Joe Schmidt’s ultra-conservative game plan may be working but it’s not good to watchThe laws are being manipulated so running rugby is penalised and a kicking game is rewardedMon Mar 09 2015 - 15:46
Ireland must adopt a more expansive game plan if they are to prevailEngland’s set-piece must be targeted and a high-tempo running game employedSat Feb 28 2015 - 05:45
Matt Williams: Balance needs to be restored to reward creative, positive rugbyIreland won ugly against France because the game’s laws favour that kind of negative playSat Feb 21 2015 - 09:00
Matt Williams: Scrum will be key and that should simply sadden usIreland should win with France a shadow of the great creative power they once wereFri Feb 13 2015 - 21:53
Ireland need to improve running game to avoid banana skin in RomeSeán O’Brien will help with the forwards’ ball carrying but he cannot be aloneSat Feb 07 2015 - 09:27
Matt Williams: Australians approach the game with a different mindsetSix Nations drama largely exists outside Australian paradigmThu Feb 05 2015 - 09:04
Best chance for Ireland to beat WallabiesAustralia’s lack of game management may see Joe Schmidt’s side homeSat Nov 22 2014 - 08:00
Looking back on a time when rugby was dangerous and sex was safeReaction to win against Springboks a little over the top considering how poor Irish attack wasSun Nov 16 2014 - 07:00
Much more to the Springboks than ‘heads down, bums up, straight ahead’Matt Williams believes Heyneke Meyer has added flair to physicality and it is a masterstrokeSat Nov 08 2014 - 09:00
If Ireland can maintain their consistency, glory beckons in ParisFrench rugby not in a great current state but one lapse in concentration and they remain capable of stealing a matchSat Mar 15 2014 - 09:00
Ireland must take the fight to where the men in white want it leastThe Irish scrum has been superb thus far and must attack the English set-piece with real venomSat Feb 22 2014 - 07:00
Tactical savvy key to Irish hopesHome side must display character and true grit if they are to slay this impressive dragonSat Feb 08 2014 - 09:00
If Joe Schmidt can get the consistent Ireland to show up this could be the start of something specialNow is the time to end the team’s swings from excellence to mediocritySat Feb 01 2014 - 09:00
Unimpressive Ireland gazing into the abyss – and the abyss is All BlackIf the Irish pack are the same soft proposition in tomorrow’s game, they will be torn apartSat Nov 23 2013 - 12:01
The grassroots Down Under are in urgent need of some nourishmentAustralia may beat Ireland but their big task is saving the game at homeSat Nov 16 2013 - 09:00
It will be a learning process for Schmidt but Ireland’s problems run deeperThe new coach can’t expect to produce a magic bullet straight awaySat Nov 09 2013 - 12:00
Lions rewarded for what they have brought to Australian rugbyTour has been an outstanding success in every wayMon Jul 08 2013 - 09:00
Lions’ negative game plan hands all the momentum to AustraliaDropping of O’Driscoll a huge mistakeFri Jul 05 2013 - 20:00
No chance of Lions striking a knockout blow with this ‘rope a dope’The visitors did nothing in an attacking sense, helping Australia to a massive winMon Jul 01 2013 - 08:00
No matter about Australia’s bad luck, Robbie Deans must now pick up the piecesOne missed kick marked the thin line between failure and successMon Jun 24 2013 - 09:00
Lions may tick all the boxes but be wary of underdogs AustraliaHistory shows the Wallabies are always capable of rising to the biggest challengeMon Jun 17 2013 - 18:35
Queensland Reds help to rediscover Australia’s running rugby soulThe Lions finally came face to face with the style I hope they can get from the WallabiesMon Jun 10 2013 - 09:00
Lions tour could decide the fate of Australian rugbyThere is desperation in Wallaby hearts. Desperate people become reckless and dangerousMon Jun 03 2013 - 09:00
Managing change will be primary task for Joe Schmidt and Matt O’ConnorMatt Williams columnMon May 27 2013 - 09:00
Singo singed but More Joyous horse opera a Sydney side-splitterThe tale of a self-made multimillionaire, the matriarch of a racehorse training dynasty, her controversial bookmaker son, an all-time great rugby league player, a former jockey and a brothel-owning punterMon May 20 2013 - 09:00
