Murray shows mental strength to go with the physicalNO LESS than his physical strength, Conor Murray has mental strength as wellMon Oct 22 2012 - 01:00
Munster burst into life late to secure bonus pointMunster 33 Edinburgh 0: MAYBE IT was the Sunday brunchtime kick-off but after a fairly soporific first 40 minutes, Munster exploded…Mon Oct 22 2012 - 01:00
Hobbled Leinster need to show some patience in the valleysRUGBY: THE VERDICT on this current Leinster team cannot be suspended much longer and today, as they say, should tell us much…Sat Oct 20 2012 - 01:00
Munster need to get cooking at homeSKY SPORTS have done much for the Heineken Cup, but the unwanted, TV-dictated Sunday brunch time kick-off isn’t uppermost amongst…Sat Oct 20 2012 - 01:00
Connacht post attracts worldwide interestTHE IMPENDING vacancy in Connacht for the position as head coach next season has already attracted a high calibre of interest…Wed Oct 17 2012 - 01:00
Pienaar returns to bonus territoryFOR RUAN Pienaar, it was quite a return to the Ulster foldWed Oct 17 2012 - 01:00
Three out of four ain't bad but still plenty to improve onRUGBY: THREE WINS out of four but in truth this wasn’t one of the most distinguished of Heineken Cup opening weekends by the…Mon Oct 15 2012 - 01:00
'They lost that today to be honest'FOLLOWING ON from a stop-start beginning to their campaign, the largely positive first hour against Munster would have been forgotten…Mon Oct 15 2012 - 01:00
Leinster struggling to find their rhythmLeinster 9 Exeter 6: LAST WEEK against Munster had seemed like a step forward for the European champions but, even allowing …Mon Oct 15 2012 - 01:00
Anxious Leinster begin their defence with tricky openerLeinster v Exeter Chiefs: SO IT begins, Leinster’s defence of their back-to-back European crowns and with it their pursuit of…Sat Oct 13 2012 - 01:00
Pienaar ensures a maximum haulHEINEKEN CUP POOL FOUR Ulster 41 Castres 17: ULSTER MADE desperately heavy weather of obtaining the bonus point that the class…Sat Oct 13 2012 - 01:00
Determined Ulster to start campaign on a winning noteHEINEKEN CUP POOL FOUR Ulster v Castres: A PROVINCE expects and all that, and probably like never beforeFri Oct 12 2012 - 01:00
No progress reported in ERC talksTHERE WERE no revelations after another lengthy meeting of the ERC stakeholders in Rome yesterday, but at least they are all …Tue Oct 09 2012 - 01:00
Leinster hopeful over injury list as Munster look to regroupRUGBY : LEINSTER WILL hold on to reasonably strong hopes that Rob Kearney and Gordon D’Arcy might yet recover from the back …Mon Oct 08 2012 - 01:00
Leinster have that bit more in handLeinster 30 Munster 21: THIS WAS a fairly accurate barometer of where both sides are in their evolutionMon Oct 08 2012 - 01:00
Provincial matters are key todayRUGBY Leinster v Munster: AS HAS become the norm in recent times, a slow burning start to the rugby season should be set aflame…Sat Oct 06 2012 - 01:00
Munster set the bar for CheikaThe good memories outweigh the bad. And it wasn’t just the trophies or the winsSat Oct 06 2012 - 01:00
Documentary shows Connacht passionConnnacht last night held their premiere screening of a fly-on-the-wall documentary The West’s Awake, produced by Kieran Hartigan…Thu Oct 04 2012 - 01:00
Family first as Elwood hands off Connacht positionNEWS: ULTIMATELY, AS was suspected, the passion that drove him threatened to consume him and thus obliged him to walk away from…Thu Oct 04 2012 - 01:00
ERC restate rejection of English TV dealERC’s chief executive Derek McGrath yesterday made it abundantly clear that until such time as Premiership Rugby walk away from…Wed Oct 03 2012 - 01:00
Schmidt still seeks a measure of continuityLEINSTER HAVE the chance to make history by becoming the first side to win three Heineken Cups in a row but less than a fortnight…Wed Oct 03 2012 - 01:00
Elwood will leave Connacht with big boots to fillRUGBY: ERIC ELWOOD will today confirm his shock intention to step down at the end of the season as head coach of Connacht, thereby…Wed Oct 03 2012 - 01:00
Leinster feel it's time they got on their bikesRUGBY: LEINSTER HAVE been here before and bought the T-shirtTue Oct 02 2012 - 01:00
Season set for nights of intriguing derbiesULSTER BANK LEAGUE: THE ULSTER Bank League resumes for its 23rd campaign this evening and is still not without its flawsFri Sept 28 2012 - 01:00
