough couple of weeks for VAR. The technology has been dominating the discourse every weekend since the beginning of the season, with fractional offside calls from the 2003/04 season ruling out goals and handballs not being handballs because when does a hand really become […]

6 years ago

He was a big loss for England. Kyle Sinckler was one of the stand-out players in Japan, not just for England, but in the tournament as a whole. His early collision with teammate Maro Itoje that saw him knocked out and removed from the field of play was a cruel blow that England never fully […]

6 years ago

It might seem like a strange choice, but think about it. You get the impression Wales will feel like this one slipped through their fingers. Grand Slam champions coming into the tournament, Wales seemed to be doing what they always have done under Warren Gatland and peaking in a World Cup year. They scraped past […]

6 years ago

Few surprises. Mick McCarthy has named his squad for a crucial few days in Irish football, for different reasons. The friendly against New Zealand in the Aviva Stadium is not that big a game, but it does provide Mick McCarthy with the chance to blood some young players and also to provide crucial minutes ahead […]

6 years ago

Saracens cheated. Everyone else paid. The news of Saracens 35 point deduction and £5.36 million fine sent shockwaves around the rugby world yesterday. The (unlikely) prospect of relegation and (likely) result of no European rugby next season for the reigning Champions Cup holders is the biggest scandal to hit English rugby since the “bloodgate” incident […]

6 years ago

“He’s probably the best coach I’ve ever come across” If there was a moment that summed up the South African World Cup success, it came in a four minute period late in the first half. England set up a rolling maul in the 30th minute, and bashed the South African line for phase after phase […]

6 years ago

“We got to do it better than we’ve been doing.” The New Zealand rugby team are always in any conversation around the greatest teams in world sport. The aura of the All Blacks stretches beyond the lines of a rugby pitch: the selflessness and sacrifice that the jersey embodies is often lauded as being the […]

6 years ago

80 minutes in Tokyo. The biggest game in world rugby takes place this weekend, as England and South Africa lock horns to decide who takes home the Webb Ellis trophy. England have been building steadily through the year, a seismic win over Ireland in Dublin back in February kickstarted what would have been a Grand […]

6 years ago

New Zealand 40-17 Wales Call it by whatever name you like, this fixture is always going to be a damp squib no matter who’s playing. In what was effectively a testimonial for a number of key All-Blacks, and both Head Coaches, New Zealand were simply too good for Wales over the 80 minutes. Two early […]

6 years ago

England’s forwards are good. Pass it on. Kyle Sinckler made more passes and offloads against New Zealand than the 14 South African forwards combined against Wales. If you wanted to sum up the two styles of play coming up against one another in the Rugby World Cup Final this weekend, that pretty much does it […]

6 years ago

Tús maith, leath na hoibre. While you would doubt that there’s an Irish seanfhocal written up on the wall of the English dressing room, it’s been their mantra in a couple of key wins this year. A good start is half the work. When England arrived to the Aviva Stadium in February for the opening […]

6 years ago

32 years of age. Irish. Coaching at a World Cup Final. While Irish interest supposedly ended in the tournament at the traditional Quarter Final stage two weeks ago, there will be some green involvement when South Africa take on England for the Webb Ellis trophy on Saturday. Formerly of Leinster, Munster and Ireland, and one-time […]

6 years ago

A whole lotto change. The organisers of the Dublin Marathon for 2020 have amended the lottery system to guarantee recent previous runners entry to next year’s edition. If you have ran the Dublin Marathon in the past 3 years, you can guarantee your entry outside of the lottery system. The news that the showpiece event […]

6 years ago

You can’t write you own ending. For every fairytale ending like Brian O’Driscoll, a first win over France in Paris in 14 years (a game that marked his entry onto the international stage in 2000) and a Six Nations Championship to boot, there are countless others who never got that send-off. This Rugby World Cup […]

