A bridge too far but positives outweighed the negativesWearily, Keith Wood leaned against the wall outside the away dressing-room in Eden Park. He spoke in hushed tonesMon Jun 24 2002 - 01:00
Club game suffering in professional eraOne of the major concerns for rugby people in New Zealand is how the club game has suffered in the professional era, with activism…Sat Jun 22 2002 - 01:00
Ireland must try to be more clinicalRUGBY/New Zealand v Ireland : Judgment day, in a wayFri Jun 21 2002 - 01:00
Mehrtens criticises yellow ballAndrew Mehrtens has added weight to the complaints from the Irish camp about the the yellow adidas ball which is being used in…Tue Jun 18 2002 - 01:00
Another one that got awayNo rest for the wicked, and certainly the Irish players had little chance to sleep on or rest their wounds after the first Test…Mon Jun 17 2002 - 01:00
Irish must prove they can handle all the intensityFirst Test against New Zealand in Dunedin tomorrow morning (8.05 a.mFri Jun 14 2002 - 01:00
Brennan signs deal to join ToulouseIn one of the most interesting moves involving an Irish rugby player in the professional era, the Leinster and Irish flanker …Fri May 31 2002 - 01:00
Sometimes you don't get what you deserveEUROPEAN CUP FINAL/Match Quotes: They filed out, in dribs and drabsMon May 27 2002 - 01:00
Injury jinx strikes HorganThe injury jinx which has blighted Anthony Horgan's (photograph) career struck again with the cruellest timing of all yesterday…Fri May 24 2002 - 01:00
Munster upbeat as injured quintet make progressPublicly Munster weren't revealing whether they liked the idea or not, but privately they must be relieved that the Heineken …Thu May 23 2002 - 01:00
Munster injury list stretches to fiveRUGBY/European Cup final countdown : Rob Henderson has joined lengthy casualty list and is apparently another doubtful starter…Wed May 22 2002 - 01:00
O'Connell is biggest doubtPaul O'Connell, Anthony Horgan, Anthony Foley and Jim Williams remain major doubts for next Saturday's Heineken Cup final in …Tue May 21 2002 - 01:00
Crusaders defeat would be a boost for Irish tourIn what is a rare, nay unique, example of the southern and northern hemisphere seasons dovetailing, this Saturday's Heineken …Tue May 21 2002 - 01:00
Ireland to join a tough groupThere are World Cup draws and there are World Cup drawsTue May 21 2002 - 01:00
Meates not a union manON RUGBY: When future IRFU committee members reflect on their treatment of Roly Meates they'll surely do so with a degree of…Tue May 14 2002 - 01:00
Ulster have their own agendaINTERPROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP - Ulster v Muster : The interprovincial title has already been decided, and in the greater scheme…Fri May 10 2002 - 01:00
Anderson joins ambitious LeinsterWillie Anderson was formally confirmed as Leinster's new assistant coach in succession to the Munster-bound Alan Gaffney yesterday…Thu May 09 2002 - 01:00
No room in squad for CaseyThe Irish squad will take its first tentative steps toward a future without Mick Galwey or Peter ClohessyThu May 09 2002 - 01:00
Munster wait on HickeyRUGBY/News: Willie Anderson and Brian Hickey remain the front-runners to become the assistant coaches in Leinster and Munster…Wed May 08 2002 - 01:00
Leinster's sums to add upLeinster can end Munster's three-year reign as Guinness Interprovincial champions in Galway this evening (kick-off 6Wed May 08 2002 - 01:00
Shannon again the standardShannon - 21 Cork Constitution - 17 All-Ireland League Division One and Two finals : Shannon are the standardbearers of the …Mon May 06 2002 - 01:00
CONSTITUTION V SHANNON Lansdowne Road (kick-off 4.00) Live on Network 2.Form is temporary, class is permanent? In the case of Cork Constitution and Shannon both seem fairly constant commoditiesSat May 04 2002 - 01:00
Harlequins not ready to settle downAndre Bester, Belfast Harlequins' talkative and ultra-positive South African coach, is something of a Kevin Keegan figure within…Fri May 03 2002 - 01:00
Book early to beat the rush for CardiffPrivately, pretty much all ERC and Heineken officials bar the French were dreading Castres making the finalMon Apr 29 2002 - 01:00
Clohessy all fired up to go out in a blaze of Munster gloryFar from ending his career prematurely, or even leaving his career hinging on the outcome of this weekend's European Cup semi…Fri Apr 26 2002 - 01:00
