Welford Road assignment a huge test of Ulster's capabilitiesAFTER THE latest tour de force by Stephen Ferris and the opportunism of Ian Humphreys helped to see off Clermont last week, to…Sat Nov 19 2011 - 00:00
Galacticos aplenty as Toulouse hit GalwayRUGBY: THE DAY of reckoning is at hand, and as 100th games in Europe go, Connacht’s big day is becoming bigger by the daySat Nov 19 2011 - 00:00
Connacht set to face Toulouse's big gunsHEINEKEN CUP POOL SIX: ALL ROADS lead to the Wild Wild West tomorrow – though the forecast suggests the weather will lighten…Fri Nov 18 2011 - 00:00
Pushing Connacht backs to live on the edgeHEINEKEN CUP POOL SIX: ONE OF the most refreshing aspects of Connacht’s Heineken Cup debut last Friday was that they started…Wed Nov 16 2011 - 00:00
Elwood relishing the visit of ToulouseRUGBY: THE BIG day is finally upon them, and barring a few more days to allow some players to recover from the various knocks…Tue Nov 15 2011 - 00:00
Looking for a last-ditch winner? Call RogRUGBY: STAND UP and Fight, and Until the Final Bell indeedMon Nov 14 2011 - 00:00
Some good old Munster faith can win dayTIMES ARE as tough in Limerick as they are anywhere else and, by all accounts, there is nothing like the traditional stampede…Sat Nov 12 2011 - 00:00
Ulster want Ferris at the wheelULSTER’S WEEKEND medical bulletin in the fall-out from their win over Connacht boded ill for Saturday’s daunting Heineken Cup…Thu Nov 10 2011 - 00:00
Friends turn to foes once moreRUGBY: AS WORLD Cup hangover cures go, this is the ultimate hairy lemonFri Nov 04 2011 - 00:00
Not fever pitch just yet: Leinster chief still confident of sell-outLEINSTER v MUNSTER: MICK DAWSON, the Leinster Branch chief executive, admits that because of the World Cup, the province are…Wed Nov 02 2011 - 00:00
Murphy gives clear hint on retirementRUGBY: GEORDAN MURPHY has given the broadest hint yet that he is set to retire from international rugbyTue Nov 01 2011 - 00:00
Adventure ends as Ireland do a lot of things well but Wales do them betterWales 22 Ireland 10: IN THE heel of the hunt, Wales were obliged to make significantly more tackles (141 to 93) and whereas …Mon Oct 10 2011 - 01:00
Kidney feels the hurt after Wales execute perfect planRUGBY: NOBODY DIED. It’s only sport, and Ireland merely lost a game of rugbyMon Oct 10 2011 - 01:00
'We're bitterly disappointed to be going home'THE IRISH players didn’t just feel they missed out on a gilt-edged opportunity to reach a first World Cup semi-final but, whispering…Mon Oct 10 2011 - 01:00
One last box to tickRUGBY: A QUIET Saturday morning in Ireland, a raucous Saturday evening in Wellington, with not a room to be hadFri Oct 07 2011 - 01:00
Men from the valleys prepare to ascendRUGBY QUARTER-FINALS IRELAND v WALES: WITH WARREN Gatland yet to lob in any grenades, the mutual respect between the Welsh and…Thu Oct 06 2011 - 01:00
O'Driscoll and D'Arcy remain centredPICTURE THE scene: a conference room the size of a swanky living room, with over 70 media types crammed in, including photographers…Thu Oct 06 2011 - 01:00
O'Callaghan relishing renewal of old rivalryIRELAND v WALES: FAMILIARITY BREEDS contempt, it is said, and there are times when the rivalry between Irish and Welsh players…Wed Oct 05 2011 - 01:00
N Z threat: Miller says everyone 'replaceable'OVER TO TEW: THE WORLD Cup would go on without the New Zealand All Blacks if they chose to boycott the 2015 tournament, International…Wed Oct 05 2011 - 01:00
Blarney Army paint town green - with a little help from the KiwisHISTORICALLY, IRELAND don’t do Rugby World Cups – but they appear to be doing one now.Mon Oct 03 2011 - 01:00
Clinical Ireland put Italians to the swordIreland 36 Italy 6: FOR ONCE the cardiac team decided not to put themselves or the rest of us through the wringerMon Oct 03 2011 - 01:00
Curiously, Aussies will be rooting for the New Zealand WarriorsDUNEDIN LETTER: THE SUSPICION was that New Zealand would be altogether different in both a World Cup setting and, particularly…Fri Sept 30 2011 - 01:00
