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
Where there's a WillPOOL C IRELAND v AUSTRALIA: IT’S A point made before but it’s worth repeating this week of all weeksWed Sept 14 2011 - 01:00
No bonus in this hollow victoryPOOL C Ireland 22 USA 10: IRELAND GOT their win, if not quite the commanding performance and result they would have wanted a…Mon Sept 12 2011 - 01:00
Star-strangled Ireland fail to impressRUGBY WORLD CUP : AS A launching pad for finally putting to right all those previous World Cup anti-climaxes, this was not the…Mon Sept 12 2011 - 01:00
Soaring over Eagles will set right tone2011 RUGBY WORLD CUP: THE IRISH squad’s World Cup odyssey has already seen them leave from, and land on, plenty of runways but…Sat Sept 10 2011 - 01:00
O'Driscoll welcomes Murray factorThe advent of a new player invariably energises a team and even its more established playersFri Sept 09 2011 - 01:00
New Zealand ready to party as Henry's first selection gets a mixed reactionRUGBY WORLD CUP: New Zealand v Tonga EVER SINCE November 17th, 2005, New Zealand has set about putting its best foot forward…Fri Sept 09 2011 - 01:00
Back home to make more of the 'hard yards'2011 RUGBY WORLD CUP: FROM THE spectacular, landlocked basin of Queenstown, Ireland moved on to the coastal town of New Plymouth…Fri Sept 09 2011 - 01:00
Betting DiaryRUGBY WORLD CUP: AUSTRALIA’S status as second favourites behind New Zealand (4/6) have hardened to 10/3, with South Africa at…Fri Sept 09 2011 - 01:00
Kiwis' desire to show everyone except the Wallabies a good time is palpableNEW ZEALAND LETTER : New Zealanders may never again have such an opportunity to showcase their countryThu Sept 08 2011 - 01:00
Fun is over as Ireland crank up effortsTHE FUN is over and soon the games will commenceWed Sept 07 2011 - 01:00
Pride and pace key to Eddie's EaglesPOOL C THE UNITED STATES: OF ALL the days of the year Ireland are to be pitted against the USA, one could hardly imagine there…Wed Sept 07 2011 - 01:00
Friendly welcome fails to mask local fear factorON RUGBY: The party is set to start but the collective self-doubt of New Zealanders about removing the gorilla from their backs…Tue Sept 06 2011 - 01:00
It's not the losses, it's the mannerRUGBY: THEY’RE ONLY friendlies, warm-up games, footnotes in history, etc, and at the outset Ireland would have traded four defeats…Mon Aug 29 2011 - 01:00
England in no mood to be 'friendly'RUGBY: IF EVER the description ‘a friendly test match’ constituted an oxymoron it surely applies to an Ireland-England contest…Sat Aug 27 2011 - 01:00
Irish injuries cast a dark cloudRUGBY: ALL THE best laid plans of mice and men, and all thatFri Aug 26 2011 - 01:00
Expect strong selectionsRUGBY: SUCH IS the importance of recording a confidence-boosting win in their final warm-up game at the Aviva Stadium this Saturday…Thu Aug 25 2011 - 01:00
Kidney feels the pain as cuts go deepRUGBY: IT SEEMS fairly safe to assume that Declan Kidney is not one of those coaches who would have sprung from his bed in Carton…Tue Aug 23 2011 - 01:00
Exclusion of O'Leary and Fitzgerald eye-catchingRUGBY: IF NOTHING else, there will assuredly be a widespread view that this was a brave selection by Declan Kidney, and one …Tue Aug 23 2011 - 01:00
Jones' injury opens door for MurphyRUGBY: IN A scenario heavy with irony, Geordan Murphy is set to be named in Ireland’s 30-man squad today after Felix Jones was…Mon Aug 22 2011 - 01:00
Ireland need a victory for momentumRUGBY: THE WORLD Cup looms closer into view with Monday’s deadline for the final 30-men squads, but for Ireland to have visions…Sat Aug 20 2011 - 01:00
Another hurdle negotiated but Ireland lose their way in scrumRUGBY NEWS Ireland 38 Connacht 3: IRELAND NEGOTIATED another warm-up match without too much pain in terms of injuries, which…Fri Aug 19 2011 - 01:00
Wallace a major doubt for France TestRUGBY NEWS: DAVID WALLACE has emerged as a major doubt to make his seasonal reappearance tomorrow after being rated as only …Fri Aug 19 2011 - 01:00
One or two slots may be up for grabsRUGBY: Ireland v Connacht THOSE MEMBERS of the Irish squad who are being sent to Donnybrook this evening may privately feel …Thu Aug 18 2011 - 01:00
Kidney makes eight changesRUGBY: DECLAN KIDNEY maintained that the two selections to play France on Saturday and Connacht this evening do not mark out…Thu Aug 18 2011 - 01:00
