Champions Cup to feature all four Irish provinces in 24-team tournamentDraw to take place in late October with qualifiers to play home and away quarter-finalsWed Sept 02 2020 - 10:00
Graham Rowntree: ‘There is no reason why we can’t win Friday night’Munster forwards coach strikes bullish tone ahead of semi-final clash with LeinsterWed Sept 02 2020 - 06:00
Rowntree and Munster in a bullish mood ahead of Leinster semi-finalForwards coach says past defeats irrelevant with De Allende raring to take on championsTue Sept 01 2020 - 14:09
Leinster braced for their toughest assignment to dateLancaster says unbeaten run now irrelevant as Munster loom large in Pro14 semi-finalTue Sept 01 2020 - 06:29
Gerry Thornley: When players hit their 30s, they can really hit their strideEnforced Covid ‘time out’ may benefit players heading into the next phase of their careerTue Sept 01 2020 - 06:00
John Cooney hoping the magic touch returns after lockdown‘I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel the pressure coming back after playing well last season’Fri Aug 21 2020 - 05:30
Lebanese roots keep things in perspective for Michael CheikaFormer Leinster coach fondly remembers experiences of rivalry with MunsterSat Aug 15 2020 - 06:00
Worst sporting moment: White knuckle ride on a hate-filled night at WindsorGerry Thornley has yet to experience a more hateful atmosphere than Windsor Park in 1993Thu Aug 13 2020 - 07:00
Gerry Thornley: Consistent trailblazers New Zealand once again ahead of the posseSuper Rugby Aotearoa sets high standard for Pro14 and Premiership clubs to emulateTue Aug 11 2020 - 01:00
Sene Naoupu turning mind back to rugby after health scareSince losing to England in February much has changed for the Kiwi-born Irish playerSat Aug 08 2020 - 06:00
Brain as well as brawn on Sexton’s lockdown menuIreland coach says his captain has ‘continued to lead through this period as well’Fri Aug 07 2020 - 06:00
Andy Farrell admits Ireland net may need to be spread wide in the autumn‘We’ve got to be adaptable from the start’ admits head coach ahead of hectic scheduleFri Aug 07 2020 - 06:00
Andy Farrell raring to rekindle Ireland’s Six Nations title tiltFarrell relishing the idea of November tournament and the availability of James LoweThu Aug 06 2020 - 14:12
Leo Cullen says rotation will be key as Leinster look to keep on winning‘We hopefully won’t have that many weekends off because we want to continue to win games’Thu Aug 06 2020 - 07:26
Sporting Cathedrals: Le Stadium - European fortress of the mighty ToulouseGround is deep in the bosom of the Pink City, and in French rugby’s southern heartlandsThu Aug 06 2020 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: Irish system to face its acid test in front-loaded returnSomething has to give, or else the majority of the players’ bodies and minds willTue Aug 04 2020 - 06:00
James Ryan injury could open the door for Ryan BairdRyan looks almost certain to miss remainder of Pro14 season and Champions CupMon Aug 03 2020 - 18:19
Gerry Thornley: Players face gruelling 12 months of non-stop rugbyRescheduling 2019-20 games was a financial necessity but has resulted in little downtimeFri Jul 31 2020 - 06:00
Ireland set for six Tests in seven weeks from October 24thWorld Rugby Council approved a temporary change to Regulation 9 to facilitate matchesThu Jul 30 2020 - 16:55
No positive results from Munster and Leinster’s second round of Covid-19 testsTo date there have been 560 tests conducted and zero positive tests reportedThu Jul 30 2020 - 10:19
IRFU has no plans to ban scrums in return to rugbyIn the UK there is talk that scrummaging won’t be allowed in the recreational gameThu Jul 30 2020 - 06:15
World Rugby extends window for release of international playersMove confirms the planned return of international rugby by the end of this yearThu Jul 30 2020 - 06:00
Andrew Conway excited and nervous as Leinster clash loomsMunster player says the desire to beat his former province is as strong as everThu Jul 30 2020 - 05:00
Gerry Thornley: Leinster’s home advantage inevitably diluted at a quiet AvivaIf there was a good time for likes of Munster to visit headquarters it’s surely nowTue Jul 28 2020 - 06:00
Ireland to face Wales, Fiji and England in autumn tournamentJapan to take part in group with Scotland, France and ItalyMon Jul 27 2020 - 19:20
