Last chance for LeinsterHope springs eternal and all that: partly based on the premise that Leinster are seemingly at their most dangerous when supposed…Fri Dec 17 1999 - 00:00
Injury to Clohessy weakens MunsterMunster's front-row resources have been left looking a little threadbare in advance of Saturday's Heineken European Cup return…Thu Dec 16 1999 - 00:00
Two Irish named in panel of 34The International Rugby Board have named 34 referees from 12 countries who will join their first panel for the new millennium…Wed Dec 15 1999 - 00:00
Broken finger may rule Keane out for a monthKillian Keane could be sidelined for up to a month after sustaining a suspected fracture in his left index finger during training…Wed Dec 15 1999 - 00:00
Munster well on course for a home quarter-finalAs one of only three clubs with unbeaten records at the halfway point of the pool stages in the European Cup, Munster remain …Tue Dec 14 1999 - 00:00
A snub to Williams' European conquestLast Friday, eight of the finest sporting judges in the land, sports editors one and all, chose Sean Boylan ahead of Harry Williams…Tue Dec 14 1999 - 00:00
Dummy runs on opening dayOpening days can be notoriously misleading in any leagueTue Dec 07 1999 - 00:00
Lansdowne expose Shannon's frailtiesEarly days yet, as they say, and one win doesn't guarantee a good winterMon Dec 06 1999 - 00:00
Shaky investment needs to reap positive dividendThe 10th edition of the All-Ireland League, Division One kicks off this afternoon amid arguably the biggest crisis that has ever…Sat Dec 04 1999 - 00:00
Talented ranks at disposal of ConstitutionIn a fairly impressive statement of intent, Cork Constitution have underlined the seamless sense of continuity in their young…Thu Dec 02 1999 - 00:00
New recruits boost hopes of title dreamersIt's back. For better or worse, the AIB All-Ireland League cranks back into top gear this Saturday with the opening round of …Wed Dec 01 1999 - 00:00
Munster success a two-edged swordAt Heathrow on Sunday night, the Munster party split into two as they headed back to Cork and LimerickTue Nov 30 1999 - 00:00
Staunton seals gutsy victoryScorelines can tell lies but this one doesn't. It was that good. Munster started badlyMon Nov 29 1999 - 00:00
Sublime Munster victoryMunster have had their days, the All Blacks and all that, but beating Saracens 35-34 at Vicarage Road yesterday in a pulsating…Mon Nov 29 1999 - 00:00
Searching test for MunsterIf Pontypridd provided something of a mirror image of Munster in terms of tradition and a proud sense of parochial identity, …Sat Nov 27 1999 - 00:00
Ulster's reign to have short life spanUlster climbed the mountain top and saw the promised land last season, but try as they might the European Cup holders cannot …Sat Nov 27 1999 - 00:00
Champions need to sting WaspsUlster have been doing their best to confine last season's memorable European Cup success to the history books, but unless the…Fri Nov 26 1999 - 00:00
Wallace v Wallace a non-starterProving perhaps that at times there isn't much room for sentiment in the modern game, the much-anticipated first ever clash of…Fri Nov 26 1999 - 00:00
Ireland squad ripe for changeCrisis, what crisis? One of the more endearing features of Irish rugby fans is that, as someone once remarked, by the time they…Tue Nov 23 1999 - 00:00
Munster growing in confidenceThere are, naturally enough, two ways of looking on this oneMon Nov 22 1999 - 00:00
Leinster prove the real tigersGo Figure. On form, it hardly seemed possible but Irish rugby's capacity for surprise remains as undiminished as ever, particularly…Sat Nov 20 1999 - 00:00
Munster to face a mirror imageIf Munster were in any way narcissistic (and in truth they're not really) then they might allow themselves an admiring glance…Sat Nov 20 1999 - 00:00
Leinster centre on Horgan, O'DriscollMike Ruddock won't be holding his breath, for he's been in this position before, but the indications are that the dream midfield…Wed Nov 17 1999 - 00:00
