Maybe Pro 12 should offer merit-based Heineken placesON RUGBY: AS A return to the meat and two veg of the regional/provincial game, last weekend’s RaboDirect Pro 12 was fairly tasty…Tue Apr 17 2012 - 01:00
Clinical St Mary's prove their worth when it matters mostClontarf 12 St Mary’s College 18 HAVING STUPIDLY done away with the play-offs, the IRFU and the club game were fortunate that…Mon Apr 16 2012 - 01:00
Ulster's Thomond raid no surprise - in hindsightON RUGBY: The signs were there in the way they put it up to Northampton away in last season’s quarter-final and earned a bonus…Tue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
Ulster come of age on seismic day at ThomondRUGBY: HEINEKEN CUP AN ALL-IRISH Heineken Cup final on May 19th at Twickenham remains a distinct possibility, though perhaps…Mon Apr 09 2012 - 01:00
Ulster storm Thomond fortressHEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINAL Munster 16 Ulster 22: ULSTER’S BEST day since they won the Cup in 1999, and assuredly their best …Mon Apr 09 2012 - 01:00
Bowe ruled out for four monthsTOMMY BOWE has effectively been ruled out of Ireland’s three-Test tour to New Zealand in June, and has played his last game for…Sat Apr 07 2012 - 01:00
O'Gara and Munster have what it takesEVEN BY by the rich standards of the Heineken Cup, and in arguably the venue which has seen more extraordinary feats than any…Sat Apr 07 2012 - 01:00
Clermont for once may not fadeSHOULD LEINSTER be in the semi-finals come tomorrow afternoon, then this will be of acute interest to themSat Apr 07 2012 - 01:00
Ulster will be wary of the Thomond factorHEINEKEN CUP: MUNSTER’S HOME QUARTER-FINALS: THE WORDS Munster, Thomond Park and Heineken Cup are virtually synonymous with …Fri Apr 06 2012 - 01:00
Indications are Ferris will playSTEPHEN FERRIS was yesterday named in Ulster’s 30-man squad for Sunday’s seismic Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster…Thu Apr 05 2012 - 01:00
Roberts a far bigger loss than HensonTHE LOSS of Jamie Roberts is far more relevant, and the latest Gavin Henson sideshow is a distraction which the troubled Cardiff…Wed Apr 04 2012 - 01:00
Player flight could slam door on Welsh regionsON RUGBY: The success of Wales at the World Cup and in winning the Grand Slam masks a provincial system that looks to be falling…Tue Apr 03 2012 - 01:00
Leinster show rude health as Munster scramble for positivesRUGBY: THINGS ARE perhaps never quite as they seem, but in the immediate aftermath of Leinster’s relatively emphatic storming…Mon Apr 02 2012 - 01:00
Leinster's strength and depth is tellingMunster 9 Leinster 18: MUNSTER WHIPPED up a storm or two, but Leinster weathered them impressively to lay down quite a significant…Mon Apr 02 2012 - 01:00
More important days ahead, but that won't matter come kick-off between these twoTHEY’D BOTH swap a defeat today for a win next weekSat Mar 31 2012 - 01:00
. . . believes there's no quick fix for Irish scrumTHE SCRUM. More to the point, the Ireland scrum, and the litany of overseas signings which have, goes the theory, stunted the…Sat Mar 31 2012 - 01:00
Horgan forced to retire after stellar careerTHE NEWS of Shane Horgan’s retirement through injury, a week after Jerry Flannery made the same announcement, hardly comes as…Thu Mar 29 2012 - 01:00
McGahan can't wait for Thomond match-upRUGBY: ALTHOUGH A full-on Munster-Leinster match-up inevitably carries the risk of further injuries, as a means of fast-tracking…Wed Mar 28 2012 - 01:00
Jones is raring to have crack at LeinsterMUNSTER ARE resigned to being without both first-choice locks Paul O’Connell and Donnacha Ryan, as well as scrumhalf Conor Murray…Tue Mar 27 2012 - 01:00
Munster weather Connacht stormRUGBY: Connacht 16 Munster 20 : MUNSTER WARMED up for their little tête-à-tête with Leinster next Saturday by reclaiming second…Mon Mar 26 2012 - 01:00
Legends fail to inspire LeinsterRUGBY: Leinster 22 Ospreys 23: THE THREE living legends came through unscathed but this was a mixed night for the European champions…Sat Mar 24 2012 - 00:00
Ireland have what it takes for TwickersRUGBY: Declan Kidney has likened Ireland’s arduous campaign to a sequence of Cup finals and, this being the finale, it truly…Sat Mar 17 2012 - 00:00
Time to start building a fortressWhen Ireland first returned to Lansdowne Road in the autumn of 2010, Brian O’Driscoll spoke for all when declaring Ireland’s …Sat Feb 25 2012 - 00:00