Williams to miss clash with CastresRUGBY: A scan on Jim Williams' damaged calf yesterday confirmed that he has suffered a muscle tear which definitely rules the…Tue Apr 23 2002 - 01:00
Munster to fine tune for CastresInterprovincial previews: In this ever-changing crazy world of rugby we live in, not so long ago the once dreary Guinness Interprovincials…Fri Apr 19 2002 - 01:00
Connacht well capable of upsetting UlsterUntil recent times this game had some serious bite: Connacht sometimes pushed Ulster to the wire for what was once a cherished…Fri Apr 19 2002 - 01:00
All black day for New ZealandThe very public and sometimes nasty spat between New Zealand and Australian rugby, with the International Board either caught…Fri Apr 19 2002 - 01:00
Henderson edges out MullinsIn what looks to have been the most difficult choice for coach Declan Kidney, Rob Henderson has been chosen ahead of Mike Mullins…Thu Apr 18 2002 - 01:00
Munster get their man at lastAs expected, Munster yesterday confirmed that Alan Gaffney will succeed Declan Kidney on June 1st as the province's new director…Thu Apr 18 2002 - 01:00
Munster expect Gaffney to come on boardAlan Gaffney looks set to be confirmed as the next Munster coach, in succession to Declan Kidney, during the weekWed Apr 17 2002 - 01:00
Still a glimmer of hope for NZ2003 World Cup: Hopes of a resolution to the rift between Australia and New Zealand have increased marginally in light of the…Wed Apr 17 2002 - 01:00
Gaffney veers in Munster's directionAlan Gaffney, the well-respected and popular assistant coach to Matt Williams at Leinster for the past two seasons, has been …Tue Apr 16 2002 - 01:00
Club of the year in western outpostOn Rugby: The Rugby Writers of Ireland, in our perceived wisdom, select a Club of the Year at the end of each seasonTue Apr 16 2002 - 01:00
Clohessy exits in a shy wayIn a darkened tunnel at the back of the Stade de France the engine was purring gently in the Irish team busMon Apr 08 2002 - 01:00
Captain returns for painful truthSix Nations Championship: In the aftermath of what proved to be Warren Gatland's last match in charge in the defeat to New Zealand…Mon Apr 08 2002 - 01:00
Late scare to Hickie no cause for concernRUGBY/News: Denis Hickie remains confident his latest back spasm will not prevent him from playing against France tomorrowFri Apr 05 2002 - 01:00
Laporte angry over O'Driscoll misquotesBrian O' Driscoll is in the eye of a storm, albeit of the teacup variety, as a result of quotes which were misleadingly attributed…Thu Apr 04 2002 - 01:00
Earl puts students to flightAll Ireland League/Division One; Garryowen 42; UCD 24: The weather was set fair, Michael Noonan and Peter Sutherland led a posse…Mon Apr 01 2002 - 01:00
Munster to warm up with game against LeinsterAs expected, Munster will play host to their Celtic League final conquerors Leinster the week before their European Cup semi-…Tue Mar 26 2002 - 00:00
French have got their act togetherNotions of Ireland winning the championship certainly look a bit fanciful nowTue Mar 26 2002 - 00:00
Italians frustrate Irish patternsIt says something for Ireland's current standards that they can string together three below-par performances and win two of them…Mon Mar 25 2002 - 00:00
Williams in final round of talksNews: Matt Williams will decide on Wednesday whether to stay on as Leinster coach or accept a lucrative offer from Saracens' …Mon Mar 25 2002 - 00:00
Humphreys to lead Ireland as Kelly startsSIX NATIONS: In the wake of the Twickenham hammering the Irish management elected to retain faith in the starting team save …Wed Mar 20 2002 - 00:00
Arranged marriage now very unstableON RUGBY: So the Azzurri arrive this week on a long losing streak and riddled by infighting and intrigue, with both the Italian…Tue Mar 19 2002 - 00:00
Wood in need of startRUGBY/Six Nations Championship: Keith Wood and the rest of the Irish players involved in weekend club games all came through…Tue Mar 19 2002 - 00:00
UCD's success story continuesNot so much a game of two halves at Belfield on Saturday as one of 55 minutes and then 25 minutesMon Mar 18 2002 - 00:00
A blow to lose MaggsRUGBY/NEWS: Mel Deane, the ex-Connacht centre now with Sale, and another forgotten figure, Justin Bishop of London Irish, have…Mon Mar 11 2002 - 00:00
Cregan pilots Shannon homeALL-IRELAND LEAGUE - DIVISION ONE/Garryowen...15 Shannon..Mon Mar 11 2002 - 00:00