Lions can do the game of rugby in Australia a great serviceWhile the game continues to flourish around the globe, in Australia it is struggling and in need of some helpMon May 13 2013 - 09:00
A brave and talented friend who heard the bell for the last timeSomehow Rory found the will to get to his feet and take his stance. He looked his opponent in the eye and said, “Come on you bastard. I’m not scared of you.”Mon May 06 2013 - 09:00
Time for knockers to say sorry to O’Gara for all the cheap shotsMunster outhalf showed that class really is permanentMon Apr 29 2013 - 09:00
Buckle up Joe, coaching a national team is a bumpy rideCoaching is about perception not substanceMon Apr 22 2013 - 10:00
Amount of lower-body injuries ‘not unusual’ given nature of deviceThe Boston Marathon bombs had been packed with metal fragments and placed close to the groundWed Apr 17 2013 - 07:00
Rugby’s sickness can be cured with just one law changeThe game used to be for all body shapes, the IRB can bring that backMon Apr 08 2013 - 10:00
The IRFU need to create a real process for developing talentWe need an extensive review into the systems that recruit and develop the next generation of playersMon Apr 01 2013 - 06:00
Ireland need to have some Woshkabomy in their gameIt’s time to hold review into the systems and processes in the elite player pathway to the national teamMon Mar 25 2013 - 06:00
If this is to be O’Driscoll’s swansong, we simply must winItalians to pose a major test for Kidney’s menSat Mar 16 2013 - 06:00
It's time to stop whinging and get behind Jamie and this teamNow is the time for all Irish supporters to do what we expect every Irish player to do, writes Matt WilliamsSat Mar 09 2013 - 00:00
Mounting pressure on national team coach not for the faint-heartedOn Rugby: I want you to imagine you are the head coach of a national rugby teamMon Mar 04 2013 - 00:00
A nation turns its eyes to Jackson . . . let's hope it's not too much for him on his debutANALYSIS: I suspect there will be a moment tomorrow when a wily old Cork man with a trusty boot will save the daySat Feb 23 2013 - 00:00
Mud flung at Australian sport over drugs investigation is stickingON RUGBY: Ten days ago the Australian Crime Commission (ACC,) the most powerful criminal investigation unit in the land, summoned…Mon Feb 18 2013 - 00:00
Ireland can do it - if they dominate the Corridor of PowerRUGBY ANALYST: But any slacking, and mentally-strong England will gain the revenge they have quietly cravedSat Feb 09 2013 - 00:00
ARU hoping to be dragged back into good books on Lions' tailAs Warren Gatland said, Australia is a great place to tourSat Feb 02 2013 - 00:00
Life is short, so let's wish Sexton well on his adventure in ParisWhat do Ollie Campbell, Jackie Kyle, David Humphries, Tony Ward and Paul Dean have in common? They were all great outhalvesMon Jan 28 2013 - 00:00
Eddie, welcome to the list of the Irish coaching damnedAnd then there were none. No Irish born provincial head coach in the countryMon Jan 21 2013 - 00:00
Just another day in paradise to help me refocus and recoverON RUGBY: An athlete needs to have a recovery plan to be in peak physical and mental conditionMon Jan 07 2013 - 00:00
Leinster can rediscover the mongrel dog within and rise againWhen two evenly-matched teams clash, the winning edge is found within the team that is the more desperate to win.Mon Dec 31 2012 - 00:00
Underfunding ensures Connacht remain the perennial bridesmaids of Irish rugbyFrench Notes To fully develop their potential, Connacht must get a much better deal from the IRFUMon Dec 17 2012 - 00:00
On the road, it's tackles and defence that wins matchesANALYSIS: Clermont is the major city of the Massif Central – the French region is shaped like a giant handmade lump of dark …Mon Dec 10 2012 - 00:00
Web post claims software tycoon John McAfee capturedFugitive software pioneer John McAfee may have been captured on the Belize-Mexico border, according to a post on his website …Mon Dec 03 2012 - 00:00
Rugby men of a certain age need a major attitude update on womenANALYSIS: I doubted a woman could enter the ‘pointy end’ of rugby with credibility. I was wrongMon Dec 03 2012 - 00:00
A performance to be proud of but our maddening inconsistency continues to baffleFrench Notes We are allowing administrators, coaches and players to perform well below acceptable standards and get away with…Mon Nov 26 2012 - 00:00