6 years ago

“I really don’t see the point in it.” Wales and New Zealand will lock horns on Friday morning: the winner takes home the bronze medal from the Rugby World Cup, the losers go home with even less. Considering the ongoing discussion around player welfare in the game, the amount of minutes racked up by […]

6 years ago

“It was just timing”. Referee Jaco Peyper landed himself in a bit of hot water last weekend after he was pictured recreating his Quarter Final red card decision against Sébastien Vahaamahina with a few Welsh fans. It was a misjudgement that would cost him dearly, after he subsequently wasn’t considered to take part in any […]

6 years ago

Oh captain, my captain. With Rory Best’s exit stage left after yet another disappointing Irish World Cup campaign, Ireland are light on captaincy but not short of candidates to replace the Ulster hooker. It’s a new start, a new era, a new four year cycle. But who should step into Best’s shoes? Should Ireland pick […]

6 years ago

You’d prefer to be starting though. The game of rugby has changed massively in recent years. It’s a worthwhile exercise to go back and watch an old game, even from 15 years ago to see just how different it is. There’s a desire for contact, unrecognisable fitness levels and incredible strength in the modern game […]

6 years ago

Joe had his favourites. It can’t be denied that there were certain players in Joe Schmidt’s reign that needed to be shy of a limb in order to be dropped. In fact, Conor Murray tested that to the nth degree when he played most of the 2016 Six Nations clash with Wales with an arm […]

6 years ago

2018 feels like a lifetime ago. Isa Nacewa wasn’t holding back when he was commenting on Ireland’s regression in the past year. The Irish rugby team peaked 11 months ago. While everyone else was still a year out from their World Cup form, they landed themselves top of a pile of teams who just weren’t […]

6 years ago

Més que un joc. El Clasico is one of the most renowned games in world football. It pits two of the most successful clubs in the game against each other. It contains some of the best players to ever play the game. It often decides the destination of the La Liga title. But it’s more […]

6 years ago

Rory McIlroy has extended the olive branch. Golf may have to wait a little bit longer for the rivalry that seemed to be brewing between the two best players in the world, after McIlroy responded to Koepka’s reminder of his lack of major successes in recent years. Last week, world number one Koepka held nothing […]

6 years ago

Billy Vunipola is crucial to England’s World Cup hopes. Eddie Jones’ side blasted Australia away in the second half in Oita on Saturday, securing their passage to the final four of the Rugby World Cup and setting up a titanic clash with reigning champions New Zealand in the process. The worries around Vunipola’s fitness have […]

6 years ago

A bit of craic or a bit too far? Jaco Peyper was the man in the middle for the helter-skelter Quarter Final clash between France and Wales on Sunday. It wasn’t exactly a quiet day at the office, as he dished out the first red card in a knockout game of the World Cup since […]

6 years ago

Japan are well used to punching above their weight. Jamie Joseph’s side have been the story of the tournament so far. Seeded third in Pool A, they became the first side in tournament history to top their pool from that position and dispatched of both Ireland and Scotland en route. Their brand of rugby has […]

6 years ago

Cheslin Kolbe is not from this planet. He’s 5 foot 7 inches tall and weighs 74 kilograms. For reference, Waisea Nayacalevu on the Fijian wing is 6 foot 4 and weighs 97 kilos. But only one of them is having the tournament of his life. The speedy winger has lit up the Rugby World Cup in Japan, […]

6 years ago

“New Zealand pick the best team for New Zealand, not the best team to mess up Ireland” There were a couple of bombs, and players, dropped when Steve Hansen named his 23 to face Ireland in Tokyo on Saturday. New Zealand’s mantra has always been the best player for the jersey on the day plays. […]

6 years ago

“That’s just life isn’t it? There’s always going to be begrudgers in anything” It’s Quarter Final weekend in the Rugby World Cup, and Ireland have pulled the toughest draw imaginable. Failure to beat Japan and fulfil their seeding in the Pool Stages has seen them land on the less favourable side of the knockout draw. […]

