Two twos equal formidable as Sheehan and Kelleher put Ireland in strong position ‘The two of them do the basics very, very well ... we’re in rude health when it comes to the hooking position’Sat Feb 08 2025 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: Italy v Wales may be more important than Warren Gatland wishes to admitA loss in Rome would drop Wales to 12th in the World Rugby rankingsFri Feb 07 2025 - 15:18
Simon Easterby goes for the old dog for the hard road with Peter O’Mahony selectionIreland backrower has faced Scotland 13 times and won 12 of themFri Feb 07 2025 - 12:57
Scotland v Ireland: Sam Prendergast set to retain place at outhalf with changes to be kept to a minimumFinlay Bealham and Mack Hansen could start after injury concerns from England gameThu Feb 06 2025 - 21:56
Scotland vs Ireland: The last 10 meetings at MurrayfieldScots keen to end a losing home sequence in the fixture since 2017Wed Feb 05 2025 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: How about an alternative look at Ireland’s Six Nations win over England?The failure to show France’s Romain Ntamack a straight red card against Wales was appalling for the sportTue Feb 04 2025 - 06:00
Gregor Townsend puts his mind to breaking Scotland’s sorry cycle against Ireland Ireland travel to Murrayfield in the Six Nations in search of a record 11th successive win over Scotland Tue Feb 04 2025 - 06:00
Ireland hopeful Finlay Bealham and Mack Hansen will recover from injuriesTadhg Furlong and Joe McCarthy step up rehabilitation programmes ahead of Scotland clashMon Feb 03 2025 - 14:41
Determined Ireland begin title defence with statement win over England Side’s attack finds groove of Autumn Series, showcasing high-tempo, ball-in-hand gameMon Feb 03 2025 - 06:00
Relief for Easterby as tricky first hurdle cleared in satisfactory style Interim coach identifies plenty to focus on this week in advance of Scotland test Mon Feb 03 2025 - 06:00
Simon Easterby takes positives but mindful of lapses on first day as Ireland interim bossInterim head coach confirms prop Finlay Bealham ‘moving around okay in the changing room’ Sat Feb 01 2025 - 21:05
Ireland survive early sting and fire back with venom to take down England Simon Easterby’s side put in arguably their best performance since the World Cup in Six Nations opener Sat Feb 01 2025 - 19:24
Ireland thankful to be able to call on three centres of excellenceFor Saturday’s Six Nations match against England, Simon Easterby has had the luxury of choosing two starters from Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw and Garry RingroseSat Feb 01 2025 - 06:00
Ireland v England preview: First game will be crucial in turbo-charged race for Grand Slam Ireland victory would be ideal springboard for interim coach Simon EasterbySat Feb 01 2025 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: Six Nations presents a chance for Maro Itoje to vie for Lions captaincyIn the absence of a clear pick for this summer’s Lions tour, Maro Itoje might put it up to Caelan DorisFri Jan 31 2025 - 20:18
Ireland v England: Simon Easterby puts his stamp on side with Ryan Baird selectionThe former Ireland number six knows the threat Ireland face at the lineout from EnglandThu Jan 30 2025 - 16:07
Ireland v England: Sam Prendergast set to get the nod against EnglandRyan Baird could come into the backrow to bolster defensive lineout with Joe McCarthy missing out Wed Jan 29 2025 - 19:00
Six Nations guide to Italy: Fixtures, prospects and who to watchAzzurri hoping to build on a promising 2024 campaign Wed Jan 29 2025 - 06:00
Six Nations guide to Wales: Fixtures, prospects and who to watchThe consequences of poor decisions by the Welsh Rugby Union are becoming apparentTue Jan 28 2025 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: Odds are against Ireland completing Six Nations three-peat, this is my forecastThis team can cement its claims to being Ireland’s greatest team of all time with a championship winTue Jan 28 2025 - 06:00
‘I want to put my mark on things’: Simon Easterby sees chance for he and Ireland to grow together Warren Gatland says Ireland have benefitted from ‘favourable’ Six Nations drawsSat Jan 25 2025 - 06:00
Six Nations: Antoine Dupont’s return makes formidable France favourites Pressure is on Fabien Galthié to deliver title that has eluded Les Bleus too oftenThu Jan 23 2025 - 19:00
Steve Borthwick plays up England as underdogs angle ahead of Six Nations clash with IrelandThe English squad has seen considerable change since last year’s competitionWed Jan 22 2025 - 18:44
Simon Easterby targets ‘something special’ for Ireland in Six NationsJohnny Sexton will continue helping Ireland coaching team, says interim head coachWed Jan 22 2025 - 06:00
‘Dupont was slagging me about the law changes’: Caelan Doris looks forward to Six Nations improvement Ireland captain says team feel ‘lingering frustration’ with most recent performancesWed Jan 22 2025 - 06:00
