Munster and Leinster better get skates onOn Rugby: Perhaps it had to be after the weekend or week that was in itTue Sept 26 2006 - 01:00
Tough trip for Leinster to bogey groundStradey Park match/Llanelli Scarlets v Leinster: At face value, Leinster could hardly be facing a tougher assignment at this…Sat Sept 23 2006 - 01:00
Lewis feels the squeeze once moreKieran Lewis He's immensely talented, at 26 his best rugby might still be ahead of him, he's intelligent and articulate, and…Thu Sept 21 2006 - 01:00
Ospreys pay toll for busy itineraryRugby Ulster v Ospreys The Ospreys have named a 22-man squad, with one more player to be added, for tomorrow night's meeting…Thu Sept 21 2006 - 01:00
Ofisa poised to make debut for depleted ConnachtConnacht's Samoan summer recruit, flanker Ray Ofisa, could be poised to make his competitive debut for the province against Edinburgh…Wed Sept 20 2006 - 01:00
Clubs' third-tier issue could end in tearsOn Rugby: Perhaps it was too good to be trueTue Sept 19 2006 - 01:00
Cheika wary despite impressive home recordLeinster v Cardiff Blues: Leinster return to the comforts of home as they seek to kickstart their Magners League campaign after…Sat Sept 16 2006 - 01:00
Bradley's men on a rollConnacht v Llanelli Scarlets: Fledgling days, but there's a real buzz and gathering momentum within Connacht just now and …Fri Sept 15 2006 - 01:00
Ulster can extend runEdinburgh Gunners v Ulster: No less than losing, winning becomes habitual and Ulster have the habit nowFri Sept 15 2006 - 01:00
Munster should stop the rotCeltic League previews /Glasgow v Munster: Nobody beats Munster twice, goes the saying, and in Europe it is a truismFri Sept 15 2006 - 01:00
Munster 12 reject rejigThe proposal by the executive of the All-Ireland Senior Rugby Clubs Association (AISRCA) for a restructured AIB League, comprising…Thu Sept 14 2006 - 01:00
Connacht buoyed by supportCeltic League news: Embryonic tables have a habit of throwing up unlikely early-season pacesettersWed Sept 13 2006 - 01:00
Foley omitted from four-day campIreland training squad: This time next year Ireland will be based in Bordeaux, one game into their World Cup pool campaign against…Wed Sept 13 2006 - 01:00
Review of leagues promisedNews round-up: The IRFU have moved to stem proposals by the All-Ireland Senior Rugby Clubs Association (AISRCA) for a restructuring…Tue Sept 12 2006 - 01:00
Depleted Munster to be given firm testMunster v Border Reivers, Thomond Park (7.30), On TV: Setanta 7Sat Sept 09 2006 - 01:00
Cheika sympathetic to needs of club gameNews round-up: Hemmed in over recent years by the unstoppable march of both professionalism and the provinces, feeling neglected…Thu Sept 07 2006 - 01:00
McGann, Foley may feature against ReiversThe one-time Australian sevens and former Eastern Suburbs openside Tim McGann is likely to feature for Munster this Saturday …Wed Sept 06 2006 - 01:00
GAA fans snap up ticketsNews: The GAA have confirmed that virtually all the premium-stand ticket-holders who were given first refusal on tickets for…Tue Sept 05 2006 - 01:00
Champions' strength in depth will be fully tested by LlanelliUlster v Llanelli preview : The reigning champions kick off the defence of their hard-won league title with a swift example…Sat Sept 02 2006 - 01:00
Connacht keen to start season on positive noteBorder Reivers v Connacht, at Netherdale, 7Fri Sept 01 2006 - 01:00
McIsaac happy to be thrown in at deep endIn these days of elite underage players being groomed for the professional game, it's one helluva story, one of the unlikeliest…Fri Jun 23 2006 - 01:00
All Blacks are proof it's good to talkLetter from NZ: An odd week, an uncomfortable week and, we hope, a one-off, soon to be consigned to historySat Jun 17 2006 - 01:00
Players' boycott endedA resolution of sorts in the impasse between the Irish players and the travelling Irish media corps was reached last night when…Thu Jun 15 2006 - 01:00
Cow bells, footie and green beerNew Zealand Letter: Back in the early '80s, a New Zealand horse breeder of Irish heritage, Patrick Hogan, arranged to import…Sat Jun 10 2006 - 01:00
Another Cardiff test awaitsRUGBY/European Cup: Munster continued to enjoy their Heineken European Cup triumph yesterday, but today will return to training…Tue May 23 2006 - 01:00
