Castrogiovanni is ruled out of Rome finaleBut Azzurri talk up chance of historic first win over IrelandFri Mar 15 2013 - 06:00
Sexton set to return against ItalyIreland’s outhalf has recovered from hamstring injury sustained against EnglandThu Mar 14 2013 - 06:00
Japan bound Ferris set to leave UlsterIreland flanker less than enamoured with new deal offered by IRFUWed Mar 13 2013 - 13:51
Sexton and Gilroy look fit to face the ItaliansLock Donnacha Ryan is now Ireland’s biggest injury concernTue Mar 12 2013 - 14:49
Azzurri to provide stern test for IrelandRoman holiday unlikely from improving ItalyTue Mar 12 2013 - 12:00
Ireland left wounded as French earn Six Nations draw at AvivaEoin Reddan and Fergus McFadden ruled out of trip to ItalySun Mar 10 2013 - 23:18
Will we have BOD on our side for much longer?This afternoon could witness the home farewell of Ireland’s greatest ever player, writes Gerry ThornleySat Mar 09 2013 - 00:00
Thoughts of dreaded wooden spoon should concentrate French mindsIreland v France: Fourth hosting sixth was not quite how this had been envisagedSat Mar 09 2013 - 00:00
Home debut can't come quick enoughWhen Luke Marshall’s dad walked into his kitchen the day after his son’s debut in Murrayfield, he looked at the table in disbelief...Sat Mar 09 2013 - 00:00
Enigmatic Michalak restored to outhalfAs was suspected prior to his team announcement yesterday, Philippe Saint-André has restored Frédéric Michalak to outhalf for…Fri Mar 08 2013 - 00:00
Michalak set for surprise return as Saint-Andre considers five changesFrédéric Michalak is set for a surprise return to the French starting team in place of François Trinh-Duc as, against all previous…Thu Mar 07 2013 - 00:00
Discretion the better part of valour as Sexton is rested while Jackson to fit inWhen Ireland won their only Grand Slam of the last 65 years, in 2009, such was their injury-free run they used only 22 players ...Wed Mar 06 2013 - 00:00
O'Gara synonymous with last-ditch feats of escapologyON RUGBY: With each passing week, the 2013 Six Nations feels like the end of an era and now, with Ronan O’Gara’s exclusion from…Tue Mar 05 2013 - 00:00
Best knows that Ireland need to see out the 80Far from heralding a new dawn of more regular success, with each passing year that Grand Slam of 2009 – Ireland’s first in 61…Sat Mar 02 2013 - 00:00
Connacht launch grassroots fund-raising initiativeConnacht yesterday launched a fund-raising initiative designed to raise at least €50,000 per annum with a view to furthering …Fri Mar 01 2013 - 00:00
Kidney remains upbeat while brushing off questions about his futureRUGBY: Declan Kidney has needed a broad back for the last few days, and yesterday he presented an upbeat front, apparently not…Fri Mar 01 2013 - 00:00
Criticisms are warranted but we didn't get rub of greenThe damaging reverberations from Murrayfield are liable to tremor for quite a whileTue Feb 26 2013 - 00:00
Scotland escape to victory as Ireland manage to throw and kick it awayScotland 12 Ireland 8: As profligate, self-inflicted defeats go this takes some beatingMon Feb 25 2013 - 00:00
Flowering Scotland send Kidney and Ireland homeward to think againRUGBY: The nagging suspicion at half-time, more a gnawing fear really, was that an utterly dominant Ireland had only translated…Mon Feb 25 2013 - 00:00
Ireland have the weaponry to put Scotland to swordSIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Allez les bleus, et les vertsSat Feb 23 2013 - 00:00
O'Driscoll revels in father figure roleIreland field their youngest Six Nations backline (average age 24Sat Feb 23 2013 - 00:00
He's exciting, he's fresh and he's eager to pleaseINTERVIEW WITH CRAIG GILROY: The Ulster winger has long been seen as the potential next big thing for IrelandSat Feb 23 2013 - 00:00
IRFU Healy appeal won't be heard until next weekThe IRFU’s appeal against Cian Healy’s three-week suspension, imposed by an independent Six Nations Disciplinary Committee, will…Fri Feb 22 2013 - 00:00
Debutants Jackson and Marshall prepare for Edinburgh's Ulster schools reunionRUGBY: Ian Rankin, the Scottish crime writer, once described the Scotland-England international at Murrayfield as the biggest…Thu Feb 21 2013 - 00:00
Johnson reveals a settled side with just one enforced changeThere would have been an extra spring in Scottish steps at training in Murrayfield yesterday, word having already filtered through…Thu Feb 21 2013 - 00:00
Jackson and Marshall in line to make their debutsPaddy Jackson and Luke Marshall are seemingly poised to make their Irish debuts against Scotland in Sunday’s game at Murrayfield…Wed Feb 20 2013 - 00:00
Sexton signs two-year deal with MetroJonny Sexton yesterday completed his long-mooted deal to join Racing Metro 92 after signing a two-year contract, with the option…Wed Feb 20 2013 - 00:00
