O'Connor key to open game planAutumn Internationals: First and foremost, bumping into the Springboks in the coalface of Test match rugby is a test of one'…Wed Nov 10 2004 - 00:00
Ireland to bear brunt of the backlashOn Rugby: There will have been more than enough meat in the recipe served up by the Springboks last Saturday at the Millennium…Tue Nov 09 2004 - 00:00
Pattern still unpredictable but logic says LeinsterCeltic League Round Eight Strange, isn't it, the way sport throws up some odd, almost illogical patternsFri Nov 05 2004 - 00:00
D'Arcy may be out until New YearThe extent of Gordon D'Arcy's injury and forthcoming lay-off remained unclear last night after a scan on the groin muscle injury…Tue Nov 02 2004 - 00:00
Holwell makes Kidney's pointOn Rugby: Whenever Declan Kidney has been asked about David Holwell, either on his arrival or before or after any of his four…Tue Nov 02 2004 - 00:00
Munster well equipped to ground OspreysN-S Ospreys v Munster: There's a palpable fear in the air about the prospects for the Irish provinces as they head into a fairly…Sat Oct 30 2004 - 01:00
Provinces facing early must-win gamesThere's always a danger in reading too much into just one round of the Heineken European Cup, especially the opening weekendTue Oct 26 2004 - 01:00
Munster must start well to win wellPREVIEW/Pool Five: So begins Munster's latest European Cup odysseySat Oct 23 2004 - 01:00
Ulster's chance to revive seasonEuropean Cup Preview: Andy Ward having been declared fit, no doubt the Ulster captain and his side will be striving to make …Fri Oct 22 2004 - 01:00
Driven to lead from the frontAndy Ward interview: It would kill Andy Ward not to be leading Ulster out in their Heineken European Cup opener tomorrow night…Thu Oct 21 2004 - 01:00
Kelly comes to Ulster's defenceEvery one else is doing it, so why can't we? Recognising the need to strengthen their defence, Ulster have co-opted the former…Tue Oct 19 2004 - 01:00
Faraway fields aren't always greenerOn Rugby: We're into the beef of the season now, albeit swilled with amber nectarTue Oct 19 2004 - 01:00
Europe looms large in provinces' preparationsOn Rugby: Allowing for Ulster's third successive Ravenhill defeat, overall it was a pretty encouraging weekend for the Irish…Tue Oct 12 2004 - 01:00
Leinster try to lay old bogeyLeinster v Edinburgh: As Australian commentators like to exclaim: Try TimeSat Oct 09 2004 - 01:00
Positive thinker leading the wayCeltic League: It's an unlikely story, in many ways, how a 24-year-old Aussie ended up captaining Connacht in only his second…Sat Oct 09 2004 - 01:00
Stradley Park holds no fearsLlanelli v Connacht: It's been the story of Connacht's season that they meet sides on the rebound from a defeat, and Llanelli…Sat Oct 09 2004 - 01:00
Munster need to show patienceGlasgow v Munster: Munster will hope that they turned a corner of sorts last week, but if their first win of the season at the…Sat Oct 09 2004 - 01:00
Connacht reshuffledIt appears Michael Bradley has reverted to the rotational system of last season for Connacht's penultimate outing before their…Fri Oct 08 2004 - 01:00
McMillan loss dents Friday feelingCeltic League/Ulster v Newport Gwent Dragons: The build-up to Ulster's eagerly awaited return to Friday night rugby at Ravenhill…Fri Oct 08 2004 - 01:00
Woodward paints a winning self-portraitOn Rugby: The funny thing about Clive Woodward's recently published autobiographical account of England's journey to become …Tue Oct 05 2004 - 01:00
Quiet man is proving a handful on pitchCeltic League: He's a big bear of a boy, who was seemingly born to play this gameSat Oct 02 2004 - 01:00
Elwood backConnacht have made four changes and one positional switch ahead of Saturday's round-five clash with the Borders at the Sportsground…Fri Oct 01 2004 - 01:00
Kidney planning for a happy returnThe circumstances of Declan Kidney's arrival in Leinster via, fleetingly, the Dragons, allied to the return of Brian O'Driscoll…Fri Oct 01 2004 - 01:00
