Injuries enforce delay in final cutIreland squad v New Zealand: Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan has pruned his squad to 24 for the first of the autumn internationals…Thu Nov 03 2005 - 00:00
Flair taking back seat as fear drives coachesOn Rugby: Maybe teams are only getting into their stride, maybe it's the safety-first attitude of coaches and players fearful…Tue Nov 01 2005 - 00:00
Not just a shoulder ripping yarnA man came up to Brian O'Driscoll in the street during the week: "I'm a Gaelic football man myself but jaysus, I love the hard…Sat Oct 29 2005 - 01:00
Leinster left with no room for errorEuropean Cup Pool Five Preview/Glasgow v Leinster: A point of no return for Leinster? The history of the Heineken Cup shows …Sat Oct 29 2005 - 01:00
Aim is to spread the gospelJapan's bid for 2011 World Cup: It is a measure of the importance which Japan attaches to its bid for the 2011 World Cup and…Tue Oct 25 2005 - 01:00
Double hit makes next weekend a cliffhangerOn Rugby: It's not the first time Leinster and Munster have lost on the same weekendTue Oct 25 2005 - 01:00
Leinster pace can create the openingsHeineken Cup / Pool Five Preview / Leinster v Bath: Maybe it was the damp, dreary weather but the pessimists of doom seem to…Sat Oct 22 2005 - 01:00
All Blacks to honour Ramelton legendAlways conscious of their rich rugby heritage, the All Blacks will visit Ramelton, Co Donegal on November 9th, three days before…Fri Oct 21 2005 - 01:00
Munster are still best of the IrishRUGBY/European Cup: It's the essence of European rugby and it's back, and not a moment too soonFri Oct 21 2005 - 01:00
Sharks look to have some real teethHeineken Cup / Pool One Preview / Sale v Munster: A handy one for Munster to start with thenFri Oct 21 2005 - 01:00
Thomond cause for concern for IRFUWhile the stunning Lansdowne Road design was unveiled yesterday, as pressing a concern for the IRFU remains the development of…Tue Oct 18 2005 - 01:00
Connacht need occasional rub of the greenOn Rugby: It's bad enough that Connacht must, at times, feel that the rest of Ireland is against them, worse still when it appears…Tue Oct 18 2005 - 01:00
Many hurdles still have to be crossedTimetable: The Government has set a timetable of 10 weeks from now for lodging a planning application for the redevelopment …Tue Oct 18 2005 - 01:00
Ulster seek to maintain their momentumUlster seek to maintain their momentum going into Europe with a potentially far trickier trip than would have been the case last…Sat Oct 15 2005 - 01:00
Young man's game on a shifting stageThe landscape of the AIB AIL League and the demographics of the game have changed completely in the competition's 15-year history…Sat Oct 15 2005 - 01:00
'Lack of respect' has Contepomi seethingAlthough it was a small moment in the match, and had no bearing on the outcome, there has been a slightly bitter fall-out to …Tue Oct 11 2005 - 01:00
Support your club, despite the set-up of the leagueRemember the days when the club season consisted of about three or four meaningful matches? They'd play in so-called "leagues…Tue Oct 11 2005 - 01:00
Logo logistics enrage clubsAll-Ireland League clubs are up in arms over a last-minute directive from the IRFU to apply the AIB logo to their jerseys prior…Sat Oct 08 2005 - 01:00
Munster's lineout gives them the edgeMunster v Leinster Tomorrow, Musgrave Pk On TV: Setanta, 3pm: Appetites whetted by their wins over the other provinces last …Sat Oct 08 2005 - 01:00
Injury sidelines StringerAlready resigned to losing inspirational secondrow Paul O'Connell for their opening Heineken European Cup games away to Sale …Thu Oct 06 2005 - 01:00
Cunningham gets the callThe fit-again Bryn Cunningham unsurprisingly makes an automatic return to the Ulster number 15 jersey for Friday's Celtic League…Wed Oct 05 2005 - 01:00
French flair makes skills camp a tour de forceOn Rugby: Skills, skills, skillsTue Oct 04 2005 - 01:00
Munster passed up chance to sign LomuMunster, it has emerged, may have been favourites at one stage of Jonah Lomu's long-running transfer saga to a European club …Tue Oct 04 2005 - 01:00
