The Counter Ruck

Ireland could lose to Scotland and win the championship with losing bonus point

At Twickenham tomorrow Ireland could equal that run of five successive wins over the auld enemy

The joie de vivre the French club players have been playing has been replaced by joylessness for the national team

Never shy of stoking a few pre-match embers, the Wales coach has pointedly referenced Ireland’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to the All Blacks

By reducing TMO’s scope to overturn an onfield decision, reviews can fly in the face of technology

Full houses across France last weekend could give the URC pause for thought about postponing matches during the tournament

It was a familiar week for Ireland with a pre-tournament training camp in the Algarve followed by a trip to Marseille

‘It will be different with Maxime, I don’t think he will try and be Dupont, he will play his own game but he does have some similar strengths’

Former Ireland coach had his imprint all over New Zealand’s victory against his former team in the Rugby World Cup

Munster will now fear that history will repeat itself after Snyman’s injuries

The tour has become more of a corporate venture while player welfare concerns continue to be prevalent

Stuart Lancaster is already having a big impact at Racing 92, with a game against Ulster coming up this month

FFR’s Florian Grill’s sanction of Dupont to play Olympics over Six Nations must play well with the French government

Ireland centre is playing some of the best rugby of his life and was nominated for World Player of the Year

Rugby World Cup semi-final build-up felt anticlimactic with hosts and best supported visiting side out of the tournament

Ireland v New Zealand countdown: There was a time when it was Brian O’Driscoll and 14 others in green jerseys . . . now all has changed, changed utterly

Rugby World Cup base in Tours was perfect for Andy Farrell’s men for reasons ranging from practical to historical

Reports that the 2027 and 2031 Rugby World Cups are to be expanded from 20 to 24 teams come as no surprise

Any World Cup which loses the world’s best player is simply the poorer for his absence

Rugby may be the 10th biggest sport in France in terms of playing numbers, but its popularity as a sporting spectacle is clear to see

Rugby is only France’s 10th most popular sport for participation yet viewing figures for the World Cup compare with the highs of its soccer equivalent

Cian Healy not alone in falling victim to injury in warm-up games, with the likes of Anthony Watson, Romain Ntamack and Tommaso Menoncello missing out

O’Driscoll was injured in 2007 following a punch by New Zealand-born Bayonne lock Mikaera Tewhata

You wonder how any panel could adjudicate on any appeal to this vexed verdict such has been the noise around it

This year, more than ever, the spread of support throughout Ireland for Andy Farrell’s side appears bigger than it has ever been

Ireland have earned mantle of world's top side and deserve all the good will coming to them

It’s harder to argue that Leinster should have won, La Rochelle dominated possession and didn’t allow them to

More opportunities need to be found for Irish coaches to bring the skills sharpened overseas to benefit the game here

A strong domestic rivalry is usually healthy for any team sport, and Irish rugby is lucky to have it

For Leinster any URC title will be harder earned than the previous Pro14 five-in-row

Leinster coach uncomfortable with the hype around his team as they face the might and tradition of Europe’s most successful club

With his tall, languid style and passing range, there is a hint of Stephen Larkham about the talented outhalf

It says something about the reputation of the Dubliner’s coaching that the biggest nations want him on board

Jordan Larmour and Jacob Stockdale among those who need strong ends to their seasons

In 1973 the immediate future of Irish rugby, and to a degree the Five Nations, hinged on whether England would play Ireland in Dublin

Farrell has been playing excellent rugby for Saracens this season, yet has gradually been moved onto the bench by England

The Counter Ruck: With Ollie Lawrence, a problem position appears to have been resolved for England

The Counter Ruck: the Irish captain joined Claudia Scanlon on the Late Late Show to speak about epidermolysis bullosa

It’s reckoned that over 5,000 Irish fans have purchased tickets for the match at the Stadio Olimpico

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