Cup arrives to refresh and revive seasonOVERVIEW: IT'S BACK, the best club tournament in the world, reaching the parts that others cannot reach, taking in the European…Wed Oct 07 2009 - 01:00
Hayes facing IRFU suspensionTHE IRFU will confirm today when they will convene a disciplinary hearing into the 55th-minute red card which John Hayes sustained…Mon Oct 05 2009 - 01:00
Subplots add more intrigue to power playRUGBY/Leinster v Munster: SKIN AND hair will surely fly and, most likely, there will be bloodSat Oct 03 2009 - 01:00
Bradley is anxious to bounce backNewport Dragons v Connacht: IT SEEMED like the end of the world for the home supporters last Friday night, or at any rate the…Sat Oct 03 2009 - 01:00
Munster and Leinster to go into battle at full strengthA SLOW burner of a season goes up a few gears this week with the latest instalment in the Leinster-Munster rivalryWed Sept 30 2009 - 01:00
Settled Dragons to prove a real test for MunsterMAGNERS LEAGUE: Munster v N-G Dragons ON THE fourth Sunday of last season a bedraggled Dragons side arrived in Cork for their…Sat Sept 26 2009 - 01:00
Connacht target these neighbours as weakest linkMAGNERS LEAGUE: THE FIRST derby of the season may not have the cache of next Friday’s renewal of hostilities between the European…Fri Sept 25 2009 - 01:00
Big guns return to provincial firing lineTHEY’RE BACK. A sure sign that the 2009-10 rugby season is entering into the first of its meatier stages came with yesterday’…Wed Sept 23 2009 - 01:00
IRB should take Magners League to task on disciplineRUGBY HAS issues, but it’s hardly alone in thatTue Sept 22 2009 - 01:00
Connacht need a good performanceMAGNERS LEAGUE Connacht v Cardiff Blues: THE EMBARRASSMENT heaped upon Connacht last week in Edinburgh makes this game even …Fri Sept 18 2009 - 01:00
Ulster must find and maintain some consistencyMAGNERS LEAGUE Ulster v Edinburgh: THE ULSTER supporters who arrive at Ravenhill this evening for their side’s first home game…Fri Sept 18 2009 - 01:00
Dempsey, O'Kelly and Jackman back for LeinsterRUGBY MAGNERS LEAGUE: GIRVAN DEMPSEY returns to the Leinster squad as one of five players Michael Cheika has added to the 22…Wed Sept 16 2009 - 01:00
O'Connell sees the funny side of Ireland's lucrative kit dealAS BEFITS their status as European kingpins, Grand Slam champions and the fourth-ranked side in the world – behind the Southern…Wed Sept 16 2009 - 01:00
Leinster do enough to get the job doneMAGNERS LEAGUE/Leinster 23 Dragons 14: THE PROVINCES, and especially the big two, are left struggling in these formative, teething…Mon Sept 14 2009 - 01:00
It may be unlucky for some but not for Sherwin and MunsterMUNSTER ACADEMY: EYEBROWS WERE undoubtedly raised in Munster when it was revealed their provincial academy only had 13 players…Sat Sept 12 2009 - 01:00
Decision not to debar Harlequins from cup defies beliefRUGBY: There is ample reason to prevent the London club's particpation in this season's Heineken Cup and failure to do so leaves…Tue Sept 08 2009 - 01:00
Ospreys bring big names to GalwayConnacht v Ospreys : CONNACHT HAVE sometimes punched above their weight against the Ospreys but the Welshmen have still won …Fri Sept 04 2009 - 01:00
Munster face tough test as defence begins at WarriorsPREVIEWS: Glasgow Warriors v Munster : AS OPENING defences go, Friday nights in Firhill constitute something of a litmus test…Fri Sept 04 2009 - 01:00
Lions' coaches have cause to regret lost opportunitiesThere was a very fine line between success and failure in South Africa and the Lions management will inevitably question some…Tue Jun 30 2009 - 01:00
Irish chip in to the power of sevenTHE LIONS should be about the collective and breaking down national barriers. The Power of Four and all thatFri Jun 26 2009 - 01:00
South Africa at full strengthTHE SPRINGBOKS have no serious injuries before they unveil their hand for Saturday’s second Test in Pretoria at lunchtime today…Tue Jun 23 2009 - 01:00
Lions weighing up need for changeTHE LIONS moved on to Cape Town for tomorrow’s final midweek game against the Emerging Springboks licking their wounds and reflecting…Mon Jun 22 2009 - 01:00
Tourists now know their skills and fitness are up to the jobREACTION: IF NOTHING else, the last 30 minutes gives hope where none would have existed.Mon Jun 22 2009 - 01:00
The Bull happy to be back with the LionsTHE LATER the call-up for a Lion, the likelier they are to be surfing in Australia or holidaying in some exotic corner far removed…Fri Jun 19 2009 - 01:00
