“Effort is everything.” That is the bare requirement for players in Ireland’s squad and across the four provinces. It is a credo driven by Joe Schmidt that has filtered down to all aspects of Irish rugby. It is one that has seen Schmidt claim nine major trophies, and a Grand Slam, in the eight years […]

8 years ago

One battle may be postponed until the November internationals, but try telling that to Robbie Henshaw… You look at the current Ireland team right now – the one that started the 24-15 win over England – and try to pick a weakness. It’s damned hard to do. The front row is a world-class unit, that […]

8 years ago

“It feels more special, not only because of starting every game but captaining the side.” You will struggle to find a man in the game of rugby as well liked as Rory Best. Peers, teammates, rivals, media members, charity organisations and fans will all have lovely, personal Rory Best anecdotes that often make you wonder […]

8 years ago

“I’m proud of the way some guys got thrown in there and survived.” Joe Schmidt had every right to be proud, on Saturday, as several of his young charges played massive parts in Ireland’s Grand Slam triumph. Last summer, Schmidt selected Andrew Porter, James Ryan and Jacob Stockdale among eight new faces for the summer […]

8 years ago

Proper order and reward for one hell of a rescue act. Heading into the Six Nations, and with all due respect to a quality Munster openside, this was the pecking order for Ireland’s No.7 jersey: Sean O’Brien Rhys Ruddock Josh van der Flier Dan Leavy Tommy O’Donnell With O’Brien and Ruddock battling respective hip and […]

8 years ago

“Up until the very last second, Bundee Aki was only passing right.” On Saturday (Sunday and Monday too), the nation marvelled at the stunning Ireland set-play that opened up England’s defence at cleared the way for CJ Stander to score his side’s second try. Tadhg Furlong’s smart and his flicked pass, Johnny Sexton’s dummy run, […]

8 years ago

Tough love in the English dressing room. On March 18th 2017, England came to Dublin with a Grand Slam in their sights. They were blown off the park but had a championship title to console themselves with. 364 days later, on St Patrick’s Day in London, Ireland arrived and were looking for a Grand Slam […]

8 years ago

What a day. What a game. What a championship. What a Grand Slam. What men! Ireland are the 2018 Six Nations champions after swatting away the challenges of their five closest northern hemisphere rivals. It began with a squeaky victory over in Paris, rolled on through a dominant home stand and ended up with a […]

8 years ago

Thinking of teammates, near and far. Ireland were completely indebted to Chris Farrell when Robbie Henshaw injured his shoulder, two games into the Grand Slam quest. France and Italy had been dealt with but a physical Welsh side were coming to Dublin and still gunning for the title. Farrell and his teammates sent them packing. […]

8 years ago

“Yeah, we couldn’t have done it without Jordan Larmour, Garry, Joey, these young guys have been exceptional.” Simon Zebo, Donnacha Ryan, Jared Payne, Sean O’Brien, Rhys Ruddock, Tommy O’Donnell, Niall Scannell, Jamie Heaslip, Andrew Trimble, Tommy Bowe. That is just a selection of the experienced Ireland internationals either missing through injury or not required by Joe […]

8 years ago

“I disagree. I don’t go back to Rob Kearney I go forward to Rob Kearney. Rob Kearney goes forward.” That was Joe Schmidt’s response when it was mentioned that, justifiably, he ‘kept going back’ to the Leinster fullback. Heading into the 2018 Six Nations, Kearney still needed to convince a lot of people that he […]

8 years ago

If you want to stop Ireland, you get to Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton. That has so often proved easier said than done. Even when the opposition get to these men, you will find that both Murray and Sexton bounce back up and keep playing. Last year, when Kieran Marmion partnered Sexton in the final […]

8 years ago

In the end, Ireland won the 2018 Six Nations at a canter. What started in nail-biting fashion, in Paris, was followed by a dominant home stand and a comprehensive win over England at Twickenham. Another Grand Slam in the bag. Due to Ireland’s sheer ruthlessness and class in the championship, the nominations for the Six […]

8 years ago

What a legend. Johnny Sexton has added a Grand Slam and a Triple Crown to his already impressive trophy haul. He may have lost his Six Nations winners’ medal in the post-match celebrations but the powers-that-be will surely mint him a fresh one. Sexton, not for the first time, came in for some close attention […]

8 years ago

We are cramped in a corridor just around from the white-walled staging area for the post-match mixed zone. Jonny May, Chris Robshaw and Dylan Hartley are out speaking to the English press but the guts of the Irish media contingent are waiting for the Grand Slam winners to emerge from a victorious ‘Away’ dressing room […]

