Ireland have never been about tactics or a clever play, it’s collective performance that counts
One of Andy Farrell’s defining qualities has been getting the right men in the boat and getting them pulling together
Reasons to be cheerful about where Irish rugby is going
Thinking players keep ball alive, accept uncomfortable offload and do not take the ground as their only option
Gordon D’Arcy: The season has properly started now – let’s see who can keep momentum going
Four games in, you can see shape emerging in how the provinces want to play
Forget rugby’s world rankings: Ireland don’t belong in the top three
Comprehensive defeat to the All Blacks a sobering reminder of our real place in rugby’s global order
Gordon D’Arcy: Whatever the All Blacks result, let’s avoid the error of wishful thinking
Supporters in danger of wanting something out of Andy Farrell’s Ireland team that may not be there
Gordon D’Arcy: This is not a criticism. It is an observation about this Ireland group
France-New Zealand offered a reminder of where Ireland need to progress over the next 15 months
Gordon D’Arcy: This tour could be the most useful thing to happen to Irish rugby in two years
Injuries have thrown up an inadvertent opportunity for Andy Farrell
Gordon D’Arcy: Players emerging from private schools are super athletes but lack rugby IQ
Head coach has been working with essentially the same squad for three years – he cannot go to the market for a quick fix
Gordon D’Arcy: Can Leinster’s coaching group unlock what this squad is capable of achieving?
After a fifth Champions Cup final defeat, the conversation about what comes next will not go away
Gordon D’Arcy: Leinster’s chances of Champions Cup success lie largely with two players
Leo Cullen’s team can gain more from past disappointments than they perhaps even realise
Watching Leinster at pitch level with the under-10s gave me new perspective
Less about team movement and shape, more about players, their scanning and body language
Gordon D’Arcy: Champions Cup final will be the biggest match of Harry Byrne’s career
Next step for the Leinster outhalf is to become someone others look to in big games, relishing the pressure
Gordon D’Arcy: This is what will decide the outcome of Leinster v Toulon
Leo Cullen’s men need to learn from the shortcomings that handed late victory to Italians in Treviso
Gordon D’Arcy: Ulster have a point to prove after crumbling against Leinster
Richie Murphy’s men may point to respectable scoreline but second-half tries came when the game was over as a contest
Gordon D’Arcy: Leinster need to deliver against Ulster and use it as fuel for the big one
Winning in Belfast would prove Leo Cullen’s Champions Cup chasers have added steel to their game