Whoever wins will have done it the hard wayNo teams in Europe have been more durable or consistent over the last 13 years than Munster or ToulouseTue May 20 2008 - 01:00
Casey comes in from the cold after eight years in the wildernessCOME IN, Bob, your time has arrivedSat May 10 2008 - 01:00
McGahan and Bradley the outstanding candidatesMUNSTER VACANCY: AS HISTORY has shown, the Munster hierarchy will move swiftly to replace the departing Declan Kidney; they …Fri May 09 2008 - 01:00
Leinster set fair to take title in styleRUGBY/Leinster v NG Dragons: PRIVATELY, Leinster won't be too disappointed Connacht didn't shove them over the Magners League…Sat May 03 2008 - 01:00
IRFU hopeful about KidneyRUGBY: THE IRFU remain confident Declan Kidney will agree to become the next Ireland head coach and it will be possible to confirm…Sat May 03 2008 - 01:00
IRFU will not name coach todayAlthough Rumours circulated yesterday that Declan Kidney was to be formally confirmed at some juncture today as the next Ireland…Tue Apr 29 2008 - 01:00
IRFU will not name coach todayALTHOUGH RUMOURS circulated yesterday that Declan Kidney was to be formally confirmed at some juncture today as the next Ireland…Tue Apr 29 2008 - 01:00
Munster set their sights on joining an elite clubHEINEKEN CUP SEMI-FINALS: Gerry Thornley talks to several Munster players keen to cement their place among the elite teams to…Fri Apr 25 2008 - 01:00
Clerc's injury a real body blow for busy ToulouseIT'S SQUEAKY bum time in the season, as Alex Ferguson is wont to sayTue Apr 22 2008 - 01:00
Leinster feel Murrayfield chill once moreMagners League Edinburgh 15 Leinster 13 WHATEVER IT is by the chilly Edinburgh air, Murrayfield remains Leinster's graveyard…Sat Apr 19 2008 - 01:00
Kidney's appointment regarded as inevitableDECLAN KIDNEY remains the odds-on favourite to become the next Irish coach from other contenders who are believed to include …Sat Apr 19 2008 - 01:00
Cheika's men have the means and all the incentiveMAGNERS LEAGUE - Edinburgh V Leinster: ALMOST THERE nowFri Apr 18 2008 - 01:00
Stringer and O'Gara X-rays reveal no major damageMAGNERS LEAGUE: RONAN O'GARA and Peter Stringer will be monitored closely over the next few days to see how they progress from…Mon Apr 14 2008 - 01:00
Leinster to take another giant stride towards winning titleRUGBY: Leinster v Munster: TWO TRIBES go to war and all thatSat Apr 12 2008 - 01:00
Munster pick strong squad for RDSIN WHAT may well prove a statement of intent, Munster yesterday announced the same squad of 27 who were on duty for their Heineken…Wed Apr 09 2008 - 01:00
Le Roux to head home next monthRUGBY: OLLIE LE ROUX is set to return to South Africa next month at the end of his one-season deal with Leinster to coach the…Tue Apr 01 2008 - 01:00
Eddie O'Sullivan: The Highs, The Lows, The RecordTHE HIGHS February 3rd, 2002, Lansdowne Road: Ireland 54 Wales 10Thu Mar 20 2008 - 00:00
O'Shea to head English body as IRFU miss chanceIN A DEVELOPMENT that underlines how the IRFU have missed a golden opportunity to hire one of the most highly regarded off-field…Thu Mar 20 2008 - 00:00
O'Sullivan steps down as Irish coachEDDIE O'SULLIVAN'S six-and-a-half-year, 78-match reign as Irish rugby coach came to an end last nightThu Mar 20 2008 - 00:00
Swift end to O'Sullivan's long reignRUGBY : THE LONGEST reign as head coach of the Irish rugby team formally came to a swift and relatively dignified conclusion…Thu Mar 20 2008 - 00:00
Ireland coaching group starts to disbandAs the public await the latest IRFU review on the Six Nations, Eddie O'Sullivan's backroom staff are already beginning to disband…Wed Mar 19 2008 - 00:00
Ireland coaching group starts to disbandAS THE public await the latest IRFU review on the Six Nations, Eddie O'Sullivan's backroom staff are already beginning to disband…Wed Mar 19 2008 - 00:00
Fields all choked at end of eraEngland 33 Ireland 10: EVEN SWING low didn't carry the echoes of past hammerings hereabouts but, as it reverberated around the…Mon Mar 17 2008 - 00:00
Nobody bounced for dead rubberSIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP/ENGLAND v IRELAND: IN KEEPING with the selection strategy of his tenure, Eddie O'Sullivan's response…Wed Mar 12 2008 - 00:00
One golden boy for another as Cipriani startsNO SELECTION was going to flag England's strategy against Ireland more than that of Brian Ashton's choice at outhalfWed Mar 12 2008 - 00:00