Duo passed fit as Kidney opts for O'GaraRugby : Paul O’Connell and Tommy Bowe have been passed fit and confirmed amongst the starting line-up to face Italy in the crunch…Fri Sept 30 2011 - 01:00
O'Gara gets the Italian job over SextonRugby: As expected, Conor Murray and Ronan O’Gara will form a new half-back partnership for Ireland’s crunch World Cup Pool …Fri Sept 30 2011 - 01:00
O'Gara gets the Italian job over SextonRUGBY: AS EXPECTED, Conor Murray and Ronan O’Gara will form a new half-back partnership for Ireland’s crunch World Cup Pool …Fri Sept 30 2011 - 01:00
O'Connell sits out training againRUGBY: PAUL O’CONNELL remains Ireland’s biggest concern ahead of the winner-takes-all Pool D finale against Italy on Sunday …Thu Sept 29 2011 - 01:00
Smal remains wary of threat posed by ItalyRugby: THE IRISH squad returned to work yesterday after a couple of days’ rest knowing the pressure they are under to effectively…Wed Sept 28 2011 - 01:00
Ireland find their hiding place as the fringe steps up to the markIreland 62 Russia 12: HIDINGS HAVE not been an Irish speciality over the years, but although this regenerated team were on something…Mon Sept 26 2011 - 01:00
Rout keeps Ireland flying highRUGBY: THE IRISH World Cup odyssey exuberantly carries onMon Sept 26 2011 - 01:00
Russian rout keeps Ireland flying highRugby: The Irish World Cup odyssey exuberantly carries onMon Sept 26 2011 - 01:00
Ireland ready for bonus territoryRUGBY: GERT SMAL has publicly stated that the newly-promoted players in this remodelled Irish side have to move performance …Sat Sept 24 2011 - 01:00
Kidney utilises squad with nine changesWORLD CUP POOL C: UNLIKE FOUR years ago, this truly will be a squad effortFri Sept 23 2011 - 01:00
Kidney chops and changes for RussiaRugby: Irish coach Declan Kidney has made nine changes in personnel to Ireland’s starting XV for Sunday’s World Cup Pool game…Fri Sept 23 2011 - 01:00
O'Gara to reassess his position after World Cup is overRugby World Cup: RONAN O’GARA caused a bit of stir with his emotional post-match suggestion that these may be his last few weeks…Thu Sept 22 2011 - 01:00
Jennings knows the value of teamworkONE OF the most striking features of the build-up to last Saturday’s win was how all 30 players in the Irish squad appear to …Wed Sept 21 2011 - 01:00
Historic victory changes the permutationsON RUGBY: Saturday’s win over the Tri-Nations champions has had the kind of seismic effect Argentina’s win over France had in…Tue Sept 20 2011 - 01:00
This really was Team Ireland in EdenRUGBY: DEPENDING ON which side of the world you were on Saturday, it either started in daylight and ended in darkness, or vice…Mon Sept 19 2011 - 01:00
The world opens up for IrelandIreland 15 Australia 6: THE BELIEF that there was a performance brewing in this Irish team was fostered not just by knowing …Mon Sept 19 2011 - 01:00
Rare chance for Ireland to exorcise some ghosts in AucklandRUGBY: IRELAND AND Australia went into this Pool C clash with the opportunity to exorcise a few ghosts on New Zealand soil and…Sat Sept 17 2011 - 01:00
Ireland seal historic win after nail-biting encounterAustralia 6 Ireland 15 : The rain bucketed down intermittently, the Irish scrum ground the Wallabies into the grass and a huge…Sat Sept 17 2011 - 01:00
Ireland can rattle Wallabies' cageRUGBY WORLD CUP 2011 Ireland v Australia THIS IS it then, the one that has been circled since December 2008Fri Sept 16 2011 - 01:00
Ireland sweat over Flannery's fitnessRUGBY: Jerry Flannery has emerged as a major concern for the Irish squad despite being named on the bench for Saturday’s pivotal…Wed Sept 14 2011 - 01:00
Kidney goes with Reddan-Sexton halfback pairingAnalysis: By keeping Sean O’Brien, Rob Kearney and Cian Healy on a leash, Declan Kidney always gave himself elbow room to refresh…Wed Sept 14 2011 - 01:00
Ireland sweat over Flannery's fitnessRUGBY: Jerry Flannery has emerged as a major concern for the Irish squad despite being named on the bench for Saturday’s pivotal…Wed Sept 14 2011 - 01:00
