Star showing earns Ronaldson 10 shirtOne of the stand-out fixtures of the club calendar takes place in Cork Constitution’s Temple Hill grounds at 7Fri Feb 08 2013 - 00:00
Awesome England roll over Ireland on their way to Grand Slam Holy GrailIreland 6 England 42: No one can say Ireland didn’t give it a go, which perhaps made it all the more salutaryFri Feb 08 2013 - 00:00
Henshaw's rapid progress continues as he makes his Ireland Under-20s debutThe Irish Under-20s have been a rejuvenated force in the last couple of years under Mike Ruddock, most notably last season when…Fri Feb 08 2013 - 00:00
O'Driscoll still able and just as capableSIX NATIONS: IRELAND v ENGLAND Apart from being pretty useful most of the time, Brian O'Driscoll is something of a good luck…Thu Feb 07 2013 - 00:00
Changes unlikely for Ireland as walking wounded look to be in good healthRUGBY: Despite their litany of bruises and bumps from their exertions last Saturday, and the ongoing concerns over Gordon D’…Wed Feb 06 2013 - 00:00
Only round one and already it's memorableON RUGBY: Think back to last season’s RBS Six Nations and it’s hard to recall much in the way of outstanding rugbyTue Feb 05 2013 - 00:00
Former captain still points the wayOld habits die hard and at times Brian O’Driscoll seemed to forget he was no longer captain, such as when directing Jonny Sexton…Mon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00
Wales run out of time after being stunned by Ireland's early onslaughtWales 22 Ireland 30: When Romain Poite signalled the end, Jamie Heaslip was the only Ireland player to raise his handsMon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00
Great and good of Welsh rugby stir the pot with talk of wooden spoonWelsh rugby doesn’t do middle groundMon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00
Next Sunday's showdown with England is beginning to look like a potential title deciderOne down, four to go. In addition to Ireland and England, against all expectations that now applies to the Italians as well, …Mon Feb 04 2013 - 00:00
It’s a huge challenge but Ireland have the individual talent to shred Welsh hopesRUGBY: Come 3.15pm or thereabouts on the first Saturday of the championship, the Grand Slam and Triple Crown hopes of at least…Sat Feb 02 2013 - 00:00
Golden regeneration could help kickstart revivalBrian O’Driscoll may have controversially lost the captaincy but the autumn campaign showed signs of revival and with some fresh…Fri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Optimism abounds as oldest rugby tournament kicks offLike the Heineken Cup, the imperfections of the Six Nations can also be its beautyFri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Everything points to poor Wales season - so look outMen from the valleys in a bit of a slump right now but a winning start against Ireland could snap them out of itFri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Ireland insist on some blue sky thinking when it comes to stadium roofRUGBY: The Ireland squad arrived safe and sound in Cardiff yesterday evening, with the management confident Rob Kearney will…Fri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
Unrecognisable Bleus still the recognised favouritesOnly caveat is their less favoured draw could see Sainte-Andre’s men once falling short at TwickenhamFri Feb 01 2013 - 00:00
O'Mahony primed for daunting Wales fixtureSIX NATIONS: If Peter O’Mahony still has the slightly awestruck air of someone who sometimes needs to be pinched to wake up …Thu Jan 31 2013 - 00:00
Saracens' switch to Twickenham a lift for Ulster fansHEINEKEN CUP: The decision by Saracens, confirmed yesterday and in conjunction with tournament organisers ERC, to move their…Thu Jan 31 2013 - 00:00
Many happy returns for KidneyRefreshed by the way a remodelled side finished off an injury-riddled autumnal campaign, Ireland have been further buoyed by …Wed Jan 30 2013 - 00:00
Positive vibes from an excited captainIf there’s one characteristic you know Jamie Heaslip will continue to bring to the job of captaining his country it’s positive…Wed Jan 30 2013 - 00:00
Opener against Wales will define Ireland's championshipGet ready for the Six Nations buzzword around this time of the year – momentumTue Jan 29 2013 - 00:00
Sexton deal looks done and dusted despite owner Lorenzetti's denialsRUGBY: Indications that Jonathan Sexton would be playing his club rugby with Racing Metro from next August have strengthened…Mon Jan 28 2013 - 00:00
Irish scrum suffers again as England play to their strengthsIrish Wolfhounds 10 English Saxons 14: Defeats at A level are not the end of the world but any defeat to the auld enemy hurts…Sat Jan 26 2013 - 00:00
Racing concessions secure Sexton's signatureRugby: Additional guarantees regarding his release for international duty have reputedly enabled Jonathan Sexton to complete…Sat Jan 26 2013 - 00:00
