Defensive Irish clean up their actAway from the madding crowds, the Irish World Cup preparations continue apaceWed Sept 08 1999 - 01:00
Wyllie to continue Clontarf's Kiwi linkIn a significant coup, clearly arising out of Argentina's recent stay in Dublin, Clontarf yesterday confirmed that Alex "Grizz…Tue Sept 07 1999 - 01:00
Our funny old game continues to surpriseIt's a funny old game, as Ulster's season thus far underlinesTue Sept 07 1999 - 01:00
Munster break Belfast hoodoo with quality winThe Game may not have quite lived up to expectations, but this was still a quality encounter between Ireland's finestMon Sept 06 1999 - 01:00
Lynagh, Hamilton roll back the yearsGuinness officially launched their first-ever global sports sponsorship yesterday and given the event in question - the 1999 …Sat Sept 04 1999 - 01:00
O'Driscoll leaves it lateTo describe this as a laboured Leinster win would be akin to saying Brian O'Driscoll is a little talentedSat Sept 04 1999 - 01:00
Clash of the heavyweights likely to sway Ulster's wayEuropean champions against Irish champions - Ireland doesn't stage games like this every other weekSat Sept 04 1999 - 01:00
Basement battle a must-winIt hasn't taken long for the demarcation lines to be drawn in this season's Guinness InteprovincialsFri Sept 03 1999 - 01:00
IRFU cloud Celtic visionIRFU sources last night played down reports emanating from Wales that negotiations to revive a Celtic league involving Irish …Fri Sept 03 1999 - 01:00
Race for Cup glory more even than ever"HMM, very interesting," as the helmeted German used to say on Rowan and Martin's laugh-in, before adding to the rider "but stupid…Tue Aug 31 1999 - 01:00
Gatland's men show potentialIreland being Ireland, they couldn't make it easy for us. Oh not, not themMon Aug 30 1999 - 01:00
No surprises in predictable 30A few quibbles with the timing, unexpectedly brought forward to Saturday evening, maybe even a few quibbles about some of the…Mon Aug 30 1999 - 01:00
O'Kelly omitted from Test XVThe Irish team to play Argentina on Saturday looks suspiciously like a first-choice XV, but then again it's not quite full-strength…Thu Aug 26 1999 - 01:00
Irish wary of under-rating ArgentiniansAlthough this Saturday's Test against Argentina provides Ireland with their one meaningful World Cup warm-up against outside …Wed Aug 25 1999 - 01:00
Leinster get badly mauled by PumasIt was to have provided a platform for some of Ireland's World Cup wannabees and to rejuvenate Leinster's seasonWed Aug 25 1999 - 01:00
Onus on Leinster to start winningLeinster may have missed out on the touring Irish bandwagon which is doing the rounds of the other provinces at the moment, but…Tue Aug 24 1999 - 01:00
Kiernan an Irish hero once againMany people, some of them French, still labour under the illusion that Aime Jacquet guided France to success in last year's football…Tue Aug 24 1999 - 01:00
Ring-rusty Irish made to dig deep for victoryWarren Gatland was entitled to look relievedMon Aug 23 1999 - 01:00
Ireland hopefuls come one step closerRarely will the score be so immaterial this season, but rarely will some of the sub-plots count for so muchSat Aug 21 1999 - 01:00
Irish eyes firmly on their Cup rivalsAside from events at the Sportsground, the Irish management will have an eye and a spy on other more salubrious environs as the…Sat Aug 21 1999 - 01:00
Horgan still in the runningShane Horgan, of late considered a non-runner for the Irish World Cup squad, suddenly re-entered the fray yesterday when the …Fri Aug 20 1999 - 01:00
Gatland keeps the Irish door openIn shuffling the deck for Ireland's first warm-up match of the season, against Connacht in Galway this Saturday, the Irish management…Thu Aug 19 1999 - 01:00
Wing injuries force changesThe Irish team to play Connacht on Saturday in their first World Cup warm-up match will be announced today and while Conor McGuinness…Wed Aug 18 1999 - 01:00
Costello fails to make first cutVictor Costello and Ciaran Scally were the two biggest losers when Ireland's 34man preliminary World Cup squad was announced …Tue Aug 17 1999 - 01:00
Interpros show little has changedTime was when the last of the summer honeymooners might still be given special dispensation around now and most players would…Tue Aug 17 1999 - 01:00
