If Joe Schmidt can get the consistent Ireland to show up this could be the start of something specialNow is the time to end the team’s swings from excellence to mediocritySat Feb 01 2014 - 09:00
Unimpressive Ireland gazing into the abyss – and the abyss is All BlackIf the Irish pack are the same soft proposition in tomorrow’s game, they will be torn apartSat Nov 23 2013 - 12:01
The grassroots Down Under are in urgent need of some nourishmentAustralia may beat Ireland but their big task is saving the game at homeSat Nov 16 2013 - 09:00
It will be a learning process for Schmidt but Ireland’s problems run deeperThe new coach can’t expect to produce a magic bullet straight awaySat Nov 09 2013 - 12:00
Lions rewarded for what they have brought to Australian rugbyTour has been an outstanding success in every wayMon Jul 08 2013 - 09:00
Lions’ negative game plan hands all the momentum to AustraliaDropping of O’Driscoll a huge mistakeFri Jul 05 2013 - 20:00
No chance of Lions striking a knockout blow with this ‘rope a dope’The visitors did nothing in an attacking sense, helping Australia to a massive winMon Jul 01 2013 - 08:00
No matter about Australia’s bad luck, Robbie Deans must now pick up the piecesOne missed kick marked the thin line between failure and successMon Jun 24 2013 - 09:00
Lions may tick all the boxes but be wary of underdogs AustraliaHistory shows the Wallabies are always capable of rising to the biggest challengeMon Jun 17 2013 - 18:35
Queensland Reds help to rediscover Australia’s running rugby soulThe Lions finally came face to face with the style I hope they can get from the WallabiesMon Jun 10 2013 - 09:00
Lions tour could decide the fate of Australian rugbyThere is desperation in Wallaby hearts. Desperate people become reckless and dangerousMon Jun 03 2013 - 09:00
Managing change will be primary task for Joe Schmidt and Matt O’ConnorMatt Williams columnMon May 27 2013 - 09:00
Singo singed but More Joyous horse opera a Sydney side-splitterThe tale of a self-made multimillionaire, the matriarch of a racehorse training dynasty, her controversial bookmaker son, an all-time great rugby league player, a former jockey and a brothel-owning punterMon May 20 2013 - 09:00
Lions can do the game of rugby in Australia a great serviceWhile the game continues to flourish around the globe, in Australia it is struggling and in need of some helpMon May 13 2013 - 09:00
A brave and talented friend who heard the bell for the last timeSomehow Rory found the will to get to his feet and take his stance. He looked his opponent in the eye and said, “Come on you bastard. I’m not scared of you.”Mon May 06 2013 - 09:00
Time for knockers to say sorry to O’Gara for all the cheap shotsMunster outhalf showed that class really is permanentMon Apr 29 2013 - 09:00
Buckle up Joe, coaching a national team is a bumpy rideCoaching is about perception not substanceMon Apr 22 2013 - 10:00
Amount of lower-body injuries ‘not unusual’ given nature of deviceThe Boston Marathon bombs had been packed with metal fragments and placed close to the groundWed Apr 17 2013 - 07:00
Rugby’s sickness can be cured with just one law changeThe game used to be for all body shapes, the IRB can bring that backMon Apr 08 2013 - 10:00
The IRFU need to create a real process for developing talentWe need an extensive review into the systems that recruit and develop the next generation of playersMon Apr 01 2013 - 06:00
Ireland need to have some Woshkabomy in their gameIt’s time to hold review into the systems and processes in the elite player pathway to the national teamMon Mar 25 2013 - 06:00
If this is to be O’Driscoll’s swansong, we simply must winItalians to pose a major test for Kidney’s menSat Mar 16 2013 - 06:00
It's time to stop whinging and get behind Jamie and this teamNow is the time for all Irish supporters to do what we expect every Irish player to do, writes Matt WilliamsSat Mar 09 2013 - 00:00
Mounting pressure on national team coach not for the faint-heartedOn Rugby: I want you to imagine you are the head coach of a national rugby teamMon Mar 04 2013 - 00:00
A nation turns its eyes to Jackson . . . let's hope it's not too much for him on his debutANALYSIS: I suspect there will be a moment tomorrow when a wily old Cork man with a trusty boot will save the daySat Feb 23 2013 - 00:00
Mud flung at Australian sport over drugs investigation is stickingON RUGBY: Ten days ago the Australian Crime Commission (ACC,) the most powerful criminal investigation unit in the land, summoned…Mon Feb 18 2013 - 00:00
