Leading again from the centreGerry Thornley finds Ireland's number 13 quite willing to take or leave the captain's roleThu Aug 28 2003 - 01:00
Players go on trial as Ireland make 13 changesRUGBY: With 12 days to go until the cut-off point for Ireland's 30-man World Cup squad, rarely has an Irish team taken the field…Wed Aug 27 2003 - 01:00
Connacht's terminators have not gone awayOn Rugby: At an annual club dinner toward the end of last season, a leading IRFU official played down the apparent resistance…Tue Aug 26 2003 - 01:00
Team-mates row in behind SheahanDavid Wallace and Ronan O'Gara have supplemented the groundswell of support building up behind Frankie Sheahan by issuing strongly…Tue Aug 26 2003 - 01:00
Next lot in get their chance to boost Irish caseNews round-up Opportunity will beckon for a raft of World Cup wannabees when Ireland host Italy at Thomond Park on Saturday …Wed Aug 20 2003 - 01:00
Ireland looking to get basics rightIreland v Wales preview: Mid-August, a heatwave and Ireland playing rugbySat Aug 16 2003 - 01:00
Burke's withdrawal leaves outhalf cover looking bareRUGBY: Paul Burke's withdrawal from the Ireland squad for Saturday's World Cup warm-up game against Wales with a hamstring injury…Tue Aug 12 2003 - 01:00
Appeal date set for SheahanRugby: The date for Frankie Sheahan's appeal against his two-year suspension has been set for Monday, September 1st, in Dublin…Fri Aug 08 2003 - 01:00
Imminent cull gives edge to squad sessionsRugby: Three warm-up Tests and 31 days from now, the cull will be completeThu Aug 07 2003 - 01:00
Different goals for different teamsSOCCER: The scoreline had long since become an irrelevanceWed Jun 25 2003 - 01:00
Bradley's men need bonus of victoryRugby Under-21 World Cup: Such is the narrow margin for error in the Under-21 World Cup that in their second match of the competition…Tue Jun 17 2003 - 01:00
All change at ConnachtNews round-up: The extent of the turnover in personnel at Connacht in the close-season was made apparent yesterday with the …Wed Jun 11 2003 - 01:00
Munster and Gloucester renew rivalryEuropean Cup Draw: The draw for next season's Heineken European Cup provided a strong whiff of déjà vu yesterday which, for…Wed Jun 04 2003 - 01:00
Murphy centre stageIn what would be a radical move, Geordan Murphy is apparently being considered as an alternative for Brian O'Driscoll at outside…Sat May 31 2003 - 01:00
Gatland and Wasps close to summitWarren Gatland stands within one game of perhaps the biggest achievement of his coaching career when Wasps take on Gloucester…Sat May 31 2003 - 01:00
Smyth has hooked up with RotherhamRugby: Peter Smyth, the 25-year-old Leinster hooker, has become the latest to join the exodus of provincial players after agreeing…Sat May 31 2003 - 01:00
Mix-up regrettable - ERC chiefThe ERC chief executive, Derek McGrath, has voiced his regret over the ticketing policy at the gates of Lansdowne Road for last…Fri May 30 2003 - 01:00
Collins survives coupDorothy Collins was re-elected as honorary secretary of the Leinster Branch at their a.g.mFri May 30 2003 - 01:00
Leinster face another riftIn an already discordant month for Leinster rugby, the branch a.g.mWed May 28 2003 - 01:00
Bruiser uses diplomacy on day of vindicationIt was a triumphant day for the ERC, for Toulouse, for Guy Noves and, of course, for Trevor BrennanMon May 26 2003 - 01:00
ERC welcome renewal of sponsorship dealOn the eve of its eighth final, the European Cup received a major boost yesterday when tournament organisers announced Heineken…Sat May 24 2003 - 01:00
Toulouse have cutting edgeEuropean Cup final: Okay, so it has a more Gallic than Gaelic flavour but, heaven's above, a European Cup final is about to …Sat May 24 2003 - 01:00
Toulouse have cutting edgeOkay, so it has a more Gallic than Gaelic flavour but, heaven's above, a European Cup final is about to take place on our doorstep…Sat May 24 2003 - 01:00
Spooner is left with few optionsRUGBY: Proof, if it were needed, that in the professional rugby game the players are ultimately pieces of meat has been vividly…Fri May 23 2003 - 01:00
Latham turns down Munster moveRugby News: A slightly embittered war of words has broken out between Munster coach Alan Gaffney and Chris Latham after the …Wed May 21 2003 - 01:00
O'Driscoll's absence leaves void at the backInternational news: As expected Brian O'Driscoll has been excused duty from the forthcoming tour of Australia, Tonga and Samoa…Wed May 21 2003 - 01:00
Playing waiting game European CupPolitics and sport made happy bedfellows in the Mansion House yesterday as ERC officials, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, representatives…Wed May 21 2003 - 01:00
Clontarf can be an inspiration to othersOn Rugby: Much like junk food and junk movies, play-offs are seemingly a necessary evil in modern-day sport, writes Gerry Thornley…Tue May 13 2003 - 01:00
Player cleared over drug useAn unnamed All-Ireland League Division One player has been cleared by the IRFU of any wrongdoing despite taking a substance which…Fri May 09 2003 - 01:00
Players must survive new trialsA rebirth of the once obligatory but gradually derided Final Trial was hardly what the players of Munster and Leinster especially…Fri May 09 2003 - 01:00
IRFU line up trial matchReinvoking memories of the defunct Final Trial, a Whites selection will meet a Colours selection in what has been termed a "pre…Tue May 06 2003 - 01:00
Ballymena have the real edgeLansdowne v Ballymena Lansdowne are the form team of the four semi-finalists, having won nine on the spin and helped themselves…Sat May 03 2003 - 01:00
Clontarf can take controlClontarf v Buccaneers Being at home, whereas their debut in last season's semi-finals was away to eventual winners Shannon, …Sat May 03 2003 - 01:00
ERC insist final is at LansdowneDespite a growing French campaign to have the Heineken European Cup final between Toulouse and Perpignan re-routed from Dublin…Wed Apr 30 2003 - 01:00
Perpignan's bite is deepLeinster 14 Perpignan - 21: European Cup Semi-Finals: Rugby, said Matt Williams wryly yesterday, has a funny habit of rearing…Mon Apr 28 2003 - 01:00
Spirit of adventure provides the spark to take on ToulouseInterview with Anthony Foley: No opponents mark out Munster's territorial advances in Europe quite like the games against Toulouse…Thu Apr 24 2003 - 01:00
Try feast as fates are sealedWith the sun on their backs, hard grounds underfoot, and the customary end-of-season pursuit of bonus points, 156 tries decorated…Mon Apr 21 2003 - 01:00
It's all in the bounce of the ballAs Marc Stcherbina led the chase to the last-play kick downfield by Ovidiu Tonita, lives seemed to flash before our eyesMon Apr 14 2003 - 01:00
Motivation will certainly not be a problemAnother England-Ireland showdown, another Leicester-Munster showdown. Not that you'd grow weary of them.Sat Apr 12 2003 - 01:00
All hail England, but Ireland are comingOn Rugby : So England rule the Six Nations roost and good luck to themTue Apr 01 2003 - 01:00
Stage set for Ireland to make final impactON RUGBY: "How can you have a championship decided by the first match rather than at the end?" bemoaned English Rugby Football…Tue Mar 25 2003 - 00:00
Timely run-out for MunsterRugby News: In the absence of an A international between Ireland and Wales this week Munster have managed to cobble together…Wed Mar 19 2003 - 00:00
Fringe trio get chance to impressRugby Six Nations Championship: Wales v Ireland There are, according to some Kiwi rugby folk, three golden rules of New Zealand…Wed Mar 19 2003 - 00:00
Costello in fitness raceRUGBY: Victor Costello's fitness for Ireland's penultimate game in the RBS Six Nations Championship against Wales in Cardiff…Tue Mar 18 2003 - 00:00
Six Nations enhanced by Ireland's effortsON RUGBY: If the truth be told, it hasn't been a vintage Six Nations so far. Too many foregone conclusionsTue Mar 18 2003 - 00:00
Equipped to defeat French foreign legionThere's rain in the air and there's optimism in the air, and one's as disconcerting as the other.Sat Mar 08 2003 - 00:00
Latham may be Munster boundMunster coach Alan Gaffney has confirmed the province's interest in the Australian World Cup winning full back Chris Latham, …Wed Mar 05 2003 - 00:00
French alterations kept to a minimumFor all Bernard Laporte's pre-championship talk of experimentation with the World Cup in mind, when it came to the crunch only…Wed Mar 05 2003 - 00:00
