Not counting chickens, but trophies an issueTHE PROTOCOL for next Saturday’s trophy presentations has yet to be finalised, with tournament organisers obliged to factor in…Tue Mar 17 2009 - 00:00
Midfield maestros muscle their way through the breachTHE D’ARCY-O’DRISCOLL PARTNERSHIP: LEINSTER WERE in a bind, and so, by extension, were IrelandSat Mar 14 2009 - 00:00
Ruthless display should see off ScotsOPTIMISM IS high in the ranks of Irish supporters who have been gradually filling Princes Street – currently one long roadwork…Sat Mar 14 2009 - 00:00
Leinster lose battle to keep ContepomiRUGBY NEWS: AS FEARED, and despite reports that they made him an attractive offer, Leinster yesterday lost their battle to …Fri Mar 13 2009 - 00:00
Kidney shakes things up with four changesRUGBY: IF NOTHING else it’s assuredly shaken things up and put an extra spring in the stepWed Mar 11 2009 - 00:00
O'Kelly cleared of stamping allegationMALCOLM O’KELLY has been cleared of an alleged stamping by an IRFU disciplinary hearing which met in Ravenhill yesterdayWed Mar 11 2009 - 00:00
Four changes represent fresh thinkingSIX NATIONS SCOTLAND v IRELAND: IT’S ALL very well and good talking about a squad system; it’s another thing actually adhering…Wed Mar 11 2009 - 00:00
Case for freshening things up is strongON RUGBY: “History has also shown us that Kidney tends not to change a winning teamTue Mar 10 2009 - 00:00
More freedom will help Irish causeSIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP : FOOD FOR thought certainlyTue Mar 10 2009 - 00:00
Kidney's backroom boys leaving their marksIreland move to Murrayfield with solid foundations and discernible belief in themselves and each otherTue Mar 03 2009 - 00:00
Ireland have the tempo to raise spiritsONCE AGAIN, a nation not only expects but demands a win in what seems to be the only source of good news around.Sat Feb 28 2009 - 00:00
Well-grounded athletes feeling at home in Croke ParkRUGBY IRISH PLAYERS WITH GAA BACKGROUND: MOST LIKELY there’s never been such a Gaelic-infused Irish rugby team to take to a …Thu Feb 26 2009 - 00:00
Flood gets the nod from JohnsonSIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM NEWS: AS EXPECTED, and was flagged by Toby Flood not being released to his club last weekend, …Thu Feb 26 2009 - 00:00
It's business as usual for IrelandRUGBY: NO NEWS is good news, and certainly healthy newsWed Feb 25 2009 - 00:00
O'Driscoll set for replacements as O'Kelly faces dropRUGBY/SIX NATIONS: MICK O’DRISCOLL is set to replace Malcolm O’Kelly among the replacements in the only change from the 22 on…Tue Feb 24 2009 - 00:00
Horan and scrum earn due respectRUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP: ONCE AGAIN they were questioned in advance of the game and once again they came through with flying colours…Tue Feb 17 2009 - 00:00
Job well done so far on road to immortalityON RUGBY: TEMPTING FATE is always a risky business as far as Irish rugby is concernedTue Feb 17 2009 - 00:00
Ireland's class can be tellingVENI, VIDI, visa has been the motto of Ireland’s previous four treks to Rome, with the conquering bit taken as read, but the …Sat Feb 14 2009 - 00:00
No changes as Kidney stresses need to cut out errors2009 SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: IN THE circumstances, an unchanged Ireland side following on from a first victory over France…Thu Feb 12 2009 - 00:00
Prognosis positive for Wallace and FlannerySIX NATIONS: THE IRELAND squad returned to camp yesterday evening ahead of Sunday’s second game of the RBS Six Nations Championship…Tue Feb 10 2009 - 00:00
Irish ambition, discipline and defence in perfect harmonyRugby Ireland v France: Ireland 30 France 21 IT’S ONLY one game, it’s only a start, there are four games to go and the performance…Mon Feb 09 2009 - 00:00
Ambition and belief, it's all backIRELAND HAVE had huge one-off performances beforeMon Feb 09 2009 - 00:00
Ireland can deliver flyer against FranceTHERE APPEARS to be an air of optimism that the Ireland rugby team can provide an antidote to the current economic climate, the…Sat Feb 07 2009 - 00:00
A vision of attack for the captainINTERVIEW: LIONEL NALLET: LIONEL NALLET and his second row partner Sebastien Chabal are good friends, dating back to their early…Thu Feb 05 2009 - 00:00
Wallace's midfield role the eye-catcherBOTH DECLAN Kidney and Marc Lievrement took steps back in time yesterday in rekindling partnerships that helped deliver under…Wed Feb 04 2009 - 00:00
