Relaxed Ulster in a good placeRUGBY : SAVE FOR the media presence – a twofold increase on the semi-final, threefold on the quarter-final and about a fourfold…Wed May 16 2012 - 01:00
Kearney, Sexton, Ferris up for ERC awardTHREE IRISH players are amongst the five-man shortlist from which this season’s ERC European Player of the Year will be chosen…Tue May 15 2012 - 01:00
In truth, it's a love affair like no other nation'sON RUGBY: Not even Tom Kiernan could have envisaged a day such as next Saturday when a first all-Irish Heineken Cup final will…Tue May 15 2012 - 01:00
O'Driscoll the biggest concern for LondonRUGBY NEWS: LEINSTER FACE an anxious few days as they assess their quintet of walking wounded in the build-up to Saturday’s …Mon May 14 2012 - 01:00
Leinster injuries cast cloud over victoryRUGBY RABO DIRECT PRO 12 LEAGUE SEMI-FINAL: Leinster 19 Glasgow Warriors15: FOR THE second season running Leinster have earned…Mon May 14 2012 - 01:00
'I hope Ulster weren't watching'LEINSTER HAVE been here before, and the experience of last year, when back-to-back finals followed after a home semi-final victory…Mon May 14 2012 - 01:00
Leinster likely to prove strong enoughRABO-DIRECT PRO12 SEMI-FINAL Leinster v Glasgow: THIS MATTERS, and no mistakeSat May 12 2012 - 01:00
Smal fit for duty on tour to New ZealandIRELAND TOUR: GERT SMAL will travel to New Zealand as part of the Irish management ticket for the three-Test tour next month…Sat May 12 2012 - 01:00
Munster likely to miss rallying pointTHERE REMAINS the distinct possibility of a second all-Irish final in a couple of weeks’ time, but this evening’s first Pro 12…Fri May 11 2012 - 01:00
Schmidt committed to staying at LeinsterTHE NEWS that the troubled Auckland Blues will advertise for a new head coach next season has invariably led to speculation linking…Fri May 11 2012 - 01:00
Revitalised Kearney receives top award from fellow playersSIDELINED FOR much of last season by a serious knee injury, further evidence of Rob Kearney’s stunning revival in fitness and…Thu May 10 2012 - 01:00
McLaughlin enjoying good timesTHESE ARE good times for Kevin McLaughlin – indeed perhaps the best of timesTue May 08 2012 - 01:00
Unlucky Fitzgerald to miss Heineken finalRUGBY NEWS: LUKE FITZGERALD’S representatives are reputedly close to reaching a deal with the IRFU regarding a new contract …Sat May 05 2012 - 01:00
Leinster on threshold of being greatest Cup teamGUARANTEED A fifth Heineken Cup in seven years and sixth overall, in three weeks’ time Ireland will draw level with the English…Tue May 01 2012 - 01:00
Boss relishing final against old comradesHAVING LOST just once in their last 26 matches this season, and only three times in their last 29 Heineken Cup matches, Leinster…Tue May 01 2012 - 01:00
Stage set for enticing all-Irish final in EnglandIN ONE FIELD at least, Ireland has the measure of EuropeMon Apr 30 2012 - 01:00
All the hard work coming back from injuries pays off for O'DriscollONE GAME away from retaining their crown as the best team in Europe, and winning a third Heineken Cup in four years, Leinster…Mon Apr 30 2012 - 01:00
Operation Twickenham is green for goRUGBY: MOVE OVER Europe. Truly, this is Ireland’s time in the Heineken CupMon Apr 30 2012 - 01:00
Leinster's thin blue line proves impossible for Clermont to crossClermont 15 Leinster 19: HIGH OCTANE, high tempo, high drama and by the end Clermont’s fans were in a state of high dudgeon. …Mon Apr 30 2012 - 01:00
Leinster have the qualities to do right thingRUGBY: ASK YOURSELF this, in 2012 have you looked forward to a game more than this? The best team in Europe, and the prospective…Sat Apr 28 2012 - 01:00
Nacewa to stay a further yearLEINSTER ARE set to receive a well-timed boost on the eve of their Heineken Cup semi-final against Clermont in Bordeaux this …Thu Apr 26 2012 - 01:00
Wallace and Wannenburg expected to be available for UlsterBOTH OF Ireland’s contenders in next weekend’s Heineken Cup semi-finals are nearing full strength, with Ulster yesterday making…Tue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00
Sexton knows it's time to get switched onCOMPARED TO their semi-final in Toulouse two seasons ago, when they were also the reigning champions, Leinster travel to France…Tue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00
Home rules too much in Heineken semi-finalsON RUGBY: ONCE AGAIN the Heineken Cup rides to the rescueTue Apr 24 2012 - 01:00