Ireland can do it - if they dominate the Corridor of PowerRUGBY ANALYST: But any slacking, and mentally-strong England will gain the revenge they have quietly cravedSat Feb 09 2013 - 00:00
ARU hoping to be dragged back into good books on Lions' tailAs Warren Gatland said, Australia is a great place to tourSat Feb 02 2013 - 00:00
Life is short, so let's wish Sexton well on his adventure in ParisWhat do Ollie Campbell, Jackie Kyle, David Humphries, Tony Ward and Paul Dean have in common? They were all great outhalvesMon Jan 28 2013 - 00:00
Eddie, welcome to the list of the Irish coaching damnedAnd then there were none. No Irish born provincial head coach in the countryMon Jan 21 2013 - 00:00
Just another day in paradise to help me refocus and recoverON RUGBY: An athlete needs to have a recovery plan to be in peak physical and mental conditionMon Jan 07 2013 - 00:00
Leinster can rediscover the mongrel dog within and rise againWhen two evenly-matched teams clash, the winning edge is found within the team that is the more desperate to win.Mon Dec 31 2012 - 00:00
Underfunding ensures Connacht remain the perennial bridesmaids of Irish rugbyFrench Notes To fully develop their potential, Connacht must get a much better deal from the IRFUMon Dec 17 2012 - 00:00
On the road, it's tackles and defence that wins matchesANALYSIS: Clermont is the major city of the Massif Central – the French region is shaped like a giant handmade lump of dark …Mon Dec 10 2012 - 00:00
Web post claims software tycoon John McAfee capturedFugitive software pioneer John McAfee may have been captured on the Belize-Mexico border, according to a post on his website …Mon Dec 03 2012 - 00:00
Rugby men of a certain age need a major attitude update on womenANALYSIS: I doubted a woman could enter the ‘pointy end’ of rugby with credibility. I was wrongMon Dec 03 2012 - 00:00
A performance to be proud of but our maddening inconsistency continues to baffleFrench Notes We are allowing administrators, coaches and players to perform well below acceptable standards and get away with…Mon Nov 26 2012 - 00:00
Another group of French foot soldiers making good use of time and spaceFRENCH NOTES: It’s looking good in the early days of the new Saint-André French empireMon Nov 19 2012 - 00:00
Obama vows to press Burma for further reforms during historic Asian visitUS president Barack Obama said yesterday his historic trip to Burma was not an “endorsement” of the country’s reformist government…Mon Nov 19 2012 - 00:00
Heaslip now a master captain who has learned leadership wellFRENCH NOTES: The Leinster number 8 has benefited from strong role modelsMon Nov 12 2012 - 00:00
Bent should go through the correct process before Ireland selectionFRENCH NOTES: It’s right to spend time in the provinces before donning the green jerseyMon Nov 05 2012 - 00:00
English clubs need to face up to the naked truthFRENCH NOTES : Their negotiating tactics have left little room for manoeuvre – if the ERC calls their bluff they are in real…Mon Oct 08 2012 - 01:00
Holmes (24) dropped out of PhD course last monthTHE SUSPECT: THE MAN suspected of the US’s worst shooting rampage since the massacre at Virginia Tech in 2007 is understood …Sat Jul 21 2012 - 01:00
Key figure in 1992 LA riots found deadRODNEY KING, whose savage beating at the hands of Los Angeles police officers led to widespread rioting in the city in 1992, …Mon Jun 18 2012 - 01:00
Ulster must turn match into a dockyard brawlUlster are simply not as good as Leinster and must employ innovative strategies to winSat May 19 2012 - 01:00
Current officiating system rewards the cheatsFRENCH NOTES: The IRB has a set of workable laws, however they are not being implemented because of the system of officiating…Mon Apr 23 2012 - 01:00
Time IRFU picked up the ball and ran with sevensFRENCH NOTES: In the words of “the dissident,” the IRFU are unjust in denying Irish players the opportunity to play international…Mon Apr 16 2012 - 01:00
Sportspeople can only control the controllablesFRENCH NOTES: Every bad refereeing decision, every injury, is out of your control. You can only control your reactionMon Apr 09 2012 - 01:00
Major change of direction for national team neededFRENCH NOTES : We are deluding ourselves if we believe winning the Heineken Cup means the Irish national team will have success…Mon Mar 26 2012 - 01:00
Irish fans show up organisers of French farceFRENCH NOTES: The Six Nations organisers had only one ‘What if’ to plan forMon Feb 20 2012 - 00:00
