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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
It’s a huge challenge but Ireland have the individual talent to shred Welsh hopesRUGBY: Come 3.15pm or thereabouts on the first Saturday of the championship, the Grand Slam and Triple Crown hopes of at least…Sat Feb 02 2013 - 00:00
Unrecognisable Bleus still the recognised favouritesOnly caveat is their less favoured draw could see Sainte-Andre’s men once falling short at TwickenhamFri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Ireland insist on some blue sky thinking when it comes to stadium roofRUGBY: The Ireland squad arrived safe and sound in Cardiff yesterday evening, with the management confident Rob Kearney will…Fri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Golden regeneration could help kickstart revivalBrian O’Driscoll may have controversially lost the captaincy but the autumn campaign showed signs of revival and with some fresh…Fri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Optimism abounds as oldest rugby tournament kicks offLike the Heineken Cup, the imperfections of the Six Nations can also be its beautyFri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Everything points to poor Wales season - so look outMen from the valleys in a bit of a slump right now but a winning start against Ireland could snap them out of itFri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Saracens' switch to Twickenham a lift for Ulster fansHEINEKEN CUP: The decision by Saracens, confirmed yesterday and in conjunction with tournament organisers ERC, to move their…Thu Jan 31 2013 - 00:00
O'Mahony primed for daunting Wales fixtureSIX NATIONS: If Peter O’Mahony still has the slightly awestruck air of someone who sometimes needs to be pinched to wake up …Thu Jan 31 2013 - 00:00
Positive vibes from an excited captainIf there’s one characteristic you know Jamie Heaslip will continue to bring to the job of captaining his country it’s positive…Wed Jan 30 2013 - 00:00
Many happy returns for KidneyRefreshed by the way a remodelled side finished off an injury-riddled autumnal campaign, Ireland have been further buoyed by …Wed Jan 30 2013 - 00:00
Opener against Wales will define Ireland's championshipGet ready for the Six Nations buzzword around this time of the year – momentumTue Jan 29 2013 - 00:00
Sexton deal looks done and dusted despite owner Lorenzetti's denialsRUGBY: Indications that Jonathan Sexton would be playing his club rugby with Racing Metro from next August have strengthened…Mon Jan 28 2013 - 00:00
Racing sources leave Sexton's future shrouded in mysteryRUGBY: Jonny Sexton’s whereabouts next season remained shrouded in some mystery last night after sources very close to the Racing…Sat Jan 26 2013 - 00:00
Racing concessions secure Sexton's signatureRugby: Additional guarantees regarding his release for international duty have reputedly enabled Jonathan Sexton to complete…Sat Jan 26 2013 - 00:00
Irish scrum suffers again as England play to their strengthsIrish Wolfhounds 10 English Saxons 14: Defeats at A level are not the end of the world but any defeat to the auld enemy hurts…Sat Jan 26 2013 - 00:00
Conway closes in on move from Leinster to MunsterAndrew Conway, a standout performer for the Irish Under-20s when scoring five tries in both the 2010 and 2011 Junior World Cups…Fri Jan 25 2013 - 00:00
Wolfhounds sniffing for Saxons and successionRUGBY: As with anything that becomes increasingly scarce, A international games have increased in valueFri Jan 25 2013 - 00:00
Ross agrees deal with Leinster as Sexton deadlock continuesAlthough there is still no sign of an end to the impasse in the negotiations between the IRFU and Jonathan Sexton’s agents, Leinster…Thu Jan 24 2013 - 00:00
Leinster need new generation to start coming through ranksON RUGBY: As one suspected, they went out all guns blazing, but out they went all the sameTue Jan 22 2013 - 00:00