Another comeback win sees Mary's take titleRUGBY ULSTER BANK LEAGUE DIVISION ONE A: St Mary's 23 Young Munster 19 OPPONENTS OF the play-offs – scrapped this season by …Mon Apr 23 2012 - 01:00
Leinster get tough work-outRUGBY Ulster 8 Leinster 16: IN MANY respects, this would have been just what Joe Schmidt wantedSat Apr 21 2012 - 01:00
Clean bill of health the best result for SchmidtRABODIRECT PRO12 LEAGUE : ALTHOUGH HE will have the more fretful few days in the immediate aftermath of this latest inter-provincial…Sat Apr 21 2012 - 01:00
Three on player of the year shortlistNEWS: THERE WILL be a first-time winner of the IRUPA Players’ Player of the Year in this, the 10th year of the awards, after…Fri Apr 20 2012 - 01:00
Umaga next up but Foley remains favourite for Munster jobRUGBY: ROB PENNEY having been interviewed yesterday, the 74-times capped former All Blacks’ captain Tana Umaga will arrive in…Wed Apr 18 2012 - 01:00
Maybe Pro 12 should offer merit-based Heineken placesON RUGBY: AS A return to the meat and two veg of the regional/provincial game, last weekend’s RaboDirect Pro 12 was fairly tasty…Tue Apr 17 2012 - 01:00
Clinical St Mary's prove their worth when it matters mostClontarf 12 St Mary’s College 18 HAVING STUPIDLY done away with the play-offs, the IRFU and the club game were fortunate that…Mon Apr 16 2012 - 01:00
Ulster's Thomond raid no surprise - in hindsightON RUGBY: The signs were there in the way they put it up to Northampton away in last season’s quarter-final and earned a bonus…Tue Apr 10 2012 - 01:00
Ulster storm Thomond fortressHEINEKEN CUP QUARTER-FINAL Munster 16 Ulster 22: ULSTER’S BEST day since they won the Cup in 1999, and assuredly their best …Mon Apr 09 2012 - 01:00
Ulster come of age on seismic day at ThomondRUGBY: HEINEKEN CUP AN ALL-IRISH Heineken Cup final on May 19th at Twickenham remains a distinct possibility, though perhaps…Mon Apr 09 2012 - 01:00
O'Gara and Munster have what it takesEVEN BY by the rich standards of the Heineken Cup, and in arguably the venue which has seen more extraordinary feats than any…Sat Apr 07 2012 - 01:00
Bowe ruled out for four monthsTOMMY BOWE has effectively been ruled out of Ireland’s three-Test tour to New Zealand in June, and has played his last game for…Sat Apr 07 2012 - 01:00
Clermont for once may not fadeSHOULD LEINSTER be in the semi-finals come tomorrow afternoon, then this will be of acute interest to themSat Apr 07 2012 - 01:00
Ulster will be wary of the Thomond factorHEINEKEN CUP: MUNSTER’S HOME QUARTER-FINALS: THE WORDS Munster, Thomond Park and Heineken Cup are virtually synonymous with …Fri Apr 06 2012 - 01:00
Indications are Ferris will playSTEPHEN FERRIS was yesterday named in Ulster’s 30-man squad for Sunday’s seismic Heineken Cup quarter-final clash with Munster…Thu Apr 05 2012 - 01:00
Roberts a far bigger loss than HensonTHE LOSS of Jamie Roberts is far more relevant, and the latest Gavin Henson sideshow is a distraction which the troubled Cardiff…Wed Apr 04 2012 - 01:00
Player flight could slam door on Welsh regionsON RUGBY: The success of Wales at the World Cup and in winning the Grand Slam masks a provincial system that looks to be falling…Tue Apr 03 2012 - 01:00
Leinster's strength and depth is tellingMunster 9 Leinster 18: MUNSTER WHIPPED up a storm or two, but Leinster weathered them impressively to lay down quite a significant…Mon Apr 02 2012 - 01:00
Leinster show rude health as Munster scramble for positivesRUGBY: THINGS ARE perhaps never quite as they seem, but in the immediate aftermath of Leinster’s relatively emphatic storming…Mon Apr 02 2012 - 01:00
. . . believes there's no quick fix for Irish scrumTHE SCRUM. More to the point, the Ireland scrum, and the litany of overseas signings which have, goes the theory, stunted the…Sat Mar 31 2012 - 01:00
More important days ahead, but that won't matter come kick-off between these twoTHEY’D BOTH swap a defeat today for a win next weekSat Mar 31 2012 - 01:00
Horgan forced to retire after stellar careerTHE NEWS of Shane Horgan’s retirement through injury, a week after Jerry Flannery made the same announcement, hardly comes as…Thu Mar 29 2012 - 01:00
McGahan can't wait for Thomond match-upRUGBY: ALTHOUGH A full-on Munster-Leinster match-up inevitably carries the risk of further injuries, as a means of fast-tracking…Wed Mar 28 2012 - 01:00
