Getting better all the timeFor about the last year or so, the word on the Limerick grapevine was that Garryowen had the best thing since, well, crushed …Thu Dec 31 1998 - 00:00
Stade Francais object to Friday night dateUlster seem set to be granted their preferred option of a Friday night European Cup semi-final at Ravenhill on January 8th, judging…Tue Dec 22 1998 - 00:00
Sour taste remains over the drugs sagaIn a fairly eventful and controversial year, perhaps the biggest hiatus was the drugs saga of last monthTue Dec 22 1998 - 00:00
Shannon play it loose and win tight gameOn days like this you could almost believe in the AIB LeagueMon Dec 21 1998 - 00:00
Provinces not helped in quest for EuropeStrange things are starting to happen in the press box at the end of Ulster's matches - the last six of which have been wonTue Dec 15 1998 - 00:00
Worst way to end a seasonIn the final analysis, this still goes down as one of Munster's best ever seasons - inter-provincial champions and European Cup…Mon Dec 14 1998 - 00:00
Munster win battles but lose the warAs pure unadulterated rugby torture goes this was as painful as it getsMon Dec 14 1998 - 00:00
Prized scalp as Ulster advanceNot since the win over the Wallabies in 1984, uncannily also by 15-13, has there been a Ravenhill day or night which remotely…Sat Dec 12 1998 - 00:00
Ulster on the march"We'll have a semi-final with Munster in Lansdowne Road. Tell the others (the rest of Europe?) to get stuffed."Sat Dec 12 1998 - 00:00
Time for Munster to keep it tightIt's still funny to think that had Munster lost their last, academic pool game in Padova they would have been playing Ulster …Sat Dec 12 1998 - 00:00
Ulster entitled to believe in dreamsIt doesn't get much bigger than this, and in Ulster's case it never has; a European Cup quarter-final at home, a capacity Ravenhill…Fri Dec 11 1998 - 00:00
Programme disruptedHaving barely and belatedly swung into action, the AIB All-Ireland League's second series of games has been predictably disrupted…Wed Dec 09 1998 - 00:00
Ulster plan not to let Toulouse off as lightlyWhereas Ulster were yesterday able to name a side showing only two changes from that which won in Edinburgh five weeks ago for…Wed Dec 09 1998 - 00:00
A few signs that the gap is closingWhen Vitas Gerulaitis finally beat Bjorn Borg at the 18th time of asking, he was asked at the start of his post-match press conference…Tue Dec 08 1998 - 00:00
New boys buck the trendFor any neutral who might have wandered in, this was stick-it-up-your-jumper rugby from a bygone ageMon Dec 07 1998 - 00:00
The big kick-offBearing in mind that half the pack which was blitzed by the Springboks' midweek side at Ravenhill on Tuesday came from the undisputed…Sat Dec 05 1998 - 00:00
Dispute over tour detailsAustralian rugby officials rather jumped the gun yesterday by disclosing details of Ireland's tour down under next summer without…Fri Dec 04 1998 - 00:00
A Welsh legend for AILFormer Welsh out-half and Great Britain rugby league star Jonathon Davies has signed for Old BelvedereThu Dec 03 1998 - 00:00
A team out of their depthThey came, they saw, they conquered; not once, not twice, but three times. Simple as that reallyWed Dec 02 1998 - 00:00
Seconds up and out to impressThe midweek Springboks side are probably good enough to give any senior Five Nations side a run for their money, but at least…Tue Dec 01 1998 - 00:00
Things definitely getting betterVerification of Ireland's praiseworthy effort against the Springboks came by way of a phone call from the England assistant coach…Tue Dec 01 1998 - 00:00
No gain but no shame for IrishThere may have been a nagging suspicion that Ireland could have extended the Springboks further, but there was no shame in defeat…Mon Nov 30 1998 - 00:00
Improving Irish approaching the gain lineSoon after the sides' third meeting in six months, South African coach Nick Mallett went into the Irish dressingroom and said…Mon Nov 30 1998 - 00:00
