Category Archives: Rugby News

O’Connor favourite to succeed Schmidt


Leicester Tigers coach Matt O’Connor is now favourite to succeed Joe Schmidt in Leinster. Schmidt’s move to Lansdowne Road will be confirmed by the IRFU tomorrow, and O’Connor is in pole position to take over in time for pre-season training … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, IRFU, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Sports Comment | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Lions to kick off in Ireland


  Punters in Ireland will be able to get a close-up look at the Lions before they head Down Under thanks to Carton House being chosen for the pre-tour camp.   The tourists will begin arriving in Kildare on 19 … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, Brendan Fanning, British and Irish Lions, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Munster Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Sports Comment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

O’Driscoll Open to One More Season


Brian O’Driscoll may well continue with Leinster and Ireland for another season, despite widespread opinion that the Lions tour to Australia is shaping up as his last act on a rugby field. I understand from sources close to the former … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, British and Irish Lions, Concussion, IRFU, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Sports Comment | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Shorts


NEXT STEP FOR KIDNEY Just as one door is about to close, another one opens. And the good news for Declan Kidney is that his next gig may be a 10 minute spin from his gaff in Ballincollig. UCC, where … Continue reading

Posted in Australia, British and Irish Lions, IRFU, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Melbourne Rebels, Queensland rugby, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Sports Comment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Kidney call puts him in make or break territory


  We used to look at the decision in 2008 to run with Denis Hurley and Tomas O’Leary ahead of Shaun Payne and Peter Stringer for Munster as the high water mark for Declan Kidney’s capacity to surprise. And then … Continue reading

Posted in Brendan Fanning, IRFU, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Munster, Munster Rugby, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Scottish rugby, Six Nations, Sports Comment, Ulster, Ulster Rugby | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Healy lumbered with extra helpings


Question: when is a three week ban not a three week ban? Answer: Eh, when it includes a week where the guilty party is not likely to be active. In which case it becomes, effectively, a four week ban. And … Continue reading

Posted in Brendan Fanning, British and Irish Lions, IRB, IRFU, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Refereeing, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Six Nations, Sports Comment | Tagged | 1 Comment

Healy not looking at lengthy sentence


One thing we’ve learned from ugly optics on the rugby field is that what you see is not always what you get. So the seemingly awful stamp of Cian Healy on the ankle of Dan Cole was actually not as … Continue reading

Posted in Brendan Fanning, British and Irish Lions, IRB, IRFU, Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Munster, Munster Rugby, Refereeing, RFU, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Sports Comment, Ulster, Ulster Rugby | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Good day’s work for IRFU and RTE


Choppy waters these days for the IRFU bean counters, but this morning’s shift in the tv landscape will smooth things out for a while. And RTE are breathing a little easier as well. The rights deal that sees Ireland’s November … Continue reading

Posted in Autumn Internationals, Brendan Fanning, IRB, IRFU, Irish Rugby, Italy rugby, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion, Rugby World Cup, Scottish rugby, Sports Comment, Wales | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Cowman leaves Leinster for higher calling


Joe Schmidt will soon have to factor Jason Cowman out of the Leinster equation after the strength and conditioning coach accepted an offer to move up to the Ireland job. Gradually, the IRFU are filling the gaps around the national … Continue reading

Posted in Irish Rugby, Leinster Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Independent medics to make a safer game


There is hope that the light at the end of the tunnel is not an oncoming train. At last the IRB are introducing independent medics to improve their concussion protocol, and it will start on a trial basis in next … Continue reading

Posted in Concussion, IRB, Rugby, Rugby News, Rugby Opinion | Tagged , | Leave a comment