Kiss confident progress made on the consistency frontThe issue of Ireland stringing together performances consistently has been a recurring source of concern for the management and…Wed Feb 20 2013 - 00:00
Henry injury puts O'Donnell in the frameIreland players continue to drop like flies and with the latest rash of injuries concentrating on the backrow, uncapped 25-year…Tue Feb 19 2013 - 00:00
NI rugby fans to miss out after Sky dealRugby fans in Northern Ireland will not be able to watch Ireland's autumn internationals on Freeview television after the IRFU…Tue Feb 19 2013 - 00:00
O'Gara will have to draw on all his inner reserves if selectedOf all the players Declan Kidney and the Ireland management would not have wanted to be laid low in this Six Nations, Jonny Sexton…Tue Feb 19 2013 - 00:00
Best and lineout operators get to work on sorting out Gray areasAlthough still sporting a shiner at Dunboyne Castle Hotel yesterday, not because he didn’t send a Valentine’s Day card, he insisted…Fri Feb 15 2013 - 00:00
Smal just happy to be back and raring to goAfter health scare ended involvement midway through last season’s Six Nations, Gert Smal has never looked better.Fri Feb 15 2013 - 00:00
Opportunity knocks for a variety of playersRUGBY: The circumstances are hardly ideal, but rarely has a Rabo PRO12 interregnum midway through the Six Nations had so many…Fri Feb 15 2013 - 00:00
Irish to seek legal advice with a view to appealing curious ruling on HealyHaving declined to bring legal representation with them to Cian Healy’s disciplinary hearing on Wednesday, a decision on which…Fri Feb 15 2013 - 00:00
Ireland were game, but their game management was puzzlingIf a week is a long time in politics and judging by the latest opinion polls, two years certainly have dimmed plenty of memories…Tue Feb 12 2013 - 00:00
Injuries to Zebo and Sexton merely deepen the gloom of a dark dayRUGBY: Six Nations A damp squib of a day in every senseMon Feb 11 2013 - 00:00
England roll up their sleeves for victoryIreland 6 England 12 Irish fans would have feared an arm wrestle and, alas, on a soaking wet Sunday in Dublin that is exactly…Mon Feb 11 2013 - 00:00
It's the Six Nations, it's England, it's showdown timeIreland v England: The Aviva hasn’t been the fortress the Irish team or fans would have liked ever since the botched ticket…Sat Feb 09 2013 - 00:00
Knowledge, passion and a huge presenceINTERVIEW: ANTHONY FOLEY There have been a few factors in the recent resurgence of the Irish team, and the addition of Anthony…Sat Feb 09 2013 - 00:00
Star showing earns Ronaldson 10 shirtOne of the stand-out fixtures of the club calendar takes place in Cork Constitution’s Temple Hill grounds at 7Fri Feb 08 2013 - 00:00
Awesome England roll over Ireland on their way to Grand Slam Holy GrailIreland 6 England 42: No one can say Ireland didn’t give it a go, which perhaps made it all the more salutaryFri Feb 08 2013 - 00:00
Henshaw's rapid progress continues as he makes his Ireland Under-20s debutThe Irish Under-20s have been a rejuvenated force in the last couple of years under Mike Ruddock, most notably last season when…Fri Feb 08 2013 - 00:00
O'Driscoll still able and just as capableSIX NATIONS: IRELAND v ENGLAND Apart from being pretty useful most of the time, Brian O'Driscoll is something of a good luck…Thu Feb 07 2013 - 00:00
Changes unlikely for Ireland as walking wounded look to be in good healthRUGBY: Despite their litany of bruises and bumps from their exertions last Saturday, and the ongoing concerns over Gordon D’…Wed Feb 06 2013 - 00:00
Only round one and already it's memorableON RUGBY: Think back to last season’s RBS Six Nations and it’s hard to recall much in the way of outstanding rugbyTue Feb 05 2013 - 00:00
Former captain still points the wayOld habits die hard and at times Brian O’Driscoll seemed to forget he was no longer captain, such as when directing Jonny Sexton…Mon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00
Wales run out of time after being stunned by Ireland's early onslaughtWales 22 Ireland 30: When Romain Poite signalled the end, Jamie Heaslip was the only Ireland player to raise his handsMon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00
Great and good of Welsh rugby stir the pot with talk of wooden spoonWelsh rugby doesn’t do middle groundMon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00
Next Sunday's showdown with England is beginning to look like a potential title deciderOne down, four to go. In addition to Ireland and England, against all expectations that now applies to the Italians as well, …Mon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00