Players must survive new trialsA rebirth of the once obligatory but gradually derided Final Trial was hardly what the players of Munster and Leinster especially…Fri May 09 2003 - 01:00
IRFU line up trial matchReinvoking memories of the defunct Final Trial, a Whites selection will meet a Colours selection in what has been termed a "pre…Tue May 06 2003 - 01:00
Clontarf can take controlClontarf v Buccaneers Being at home, whereas their debut in last season's semi-finals was away to eventual winners Shannon, …Sat May 03 2003 - 01:00
Ballymena have the real edgeLansdowne v Ballymena Lansdowne are the form team of the four semi-finalists, having won nine on the spin and helped themselves…Sat May 03 2003 - 01:00
ERC insist final is at LansdowneDespite a growing French campaign to have the Heineken European Cup final between Toulouse and Perpignan re-routed from Dublin…Wed Apr 30 2003 - 01:00
Perpignan's bite is deepLeinster 14 Perpignan - 21: European Cup Semi-Finals: Rugby, said Matt Williams wryly yesterday, has a funny habit of rearing…Mon Apr 28 2003 - 01:00
Spirit of adventure provides the spark to take on ToulouseInterview with Anthony Foley: No opponents mark out Munster's territorial advances in Europe quite like the games against Toulouse…Thu Apr 24 2003 - 01:00
Try feast as fates are sealedWith the sun on their backs, hard grounds underfoot, and the customary end-of-season pursuit of bonus points, 156 tries decorated…Mon Apr 21 2003 - 01:00
It's all in the bounce of the ballAs Marc Stcherbina led the chase to the last-play kick downfield by Ovidiu Tonita, lives seemed to flash before our eyesMon Apr 14 2003 - 01:00
Motivation will certainly not be a problemAnother England-Ireland showdown, another Leicester-Munster showdown. Not that you'd grow weary of them.Sat Apr 12 2003 - 01:00
All hail England, but Ireland are comingOn Rugby : So England rule the Six Nations roost and good luck to themTue Apr 01 2003 - 01:00
Stage set for Ireland to make final impactON RUGBY: "How can you have a championship decided by the first match rather than at the end?" bemoaned English Rugby Football…Tue Mar 25 2003 - 00:00
Timely run-out for MunsterRugby News: In the absence of an A international between Ireland and Wales this week Munster have managed to cobble together…Wed Mar 19 2003 - 00:00
Fringe trio get chance to impressRugby Six Nations Championship: Wales v Ireland There are, according to some Kiwi rugby folk, three golden rules of New Zealand…Wed Mar 19 2003 - 00:00
Six Nations enhanced by Ireland's effortsON RUGBY: If the truth be told, it hasn't been a vintage Six Nations so far. Too many foregone conclusionsTue Mar 18 2003 - 00:00
Costello in fitness raceRUGBY: Victor Costello's fitness for Ireland's penultimate game in the RBS Six Nations Championship against Wales in Cardiff…Tue Mar 18 2003 - 00:00
Equipped to defeat French foreign legionThere's rain in the air and there's optimism in the air, and one's as disconcerting as the other.Sat Mar 08 2003 - 00:00
French alterations kept to a minimumFor all Bernard Laporte's pre-championship talk of experimentation with the World Cup in mind, when it came to the crunch only…Wed Mar 05 2003 - 00:00
Latham may be Munster boundMunster coach Alan Gaffney has confirmed the province's interest in the Australian World Cup winning full back Chris Latham, …Wed Mar 05 2003 - 00:00
Leinster tickets go on saleLansdowne Road is set, potentially, for the most remarkable sequence of fixtures in one seasonal run-in which the old ground …Tue Feb 25 2003 - 00:00
Ireland wait on injured DempseyRUGBY/Six Nations Championship News: Looking a little frayed around the edges and still recovering from their considerable exertions…Thu Feb 20 2003 - 00:00
Horgan loss is Henderson's gainWith little time for rest or respite in the brave new world of an abbreviated Six Nations, the Irish management just about had…Tue Feb 18 2003 - 00:00
Lineout reaps a rich rewardON RUGBY: Last season England went to Murrayfield, soaked up lengthy bouts of frenzied if somewhat blunt Scottish pressure, …Tue Feb 18 2003 - 00:00