Here's hoping for an Ireland ready to have a goON RUGBY: ARE WE kidding ourselves about Ireland and the recent generation of players? Viewed dispassionately, Ireland’s results…Tue Feb 03 2009 - 00:00
O'Sullivan contacted over USA positionRUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP: USA RUGBY has officially contacted the agent of former Ireland coach, Eddie O’Sullivan, with a view to …Tue Feb 03 2009 - 00:00
Reddan loses out as squad trimmedIN PRUNING Ireland’s Six Nations squad from a weighty 39 to 27, Declan Kidney and co have deferred most of the tighter decisions…Sat Jan 31 2009 - 00:00
Feel-good factor should benefit the Irish campPERHAPS WE have become a little greedy and by rights Irish rugby should once again be mightily grateful, because the feel-good…Tue Jan 27 2009 - 00:00
O'Driscoll's captaincy credentials still strongRUGBY NEWS: THE IDENTITY of the Irish captain for the forthcoming RBS Six Nations Championship, as well as the Heineken Cup …Tue Jan 27 2009 - 00:00
Anxious Leinster scramble throughLeinster 12 Edinburgh 3: LEINSTER KEPT their nerve sufficiently and, with grim determination, dominated for large tracts to …Mon Jan 26 2009 - 00:00
First quarter will be an indicator of Leinster's match-day formLeinster v Edinburgh: MAKE OR break, do or die, etc, etcSat Jan 24 2009 - 00:00
Tough decisions are left for another daySIX NATIONS NEWS ROUND-UP THE HARD decisions, indeed the vast majority of the decisions, await for another dayThu Jan 22 2009 - 00:00
Final pool matches will still have customary buzzAS THE dreary fare of Twickenham’s star-studded cast underlined, even the Heineken Cup is not immune from the immutable laws …Tue Jan 20 2009 - 00:00
Bonus may yet make all the differenceHEINEKEN CUP Wasps 19 Leinster 12 Attendance 33,282 A DVD of this desultory, disjointed affair should be despatched forthwith…Mon Jan 19 2009 - 00:00
Leinster face an anxious conclusionFOR MUNSTER, a relatively clean bill of health and clear idea of what they have to do; but for Leinster a cloudy week of medical…Mon Jan 19 2009 - 00:00
Cheika pleased with his men in physical testWHATEVER ABOUT the quality of the performance, Leinster’s grit, guts and honesty of effort couldn’t be doubtedMon Jan 19 2009 - 00:00
Leinster may be found out in moment of truthHEINEKEN CUP: WASPS v LEINSTER: A MOMENT of truth then, for the boys in blueSat Jan 17 2009 - 00:00
Trust Munster to make the right callsRUBGY HEINKEN WORLD CUP: Pool One: Munster v Sale Sharks EDGE-OF-THE-SEAT time once moreFri Jan 16 2009 - 00:00
Cheika may opt to spring Nacewa from benchEVER SINCE the announcement of Isa Nacewa’s arrival, the talk amongst Leinster supporters has been what would constitute Michael…Wed Jan 14 2009 - 00:00
Scrum increasingly cause for Leinster concernAFTER-MATCH REACTION: AN INCREASINGLY significant concern for Leinster is the wellbeing of their frontrow and their scrumMon Jan 12 2009 - 00:00
Getting out while the going was okay - aged 27AN OUTSTANDING former Ireland under-19s and under-21 scrumhalf, Brian O'Riordan played professionally for four years with Leinster…Wed Dec 17 2008 - 00:00
Houdini alive and kicking in MunsterEUROPEAN CUP POOL ONE MUNSTER V CLERMONT: Munster 23 Clermont 13 EVEN BY their standards of defeat-defying acts of escapology…Mon Dec 15 2008 - 00:00
Munster ride in to save the dayDEAD BUT never buried, impossible is nothing indeedMon Dec 15 2008 - 00:00
O'Driscoll struggling to be fit to face CastresRUGBY NEWS: AS HAS been their lot lately, the exact composition of an ever-changing Leinster backline is liable to remain the…Tue Dec 09 2008 - 00:00
Cheika won't take Castres for grantedRUGBY NEWS: BEWARE OF French sides seemingly set on rolling over and having their bellies tickledWed Dec 03 2008 - 00:00
Gatland unfazed as Wales draw short strawTHE GROUP of Death, the Pool of Sharks; call it what you will, but as Irish eyes scanned across the four pools they could probably…Tue Dec 02 2008 - 00:00
History as big a worry as Ulster for Bradley's menMAGNERS LEAGUE: IT'S DOUBTFUL whether the burden of history will weigh more heavily on a team going into a Magners League fixture…Fri Nov 28 2008 - 00:00
Victory over Argentina lifts a dark shadowThe pressure to perform and beat Argentina was intense anyway regardless of what Ronan O'Gara said in private or publicTue Nov 25 2008 - 00:00