Time for root and Branch reformIrish rugby should be hopping excitedly this week, though you sense it can barely stifle a collective yawnTue Nov 16 1999 - 00:00
Munster rest key playersThe die has been cast and the demarcation lines have effectively been drawn, rendering this Friday's concluding round of matches…Wed Nov 10 1999 - 00:00
Failed World Cup needs an overhaulThe bottom line with any World Cup in any sport is whether it scaled new heights, left enduringly new and positive impressions…Tue Nov 09 1999 - 00:00
Winners emphasise all of the hard workThe abiding lesson from the World Cup, and the final especially, was that for prospective champions individual ability can take…Mon Nov 08 1999 - 00:00
Lionheart who holds the centre on the reformed bad boy who loves big tackles more than scoring triesWhen you first see Richard Dourthe playing for the opposition, he seems the kind of abrasive player you'd imagine you'd most …Thu Nov 04 1999 - 00:00
French at ease being `intense underdogs'Suddenly the French are de rigueur among their fellow Europeans as they carry the continent's flag into this Saturday's World…Wed Nov 03 1999 - 00:00
O'Sullivan joins Irish set-upEddie O'Sullivan will fill the vacancy created by Philip Danaher's departure as the new assistant coach of the Ireland teamTue Nov 02 1999 - 00:00
Possibly greatest game of all timeThe feel-good factor lasted long into the night, which not even a near two-hour delay on the Heathrow tarmac could diminishTue Nov 02 1999 - 00:00
Wallabies deserve tight winThe Wallabies demonstrated their collective nerves of steel on Saturday to finally win a place in the final of the World CupMon Nov 01 1999 - 00:00
No excuses from dejected All Black managementThe post-match inquest had probably already begun back in New Zealand, where no defeat hurts moreMon Nov 01 1999 - 00:00
France cock of the walkQuite simply one of the most outstanding and astonishing days in the history of rugbyMon Nov 01 1999 - 00:00
French unlikely to cause upsetAmid the private war between the three Southern Hemisphere giants, in normal circumstances France would be welcome party poopers…Sat Oct 30 1999 - 01:00
Tri-Nations duel promises plentyIT hasn't panned out as the home unions would have liked, and effectively this World Cup has become a Tri-Nations' showdown in…Sat Oct 30 1999 - 01:00
Irish ills won't be fixed by sackingsAlthough it briefly seemed as if Warren Gatland and his Irish management team might be caught in the eye of a post-Lens storm…Tue Oct 26 1999 - 01:00
Pumas win hearts if not the matchThe sense of occasion may have suffered because of Ireland's absence, but the game itself most certainly didn'tMon Oct 25 1999 - 01:00
Gatland decision in next fortnightWith the focus of attention now switching to 62 Lansdowne Road, the fate of Warren Gatland and the Irish management team will…Fri Oct 22 1999 - 01:00
Gatland defiant despite defeatThe Irish management will have no darker nights in their careers and it was etched all over their gloomy faces at the post-match…Thu Oct 21 1999 - 01:00
Losing just isn't an optionThe theory at one point might have been that the vagaries of the World Cup format would grant Ireland a play-off in Lens against…Wed Oct 20 1999 - 01:00
Time for tempo to really heat upThe format has been flawed, the marketing has been non-existent, the disciplinary procedures at times risible, the refereeing…Tue Oct 19 1999 - 01:00
A flanker again out in the openKieron Dawson's second incarnation as an Irish openside will, one hopes, last a good deal longer than the first and be a good…Tue Oct 19 1999 - 01:00
Gatland includes all his acesThe gamble against Romania having paid off, the Irish management have reshuffled the deck for tomorrow night's play-off in Lens…Tue Oct 19 1999 - 01:00
Out-half debate continuesAside from now having the credentials to audition for Scarface, Eric Elwood's head-splitting brush with Jonathan Bell's elbow…Mon Oct 18 1999 - 01:00
