Tourists now know their skills and fitness are up to the jobREACTION: IF NOTHING else, the last 30 minutes gives hope where none would have existed.Mon Jun 22 2009 - 01:00
The Bull happy to be back with the LionsTHE LATER the call-up for a Lion, the likelier they are to be surfing in Australia or holidaying in some exotic corner far removed…Fri Jun 19 2009 - 01:00
Backrow looks the tightest callRUGBY LIONS TOUR : YESTERDAY WAS a day of leisure for the Lions squad in their beachfront hotel on the outskirts of DurbanThu Jun 18 2009 - 01:00
Leinster get a breakLEINSTER HAVE, insofar as one can tell this far in advance, been given every incentive to go where only Leicester have gone before…Wed Jun 10 2009 - 01:00
Irish sides avoid the death poolRUGBY HEINEKEN CUP DRAW: SCANNING ACROSS the pools, and although Ulster might be disagree, it could certainly have been a good…Wed Jun 10 2009 - 01:00
O'Driscoll the Lion they can't do withoutON RUGBY: The pride of the four home unions are now probably more reliant on the Ireland captain than any other player, writes…Tue Jun 09 2009 - 01:00
D'Arcy not about to fluff his Lions opportunity this timeGORDON D’ARCY completed one of the truly great comebacks of modern-day rugby when linking up with the Lions in South Africa yesterday…Fri Jun 05 2009 - 01:00
Lions have mountain to climbFacing the world champions on their own turf with only six weeks preparation will be some task.Wed May 27 2009 - 01:00
One cool kidDuring the last Lions tour to South Africa, Jamie Heaslip was in Irish collegeWed May 27 2009 - 01:00
Tug-of-war continues for Elsom's servicesRUGBY NEWS ROUND-UP: ROCKY ELSOM’S immediate plans remain in the balance, but a decision regarding where he will play next season…Tue May 26 2009 - 01:00
Flannery is ruled out of Lions tourRUGBY: THE CURSE which has afflicted Munster since the announcement of the Lions squad continues apace, with Jerry Flannery …Thu May 21 2009 - 01:00
Williams decides to resign as Ulster coachMATT WILLIAMS is resigning as Ulster’s head coach for family reasons after 16 months in the job, despite having another year …Thu May 21 2009 - 01:00
Flannery out of Lions tourThe curse which has afflicted Munster since the announcement of the Lions squad continues apace, with Jerry Flannery the latest…Thu May 21 2009 - 01:00
Cheika is all calm before the stormRUGBY: IF LEINSTER are to be taken at their word, Michael Cheika’s players will be doing yoga this week, undergoing some relaxation…Wed May 20 2009 - 01:00
Leinster in the right mood as the countdown beginsA repeat of their performance against Munster in the Heineken Cup semi-final at Croke Park can see Leinster reach their Holy …Tue May 19 2009 - 01:00
Skipper Murphy still a key man for the TigersNEVER MIND Limerick, south Dublin or any of the other traditional hotbeds of Irish rugby, let’s hear it for KildareTue May 12 2009 - 01:00
Cheika keen to keep his troops ticking overRUGBY MAGNERS LEAGUE: NO REST for the wicked, or in this instance the semi-final winnersThu May 07 2009 - 01:00
O'Driscoll honoured by peersNOT BEFORE time, and not surprisingly, Brian O’Driscoll was last night voted the Bord Gáis Energy IRUPA Players’ Player of the…Thu May 07 2009 - 01:00
Leinster face final without ContepomiFELIPE CONTEPOMI is resigned to being sidelined for six months after the 31-year-old tore a cruciate ligament in his left knee…Mon May 04 2009 - 01:00
Leinster bring all the emotion, the intelligence and the rugbyHeineken Cup Munster v Leinster: Leinster 25 Munster 6 FOR ALL the talk of selections, tactics and other cerebral factors, rugby…Mon May 04 2009 - 01:00
Leinster face final without ContepomiFELIPE CONTEPOMI is resigned to being sidelined for six months after the 31-year-old tore a cruciate ligament in his left knee…Mon May 04 2009 - 01:00
Nacewa to get nod ahead of DempseyIN A slightly surprising and bold move, the Leinster coach Michael Cheika is set to name Isa Nacewa at full-back, thereby restoring…Fri May 01 2009 - 01:00
Sheahan set for move to BriveFRANKIE SHEAHAN looks set to follow the route to the French Top-14 of fellow Munster front-rower Timmy Ryan by joining BriveFri May 01 2009 - 01:00