Chemistry right for explosive third encounterThe grudge factor, like it or not; the world champions seeking to equal a world record; a wounded and derided Irish side in classic…Sat Nov 28 1998 - 00:00
Gatland refuses to talk `damage limitation'So often it happens. A sporting encounter is built up as the mother of all grudge matches, but the potentially explosive match…Fri Nov 27 1998 - 00:00
Ireland not taking any backward stepsNeither Ireland nor the Springboks had a bundle of surprises in store yesterday when they announced their line-ups for Saturday…Thu Nov 26 1998 - 00:00
Visitors made to work by solid ProvincesWhatever about the discrepancy between the respective first strings, once it becomes a test of second strings or lower then there…Wed Nov 25 1998 - 00:00
Dempsey set to get Test placeGirvan Dempsey, the accomplished 22-year-old who has enjoyed a near faultless year as a converted leftwinger with Leinster, looks…Wed Nov 25 1998 - 00:00
Dirt-trackers ready to renew acquaintancesThe so-called dirt-trackers kick-off South Africa's three-match Irish leg of their European tour against the Combined Provinces…Tue Nov 24 1998 - 00:00
Ireland's chance to beat the bestA former Irish international who had toured South Africa always reckoned that an outsider would be a success as a coach in that…Tue Nov 24 1998 - 00:00
Gatland finds a use for lax gameReggie Corrigan and David Corkery were yesterday pulled out of the Combined Provinces team to play South Africa in Musgrave Park…Mon Nov 23 1998 - 00:00
Priceless jewel in the Ulster crownBefore Ulster games, in his new role as Ulster captain, David Humphreys would privately cajole Andy WardSat Nov 21 1998 - 00:00
Irish need professional performanceIn a curious way, this afternoon's academic World Cup qualifier against Romania will ask more of Ireland's self-motivational …Sat Nov 21 1998 - 00:00
Gatland is hoping for improvementCompulsory attendance at Wednesday night's Romania-Georgia game didn't exactly rank with an Irish squad night out at the movies…Fri Nov 20 1998 - 00:00
IRFU reprimand TierneyTom Tierney, the Garryowen, Munster and Irish under-21 scrum-half, has been reprimanded by the IRFU for the use of the prohibited…Fri Nov 20 1998 - 00:00
Having arrived Scally plans to stick aroundHe's barely 20, has won two Leinster Schools' Senior Cup medals and numbers a Triple Crown and victory in Australia amongst his…Thu Nov 19 1998 - 00:00
Clarke keeps Wood on benchGiven a choice between having one eye on the South African test a week later, or treating the two World Cup qualifying matches…Thu Nov 19 1998 - 00:00
Elwood's need for matches a priorityAs a motif it could be inscribed on his coaching tracksuitTue Nov 17 1998 - 00:00
Wood may have to wait before making returnAlthough hamstring strains are notoriously slow healers, the Irish management and medical team remained optimistic yesterday …Mon Nov 16 1998 - 00:00
Facile victory nevertheless worthwhileFacile yes, but not entirely futile. If nothing else, caps, tries and win bonuses were accumulated with easeMon Nov 16 1998 - 00:00
Opportunity to broaden horizonsIt may not be the most salubrious of pairings. It may not have them swinging from the raftersSat Nov 14 1998 - 00:00
New dawn for Georgian rugbyDuring the communist regime, rugby in Georgia was considered a sport of the bourgeois and so was bannedFri Nov 13 1998 - 00:00
Romania travel with weakened squadNot unexpectedly, Romania's squad for the World Cup qualifiers with Ireland and Georgia has been hit by the failure to obtain…Thu Nov 12 1998 - 00:00
New cap continues Connacht carve upThe only blemish on Pat Duignan's first cap was that notice of it came too late to ring his parents back in Australia before …Wed Nov 11 1998 - 00:00
Duignan only new kid on the blockThe first selection of the season from Irish coach Warren Gatland, for next Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Georgia, is…Wed Nov 11 1998 - 00:00
