Provinces gear up for URC return with preseason friendlies
Connacht and Munster to play two friendly fixtures before URC openers on September 27th
Connacht Rugby
Connacht and Munster take wins in Women’s Interpros second round
Munster take second bonus-point win with 11-point win over Leinster
Ivana Kiripati: ‘I am a Samoan girl, born in New Zealand, doing life in Ireland – how cool is that?’
Ireland rugby’s Kiripati got her first senior cap in the opener of two World Cup warm-up games
Rugby’s next generation: Meet the rising stars of Leinster, Ulster, Connacht and Munster
Richie Murphy’s exploits with the Irish Under-20s has helped attract some top young players to Ulster
Bundee Aki reveals wife gave birth in a car hours before he played for Lions in first Test against Australia
Aki’s wife Kayla gave birth to their fifth child Áine shortly before the Ireland centre featured in the opening Test win in Brisbane
Munster to host Gloucester at Páirc Uí Chaoimh in December Champions Cup clash as fixture details confirmed
Leinster have seventh Champions Cup meeting with La Rochelle on January 10th
Ireland forwards coach Cullie Tucker explains how squad fix scrum problems on the fly
Connacht coach praises Darragh Murray’s debut performance against Georgia
‘We agreed this kid is really good’: Andy Friend on his role in the rise and rise of Mack Hansen
Former Connacht coach planning a reunion in the west of Ireland in 2026
Leo Cullen and Ronan O’Gara to renew rivalry as Leinster pooled with La Rochelle in Champions Cup draw
Munster drawn in Pool Two with Castres, Bath, Toulon, Edinburgh and Gloucester
Champions Cup draw: Leinster draw La Rochelle again; Munster in pool with Bath
Follow live as Connacht get two Top 14 clubs in their pool in Challenge Cup
Toulouse success infused with an Irish flavour as Trevor Brennan’s son inches closer to France call-up
Joshua Brennan played a starring role in French giants’ Top 14 triumph
David Humphreys: ‘Leinster are incredibly good at nearly everything ... the challenge is to make the others more competitive’
The IRFU high-performance director discusses closing the gap between Leinster and Connacht, Ulster and Munster
Connacht’s Ben Murphy out to cap year of stunning personal progress with Ireland debut
Move to western province from Leinster breathed fresh life into scrumhalf’s career
Which Ireland players will step up for the summer squad while the Lions are away?
The Counter Ruck Podcast
Gerry Thornley: Stuart Lancaster quite the coup for Connacht and IRFU
Former England head coach signs two-year deal with Connacht
Spirit of Garbally alive in campaign to incorporate name in new amalgamated school
Campaign launched to ensure newly merged Clonfert College in Ballinasloe will retain Garbally name in its sports teams
URC 2025/26 fixtures: Leinster to open season away to the Stormers and Bulls
Munster to start away to Scarlets, while Ulster and Connacht host the Dragons and Benetton
IRFU’s ‘A’ Interprovincial Championship providing valuable game time for players
The competition has been under the radar, unheralded in the media, but is worth it all the same
Connacht finish disappointing season on high note with victory in Parma
Connacht move above Ulster into 13th place on final standings
Connacht and Zebre face off in URC basement battle
Italian outfit will be keen to claim a home win in this final fixture
Ulster and Connacht players have opportunity to show they can deliver
Players can use weekend to impress ahead of selection for Ireland squad for two-match summer Test series
Edinburgh sign Piers O’Conor on two-year deal from Connacht
Versatile Connacht player (29) can play centre, wing and fullback
Cullie Tucker calls on Connacht to ‘finish strong’ despite disappointing season
Connacht finish up URC campaign away to Zebre Parma on Saturday
Results suggest Ulster and Connacht on a worrying slide
Provinces miss out on United Rugby Championship playoffs with both now consigned to next season’s Challenge Cup
Connacht show plenty of fight against Edinburgh but URC playoff hopes are ended
Scottish side came away with five points to give themselves a shot at a top-eight finish
Comings and goings aplenty as Connacht aim to end URC on a positive note
Western province confirms six departures from the squad
Sonia O’Sullivan: Sometimes you need to go off the beaten track to find that timeless run of your life
Inis Meáin’s school hosts annual fundraising race that now attracts 500 participants
Connacht just concentrating on finishing with two wins, says Cullie Tucker
Injury-hit Westerners also relying on other teams’ results to go their way as they eye top-eight URC slot
Will Leinster be the only Irish team in the URC knockouts?
The Counter Ruck Podcast: Ireland women’s defeat to Scotland wrapped up the Six Nations and an unusually glum 48 hours for Irish rugby
Owen Doyle: World Rugby session will have big focus on 20-minute replacement red card
There will be huge interest in the outcomes of the World Rugby’s specialist group studying the breakdown
Connacht suffer worst away defeat of season to Lions in South Africa
Irish province struggled with both physicality of their opponents and the environment
Connacht vs Lions preview: Stakes high for both sides in Johannesburg clash
Both Connacht and Lions are looking to secure a place in URC top eight
Connacht eye victory against Lions in South Africa to keep top-eight hopes alive
With three matches remaining in URC, Connacht are seven points adrift of Stormers who are in eighth place
Leinster’s success masking alarming fault lines which have emerged in Irish rugby
This season, as things stand, Munster, Ulster and Connacht have all lost more matches than they have won
Ryan Baird likely to return for Leinster-Northampton Champions Cup duel
Calf injury puts James Ryan’s availability in doubt
Letters to the Editor, April 21st : On coercive control by neglect, a tourist tax, and two-tier rugby
There is little to no accountability for non-custodial parents who repeatedly fail to honour their obligations
Cullie Tucker ‘very proud’ of Connacht’s effort in defeat to Stormers
TMO rules out late Connacht try that would have given them an opportunity to win game
Understrength Connacht braced for ‘massive task’ at Stormers
Jack Carty recalled in effort to offset losses of key players for high-stakes URC clash
Pete Wilkins officially steps down as head coach of Connacht
Cullie Tucker will continue in charge of team until the end of the season
Cullie Tucker strikes confident tone ahead of Connacht’s South Africa trip
‘We’re in the land of physicality now, so we have to power up and be ready for it’
Connacht count the cost of Racing 92 ahead of URC South African trip
Interim head coach Cullie Tucker digs deep into squad for the two-game tour
Connacht reflect on painful defeat to 14-man Racing 92
Disappointing result for Connacht in high-scoring game which saw Wame Naituvi sent off after 12 minutes
Opportunity knocks for Connacht in Challenge Cup tie against Racing 92
European semi-final prize awaits winner of tie at Dexcom Stadium
Ciarán Murphy: Ticket sales shooting up across the board as fans chase that communal feeling
More than 55,000 watched Leinster dismantle Harlequins, while attendance for Munster hurling championship could top 300,000
Gordon D’Arcy: As an ex-pro, to see players not bothered is sobering
It is a privilege to play professional sport; you never know how long it will last and I think it is time players reminded themselves of that fact
Champions Cup quarter-finals: TV details, kick-off times, team news and more
Leinster and Munster are in action at the weekend as they chase a possible all-Irish final in Cardiff
Connacht hoping captain Cian Prendergast will be fit for Racing 92 showdown
Coach Cullie Tucker says Connacht must ‘concentrate on ourselves’ in advance of clash with star-studded French outfit
Munster roadshow moves on to quarter-final showdown with Bordeaux Bègles next Saturday
Leinster will host Glasgow Warriors at the Aviva Stadium next Friday night
Connacht set up Racing 92 clash after hard-earned victory over Cardiff
Strong finish by Irish province sees them go through to the quarter-finals
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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