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
Close it may be in the Six Nations, but sexy it ain'tOn Rugby: For interest's sake, it's perhaps no harm that this is perhaps the most open Six Nations since it became a sextet …Tue Feb 28 2006 - 00:00
Leading characters will play no partRUGBY/Six Nations Championship, Ireland v Wales: Ireland's pack leader, Paul O'Connell, having been deemed hors de combat, the…Wed Feb 22 2006 - 00:00
Welsh saga has a touch of Saipan about itGerry Thornley On Rugby: Comparisons have been made with Eddie O'Sullivan's accession to the throne which was, eh, vacated by…Tue Feb 21 2006 - 00:00
Leinster duo get call-up to Irish squadNews : Injuries to Anthony Foley and John Kelly have prevented them from rejoining the expanded 31-man Ireland squad, which …Mon Feb 20 2006 - 00:00
Depleted Munster should still have the edgeMunster v Glasgow: Munster don't have too many scores to settle this season, but this is definitely oneSat Feb 18 2006 - 00:00
Connacht hope to bring their A game to bearConnacht v Llanelli: Curiously, this fixture has rarely gone the way of the home team, until finally the Scarlets beat Connacht…Sat Feb 18 2006 - 00:00
O'Sullivan insists the stats back up tacticsRUGBY/Six Nations Championship: Eddie O'Sullivan will give Paul O'Connell every chance to recover from the A/C shoulder joint…Wed Feb 15 2006 - 00:00
Ireland have many lessons to learnOn Rugby: So many conflicting messages have emerged from an absorbing first two rounds of the Six Nations that it's hard to …Tue Feb 14 2006 - 00:00
O'Connell a serious doubtPaul O'Connell remains a serious doubt for Ireland's pivotal Six Nations game at home to Wales on Sunday week after a scan on…Tue Feb 14 2006 - 00:00
Humphreys to end Test careerRUGBY: David Humphreys, Ireland's most capped outhalf, is set to retire from Test rugby at the end of the Six NationsTue Feb 14 2006 - 00:00
It's a long way from Zaire to hereFrance v Ireland Yannick Nyanga You don't have to spend too long in Yannick Nyanga's company to appreciate why he is such an…Fri Feb 10 2006 - 00:00
Ireland selection greener than usualA International France v Ireland There is an exceptionally developmental look to what must be the most inexperienced Irish A…Wed Feb 08 2006 - 00:00
Ireland do not look like happy campersOn Rugby: What's the difference, Jason White was asked after their stunning win over France, between this Scottish team and…Tue Feb 07 2006 - 00:00
Referee in no doubt Irish tries were goodIreland v Italy : The performance of the English referee Dave Pearson prompted understandable anger from the Italians at Lansdowne…Mon Feb 06 2006 - 00:00
Fool's Day feast will feature triple-headerEuropean cup : Munster will kick off their quarter-final against Perpignan at Lansdowne Road shortly after the finish of the…Wed Jan 25 2006 - 00:00
Munster need Leinster favour againRUGBY / European cup : Admittedly a flight of fancy anyway, the notion of Leinster and Munster meeting in an all-Irish final…Wed Jan 25 2006 - 00:00
Defeat not an option for Irish provincesOn Rugby: Even more than the weekend just past, next weekend's final round of Heineken European pool games promises to be a …Tue Jan 17 2006 - 00:00
Traditional means to serve MunsterEuropean Cup/Castres Olympique v Munster: They tend not to do things straightforwardly, but rarely have Munster been in as tight…Fri Jan 13 2006 - 00:00