Smith the outstanding big name candidateRUGBY/MUNSTER HEAD COACH VACANCY: TONY McGAHAN’S departure to take up an attractive offer as assistant coach to Robbie Deans…Thu Feb 23 2012 - 00:00
McGahan to leave Munster at season's endRUGBY: TONY McGAHAN is set to leave Munster at the end of the season after reputedly informing his players yesterday that he…Wed Feb 22 2012 - 00:00
Ireland have to be a bit more clever, says SextonSIX NATIONS NEWS: DECLAN KIDNEY is expected to stick with the same selection which he had decided upon for the trek to Paris…Tue Feb 21 2012 - 00:00
IRFU need to provide leadership for club gameON RUGBY: FOR THE previous two seasons in the Ulster Bank League, Divisions One A and One B were streamlined to eight clubs …Tue Feb 21 2012 - 00:00
IRFU not happy with Sunday kick-offFrance v Ireland: REGRETS, THE Six Nations have a few, but when it comes to apologising to the 80,000 fans who attended last…Wed Feb 15 2012 - 00:00
March 3rd likely for Paris rematchRUGBY : SATURDAY, MARCH 3rd at 6pm French time (5pm Irish) appears the likeliest solution for the re-arranged France-Ireland…Mon Feb 13 2012 - 00:00
All dressed up but no place to goDESPITE THE pre-match protocols being put back five minutes for another pitch inspection and his ensuing on-field deliberations…Mon Feb 13 2012 - 00:00
Accident was bound to happenAND THE band didn’t play on. While the announcement confirming the game’s postponement at 8Mon Feb 13 2012 - 00:00
Ireland to feel the Paris chillRUGBY: STYLISH COATS and scarves are compulsory as the locals strut their stuff, but not even Parisians are much inclined to…Sat Feb 11 2012 - 00:00
O'Connell keen on a stout defenceRUGBY: THOSE CLAMOURING for change will be disappointed and will assuredly grumble, but the predictable decision to make just…Fri Feb 10 2012 - 00:00
Return of Earls likely to be only changeON FOOT of Stephen Ferris being cleared to play against France at Stade de France this Saturday, all the indications emanating…Thu Feb 09 2012 - 00:00
Blanket ban ends captain's run in ParisALREADY sweating on the availability of Stephen Ferris and faced with a six-day turnaround after the defeat to Wales, further…Wed Feb 08 2012 - 00:00
Review identifies need for stronger defensive structuresTHE IRELAND squad yesterday completed their review of the defeat to Wales on Sunday and, not surprisingly, have resolved to improve…Wed Feb 08 2012 - 00:00
Ferris's record is key to his defenceTHE IRISH team management will lodge a robust defence of Stephen Ferris before an independent Six Nations Disciplinary Committee…Wed Feb 08 2012 - 00:00
Kidney facing one of his biggest challengesON RUGBY: It might not have had the sense of disappointment of Wellington but the latest defeat to Wales asks a lot of questions…Tue Feb 07 2012 - 00:00
Ulster the likely destination as Bowe considers end-of-season moveTOMMY BOWE looks set to rejoin Ulster at the end of the season after choosing his native province ahead of Munster.Tue Feb 07 2012 - 00:00
Heaven's bread for Wales as Irish feast on crumbsIreland 21 Wales 23: AS ANTI-CLIMACTIC starts go, this was Ireland’s worst for some timeMon Feb 06 2012 - 00:00
Paris trek just became more dauntingRUGBY: THE GAME ended in controversy, and there’s little doubt the officials wrongly adjudged two so-called tip tackles – the…Mon Feb 06 2012 - 00:00
Earls gets nod for number 13 and all the pressure that goes with itRUGBY: KEITH EARLS has been anointed to fill Brian O’Driscoll’s semi-mystical number 13 jersey for Ireland’s campaign-defining…Thu Feb 02 2012 - 00:00
The one that got away during troubled timesHISTORY HAS shown us that “even” years don’t afford Ireland much of a shot at a Grand Slam.Wed Feb 01 2012 - 00:00
Tainton drops broadest hint it could be EarlsRUGBY: THE RIDDLE will be resolved at lunchtime when Declan Kidney confirms his line-up to confront Wales in the RBS Six Nations…Wed Feb 01 2012 - 00:00
Emotional attachment to Ireland sealed with KissAT LAST, next Sunday offers a chance to scratch an itch, if not quite vengeance for that quarter-final defeat, and in the immediate…Wed Feb 01 2012 - 00:00
Due south: Ulster look to southern hemisphereULSTER are likely to bring in a successor to Brian McLaughlin from the southern hemisphere, thereby ruling out several Irish …Wed Feb 01 2012 - 00:00
Touch, couch, pause, engage . . .HERE WE go again. The oldest and most successful rugby tournament in the world returns this Saturday, retaining its status as…Wed Feb 01 2012 - 00:00