Provinces expect to meet ERC deadlineRugby News: Leinster and Munster expect to complete the signings of David Holwell and Paul Devlin, respectively, in time for…Wed Sept 29 2004 - 01:00
Clubs and Union still not talking over cutsRUGBY: All would seem to be quiet and harmonious on the All-Ireland League front, but underneath, discontent is clearly still…Tue Sept 28 2004 - 01:00
Leinster rediscover that Friday night feverLeinster 50 Borders 13: The Friday night Donnybrook experience returned in style last nightSat Sept 25 2004 - 01:00
Ulster prepared for tough test from OspreysUlster v N/S Ospreys: After a fortnight of pure domesticity, at last we have a meaty Irish-Welsh contest to get tucked into…Sat Sept 25 2004 - 01:00
Fine-tuned and still with the full repertoireCeltic League/Interview with Denis Hickie: As is the way in this country, the prophets of doom were whispering away on the sidelines…Fri Sept 24 2004 - 01:00
Kidney decides to make eight changesFrom a position where they had been the most settled of the Irish provinces, all has changed for Leinster's Celtic League match…Wed Sept 22 2004 - 01:00
Ulster are primed not to fall prey to form sideCeltic League: The Celtic League palpably cranks up a notch or two this weekend, thanks in the main to the meeting of last year…Wed Sept 22 2004 - 01:00
Munster to sharpen set-piece game planRUGBY/Celtic League previews: No O'Driscoll, D'Arcy, Horgan, Dempsey, O'Gara, Stringer, Corrigan, Byrne, Horan, O'Connell, O…Sat Sept 18 2004 - 01:00
Ulster need a comebackComing after the psychological blow of losing their two-year unbeaten record at home to another fellow Irish province, the return…Sat Sept 18 2004 - 01:00
Scrapped but still scrappingRugby Celtic League countdown Just when it was getting interesting they go and scrap itFri Sept 17 2004 - 01:00
Shortened pre-season vexes provincesRelease of international players: In seemingly extending an olive branch to the provinces by permitting the piece-meal return…Wed Sept 15 2004 - 01:00
Provincial attitude does Irish set-up no favoursA joke doing the rounds in the provinces is that not alone does Eddie O'Sullivan pick the Irish team, but he picks the provincial…Tue Sept 14 2004 - 01:00
Ulster ready for tough gameUlster v Leinster: Setanta's needs have also obliged Ulster to reluctantly sacrifice their tried and trusted Friday night slot…Sat Sept 11 2004 - 01:00
Munster making do as alwaysCeltic League: For Munster and Leinster especially, so begins another make-do-and-mend Celtic League campaignFri Sept 03 2004 - 01:00
Cullen keen to shoulder the loadCeltic League: Leo Cullen is by no means the first example of his kind, nor will he be the lastThu Sept 02 2004 - 01:00
Union rethink a mixed bonus for ConnachtCeltic League: The Celtic League is set to receive a timely boost on the eve of its resumption this weekend with news that the…Wed Sept 01 2004 - 01:00
Saturday schedule for Irish sidesEuropean Cup news: Leinster have joined Munster in being allotted Saturday afternoon slots for their home games in Sky TV's …Tue Aug 24 2004 - 01:00
No way Jose is going to listen to advice from GilesyTV View: There's something endearing about that paragon of modesty, the self-effacing Jose Mourinho. There is actuallyMon Aug 23 2004 - 01:00
First taste of Leinster according to KidneyRUGBY: Leinster v Worcester in an August friendly mightn't normally set pulses racing but as the starting point for the Declan…Fri Aug 20 2004 - 01:00
Wilkinson's presence adds edge to an already sharp Connacht encounterPreviews: Pre-season friendlies of recent years haven't been inclined to whet the appetite for a new campaign - what with altered…Tue Aug 17 2004 - 01:00
Few chinks of light in another misspent SaturdayTV View: Nothing confirms the end of summer like the onset of winter sportsMon Aug 16 2004 - 01:00
Gleeson suffers broken leg in trainingRUGBY/News round-up: The injury jinx which afflicted Leinster throughout last season has hit the province again without a ball…Fri Aug 13 2004 - 01:00
Ethics and chemistry high on syllabusRUGBY/Interview with Declan Kidney: Ah, Leinster. The city slickersSat Aug 07 2004 - 01:00
