O'Connell the obvious choiceRUGBY: In a decision that hardly ranks as an earth-shattering surprise, Paul O'Connell was last night named Player of the Year…Thu May 04 2006 - 01:00
Biarritz may lose hooker after citingEuropean Cup news: The Biarritz Olympique hooker Benoit August, who captained the side in their Heineken European Cup semi-final…Tue Apr 25 2006 - 01:00
Proving who are the best? Take it as redOn Rugby: Watching Sunday's events unfold reinforced the feeling that when it came to le crunch, the mother of all all-Irish…Tue Apr 25 2006 - 01:00
Double-teamed Trinity up in armsTrinity College are up in arms with both the IRFU and Shannon after being forced to play their All-Ireland Under-20 Cup final…Fri Apr 21 2006 - 01:00
Hogging the ERC pie just not on, mon ami SergeOn Rugby: Four Irish wins over the weekend, an Irish 1-2-3 atop the Celtic League, Connacht moving within striking distance …Tue Apr 18 2006 - 01:00
Munster wait on walking woundedCeltic League: In contrast to Leinster's apparent rude health, Munster seem almost to be hobbling toward the eagerly anticipated…Wed Apr 12 2006 - 01:00
More at stake than the bragging rightsOn Rugby: On the Saturday before Christmas, Leinster's typically rollercoaster defeat in Bourgoin was being shown on a big screen…Tue Apr 11 2006 - 01:00
Leinster tickets a source of concernThere is a growing fear within the Leinster Branch that one or two of their clubs might cash in on some of their ticket allocation…Sat Apr 08 2006 - 01:00
All-Irish clash set to attract record figuresEuropean Cup Semi-finals: As expected, the mouth-watering Leinster-Munster Heineken European Cup semi-final showdown in three…Tue Apr 04 2006 - 01:00
Compelling clash of cultures and styleOn Rugby: There's never been a match quite like it, and all previous meetings between Leinster and Munster, or any of the Irish…Tue Apr 04 2006 - 01:00
Home side must flex their muscleMunster v Perpignan: The prevailing mood, coupled with the rather surprising bookies' odds, would seem to suggest Munster are…Sat Apr 01 2006 - 01:00
Provinces will struggle to get up to Euro speedOn Rugby: With Munster and Leinster having fed the Irish team a timely energiser on the eve of the Six Nations, the hope must…Tue Mar 28 2006 - 01:00
Captain's strain a well kept secretRUGBY / Six Nations : Much of the inspiration for Ireland's second Triple Crown in three years had looked as if it might be …Wed Mar 22 2006 - 00:00
England at Twickenham are a different matterOn Rugby: Here we go, here we go, here we go, off to jolly Twickers on Cheltenham week and St Patrick's weekend, with our leprechaun…Tue Mar 14 2006 - 00:00
Weekend puts Celtic League in poor lightOn Rugby: Last Friday night Munster, with nine players decreed unavailable by Irish coach Eddie O'Sullivan, lost to Ulster, …Tue Mar 07 2006 - 00:00
Close it may be in the Six Nations, but sexy it ain'tOn Rugby: For interest's sake, it's perhaps no harm that this is perhaps the most open Six Nations since it became a sextet …Tue Feb 28 2006 - 00:00
Leading characters will play no partRUGBY/Six Nations Championship, Ireland v Wales: Ireland's pack leader, Paul O'Connell, having been deemed hors de combat, the…Wed Feb 22 2006 - 00:00
Welsh saga has a touch of Saipan about itGerry Thornley On Rugby: Comparisons have been made with Eddie O'Sullivan's accession to the throne which was, eh, vacated by…Tue Feb 21 2006 - 00:00
Leinster duo get call-up to Irish squadNews : Injuries to Anthony Foley and John Kelly have prevented them from rejoining the expanded 31-man Ireland squad, which …Mon Feb 20 2006 - 00:00
Connacht hope to bring their A game to bearConnacht v Llanelli: Curiously, this fixture has rarely gone the way of the home team, until finally the Scarlets beat Connacht…Sat Feb 18 2006 - 00:00
Depleted Munster should still have the edgeMunster v Glasgow: Munster don't have too many scores to settle this season, but this is definitely oneSat Feb 18 2006 - 00:00
O'Sullivan insists the stats back up tacticsRUGBY/Six Nations Championship: Eddie O'Sullivan will give Paul O'Connell every chance to recover from the A/C shoulder joint…Wed Feb 15 2006 - 00:00
Humphreys to end Test careerRUGBY: David Humphreys, Ireland's most capped outhalf, is set to retire from Test rugby at the end of the Six NationsTue Feb 14 2006 - 00:00
O'Connell a serious doubtPaul O'Connell remains a serious doubt for Ireland's pivotal Six Nations game at home to Wales on Sunday week after a scan on…Tue Feb 14 2006 - 00:00
