Connacht’s late, late show defies Cardiff and the elements to earn vital URC win
Dylan Tierney Martin delivers late-winning try after westerners had lost a 19-point lead
United Rugby Championship
Three yellow cards for Ulster spell miserable defeat to Benetton
David McCann, Nick Timoney and Stewart Moore all shown yellow cards in second half
Munster take bonus-point win over Scarlets at Thomond Park
Gavin Coombes leads the way with two tries for the province
Leinster hold off strong challenge from Ospreys for 11th win in a row in URC
Irish province move 15 points clear at the top of the table
Munster looking to avoid surprise at home to Scarlets
The Llanelli side have not beaten Irish opposition since ousting Connacht four years ago
Connacht seek to inject life into URC campaign against Cardiff
A victory would go long way to make up 10-point differential in the URC table between teams
Ulster looking for a better time against Italian opposition as they visit Benetton
Murphy makes 11 changes to starting side which lost 15-14 to Zebre
English RFU set to block Eddie Jordan’s bid to move London Irish to URC
English governing body unlikely to license Exiles to compete in rival competition
Unbeaten Leinster know they must prove themselves worthy against resurgent Ospreys
Main challenge for returning national squad players is ability to quickly switch between playbooks and calls
Leinster call upon Irish squad players for URC clash against Ospreys
Tommy O’Brien back for his first match since picking up an injury in December
Mark Sexton and Willie Faloon join Ulster coaching set-up for next season
Sexton, brother of Johnny, joins the province to lead the attack
Mike Prendergast ‘surprised’ at Jack Crowley’s role for Ireland against Scotland
Munster attack coach excited about acquisition of Dan Kelly from Leicester
Wilkins calls on Connacht to pick up precious momentum
Coach believes form of province’s Irish players is a major plus but right now league points the priority
Cullen calls for patience as he oversees Prendergast’s rise to prominence
Leinster coach fully aware of the game’s vagaries and the rocky road ahead for all aspiring outhalfs
Matt Williams: Scotland could beat Ireland if they do something they haven’t done for years
Things look set to get ugly for England against France
Connacht coach prepared to ‘bottle up the frustration’ and channel it into ‘working really hard’
A 22-19 loss to Glasgow sees Connacht languishing near bottom of the table
Zebre Parma secure a first win over Ulster in Belfast
Italian side took a 15-0 lead before Corrie Barrett’s two second-half tries closed the gap
Connacht’s losing away run continues against Glasgow on frustrating afternoon
Pete Wilkins admits his side will need to work hard to make the Champions Cup through URC top eight
Munster secure URC away win with six tries against Dragons
Ben O’Connor marks debut start for Munster with early try
Two-try Dan Sheehan makes big impact on return as Leinster send Stormers packing
James Lowe also comes through his first match back in another bonus-point victory
Strong-looking Ulster must show superiority against lowly Zebre
John Cooney set to make his 150th appearance for the province
Connacht visit Scotland hoping to take their European form into the URC
Connacht will feel this is an ideal opportunity to improve their away form with the Warriors missing some 12 players on international duty
RG Snyman forging new relationships at Leinster as he prepares to face friends and enemies
Dan Sheehan will start his first match for six months when Leinster take on the Stormers on Saturday
Dan Sheehan and James Lowe return from injury for Leinster’s URC clash against the Stormers
Sheehan to captain Leo Cullen’s side in first game since ACL injury
Diarmuid Kilgallen to play his first URC game for Munster as they take on Dragons
Munster without Tadhg Beirne, Jack Crowley, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash and Peter O’Mahony who are with the Ireland squad in Portugal
Chris Busby to continue refereeing in the United Rugby Championship
Antrim native was in charge of the Connacht-Leinster game that preceded controversial comments from Mack Hansen on refereeing standards which led to player’s ban
Luke McGrath focused on the task as Leinster brace for Stormers test
Experienced scrumhalf will help guide younger team-mates in the absence of squad members busily preparing for Six Nations duty with Ireland
Munster eagerly awaiting Champions Cup showdown with Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle
Skills coach Mossy Lawler says ‘massive positives’ to be taken from Northampton defeat
Connacht must translate European form into strong showing in Glasgow, says Wilkins
Head coach calls on other players to ‘assert their personalities’ in absence of internationals such as Bundee Aki
Dan Sheehan and James Lowe set to make Leinster comebacks before Six Nations
Sheehan has made remarkable recovery from ACL injury he sustained while playing against Springboks
Tickets sell out for Connacht’s URC clash against Munster in Castlebar
The fixture on March 29th will be played at MacHale Park
Mack Hansen handed three-match ban but will not miss start of Six Nations
Connacht winger must apologise to referee and go on ‘course related to match officiating’
Mack Hansen to face disciplinary panel on Wednesday over refereeing comments
Panel to consider if Connacht winger’s comments breached misconduct rules
Are Leinster becoming more like the Springboks?
