Ulster V Cardiff - Ravenhill (7.15)On paper, Ulster would seem to have the toughest Heineken Cup opening, given that Cardiff have never failed to reach the quarterfinals…Fri Oct 06 2000 - 01:00
Ripening process almost completeThe leaves have turned brown, there's a decided chill in the air, the Olympics have gone, the GAA championships are almost over…Tue Oct 03 2000 - 01:00
Pack power to give Leinster the edgeWith so much mental baggage against them, deep down you suspect that Connacht do not believe they can beat MunsterSat Sept 30 2000 - 01:00
Galwey leads from the frontWhen the going gets tough and all that, and this was almost as tough as it's ever been for Munster in the past few glorious seasons…Sat Sept 30 2000 - 01:00
Munster can do it for Galwey's 100thAnother Friday night and another chance for Munster to break yet more new groundFri Sept 29 2000 - 01:00
Resources stretched to the limitThe hectic pre-deadline activity having passed - Tuesday having been described variously as "unbelievable" and "horrendous" by…Thu Sept 28 2000 - 01:00
Leinster fill the void with Kiwi half backsAkin to transfer deadline day in football, the onset of yesterday evening's deadline for the registration of each 30-man squad…Wed Sept 27 2000 - 01:00
Irish rugby prepared for Celtic LeagueA 14-team Celtic League in rugby, involving all four Irish provinces, is set to be up and running from next season onwards, with…Wed Sept 27 2000 - 01:00
Struggle for clubs will become even greaterNews that the proposed Celtic League will come into operation next season is likely to provoke mixed feelings within Irish rugby…Wed Sept 27 2000 - 01:00
Rugby missing out on Sydney partyWatching it all unfold on our screens or via our newspapers, the rest of us sports hacks can only pine for the Sydney Olympics…Tue Sept 26 2000 - 01:00
Munster forced to roll up the sleeves against dogged ConnachtA dogfight was what Connacht wanted and a dogfight is what they gave Munster at the Sportsground on SaturdayMon Sept 25 2000 - 01:00
Humphreys kicks Ulster to striking winA lively, entertaining game in front of an estimated 10,000 crowd, most of whom went home happy after Ulster recorded their most…Sat Sept 23 2000 - 01:00
Connacht v Munster PreviewWith defences tougher to crack in this season's Guinness Interprovincial Championship, off-the-cuff individual inspiration has…Sat Sept 23 2000 - 01:00
Staunton in as Munster make five changesBoring, boring Munster? They trundle along, winning week after week, and picking pretty much the same teamThu Sept 21 2000 - 01:00
Better luck for Connacht as Stephens links upHaving been beaten to the punch by Leinster in their pursuit of the DLSP outhalf Simon Broughton, Connacht have had better joy…Wed Sept 20 2000 - 01:00
Parting of the ways for McIvorIn the fall-out of Stephen McIvor's departure from Connacht there are, as ever in these things, two sides to the storyWed Sept 20 2000 - 01:00
Injuries prevent Leinster naming a teamOne of the conundrums of sport which has managers-cum-coaches often tearing their hair out is how one squad can be afflicted …Wed Sept 20 2000 - 01:00
Canny Ulster still not outEmbryonic tables at the outset of any campaign have a certain snakes and ladders look to themTue Sept 19 2000 - 01:00
Leinster huff, puff and blow Ulster downAfter much huffing and puffing Leinster got there in the endSat Sept 16 2000 - 01:00
Expert to decide on O'Driscoll's fitness for Leinster's vital clashLeinster will learn today whether Brian O'Driscoll is available for a seasonal debut in their crunch Guinness interprovincial…Wed Sept 13 2000 - 01:00
October 30th date for Irish squadThe deadline for earning a place in the Irish squad for the home internationals against Japan and South Africa draws nearer and…Wed Sept 13 2000 - 01:00
Blackrock expelledBlackrock were formally expelled from the Kitty O'Shea Leinster Championship last nightTue Sept 12 2000 - 01:00
An awful lot of kicking going onIt's been a good start, not a great start, to coin a phrase. The contests have been good, with plenty of intensityTue Sept 12 2000 - 01:00
Champions have the maturity to just shade itTo call this an eight-point table-topper may be a tad premature but there's little doubting its importance in a broader context…Fri Sept 08 2000 - 01:00
Long hours of negotiation on tour itineraryThe vexed issue of the dates and venues for next year's Lions tour to Australia should finally be confirmed later this weekWed Sept 06 2000 - 01:00
Broughton next in lineWhereas Munster can adopt a policy of "if it ain't broke don't fix it" and duly name an unchanged side for Friday's Guinness …Wed Sept 06 2000 - 01:00
McConnell and Blackrock await fateMark McConnell, the Connacht lock and captain, and Blackrock College will learn their fate this week from the IRFU Disciplinary…Tue Sept 05 2000 - 01:00
Rusty Munster rely on O'Gara's trusty bootNot a great match, by any stretch, but a great win as wins goSat Sept 02 2000 - 01:00
Toland realisticTheoretically, it could be said that a home game against Connacht constitutes an ideal start for Leinster, providing them with…Fri Sept 01 2000 - 01:00
Turner in key role for LeinsterNecessity being the mother of invention, and with only 10 fit backs to select from in the absence of Brian O'Driscoll and their…Thu Aug 31 2000 - 01:00
Versatile recruits for fresh campaignOn the face of it, six changes from the team which ended last season, with an influx of five newcomers, hardly seems the most…Thu Aug 31 2000 - 01:00
Head man well groomed for the roleThough the Donnybrook experience has enlivened a fair few wintry Friday nights, it wouldn't be grossly unfair to Leinster to …Wed Aug 30 2000 - 01:00
Munster's strength in depthSeasons come and go but some things remain pretty much the sameWed Aug 30 2000 - 01:00
The man to wake the WestSteph Nel, Connacht's newly installed coach, says he likes the challenge of working with an underdogTue Aug 29 2000 - 01:00
Corkery forced to retire by injuryDavid Corkery fought the good fight, as you'd expect from someone for whom rugby was so much a part of his life, but the 27-year…Tue Aug 29 2000 - 01:00
Live TV coverage for InterprovincialsTime was when the onset of the Interprovincial Championship induced at best indifference, but there was a palpably upbeat mood…Fri Aug 25 2000 - 01:00
Halvey's free spirit given Best approvalIt's early days yet, but London Irish and Eddie Halvey are enjoying a honeymoon periodThu Aug 24 2000 - 01:00
Turner answers Leinster's callSod's law having accounted for four prospective Leinster outhalves before the start of the season proper, the six-week trialist…Wed Aug 23 2000 - 01:00
Friendly fire takes its tollAlthough the provinces are still only engaged in supposedly light pre-season run-outs, the surfeit of injuries continued apace…Tue Aug 22 2000 - 01:00
O'Gara saves tired IrelandOnly an 80th-minute penalty by Ronan O'Gara saved Ireland from the ignominy of a first-ever defeat to Canada at Fletcher's Field…Mon Jun 19 2000 - 01:00
Almost a bridge too far for IrishThe sense of relief at Fletcher's Field on a sunny Saturday evening was palpable, not only that Ireland had salvaged a draw against…Mon Jun 19 2000 - 01:00
Ireland's expansive gameplan key to end-of-season successOnce more with speed, intensity and width thenSat Jun 17 2000 - 01:00
Comeback kid growing in Crotty confidenceIt's been the season of comebacks almost as much as new caps, and one of the very best has been kept until lastFri Jun 16 2000 - 01:00
A true test of pioneer spiritThe sun finally shone on the Irish tourists in Toronto yesterday as the pre-match build-up warmed up with a joint press conference…Thu Jun 15 2000 - 01:00