Duo up front on set-piece debateHEINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINAL MUNSTER v LEINSTER: ONE OF the few crumbs of comfort Leinster took from their 22-3 beating in Thomond…Thu Apr 30 2009 - 01:00
McGahan reports a clean bill of healthTONY McGAHAN yesterday went through the ritual of naming a 25-man squad for Saturday’s eagerly awaited all-Ireland Heineken Cup…Wed Apr 29 2009 - 01:00
Kearney the latest casualtyRUGBY/HEINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINAL MUNSTER v LEINSTER: AND THEN there were 10Tue Apr 28 2009 - 01:00
Little to choose between them in repeat of last yearALL-IRELAND LEAGUE DIVISION ONE SEMI-FINALS : CONSTITUTION v CLONTARF Temple Hill (kick-off 2pm): THE HOLDERS, Cork Constitution…Sat Apr 25 2009 - 01:00
Ruthless Munster machine closing in on the titleMAGNERS LEAGUE: BACK TO mundane domestic fare then? HardlyFri Apr 24 2009 - 01:00
Home pride at taking Lion's shareSIMPLY AN astonishing day in the history of Irish rugby in what continues to be a dream seasonWed Apr 22 2009 - 01:00
Players still making hayTHE GRAND Slam seems almost to have been forgotten; a remarkable tribute to their collective levels of desire and professionalism…Mon Apr 13 2009 - 01:00
Play-offs go down to the wireALL-IRELAND LEAGUE: FAR FROM clarifying the picture, the penultimate round of matches in the AIB All-Ireland League merely muddied…Mon Apr 13 2009 - 01:00
Munster will find the right intensityMUNSTER V OSPREYS: MUNSTER COULD hardly be better setSat Apr 11 2009 - 01:00
Munster reconfirm their superiorityMunster 22 Leinster 5 : ON THE face of it, this looks like another fairly emphatic and even routine Munster win over Leinster…Mon Apr 06 2009 - 01:00
Munster have pack power and backline classMAGNERS LEAGUE: Munster v Leinster: IT WOULDN’T take much to make the Munster-Leinster match-ups the leading derby in Irish …Sat Apr 04 2009 - 01:00
Munster agree deal over WarwickFEARS OF a protracted legal wrangle over Paul Warwick have been dispelled in light of Munster reaching an amicable settlement…Thu Apr 02 2009 - 01:00
Millennium memories to last a lifetimeRugby Ireland's Grand Slam: ONE DAY LIKE THIS: THE GRAND Slam, the Six Nations, the Triple Crown, the Heineken Cup and the Magners…Sat Mar 28 2009 - 00:00
Elsom to stayRUGBY TRANSFER NEWS: FOLLOWING THE news of Felipe Contepomi’s departure at the end of the season and that Leinster are again…Fri Mar 27 2009 - 00:00
Deliverance as squad of 2009 claim their place in historyA NATION expected in these parlous times, and a team delivered.Mon Mar 23 2009 - 00:00
Kidney just too cool for GatlandKEITH WOOD has ventured that Declan Kidney gives the impression that there’s an under-14 game on todaySat Mar 21 2009 - 00:00
Gatland's grenade not meant to explodeRUGBY SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: DECLAN KIDNEY could never have been a boxing promoterThu Mar 19 2009 - 00:00
O'Driscoll insists 'nothing changes'ST PATRICK’S DAY and Christmas Eve are, apparently, the two busiest days of the year for the Killiney Castle HotelWed Mar 18 2009 - 00:00
Not counting chickens, but trophies an issueTHE PROTOCOL for next Saturday’s trophy presentations has yet to be finalised, with tournament organisers obliged to factor in…Tue Mar 17 2009 - 00:00
Ruthless display should see off ScotsOPTIMISM IS high in the ranks of Irish supporters who have been gradually filling Princes Street – currently one long roadwork…Sat Mar 14 2009 - 00:00
Midfield maestros muscle their way through the breachTHE D’ARCY-O’DRISCOLL PARTNERSHIP: LEINSTER WERE in a bind, and so, by extension, were IrelandSat Mar 14 2009 - 00:00
Leinster lose battle to keep ContepomiRUGBY NEWS: AS FEARED, and despite reports that they made him an attractive offer, Leinster yesterday lost their battle to …Fri Mar 13 2009 - 00:00
O'Kelly cleared of stamping allegationMALCOLM O’KELLY has been cleared of an alleged stamping by an IRFU disciplinary hearing which met in Ravenhill yesterdayWed Mar 11 2009 - 00:00
Four changes represent fresh thinkingSIX NATIONS SCOTLAND v IRELAND: IT’S ALL very well and good talking about a squad system; it’s another thing actually adhering…Wed Mar 11 2009 - 00:00