Munster expecting western backlashOn paper, today's contest at the Sportsground (3.0) is so lob-sided it makes the Leaning Tower of Pisa seem perpendicularSat Aug 14 1999 - 01:00
Ulster still more streetwiseLeinster beat the European champions in the scrums, they beat them in the line-outs, they beat them on the ruck count, they beat…Sat Aug 14 1999 - 01:00
Goliath should be too strongThe weather should be good, there will be 19 internationals on the pitch, the World Cup is just around the corner, the surface…Fri Aug 13 1999 - 01:00
Double blow for ConnachtComing hard on the heels of their near record defeat by Ulster last week, Connacht have been hit with a double injury blow for…Fri Aug 13 1999 - 01:00
Ruddock shows faith despite lossOn one of the more momentous days in recent times, the news from the respective Leinster and Munster camps in advance of this…Thu Aug 12 1999 - 01:00
Gatland dangles selection carrotThe first significant pointer towards the make-up of Ireland's 30-man squad for the World Cup will be revealed on Sunday when…Wed Aug 11 1999 - 01:00
Cooke set to replace RavenhillThe Interprovincial Championship match on September 3rd between Ulster and Munster, the two sides who hauled in maximum points…Tue Aug 10 1999 - 01:00
Munster hammer their way throughIt ebbed, even if it didn't always flow, and ultimately it panned out pretty much as expectedMon Aug 09 1999 - 01:00
Ulster can up the paceIt says everything about the unpredictable nature of the interprovincials that before launching their unforgettable European …Sat Aug 07 1999 - 01:00
Ulster deserve to startThere was a time when the vagaries of a winter day might have kept an interpro crowd down to the proverbial two men and a dog…Sat Aug 07 1999 - 01:00
Munster may have the edgeAlthough there have been a few duds along the way, consistently this fixture has provided the highlights of the interprovincial…Sat Aug 07 1999 - 01:00
Ulster team fortifiedAmid the celebratory singing, back-slapping, high fives and tears around the Ulster dressing-room, the most poignant observations…Fri Aug 06 1999 - 01:00
Wood buttresses hardy Munster packMunster have unveiled their opening hand for the Inter-provincial Championship, at home to Leinster at Temple Hill on Saturday…Thu Aug 05 1999 - 01:00
Irish could play 14 gamesThe fourth World Cup dominates the northern hemisphere rugby calendar this year, and coupled with Ireland's four warm-up games…Thu Aug 05 1999 - 01:00
Jackman gets Connacht call at flankerThe wintergreen has yet to replace the suntan oil but already Connacht coach Glenn Ross has sprung the first surprise of the …Wed Aug 04 1999 - 01:00
Ulster bid to continue their roll by recruiting heavilyThe list of contracted provincial players released by the IRFU yesterday (all but complete now) shows that Ulster - buoyed financially…Sat Jul 31 1999 - 01:00
End of line for ClarkeCiaran Clarke, the former Irish international full back who won the last of his five caps against England last year, has been…Fri Jul 30 1999 - 01:00
Langford signs for MunsterCurrent inter-provincial champions, Munster, have confirmed that former Australian international, John Langford, is to join them…Thu Jul 29 1999 - 01:00
Irish have come a long wayAt times during the past month, the touring Irish made their coach, and other regular observers, feel like the sane man in the…Mon Jun 21 1999 - 01:00
The best of the Gatland eraThe mood was subdued yet sprinkled with smiles, reflecting the post-match mixed emotionsMon Jun 21 1999 - 01:00
Last chance for Gatland's menOutside of the touring party itself Irish optimism won't exactly be bountiful prior to today's second Test in PerthSat Jun 19 1999 - 01:00
Bell may replace injured MostynMatt Mostyn's knee injury again prevented the Irish winger from taking part in the squad's last full-scale run-out in Perth yesterday…Fri Jun 18 1999 - 01:00
Manning turns back the clockDonal Manning turned back the clock when partnering Juneson to take the opening Kill Maiden at Naas yesterday eveningThu Jun 17 1999 - 01:00
O'Kelly raring to goThe three changes in the Irish starting line-up to face Australia in Perth this Saturday all tell the tales of comeback kidsThu Jun 17 1999 - 01:00