Up for France in Le CrunchOn Rugby It will be nice to sit back and feast on Le Crunch courtesy of the goggle box next Saturday - it's like watching embittered…Tue Feb 11 2003 - 00:00
O'Gara's injury fails to respondRUGBY: Ronan O'Gara's availability for Ireland's opening match in the RBS Six Nations against Scotland next Sunday remains in…Tue Feb 11 2003 - 00:00
Future unsure for Celtic LeagueSo where does the Celtic League stand now? Two 30,000 or so attendances for televised finals have made it a success almost despite…Tue Feb 04 2003 - 00:00
Reprieve for Connacht rugby in IRFU rethink on provincesConnacht have had some notable victories in their time, but probably none compared to the one last night when the IRFU completed…Fri Jan 31 2003 - 00:00
Relief for Connacht as IRFU backs downIn the most significant climb-downs in the 129 year history of the IRFU, the union last night relented under an increasing wave…Fri Jan 31 2003 - 00:00
AIL clashes with Celtic finalRUGBY: A lack of co-operation between clubs and lack of leadership from the IRFU has again led to a clash of fixtures this weekend…Wed Jan 29 2003 - 00:00
Munster are angered by Leicester's ticket policyRUGBY: There was always likely to be a strong whiff of cordite in the air when Leicester and Munster renew hostilities in next…Wed Jan 29 2003 - 00:00
Home and away for Irish pairRUGBY: Leinster will not have to leave Dublin for the remainder of the Heineken European Cup after yesterday's draw for the …Tue Jan 28 2003 - 00:00
Connacht swear to march onThe Friends of Connacht came from the four corners of the province and beyond, from Enniscorthy to Blackrock, from Monivea to…Fri Jan 24 2003 - 00:00
Union's stand is far from unitedThe ground swell of opposition to the Union's move to disband Connacht has also gathered momentum in Leinster, judging by their…Fri Jan 24 2003 - 00:00
Over 1,000 set to protestThe public demonstration organised by Friends of Connacht Rugby will definitely go ahead as planned in Dublin tomorrow, despite…Wed Jan 22 2003 - 00:00
IRFU defer crucial Connacht meetingTactical manoeuvring and prevarication was the order of the day in the IRFU hierarchy yesterday, as first they cancelled Thursday…Tue Jan 21 2003 - 00:00
Munster find 'x factor' as Gloucester lose itSaturday, January 18th, 2003. Eclipsing even October 31st, 1978 and all that, they can dine out this one 20 years onMon Jan 20 2003 - 00:00
IRFU has booked 88 rooms in five-star hotel for Rome matchThe IRFU may be looking for ways to cut costs, but it has still booked 88 rooms for three nights in a five-star hotel in Rome…Sat Jan 18 2003 - 00:00
Munster are not short of motivationThis one has been ear-marked for quite some timeSat Jan 18 2003 - 00:00
Sleep-walking to final clashRUGBY/Heineken European Cup: Snoring room-mates and dinner with former Legionnaires keeps life colourful as we march on to a…Wed Jan 15 2003 - 00:00
Guardians of game should do just thatON RUGBY While in Perpignan last weekend a Munster supporter, now living in Galway, received a phone call from his 16-year-old…Tue Jan 14 2003 - 00:00
Munster are in the mood to right a few wrongsOn the Mediterranean, close to the Spanish border, the Catalan rugby hotbed of Perpignan is, as Anthony Foley recalls from their…Fri Jan 10 2003 - 00:00
Munster ready for raucous welcomeRUGBY: Anyone who drifted past Thomond Park in the middle of a sunny Tuesday this week must have been puzzled by the noise from…Thu Jan 09 2003 - 00:00
Referees caught in lose-lose situationUlster coach Alan Solomons maintained the sending-off effectively ended the match, and it probably did, while Ulster not unreasonably…Tue Jan 07 2003 - 00:00
BBC to break ground at ThomondBBC Grandstand will break new ground when they show the potentially decisive Heineken Cup Pool Two clash between Munster and …Wed Dec 18 2002 - 00:00
Leinster fans get refundThe Leinster Branch are offering a refund to the 1,000 or so supporters who were charged over the odds at last Friday night's…Tue Dec 17 2002 - 00:00
Quinlan to replace D'Arcy in squadLeinster centre David Quinlan, one of the finds of the season, has been called into the Ireland squad for their warm weather …Tue Dec 17 2002 - 00:00