Leinster can call on reserves of strengthRABO DIRECT PRO12 LEAGUE Connacht v Leinster: IN THE midst of the Galway Oyster Festival and a few other minor sporting events…Fri Sept 28 2012 - 01:00
Seeking to do justice to Nevin's memoryINTERVIEW JOHANN MULLER: THE SHOW MUST go on and there had to come a point when the Ulster squad were not only obliged to play…Wed Sept 26 2012 - 01:00
Kidney looks to get back up the rankingsRUGBY: DECLAN KIDNEY, along with his assistants Les Kiss and Gert Smal, yesterday entered the hardest sell of their tenure as…Wed Sept 26 2012 - 01:00
Leinster working to establish continuity and rhythmLEINSTER MOVE into a pivotal period of their season lacking their familiar rhythm and form, but with little sign of their disruptions…Tue Sept 25 2012 - 01:00
Time to wrap the green flag around themTHE RUMOUR mill, as ever in Munster and particularly concerning Paul O’Connell, has been in overdrive in recent weeks but the…Tue Sept 25 2012 - 01:00
Ready to step it up as Lions loom on the horizonRABODIRECT PRO 12: Munster scrumhalf Conor Murray is intent on backing his own abilities this season as he freely admits he …Sat Sept 22 2012 - 01:00
Stakes set to rise at Rome meetingOPENING HANDS were placed on the table in what is liable to be a long drawn out game of poker, but many of the bluffs and counter…Wed Sept 19 2012 - 01:00
ERC meeting unlikely to come up with new AccordTHE VARIOUS stakeholders of ERC will convene at a Dublin hotel this morning to begin what is liable to be a lengthy and potentially…Tue Sept 18 2012 - 01:00
Death of Nevin Spence is a huge lossRUGBY NEWS: WORDS REALLY do seem futile at times like thisMon Sept 17 2012 - 01:00
British media split on TV deal: And along expected lines tooALL IN THE SCRUM: A rugby miscellanyMon Sept 17 2012 - 01:00
ERC blindsided by new TV dealRUGBY: FAR FROM adopting a more conciliatory stance after lobbing a grenade into ERC and European rugby the day before, yesterday…Fri Sept 14 2012 - 01:00
Munster to do the fortress storming this timeA TYPICALLY slow-burning start to the season rises a few degrees at Ravenhill tonight for the first derby and first five-figure…Fri Sept 14 2012 - 01:00
Trimble tuned up and ready to go againRABODIRECT PRO 12: THE IRFU Player Welfare Programme has some interesting side effectsThu Sept 13 2012 - 01:00
Schmidt set for one-year extensionNEWS: LEINSTER ARE hopeful of agreeing and announcing a one-year extension to Joe Schmidt’s contract before the end of this …Wed Sept 12 2012 - 01:00
Fundraising initiative targets €1m for clubsRUGBY : THE FIGHT on behalf of the club game carries on in ever more difficult times, what with the rampant expansionism of …Wed Sept 05 2012 - 01:00
Lions coach Gatland ready for 'one hell of a challenge'RUGBY: HE MAY be a Kiwi, but as first-time appointments to the role of Lions head coach go, it’s doubtful whether anyone has…Wed Sept 05 2012 - 01:00
Ferris back in Ulster squad for visit to champions OspreysRUGBY: STEPHEN FERRIS is set to play his first game since Ulster’s defeat in the Heineken Cup final against Leinster after Mark…Wed Sept 05 2012 - 01:00
Leinster look to toughen up for visit of DragonsOPENING DEFEATS on the first weekend of the League, or being left red-faced by the Scarlets, are not new experiences for Leinster…Tue Sept 04 2012 - 01:00
Weakened Munster have their work cut outTWO COACHES who will come under close if differing scrutiny this season kick off a new campaign at a cavernous Murrayfield in…Sat Sept 01 2012 - 01:00
Leinster seek an opening night for onceFEW SQUADS, in fact no squads in this league, contain the same depth as LeinsterSat Sept 01 2012 - 01:00
Ulster give youth its fling on opening nightTHERE’S ALWAYS a tendency to describe a team as new-look at the outset of another season but the description applies in spades…Fri Aug 31 2012 - 01:00
Onwards and upwards the mantra for Elwood and ConnachtCONNACHT’S IMPROVEMENT under Eric Elwood has been markedThu Aug 30 2012 - 01:00
Schmidt has Nacewa back to face SaleLeinster, Munster and Ulster all complete their pre-season programmes tonight against English Premiership opposition who, generally…Fri Aug 24 2012 - 01:00
Howlett to be new Munster captainDOUG HOWLETT is set to become the next Munster captain after Paul O’Connell indicated his intention to step down from the job…Thu Aug 23 2012 - 01:00
All to play for in season that ends with a big roarTO SAY that the onset of a new rugby season signals the end of summer would indeed be a laugh, besides which the rugby season…Wed Aug 22 2012 - 01:00