Lièvremont expected to ring the changes for FranceRUGBY: TRUE TO his word that he will give pretty much every fit member of his squad a run-out in the two games against Ireland…Tue Aug 16 2011 - 01:00
Ireland let another one slip away in FranceFrance 19 Ireland 12: ANOTHER ONE that got away against Les BleusMon Aug 15 2011 - 01:00
Ireland hope to learn from French testRUGBY: IRELAND AREN’T exactly shirking from meaningful skirmishes in the build-up to this World Cup and by later tonight they…Sat Aug 13 2011 - 01:00
Eight changes as Kidney keeps to planRUGBY: IN MAKING eight changes in personnel, and one positional switch, for Saturday night’s rendezvous with the French, not…Fri Aug 12 2011 - 01:00
Tough test as this really is Rugby CountryRUGBY: DEPENDING ON how you look at it, those players given a chance to press their claims for a front-line spot or a place …Fri Aug 12 2011 - 01:00
Lakafia to make debut in BordeauxRUGBY: AS EXPECTED, Marc Lièvremont has granted a Test debut to the 22-year-old Biarritz sensation Raphael Lakafia in the first…Thu Aug 11 2011 - 01:00
Murphy returns to Irish squad after lay-offGEORDAN MURPHY has been recalled from Leicester’s pre-season preparations in France to re-join the Irish squad today after coming…Wed Aug 10 2011 - 01:00
Kiss takes the positives out of defeat to ScotlandRUGBY: THERE WEREN’T too many collective plusses to Ireland’s opening offering in Murrayfield, but the defence was by some distance…Tue Aug 09 2011 - 01:00
Ireland lose their grip on grim encounterRUGBY: Scotland 10 Ireland 6: THE KEY to seasonal openers is not to expect much, or even anything, and in that respect at least…Mon Aug 08 2011 - 01:00
Kidney says taking ball at pace a step-by-step processRUGBY: AS EXPECTED, Declan Kidney strongly indicated there will be a significant number of changes to the Ireland team for next…Mon Aug 08 2011 - 01:00
Kidney keen for some fringe benefits in EdinburghRUGBY: THE EDINBURGH fringe festival began yesterday, in advance of the full international festival next week, and the mix of…Sat Aug 06 2011 - 01:00
Patient McCarthy finally reaps his rewardWORLD CUP WARM-UP : EVER SINCE Dan Tuohy was first picked, and capped, on the summer tour to New Zealand and Australia two years…Fri Aug 05 2011 - 01:00
Kidney offers hope to fringe contendersRUGBY: World Cup warm-up Ireland v Scotland, tomorrow, Murrayfield, 2Fri Aug 05 2011 - 01:00
Awkward clashes for league at firstRABODIRECT PRO12: NO RESPITE for the wicked or, more pertinently, the successfulThu Aug 04 2011 - 01:00
Working way up ladder to show who's BossWORLD CUP WARM-UP SCOTLAND v IRELAND, SATURDAY, MURRAYFIELD, 2Thu Aug 04 2011 - 01:00
Scotland changes: new-look backrowRUGBY: ROSS RENNIE, the 25-year-old Edinburgh openside, will make his first Test start after winning six caps off the bench …Wed Aug 03 2011 - 01:00
Flannery, Kearney looking good, D'Arcy, Ferris . . .RUGBY: ALTHOUGH THE doubts persist concerning the prospects of Gordon D’Arcy and Stephen Ferris partaking in any of Ireland’…Tue Aug 02 2011 - 01:00
Trick is to get balance rightTHE DEBATE will rage until the World Cup kicks off and probably won’t conclude until the completion of the tournament.Tue Aug 02 2011 - 01:00
Final could be worth more than €25mRUGBY HEINEKEN CUP: THE DECISION by the ERC to bridge a 10-year gap by staging the 2013 Heineken Cup final in the Aviva Stadium…Fri Jun 10 2011 - 01:00
Schmidt welcomes less daunting draw for holdersRUGBY: EVEN FIVE months out the draw whets the appetiteWed Jun 08 2011 - 01:00
Elwood delighted with Toulouse challengeRUGBY : IN THE days leading up to yesterday’s Heineken Cup draw, interest in the west of Ireland would have been more acute …Wed Jun 08 2011 - 01:00
Ireland in a good place ahead of World CupON RUGBY: AS WORLD Cup cycles go, the 2010-11 season took to three the number of Heineken Cups and Magners Leagues won by Leinster…Tue May 31 2011 - 01:00
Munster earn fitting reward for consistent seasonRUGBY/MAGNERS LEAGUE FINAL: LEINSTER’S MEMORABLE season didn’t deserve to end in defeat, but then again, Munster’s season-long…Mon May 30 2011 - 01:00
Pride the simple spur for rivalsRUGBY: AND SO, the last two standing are Munster and LeinsterSat May 28 2011 - 01:00
Munster v Leinster how they match upTHIS WILL be the 21st competitive meeting in European and League combat between these old provincial rivals, beginning with the…Sat May 28 2011 - 01:00
