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
Leinster miss out, not once but twiceDavid Humphreys's claim that Ulster's progress to the European Cup quarter-finals was beyond his team's wildest dreams was understandable…Tue Nov 10 1998 - 00:00
Quinlan unlikely to playThe first Irish selection of the season will be unveiled today in advance of Saturday's opening World Cup qualifier against Georgia…Tue Nov 10 1998 - 00:00
Ulster snare victory to join Munster in finalsUlster joined Munster in the quarter-finals of the European Cup by virtue of their 23-21 win over Edinburgh Reivers in Myre side…Mon Nov 09 1998 - 00:00
Coulter's try earns home quarter-finalAn astonishing couple of turnarounds in the finale to Pool C over the weekend culminated in the Ulster players returning to the…Mon Nov 09 1998 - 00:00
Munster need momentumTechnically, Munster have the least to play of the four Irish provinces this weekendSat Nov 07 1998 - 00:00
It's all or bust for UlsterThe best of this weekend's fare could be saved until last when Ulster meet Edinburgh Reivers in a reprise of their memorable …Sat Nov 07 1998 - 00:00
Connacht play down remote finals hopesConnacht are facing up to the grim reality of their season ending today, barring a highly unlikely sequence of results in Pool…Sat Nov 07 1998 - 00:00
Leinster self-destruct againHow to chuck away a 21-point lead in one easy lessonSat Nov 07 1998 - 00:00
Leinster have it all to doAt about 8.00 tonight the Donnybrook hordes will bid adieu to their Friday nights under lights. What a pityFri Nov 06 1998 - 00:00
Munster make two changesMunster have made just two changes to the side which accounted for Perpignan last week for tomorrow's European Cup match in Padova…Fri Nov 06 1998 - 00:00
Corrigan and Brennan left out of squadA dejected looking Reggie Corrigan and Trevor Brennan were first to emerge from a brief squad meeting yesterday in the Kingsley…Wed Nov 04 1998 - 00:00
Adamant Wood fails to signThe die had already been cast over the weekend and, as expected, when pens were put to paper and the IRFU international contracts…Tue Nov 03 1998 - 00:00
Why Wood can only see the treesShortly after the second Test against South Africa Keith Wood approached Warren Gatland, acknowledged that he hadn't had a very…Tue Nov 03 1998 - 00:00
Wood refuses to give wayThere was little or no sign of a ceasefire, never mind a peace treaty, between a rebellious Keith Wood and a resolute IRFU last…Mon Nov 02 1998 - 00:00
Trio battle to advanceDespite good home wins for Ulster and Munster over the weekend, results elsewhere in Europe did not go all that favourably for…Mon Nov 02 1998 - 00:00
Spirit and resolve the vital qualitiesThey brought the 1978 vintage from Limerick to Cork and, spiritually, they brought the mountain to Mohammed at Musgrave Park …Mon Nov 02 1998 - 00:00
Venue shift to hurt MunsterConfirmation yesterday that Thomond Park would not be playable for its putative re-opening on the 20th anniversary of Munster…Sat Oct 31 1998 - 00:00
Connacht on the brinkConnacht stand on the brink of qualifying for the knockout stages of the European Shield for the second year in a row prior to…Sat Oct 31 1998 - 00:00
Topping injury casts gloom over Ulster teamDescribing it as akin to a death in the family, Ulster coach Harry Williams yesterday spoke of the "terrible gloom" which hung…Fri Oct 30 1998 - 00:00
Irish squad unchangedAn unchanged Irish squad of 29 players has been named for next week's get-together in Cork on Monday and Tuesday, although the…Fri Oct 30 1998 - 00:00
Infuriating Munster's timing is just rightThey can be maddeningly, infuriatingly frustrating, and when they put it together like they did in the first 30 minutes or so…Tue Oct 27 1998 - 00:00
Session pleases GatlandBuoyed by last Friday night's grand finale to an interprovincial championship, which both Warren Gatland and Donal Lenihan described…Tue Oct 27 1998 - 00:00
Kidney hails his players' punchDeclan Kidney, coach of the champions, could afford an ironic smile as he reconsidered his initial objections to the inaugural…Sat Oct 24 1998 - 01:00
Munster in control with early blitzMunster had a big one in them all right, and the sense of anti-climax amongst most of the record interpro crowd of 7,000 was …Sat Oct 24 1998 - 01:00
History Makers: Munster's men who beat the All Blacks 12-0 on October 31st, 197815. Larry Moloney (Garryowen).Sat Oct 24 1998 - 01:00
Miller straining at leashSo much hinges on this one and yet (mobiles at the ready) so much in turn hinges on what happens 110 miles or so southFri Oct 23 1998 - 01:00
Crunch time as title race reaches climaxAs climaxes go, the ol' interpros have probably never had it so goodFri Oct 23 1998 - 01:00
Munster wait on HorganInjuries permitting, Munster will field an unchanged side for the first time since mid-August when they face Leinster in tomorrow…Thu Oct 22 1998 - 01:00
Structures yielding fruit on the fieldAfter that week, the last seven days saw what passes for sanity restored in the modern madcap world of rugbyTue Oct 20 1998 - 01:00
Munster get what they deserve after a sluggish showInstead of looking at this in one of two ways - a point dropped or a point gained - Munster viewed Saturday's events at the Gnoll…Mon Oct 19 1998 - 01:00
Munster to shed travel aversionFor Munster, a trip to the grassy Gnoll in Neath today affords the chance to exorcise some theories about their away-day demons…Sat Oct 17 1998 - 01:00
Leinster seeking French revolutionEstablishing a winning position and being competitive against French champions Stade Francais in Donnybrook was one thing - but…Sat Oct 17 1998 - 01:00
O'Shea in line to be exceptionThe Irish management will select a squad of no more than 28, to be announced on Monday, after viewing the Ulster and Connacht…Sat Oct 17 1998 - 01:00
Connacht's chance to add to the legendConnacht, as they are entitled to do after three initial wins, are starting to dream again, although if they beat their fellow…Sat Oct 17 1998 - 01:00
Over-confidence may undo ToulouseAfter three trying weeks on the road, Ulster return home to the prospect of the biggest crowd of the season at Ravenhill buoyed…Fri Oct 16 1998 - 01:00
Contracts row will not affect selectionAlthough another annual row is brewing regarding the IRFU's contracts with English-based Irish players, it is unlikely to affect…Thu Oct 15 1998 - 01:00
Ellison back for MunsterHis absence was initially a source of mourning, and although Munster have begun to equip themselves admirably without their midfield…Thu Oct 15 1998 - 01:00
Clarke and Corrigan earn baptism of fireCiaran Clarke and Reggie Corrigan will both be pitched into the lion's den that is the Stade Jean Bouin this Saturday for Leinster…Wed Oct 14 1998 - 01:00
Miller opts for TerenureTerenure College have captured Irish and Lions number eight Eric Miller, following his decision to take up a two-year Irish international…Tue Oct 13 1998 - 01:00
IRFU adopts passing gameAnd so that was the week that was. Extraordinary, funny, frustrating and depressingTue Oct 13 1998 - 01:00