Connolly and Pitout named in Munster squadEuropean Cup : Former Britain rugby league star Gary Connolly and Springboks sevens international Anthon Pitout have been included…Sat Oct 01 2005 - 01:00
Season about to warm upRUGBY / Celtic League / Leinster v Ulster : The "interpros" may be no more but the internecine rivalry of provincial head-to…Sat Oct 01 2005 - 01:00
History doesn't bode well for ConnachtCeltic League / Connacht v Munster : Gary Connolly, the 34-year-old former Britain rugby league star, is pitched straight into…Sat Oct 01 2005 - 01:00
Schools and club issue set to be resolvedNews round-up : The long-running saga over the vexed issue of schools' players being prevented from playing for their clubs …Fri Sept 30 2005 - 01:00
Club game needs more left-field thinkingOn Rugby: What to do with the club game has been exercising the minds of quite a few club stalwarts and the IRFU hierarchy in…Tue Sept 27 2005 - 01:00
IRFU strategy alienates playersPlayer contracts: Brian O'Driscoll's flirtation with Biarritz Olympique a mere eight months before his current IRFU contract…Sat Sept 24 2005 - 01:00
Time for the real Munster to stand upCeltic League: A scratchy, tryless victory over last season's bottom team, followed by a four-try dissection of last season'…Fri Sept 23 2005 - 01:00
Court move highlights schools' block follyOn Rugby: The vexed issue of whether schoolboys should have the right to play for whatever club they want, without the permission…Tue Sept 20 2005 - 01:00
Munster on the up and upGlasgow v Munster Hughenden, 7.30 A week can be a long time in rugbySat Sept 17 2005 - 01:00
Leinster to deliver win in familiar settingLeinster v Gwent Dragons : Obliged to move to Lansdowne Road for Heineken Cup matches (and henceforth bound for the RDS) as …Fri Sept 16 2005 - 01:00
Good start vital for UlsterUlster v Edinburgh : Seven years and two days since the first meeting between Ulster and Edinburgh, a 38-all draw which kickstarted…Fri Sept 16 2005 - 01:00
Leinster prime their big gunsThe lessons of last season having been fully absorbed, Leinster - like Munster - are easing their Lions back to the frontline…Thu Sept 15 2005 - 01:00
Schools' veto over players defies logicOn Rugby: The long-standing, on-off tug of war between the schools lobby and some clubs, mostly "community based", appears to…Tue Sept 13 2005 - 01:00
Leinster have the right platform as they return to DonnybrookLeinster return to the home comforts of Donnybrook - unplayable toward the end of last season - for the first time in almost …Thu Sept 08 2005 - 01:00
Clubs renew campaign to free up schoolboysThe Leinster Branch executive committee have come under further pressure to rescind their ruling which grants the province's …Wed Sept 07 2005 - 01:00
Welsh power surge may be drained by overloadCeltic League/Overview: It's back, and definitely for the betterFri Sept 02 2005 - 01:00
Wallace set to wing it for MunsterCeltic League: David Wallace begins the new season where he finished off the last one - in an eye-catchingly unfamiliar right…Fri Sept 02 2005 - 01:00
Grandiose scheme that failed to deliverRugby/Lions Tour review: The 2005 British and Irish Lions will be remembered for many things - great trip, pity about the rugby…Sat Jul 16 2005 - 01:00
Hosts make their bid to stage World CupThe presence of the British and Irish media corps, though it is shrinking slightly in numbers given the Lions are a dead duck…Sat Jul 09 2005 - 01:00
Old pals' act was biggest errorLions Tour: The Gilbert ball used in this Lions series is an expensive itemTue Jul 05 2005 - 01:00
Heads still spinning in aftermathBehind The Lines: Prince William arrived yesterday, which should be a timely fillip for the British and Irish LionsSat Jul 02 2005 - 01:00
Umaga breaks silence but no apologyThe ruck that created such a rumpus is no nearer to a resolution, despite Eddie O'Sullivan confirming yesterday that Tana Umaga…Fri Jul 01 2005 - 01:00
Wounded but not walking awayLions Tour/Brian O'Driscoll interview: Brian O'Driscoll isn't for budging on his views about the double spear tackle that ended…Wed Jun 29 2005 - 01:00
Coaches go all touchy-feelyBehind The Lions : On the eve of the biggest encounter the game has seen since the World Cup final, in one sense you had to …Sat Jun 25 2005 - 01:00