Ireland in desperate need of new directionTHE BOTTOM line on Saturday is that fortune favoured the brave, and by rights it should have done so even more handsomelyTue Mar 11 2008 - 00:00
Gatland makes changes for Croke ParkROTATING THE bulk of a tightly knit squad of 28 since the outset of the championship, Warren Gatland has ensured a healthy level…Wed Mar 05 2008 - 00:00
Stade Français target O'CallaghanBoth Stade Français and Gloucester are believed to have made lucrative offers to the Lions, Ireland and Munster lock Donncha …Tue Mar 04 2008 - 00:00
It's nothing personal, only it isIreland v Wales: Wales are going for the Grand Slam next Saturday, but there's a little more than that at stakeSat Mar 01 2008 - 00:00
Edwards an ambitious right-hand man for GatlandA CENTRAL figure in Warren Gatland's success at Wasps was Shaun Edwards, whose co-opting onto the Welsh backroom ticket as defence…Sat Mar 01 2008 - 00:00
O'Sullivan, Gatland get ready for 80-minute shoot-outHollywood couldn't have written a better script as former Ireland coach Warren Gatland brings his resurgent Wales side into town…Tue Feb 26 2008 - 00:00
Spark back as leading players find their nicheIreland 34 Scotland 13: IRELAND DID unto Scotland what France had done to them, and indeed the Scots, beforehandMon Feb 25 2008 - 00:00
Careering coaches' collision course setRARELY HAVE three rounds felt like such glorified warm-up actsMon Feb 25 2008 - 00:00
Hadden opts for four wingersFacing the prospect of a third defeat in three games after last season's latest wooden spoon, Frank Hadden is a coach under pressure…Wed Feb 20 2008 - 00:00
Rotation system victim of negative spinOn Rugby: Perceived wisdom has it that "experimenting" or "rotating" squads is not as conducive to winning as having a settled…Tue Feb 19 2008 - 00:00
Les Bleus keep faith and change hymn sheetRUGBY: The first year of a "World Cup cycle" is the time to implement change, introducing new players and approaches, as well…Thu Feb 07 2008 - 00:00
Ashton out to produce a different EnglandSIX NATIONS COUNTDOWN: One of the curiosities of this tournament is that it features two former Ireland coaches, and they go…Tue Jan 29 2008 - 00:00
O'Connell to miss early Six Nations matchesAs expected, the Munster and Ireland secondrow Paul O'Connell has been ruled out of the initial stages of the Six Nations Championship…Mon Jan 14 2008 - 00:00
Munster to do it the hard wayClermont Auvergne v Munster: Munster are not quite in the same fettle as when they completed back-to-back wins over Llanelli…Sat Jan 12 2008 - 00:00
Fate is not always Connacht's best friendOn Rugby: It often takes an outsider of more independent thinking to make the most telling observations, and so it was that …Tue Jan 08 2008 - 00:00
French leave nothing to chanceEuropean Cup news: Leinster and Munster renew acquaintances with their French foes in the Heineken European Cup this weekend…Tue Jan 08 2008 - 00:00
Leinster to pack a stronger punchLeinster v Ospreys: The Irish provinces have copped a fair amount of flak over the years for denuding the Magners League, but…Sat Jan 05 2008 - 00:00
Debney is thrown in at the deep endEuropean Cup Referee appointments: English referee Rob Debney has been appointed to referee Munster's crunch Heineken Cup game…Sat Jan 05 2008 - 00:00
Fresh faces bring added intrigueUlster v Munster: A fixture that might not have carried its recent lustre is given added intrigue by the presence of Matt Williams…Fri Jan 04 2008 - 00:00
What's not in there is far more revealingAt first glance, the IRFU's statement on foot of the review by management consultants Genesis into Ireland's World Cup sheds …Wed Dec 19 2007 - 00:00
Williams closer to getting Ulster jobMatt Williams' status as favourite to fill the vacancy as Ulster coach caused by the resignation of Mark McCall last month has…Tue Dec 18 2007 - 00:00
Review sheds little light on failureRUGBY: The IRFU last night issued a statement at around 9Tue Dec 18 2007 - 00:00
Expect a backlash rather than a back-to-backOn Rugby Watching the outdoor sporting events of the last week or so in Europe, the thought occurred that if Jose Mourinho was…Tue Dec 11 2007 - 00:00
Munster in need can be Munster in deedPool Five/Llanelli Scarlets v Munster: Ever the drama kings and never ones to do things in a routine manner, Munster face up…Sat Dec 08 2007 - 00:00