Simon Easterby focused on continuity as Ireland seek third successive Six Nations titleFormer Ireland backrow taking charge during Andy Farrell’s Lions sabbaticalTue Jan 21 2025 - 15:34
Gerry Thornley: Leinster fans are so spoiled that only one prize will doUlster and Munster face daunting assignments as they bid to progress in European competitionTue Jan 21 2025 - 06:00
Leinster left with plenty to ponder following entertaining rollercoasterIt took the likes of RG Snyman and Doris to lead from the front for Leo Cullen’s men after Bath had initially caused the home side lots of problemsMon Jan 20 2025 - 06:00
Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle to host Munster in intriguing last 16 clashTop two seeding earns Leinster a home clash with Harlequins and the prospect of potential home ties all the way through to the final againMon Jan 20 2025 - 00:15
Champions Cup last 16: Leinster to play Harlequins, Munster against La RochelleUlster will play Bordeaux Bègles in last 16 after squeezing through difficult Pool 1Sun Jan 19 2025 - 20:09
AIL round-up: Impressive St Mary’s send out a messageDivision 1A leaders bounce back from Lansdowne defeat by defeating Young Munster as top four all record winsSun Jan 19 2025 - 18:10
Johann van Graan: ‘Leinster have the best pipeline in world rugby’Bath coach speaks highly of Leinster forward RG Snyman after defeatSun Jan 19 2025 - 16:04
Leo Cullen praises solution-focused Leinster for fighting back after blistering Bath startLeinster came from 21-19 down at half-time to beat Bath 47-21 at the AvivaSat Jan 18 2025 - 21:58
Leinster demolish 14-man Bath to go undefeated in Champions Cup pool stagesLeo Cullen’s side take 47-21 win at the Aviva StadiumSat Jan 18 2025 - 20:17
Gerry Thornley: What is the primary problem stopping Munster from success?Munster probably have to beat Northampton in Franklin’s Gardens to ensure they finish above the Saints and thus ensure themselves a home tie in the Round of 16Sat Jan 18 2025 - 06:00
AIL preview: Trip to Young Munster a stern test for leaders St Mary’sHome side without the services of Evan O’Connell, Ruadhán Quinn and outhalf Tony Butler who are on Munster duty in NorthamptonSat Jan 18 2025 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: Is a slimmed down Champions Cup the answer to the competition’s woes?A revamped 18-team tournament has been proposed by France’s LNRFri Jan 17 2025 - 18:35
Connacht know win in Cardiff could ease potential return to Welsh capital for deciderA top-two seeding would leave Pete Wilkins’s side with a potential home run all the way to the Challenge Cup finalFri Jan 17 2025 - 06:00
Ulster can edge battle of winless sides and prolong European season in Challenge CupRichie Murphy’s selection points to a first win of the European season against their English opponents on Friday nightFri Jan 17 2025 - 06:00
Robbie Henshaw enthusiastic about Jordie Barrett’s quick impact with LeinsterThe world-class All Blacks centre’s arrival adds significantly to the province’s attacking options as they target elusive European successThu Jan 16 2025 - 06:00
Gerry Thornley: Natural squad regeneration on show in Simon Easterby’s Six Nations selection Some of the 11 players who were not in the squad at this point last year have been blooded in the intervening periodWed Jan 15 2025 - 17:42
Jacques Nienaber’s redesigned Leinster defence key to victory over La Rochelle, says James RyanProvince’s defence held firm against French side that snatched victory with a last-minute try in the 2022 Champions Cup finalTue Jan 14 2025 - 06:00
Ireland’s historic Six Nations title bid bolstered by return of key playersThose named in Ireland squad on Wednesday will be able to focus on next weekend’s important Champions Cup clashesTue Jan 14 2025 - 06:00
Ronan O’Gara says Leinster’s Sam Prendergast has ‘a huge future’O’Gara says La Rochelle’s performance against Leinster had been their best of the season so farTue Jan 14 2025 - 06:00
Tickets sell out for Connacht’s URC clash against Munster in CastlebarThe fixture on March 29th will be played at MacHale ParkMon Jan 13 2025 - 21:09
Seamus Toomey appointed as IRFU performance pathway scrum coachLimerick coach to work alongside national scrum coach John FogartyMon Jan 13 2025 - 20:26
Lansdowne end leaders’ St Mary’s five-match unbeaten runCharlie Tector kicked 16 points with a six-from-six haul to augment tries by Cillian Redmond and Greg McGrathSun Jan 12 2025 - 20:45
Caelan Doris hails ugly Leinster victory that could prove vital in the long runNo doubt Leinster’s players are relishing heightened defensive work ethic under influence of Jacques NienaberSun Jan 12 2025 - 20:44
‘We’ll see in May’ - Ronan O’Gara strikes defiant note after Leinster’s successful La Rochelle raid ‘I hope we get another crack later in the season because our boys can do better and will do better’Sun Jan 12 2025 - 20:10
Leinster’s defence comes up trumps as they see off La Rochelle in another thrillerSkipper Caelan Doris makes 28 tackles and Josh van der Flier 21 as Leinster secure win over Ronan O’Gara’s sideSun Jan 12 2025 - 18:04