Munster's success story is a shared oneOn Rugby: Destiny didn't call them, and justice had nothing to do with it, yet will we ever again witness a team ultimately …Tue May 23 2006 - 01:00
Sun-blest corner worth fighting forIn Focus / Biarritz: The Hotel au Bon Coin is true to its name, the good corner hotelSat May 20 2006 - 01:00
Foley returns as O'Sullivan plays safeRUGBY: When push came to shove, as is his conservative nature, Eddie O'Sullivan reverted very much to the old guardThu May 18 2006 - 01:00
Strong club game is vital for player progressionOn Rugby: Go through the Munster team which will carry the hopes of a nation, and not just the Munster nation, this Saturday…Tue May 16 2006 - 01:00
Escaping injuries Munster's priorityLlanelli v Munster : A real end-of-season, re-arranged, midweek feeling to this one between two weary looking, patched-up sides…Tue May 09 2006 - 01:00
Sexy play-offs would beef up Celtic LeagueOn Rugby: Appearances, or to adopt a fitting phrase of our times, image, are everythingTue May 09 2006 - 01:00
Elite quartet a fitting tribute to mark ninth yearAll-Ireland League semi-finals: Seven-time winners and champions the last two years, Shannon will still be smarting from the…Sat May 06 2006 - 01:00
Connacht look home and hosedCeltic League : Connacht make their switch to Friday nights in the Sportsground with the first of three consecutive home games…Fri May 05 2006 - 01:00
Objection may hit GalwegiansAll-Ireland League: Dublin University are believed to be lodging an objection with the IRFU over Galwegians' use of a UCG player…Fri May 05 2006 - 01:00
O'Connell the obvious choiceRUGBY: In a decision that hardly ranks as an earth-shattering surprise, Paul O'Connell was last night named Player of the Year…Thu May 04 2006 - 01:00
Biarritz may lose hooker after citingEuropean Cup news: The Biarritz Olympique hooker Benoit August, who captained the side in their Heineken European Cup semi-final…Tue Apr 25 2006 - 01:00
Proving who are the best? Take it as redOn Rugby: Watching Sunday's events unfold reinforced the feeling that when it came to le crunch, the mother of all all-Irish…Tue Apr 25 2006 - 01:00
Double-teamed Trinity up in armsTrinity College are up in arms with both the IRFU and Shannon after being forced to play their All-Ireland Under-20 Cup final…Fri Apr 21 2006 - 01:00
Hogging the ERC pie just not on, mon ami SergeOn Rugby: Four Irish wins over the weekend, an Irish 1-2-3 atop the Celtic League, Connacht moving within striking distance …Tue Apr 18 2006 - 01:00
Munster wait on walking woundedCeltic League: In contrast to Leinster's apparent rude health, Munster seem almost to be hobbling toward the eagerly anticipated…Wed Apr 12 2006 - 01:00
More at stake than the bragging rightsOn Rugby: On the Saturday before Christmas, Leinster's typically rollercoaster defeat in Bourgoin was being shown on a big screen…Tue Apr 11 2006 - 01:00
Leinster tickets a source of concernThere is a growing fear within the Leinster Branch that one or two of their clubs might cash in on some of their ticket allocation…Sat Apr 08 2006 - 01:00
Compelling clash of cultures and styleOn Rugby: There's never been a match quite like it, and all previous meetings between Leinster and Munster, or any of the Irish…Tue Apr 04 2006 - 01:00
All-Irish clash set to attract record figuresEuropean Cup Semi-finals: As expected, the mouth-watering Leinster-Munster Heineken European Cup semi-final showdown in three…Tue Apr 04 2006 - 01:00
Home side must flex their muscleMunster v Perpignan: The prevailing mood, coupled with the rather surprising bookies' odds, would seem to suggest Munster are…Sat Apr 01 2006 - 01:00
Provinces will struggle to get up to Euro speedOn Rugby: With Munster and Leinster having fed the Irish team a timely energiser on the eve of the Six Nations, the hope must…Tue Mar 28 2006 - 01:00
Captain's strain a well kept secretRUGBY / Six Nations : Much of the inspiration for Ireland's second Triple Crown in three years had looked as if it might be …Wed Mar 22 2006 - 00:00
England at Twickenham are a different matterOn Rugby: Here we go, here we go, here we go, off to jolly Twickers on Cheltenham week and St Patrick's weekend, with our leprechaun…Tue Mar 14 2006 - 00:00
Weekend puts Celtic League in poor lightOn Rugby: Last Friday night Munster, with nine players decreed unavailable by Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan, lost to Ulster, …Tue Mar 07 2006 - 00:00