Leinster’s focus on defence, set-pieces, and their kicking game has left them looking remarkably similar to South Africa
South African clubs face player burnout as participation in European competitions divides opinion
Teams like the Bulls, Sharks and Stormers are being crippled by insane workloads on top players, and consequent injuries
Paying public deserved to see Jack Crowley-Sam Prendergast battle in Christmas interpros
Irish player management system was designed 20 years, when I was playing, and hasn’t evolved much since then
Connacht left to rue errors as determined Ulster end losing run
Ulster climb to eighth in URC table with 17-7 win in Galway
Richie Murphy praises Ulster defence after win over Connacht lifts them to URC top eight
Ulster were without several key players for their trip to Galway on Saturday
Munster bring the fight but Leinster take the spoils at Thomond Park
Leinster continue winning streak with bonus-point win in Limerick
Stakes high as Connacht welcome Ulster to Galway for crunch interpro
Connacht sit 10th in the URC table with Ulster just behind them on points difference ahead of derby showdown
Injury-hit Munster face mammoth test against ‘brilliantly boring’ Leinster
Leo Cullen was unhappy about several aspects of the Leinster team play against Connacht
Jamie Osborne returns to Leinster team to face Munster in URC clash
Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray fail fitness tests to make match for Munster
Coach says Connacht taking a ‘wait and see’ approach after Mack Hansen referee comments
Pete Wilkins confirms he contacted URC following post-match criticism but has ‘not heard anything’ yet
Munster confirm Craig Casey will miss Six Nations as Nankivell could also face spell on sidelines
Thaakir Abrahams and Jean Kleyn also out long-term, as could Dave Kilcoyne, as injury woes continue
Owen Doyle: Mack Hansen’s ill-advised comments simply cannot be allowed pass without sanction
The international’s comments set a dangerous precedent and the URC, and the IRFU, must take appropriate action
Your complete guide to all the festive sporting action including TV details
From rugby to darts, there is something for everyone over the Christmas period
Leinster’s Jamie Osborne back available for selection for Munster clash
Jordan Larmour and Tommy O’Brien also expected to be available through injury precautions against Connacht
Connacht left with feeling of ‘what if’ as Leinster dog out victory to remain unbeaten
Leo Cullen’s side were 17-0 up but Connacht showed plenty of fight to make it a gripping contest in the end
No decision yet if Connacht’s Mack Hansen will be sanctioned for his criticism of referees
Irish winger claims Connacht are too often on wrong side of officials’ decisions in tight matches
‘It’s really f***ing starting to get to us as a team’ - Mack Hansen hits out at how Connacht are refereed
Ireland international claims Connacht are consistently on the wrong side of official’s decisions in matches
Connacht arrive to Aviva with strong team and high hopes
Leinster make 13 changes in personnel from the team that beat French side Clermont Auvergne last weekend
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE...
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Stardust
Inquests into the nightclub fire that led to the deaths of 48 people
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
Family NoticesOpens in new window
Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices