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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Working way up ladder to show who's BossWORLD CUP WARM-UP SCOTLAND v IRELAND, SATURDAY, MURRAYFIELD, 2Thu Aug 04 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
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
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
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
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
Cullen happier in the role of 'underdogs'RUGBY: MAGNERS LEAGUE FINAL: PRIOR TO the Heineken Cup final, Leo Cullen spoke about being more nervous with the passing years…Fri May 27 2011 - 01:00
Draw to take place on June 7thHEINEKEN CUP: THE DRAW for the pool stages of the 2011-12 Heineken Cup will take place on Tuesday, June 7th, at Twickenham Stadium…Tue May 24 2011 - 01:00
No guarantees, but Leinster look here to stayON RUGBY: “Were it not for Leinster and Munster being drawn away in last season’s semis, who knows, we could now be talking …Tue May 24 2011 - 01:00
IRFU are the big winners in cashRUGBY: FOR LEINSTER, the spin-offs of their second Heineken Cup triumph in three years are unquantifiable, both for the brand…Mon May 23 2011 - 01:00
Leinster's epic continental shiftRUGBY: AS THE ecstatic Leinster players began cavorting and celebrating, and their fans simply went nuts, Seán O’Brien threw…Mon May 23 2011 - 01:00
Schmidt expects centre to take stageRUGBY HEINEKEN CUP FINAL: NO MAN is irreplaceable but some are more replaceable than othersFri May 20 2011 - 01:00
Nacewa, Heaslip and O'Brien up for top awardRUGBY: THREE LEINSTER players have been nominated as part of the five-man shortlist from which the inaugural ERC: European Player…Mon May 16 2011 - 01:00
McGahan juggles resources for Ospreys gameRUGBY: ASIDE from being two teams who don’t particularly like each other these are also two teams in transition – though given…Sat May 14 2011 - 01:00
McGahan has a nice selection headacheRUGBY: MUNSTER v OSPREYS SUCH HAS been the manner in which the tyros have stated their case in recent months that Tony McGahan…Thu May 12 2011 - 01:00
McGahan job not on the line at MunsterREGARDLESS OF the outcome to Munster’s Magners League semi-final against the Ospreys on Saturday, or a potential final at home…Wed May 11 2011 - 01:00
Leinster and Munster remain as top seedsRUGBY: LEINSTER AND Munster will again be top seeds in the draw for next season’s Heineken Cup, and Ulster will also remain …Tue May 10 2011 - 01:00
Nacewa is first overseas player for top honourIRUPA AWARDS: ISA NACEWA joined a select group of just seven players to win the Bord Gáis Energy Irish Rugby Union Players Association…Thu May 05 2011 - 01:00
Rugby provides an exercise on how to play the gameON RUGBY: The contrast between the recent antics in the Santiago Bernabéu with the behaviour in Limerick and Dublin was telling…Tue May 03 2011 - 01:00
Blues take a heavyweight boutLeinster 32 Toulouse 23: GAME OF the season duly deliveredMon May 02 2011 - 01:00
Now just one more - big - hurdleRUGBY HEINEKEN CUP FINAL Leinster v Northampton: ONE TO go. Almost thereMon May 02 2011 - 01:00
A year on, prospects good for a Blue DayRUGBY: REACHING THE Holy Grail once is all fine and dandy, but to become a genuine European superpower Leinster desperately …Sat Apr 30 2011 - 01:00
Familiarity breeds respect for SchmidtRUGBY: MINDFUL THAT 20 other teams would envy Leinster’s position, the excitement, good humour and fear in Joe Schmidt’s voice…Fri Apr 29 2011 - 01:00
Nacewa, Earls and O'Brien on listIRUPA AWARDS: KEITH EARLS, Seán O’Brien and Isa Nacewa have been short-listed for the Bord Gáis Energy Irupa Players’ Player…Thu Apr 21 2011 - 01:00
