Gerry Thornley

Gerry Thornley

Rugby Correspondent

Gerry Thornley is Rugby Correspondent of The Irish Times

‘An exceptional day’: Leo Cullen pleased with season after URC triumph

Caelan Doris says he will see how what unfolds over the next 24 hours after he picked up foot injury

Leinster run riot against Bulls to retain URC title

Leo Cullen’s side eclipse last year’s victory in front of 39,184 fans in Croke Park

James Lowe can push Leinster to URC title and remind them what they’re about to lose

Springbok-laden Bulls will take some beating, but home advantage could tip the balance if Leinster fans get behind their team

James Lowe left out of Ireland squad for upcoming Nations Championship

Ireland to play Australia, Japan and New Zealand next month in new tournament

Combination of entitled fans and big-stadium fatigue sees Leinster’s appeal fall sharply

URC final attendance likely to fall short of last year’s decider, which featured the same two sides

Blackrock mourns the loss of larger-than-life Michael ‘Bomber’ Browne

Former Blackrock player, coach and president was a devoted rugby enthusiast throughout his life

Fergus Slattery was, quite simply, a god of rugby

Arguably the greatest openside in the world for much of his playing career, Slattery remained one of the last great amateurs and great club men

Leinster still nursing Champions Cup wounds despite reaching URC final four

Leo Cullen’s side the last province standing as Munster and Connacht bow out

Leinster forced to consider reboot after mounting catalogue of near misses

Former players wonder if the coaching ticket is giving team the best chance of landing Holy Grail

Glasgow’s pack overpowers Connacht to knock them out of URC

Scottish side will play the winners of Bulls-Munster in the semi-final

James Lowe to leave Leinster at the end of the season

Winger to leave Leinster after nine seasons with the province

Ulster have made progress, even if they fell just short of their targets

Richie Murphy’s team’s season is over, but the metrics were much improved

Motivation will be Leinster’s biggest obstacle in URC quarter-final against the Lions

Leo Cullen has made eight changes to his starting 15 in bid to bounce back from Champions Cup final defeat

‘I’m my own player’: Evan O’Connell unburdened by Munster bloodline

The 22-year-old lock is hoping to follow up on try-scoring return in URC quarter-final against the Bulls

Gerry Thornley: A deflating and damaging weekend for Leinster, Ulster and Irish rugby

Irish provinces have never seemed farther away from a Champions Cup win

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