Daniel Davey on feeding Dublin and Leinster winning machinesPerformance nutritionist believes that repetition and behaviour is the key to dietMon Jul 27 2020 - 06:00
Tournament organisers hopeful travel restrictions will not affect cross-border gamesPro 14, Champions Cup and Six Nations finales would all involve cross-border encountersThu Jul 23 2020 - 06:00
Ireland’s Six Nations games confirmed for October 24th and 31stBusy autumn schedule takes shape with Pro 14 derby dates and times announcedWed Jul 22 2020 - 19:51
Sporting Cathedrals: Fortress Thomond, where the 16th man always gets his gameThe Limerick city ground is famed and feared the rugby world overWed Jul 22 2020 - 06:00
Bernard Laporte confirms October 31st date for France v Ireland Six Nations clashTimeline points to October 24th date for Ireland v Italy game in DublinTue Jul 21 2020 - 17:53
Gerry Thornley: World Rugby’s problem is that refereeing is not an attractive career pathGoverning body must improve standards, make it more appealing and investTue Jul 21 2020 - 07:00
Johann van Graan itching for rugby’s return to see how new-look Munster rollHead coach excited about what Springboks duo can add to side when rugby action resumesFri Jul 17 2020 - 06:00
Van Graan says Carbery will only make Munster return when ‘he’s 100% ready’Coach says Ireland outhalf remains in line to return at some stage in SeptemberFri Jul 17 2020 - 06:00
‘Everyone would play tomorrow if we could’ - Johann van GraanMunster’s four new signings have all had a ‘strange’ start ahead of return to full trainingThu Jul 16 2020 - 13:36
Lions tour holding its dates in 2021 will delay global calendarLack of midweek games during Test matches is a setback for Warren GatlandThu Jul 16 2020 - 06:00
CVC cuts Six Nations offer by half to €165m as talks continue on new dealTalks are ongoing between the parties with a new offer of about €200m expectedWed Jul 15 2020 - 06:00
Alain Rolland to step down from World Rugby positionFormer Ireland scrumhalf and long-serving Test match referee to move on from management roleTue Jul 14 2020 - 20:56
World Rugby kick to touch on fixtures againUnions looking for clarity will now have to wait until at least the end of the monthTue Jul 14 2020 - 18:58
Gerry Thornley: Munster will make for interesting case study when rugby resumesReasons to be cheerful for the faithful despite missing out on European knock-out stagesTue Jul 14 2020 - 06:30
The Best of Times: Ireland’s Golden Generation make Grand Slam history in 2009Cardiff win was 61 years in the making and proved the breakthrough for Irish rugbyFri Jul 03 2020 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: A move to summer would damage Irish rugby on many levelsAligning the international Test calendar could come at a cost to the game on many levelsTue Jun 30 2020 - 06:00
Jack O’Donoghue reaches a crossroads of sorts but with a clear plan to push onVersatile Munster backrow is desperate to add to his two Ireland caps in the coming yearsSat Jun 27 2020 - 06:00
No outcome after third round of player talks on IRFU’s proposed 20% pay cutRugby Players Ireland set to meet with IRFU again next week in bid to strike a dealWed Jun 24 2020 - 15:10
Ian Flanagan settling into Munster role after a challenging startNew CEO says province would be opposed to summer rugby global calendar may bringWed Jun 24 2020 - 05:00
Daniel Brennan signs first senior contract with MontpellierSon of former Irish player Trevor won Under-20 World Cup with France two years agoTue Jun 23 2020 - 19:14
Pandemic reinforces need for new revenue streams, says Munster CEOIan Flanagan also says the province and Irish rugby can learn from James Cronin caseTue Jun 23 2020 - 18:33
Ringrose and Healy fit again as Leinster return to trainingProvince confirm James Lowe has returned to New Zealand for personal reasonsTue Jun 23 2020 - 11:44
Gerry Thornley: Even the personal is political, sport no exceptionRugby’s history on racism is shameful – tacit support for tours to apartheid South AfricaTue Jun 23 2020 - 07:00
Leinster taking ‘baby steps’ before ramping up restartFergus McFadden and Rob Kearney have been given short-term contract extensionsMon Jun 22 2020 - 19:14
Joey Carbery to miss Munster restart but expected to return in SeptemberMunster and Leinster return to training after squads pass Covid-19 testsMon Jun 22 2020 - 18:27