Backrow looks the tightest callRUGBY LIONS TOUR : YESTERDAY WAS a day of leisure for the Lions squad in their beachfront hotel on the outskirts of DurbanThu Jun 18 2009 - 01:00
Leinster get a breakLEINSTER HAVE, insofar as one can tell this far in advance, been given every incentive to go where only Leicester have gone before…Wed Jun 10 2009 - 01:00
Irish sides avoid the death poolRUGBY HEINEKEN CUP DRAW: SCANNING ACROSS the pools, and although Ulster might be disagree, it could certainly have been a good…Wed Jun 10 2009 - 01:00
O'Driscoll the Lion they can't do withoutON RUGBY: The pride of the four home unions are now probably more reliant on the Ireland captain than any other player, writes…Tue Jun 09 2009 - 01:00
D'Arcy not about to fluff his Lions opportunity this timeGORDON D’ARCY completed one of the truly great comebacks of modern-day rugby when linking up with the Lions in South Africa yesterday…Fri Jun 05 2009 - 01:00
Lions have mountain to climbFacing the world champions on their own turf with only six weeks preparation will be some task.Wed May 27 2009 - 01:00
One cool kidDuring the last Lions tour to South Africa, Jamie Heaslip was in Irish collegeWed May 27 2009 - 01:00
Tug-of-war continues for Elsom's servicesRUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP: ROCKY ELSOM’S immediate plans remain in the balance, but a decision regarding where he will play next season…Tue May 26 2009 - 01:00
Flannery is ruled out of Lions tourRUGBY: THE CURSE which has afflicted Munster since the announcement of the Lions squad continues apace, with Jerry Flannery …Thu May 21 2009 - 01:00
Williams decides to resign as Ulster coachMATT WILLIAMS is resigning as Ulster’s head coach for family reasons after 16 months in the job, despite having another year …Thu May 21 2009 - 01:00
Flannery out of Lions tourThe curse which has afflicted Munster since the announcement of the Lions squad continues apace, with Jerry Flannery the latest…Thu May 21 2009 - 01:00
Cheika is all calm before the stormRUGBY: IF LEINSTER are to be taken at their word, Michael Cheika’s players will be doing yoga this week, undergoing some relaxation…Wed May 20 2009 - 01:00
Leinster in the right mood as the countdown beginsA repeat of their performance against Munster in the Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park can see Leinster reach their Holy …Tue May 19 2009 - 01:00
Skipper Murphy still a key man for the TigersNEVER MIND Limerick, south Dublin or any of the other traditional hotbeds of Irish rugby, let’s hear it for KildareTue May 12 2009 - 01:00
Cheika keen to keep his troops ticking overRUGBY MAGNERS LEAGUE: NO REST for the wicked, or in this instance the semi-final winnersThu May 07 2009 - 01:00
O'Driscoll honoured by peersNOT BEFORE time, and not surprisingly, Brian O’Driscoll was last night voted the Bord Gáis Energy IRUPA Players’ Player of the…Thu May 07 2009 - 01:00
Leinster face final without ContepomiFELIPE CONTEPOMI is resigned to being sidelined for six months after the 31-year-old tore a cruciate ligament in his left knee…Mon May 04 2009 - 01:00
Leinster bring all the emotion, the intelligence and the rugbyHeineken Cup Munster v Leinster: Leinster 25 Munster 6 FOR ALL the talk of selections, tactics and other cerebral factors, rugby…Mon May 04 2009 - 01:00
Leinster face final without ContepomiFELIPE CONTEPOMI is resigned to being sidelined for six months after the 31-year-old tore a cruciate ligament in his left knee…Mon May 04 2009 - 01:00
Nacewa to get nod ahead of DempseyIN A slightly surprising and bold move, the Leinster coach Michael Cheika is set to name Isa Nacewa at full-back, thereby restoring…Fri May 01 2009 - 01:00
Sheahan set for move to BriveFRANKIE SHEAHAN looks set to follow the route to the French Top-14 of fellow Munster front-rower Timmy Ryan by joining BriveFri May 01 2009 - 01:00
Duo up front on set-piece debateHEINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINAL MUNSTER v LEINSTER: ONE OF the few crumbs of comfort Leinster took from their 22-3 beating in Thomond…Thu Apr 30 2009 - 01:00
McGahan reports a clean bill of healthTONY McGAHAN yesterday went through the ritual of naming a 25-man squad for Saturday’s eagerly awaited all-Ireland Heineken Cup…Wed Apr 29 2009 - 01:00
Kearney the latest casualtyRUGBY/HEINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINAL MUNSTER v LEINSTER: AND THEN there were 10Tue Apr 28 2009 - 01:00
Little to choose between them in repeat of last yearALL-IRELAND LEAGUE DIVISION ONE SEMI-FINALS : CONSTITUTION v CLONTARF Temple Hill (kick-off 2pm): THE HOLDERS, Cork Constitution…Sat Apr 25 2009 - 01:00