6 years ago

Keiren Westwood has joined non-league Cheadle Town F.C., but it’s not what you might first think. The Irish international shot-stopper may have fallen down the pecking order in former boss Martin O’Neill and then current boss Mick McCarthy’s eyes, but he’s made 10 appearances for Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship this season. He’s actually joined […]

6 years ago

New Zealand are smart. Ireland need to be smarter. Nigel Owens will referee Ireland’s Quarter Final against New Zealand. He has the lowest average penalty count of all the World Cup referees, his games also have the longest ball-in-play time and, at times, the breakdown descends into the Wild West on his watch. Oh, and […]

6 years ago

Is it because it’s a bloody World Cup? Before we get into this, Wales are Grand Slam champions. They beat all in front of them in early Spring, dismantling Ireland in Cardiff in their final fixture to give Warren Gatland the perfect send-off in his final 6 Nations campaign. We know this. But, considering the […]

6 years ago

It hasn’t been the best of tournaments for the USA. It hasn’t been the worst either. It’s been three comprehensive losses to date in Japan for the American rugby side. Defeats to England, France and Argentina were always on the cards, but they’ve acquitted themselves reasonably well against the Tier 1 outfits. Their big game […]

6 years ago

Just because he only wears one number on his back, and he’s bloody good at it, doesn’t make him any less of a player. In a tournament where Ireland have largely flattered to deceive, a number of players have put their hands up time and time again. Josh van der Flier, Garry Ringrose and Chris […]

6 years ago

“Like, it’s a game of rugby” The news that the fixtures between England and France and Italy and New Zealand have been cancelled has been met with rage, dismay and downright confusion across the world. People have questioned the “robust contingency plans” World Rugby noted during the week. They have been interested as to why […]

6 years ago

“Robbie Henshaw is that good”. The Irish team to face Russia has been named, and still no Robbie Henshaw. We’ve had our World Cups undone by injuries before. The 43-20 hammering at the hands of Argentina in 2015 came after a frankly sellotaped Irish side lined out against the Pumas. Shorn of Johnny Sexton, Paul […]

6 years ago

“When Ireland play well, it’s when Rory Best plays well”. Rory Best arrived to Japan with a target on his back. His lineout throw was under the microscope. If Ireland were addicted to hitting Devin Toner, the methadone of James Ryan and Peter O’Mahony just wasn’t doing it for us. A more than solid performance […]

6 years ago

This is what the World Cup is all about. The Pool D clash between Wales and Australia sees the first of the Hemisphere heavyweight battles at the World Cup. While we’ve already seen New Zealand and South Africa go toe to toe, some of the other top seed clashes in the pool stages have an […]

6 years ago

Fla is not one to mince his words. It was all doom and gloom for Scotland last weekend, after they were utterly outplayed by Ireland in a 27-3 defeat. The Scots never managed, or really threatened, to breach Ireland’s whitewash. Including the 10-minute period where Ireland were down to 14 men. In truth, Ireland’s shock defeat […]

6 years ago

For the few, not the many? Japan toppling South Africa in Brighton, Uruguay edging Fiji in Kamaishi. Away from the glitter-strewn podiums of November, this is often where the magic of the Rugby World Cup lies. But is it ultimately hollow in the grand scheme of things? It’s an oft-thrown remark around the Rugby World […]

6 years ago

Jack Carty backed by Fla in “biggest game of his career” It’s only been 216 days since Jack Carty made his senior debut for Ireland, coming off the bench against Italy in Rome, but he’s now taking the reins at 10 for Ireland in a crunch Rugby World Cup Pool A game. Ireland face Japan […]

6 years ago

Irish eyes are fixed on the crunch fixture of Pool A this weekend, but these two sides will have plenty of say in who makes the Rugby World Cup Quarter Finals. It’s four years to the day since Japan rocked the rugby world with a seismic victory over South Africa. In the end, though, it […]

6 years ago