Racing sources leave Sexton's future shrouded in mysteryRUGBY: Jonny Sexton’s whereabouts next season remained shrouded in some mystery last night after sources very close to the Racing…Sat Jan 26 2013 - 00:00
Wolfhounds sniffing for Saxons and successionRUGBY: As with anything that becomes increasingly scarce, A international games have increased in valueFri Jan 25 2013 - 00:00
Conway closes in on move from Leinster to MunsterAndrew Conway, a standout performer for the Irish Under-20s when scoring five tries in both the 2010 and 2011 Junior World Cups…Fri Jan 25 2013 - 00:00
Ross agrees deal with Leinster as Sexton deadlock continuesAlthough there is still no sign of an end to the impasse in the negotiations between the IRFU and Jonathan Sexton’s agents, Leinster…Thu Jan 24 2013 - 00:00
Harlequins not for bending as tie to remain at the StoopAs expected, Harlequins have intimated that they wish to keep their Heineken Cup quarter-final against Munster at the StoopTue Jan 22 2013 - 00:00
Leinster need new generation to start coming through ranksON RUGBY: As one suspected, they went out all guns blazing, but out they went all the sameTue Jan 22 2013 - 00:00
Coughlan ready to start something specialFor the current occupants of the famous red jersey, which is more synonymous with great deeds of escapism and heroism than perhaps…Mon Jan 21 2013 - 00:00
Zebo strikes thrice as Munster successfully enter bonus territoryMunster 29 Racing Metro 6: Never in doubt, as Rob Penney noted dryly afterwardsMon Jan 21 2013 - 00:00
Munster live to stand up and fight another day as all roads lead to LondonRUGBY: London callingMon Jan 21 2013 - 00:00
Two days of destiny to decide fate of the IrishRUGBY: So many matches and permutations distilled into one weekend; indeed seasons distilled into 80 minutes, albeit in many…Sat Jan 19 2013 - 00:00
Red Army drinking at the last-chance saloon once againOnce more into the breach and all thatSat Jan 19 2013 - 00:00
A sporting licence to print moneyThe IRFU budget for having one quarter-finalist in the Heineken Cup per season, which means that Ulster’s participation in the…Sat Jan 19 2013 - 00:00
Two days of destiny to decide fate of the IrishRUGBY: So many matches and permutations distilled into one weekend; indeed seasons distilled into 80 minutes, albeit in many…Sat Jan 19 2013 - 00:00
Coach says captain call was less about demoting one than elevating the otherAs much as Brian O’Driscoll’s demotion from the Ireland captaincy after more than a decade in the role is momentous, yesterday…Fri Jan 18 2013 - 00:00
Munster will have to do it without O'Gara as ERC issue one-match banRUGBY: For the first time in 14 seasons and 105 games, dating back to the quarter-finals in 1999, Munster must go into their…Fri Jan 18 2013 - 00:00
Kidney retains Heaslip as Ireland captainThis was always going to be a tricky one for Declan Kidney and the Irish management ticketFri Jan 18 2013 - 00:00
Chiefs have no reservations about defending their turfHEINEKEN CUP: In order to progress to the knock-out stages for the eight time in nine years, Leinster will almost certainly …Wed Jan 16 2013 - 00:00
Anscombe acknowledges need for a French lessonRUGBY: Heineken Cup Ulster have never won on French soil in 14 previous attempts in the Heineken Cup, though they did manage…Wed Jan 16 2013 - 00:00
Racing Metro make Sexton an offer he'll find very difficult to refuseThe possibility of Leinster and Ireland losing Jonathan Sexton, arguably the game’s most prized asset in this country, to Racing…Tue Jan 15 2013 - 00:00
Munster face an anxious wait as O'Gara cited for kicking Edinburgh secondrow Cox during Murrayfield winRonan O’Gara was last night cited for kicking Edinburgh lock Sean Cox during the second half of Munster’s win in Murrayfield …Tue Jan 15 2013 - 00:00
O'Sullivan may need to look abroad to revive careerON RUGBY: A minute from the end of the Ulster-Castres game in the Heineken Cup at Ravenhill last October, the French team suddenly…Tue Jan 15 2013 - 00:00
Bottom line for Howlett is Munster are still aliveFailure to get over in five-minute window before half-time did cost them bonusMon Jan 14 2013 - 00:00
Clermont through: Five tries secures spotClermont Auvergne ran in five tries to secure their place in the knockout stages with a bonus-point victory over ExeterMon Jan 14 2013 - 00:00
Munster and Leinster set for showdown as both still playing catch-up with game to goHEINEKEN CUP: There is still the outside possibility that both Munster and Leinster could join Ulster in the quarter-finals …Mon Jan 14 2013 - 00:00
Victory secured but Munster left to rue bonus chance that got awayPool One: Edinburgh 17 Munster 26 Munster came away from a predictably hollow Murrayfield, which was one-tenth full, with a …Mon Jan 14 2013 - 00:00
O'Donnell takes another giant step in a burgeoning careerThe most surprising thing about Tommy O’Donnell is he’s all of 25 already and in his fourth season as a professionalSat Jan 12 2013 - 00:00