Ireland have many lessons to learnOn Rugby: So many conflicting messages have emerged from an absorbing first two rounds of the Six Nations that it's hard to …Tue Feb 14 2006 - 00:00
It's a long way from Zaire to hereFrance v Ireland Yannick Nyanga You don't have to spend too long in Yannick Nyanga's company to appreciate why he is such an…Fri Feb 10 2006 - 00:00
Ireland selection greener than usualA International France v Ireland There is an exceptionally developmental look to what must be the most inexperienced Irish A…Wed Feb 08 2006 - 00:00
Ireland do not look like happy campersOn Rugby: What's the difference, Jason White was asked after their stunning win over France, between this Scottish team and…Tue Feb 07 2006 - 00:00
Referee in no doubt Irish tries were goodIreland v Italy : The performance of the English referee Dave Pearson prompted understandable anger from the Italians at Lansdowne…Mon Feb 06 2006 - 00:00
Munster need Leinster favour againRUGBY / European cup : Admittedly a flight of fancy anyway, the notion of Leinster and Munster meeting in an all-Irish final…Wed Jan 25 2006 - 00:00
Fool's Day feast will feature triple-headerEuropean cup : Munster will kick off their quarter-final against Perpignan at Lansdowne Road shortly after the finish of the…Wed Jan 25 2006 - 00:00
Defeat not an option for Irish provincesOn Rugby: Even more than the weekend just past, next weekend's final round of Heineken European pool games promises to be a …Tue Jan 17 2006 - 00:00
Traditional means to serve MunsterEuropean Cup/Castres Olympique v Munster: They tend not to do things straightforwardly, but rarely have Munster been in as tight…Fri Jan 13 2006 - 00:00
Easterby's eye injury not as bad as fearedNews : The unfortunate Simon Easterby, Ireland's captain against New Zealand and Australia in November, has tended to look like…Tue Dec 20 2005 - 00:00
Qualifying hopes take poundingHeineken Cup : For seven seasons in a row Irish rugby has had at least one quarter-finalist, sometimes two, in the Heineken …Mon Dec 19 2005 - 00:00
Ulster ready to take hardline in another dogfightHeineken Cup / Saracens v Ulster : Ulster's trek to Vicarage Road to face a vengeful Saracens highlights the difficulty in obtaining…Sat Dec 17 2005 - 00:00
Munster must be patientRUGBY / Heineken Cup / Munster v Dragons : Even when they win, Munster can't winSat Dec 17 2005 - 00:00
Payne set to return against DragonsEuropean Cup News: As expected Shaun Payne and Federico Pucciariello both return to an expanded 27-man squad for Munster's return…Wed Dec 14 2005 - 00:00
O'Driscoll extends contract with IRFURUGBY: The news that Ireland and Leinster captain Brian O'Driscoll has extended his contract with the IRFU until the end of …Wed Dec 14 2005 - 00:00
Leinster may need to earn the points this timeHeineken Cup / Leinster v Bourgoin : So, will the real Bourgoin turn up today? This, undoubtedly, is the major talking point…Sat Dec 10 2005 - 00:00
Kidney looks at the positivesCeltic League: Did Munster's pride get the better of their judgment? Admittedly, declining the chance of an equalising penalty…Mon Dec 05 2005 - 00:00
Even a weakened Munster are formidableMunster v Ulster, Musgrave Park, Today, 7Sat Dec 03 2005 - 00:00
Frustrated Wallabies show Jones the doorRUGBY : The decision to sack Eddie Jones as Australia's head coach, following a run of one win in nine matches after four-and…Sat Dec 03 2005 - 00:00
North end ready for ItalyThe IRFU will this week receive a full engineer's report into the remedial work needed if the terracing at the Havelock Square…Tue Nov 29 2005 - 00:00
There are alternatives to O'SullivanOn Rugby: Some time this week, as is custom after the Six Nations and the November internationals, the IRFU's Appointments Committee…Tue Nov 29 2005 - 00:00
O'Sullivan must share in the blameOn Rugby: The wheels appear to be coming off Team IrelandTue Nov 22 2005 - 00:00
O'Sullivan foresees brighter times all roundPerhaps it's a portent of better things, or at any rate a better gameSat Nov 19 2005 - 00:00
Free spirit still locked on to the breakdownIreland v Australia: Donncha O'Callaghan is keen to add grace notes to his repertoire but wont ever shun the piano shifting, …Sat Nov 19 2005 - 00:00
Henry happy for test of strengthWindswept and rainswept, all was hardly set fair for the captain's day runs at Lansdowne Road yesterday and, while Eddie O'Sullivan…Sat Nov 12 2005 - 00:00