8 years ago

Oh Shane. Shane, Shane, Shane, Shane, Shane…. Ever since former Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey showed up at the Champs Elysses to hog some limelight of Stephen Roche’s Tour de France win, back in 1986, Irish politicians have been clamping on to sporting success like good-o. Sports Minister Shane Ross is the latest to get his […]

8 years ago

At 4:06, Ireland and England were tied at 0-0 but the game was already swinging one way. By 4:58 that swing was comprehensive. There is always something unsettling about being in the middle of Twickenham during the national anthems. The pomp, ceremony and sheer brio with which God Save The Queen is hollered out is […]

8 years ago

“We should do all we can to keep him around as long as possible. We should scrap and claw to keep him in Ireland, especially if we go deep into the World Cup.” Those were my words at the end of 2017, as Ireland ended the year on a seven-game winning streak and set their […]

8 years ago

‘In Edinburgh and Paris, this England team shattered into pieces. All that was left was for Ireland to administer the dustbin and brush.’ That was the take of The Telegraph’s Paul Hayward as he chewed over England’s 24-15 loss to Ireland and their fifth place finish in the Six Nations. Despite the fact that Eddie Jones […]

8 years ago

What planet were they watching Ireland vs. England on? Garry Ringrose sat down with us, back in January, and spoke about how he would dearly love to be back in time to help Ireland’s quest to claim the Six Nations. His immediate focus was on getting back in Leinster blue but he admitted there would […]

8 years ago

They will be breathing down New Zealand’s neck if they keep up their form on the summer tour to Australia. Ireland confirmed themselves as the best team in the northern hemisphere, this weekend, by defeating former Six Nations champions England and claiming a momentous Grand Slam. Joe Schmidt’s men had climbed to second in the […]

8 years ago

Peter O’Mahony sounded like the man you wanted to be celebrating with at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon/evening and on into the London night. The Munster captain had one of his best games in a green jersey – and he has had several extremely fine games of late – to help Ireland to only their third […]

8 years ago

We knew that looked familiar… Boring old Ireland were expected to dig in for a dogfight at Twickenham. England, we were told, would pin Ireland back and try to play on their nerves. What nerves? Ireland raced into a 14-0 lead and, even after Elliot Daly had scored, they kept pushing forward; kept attacking. Their […]

8 years ago

Maybe this Dylan Hartley lad isn’t so bad after all… Peter O’Mahony may have left the pitch before the final whistle to get a Head Injury [concussion] Assessment but he was in top spirits for the celebrations. Jordan Larmour, who filled in at outside centre for the final 15 minutes of Ireland’s win over England, […]

8 years ago

Get on this! Ireland’s Grand Slam heroes will have an official homecoming at the Aviva Stadium, Lansdowne Road, on Sunday afternoon. Joe Schmidt’s men will return to Dublin Airport just after 2pm and make their way to their home stadium to celebrate their Six Nations and Grand Slam success. The celebrations will begin from 4:30pm. […]

8 years ago

Ireland are 2018 Grand Slam champions. Ireland defeated England 24-15 at Twickenham to cement their status as Six Nations champions and add on only their third Grand Slam in their long history. Tries from Garry Ringrose, CJ Stander and Jacob Stockdale were the outstanding moments in an effort from all 23 Irish players. Here’s how […]

8 years ago

ENGLAND 15-24 IRELAND They’ve done it!! Ireland are the Six Nations Grand Slam champions for only the third time in their history after beating England at Twickenham in a thriller. Joe Schmidt’s side won all five matches and Olé, Olé, Olé rang out as they did enough to get over the line in style. There […]

8 years ago

He’s been in the thick of it. Bundee Aki has definitely left his mark on Ireland’s Grand Slam decider with England. The Connacht centre spurned an early try-scoring chance but, soon after, made a great break to set up a try for CJ Stander. England roared back into the tie and Aki tried to stall […]

8 years ago

At the beginning of this season, we had the pleasure of talking to Jacob Stockdale up at Ulster’s Kingspan Stadium. The 21-year-old had just come from a successful summer tour, with Ireland, to America and Japan. Joe Schmidt would have his Lions back but Stockdale, modest as he is, was up front about wanting to […]

8 years ago

Even with the clock ticking down to its final seconds of regular time, and Ireland 20 points in the clear, the hosts were giving nothing away. Tim Swinson thought he had scored but one man 78 minutes into a huge shift put his body on the line. Average is not acceptable. That is what Andy […]

8 years ago

We all have a friend or a family member like this.

8 years ago

Johnny Sexton is as driven as they come. Against Wales, with his goal-kicking gone to pot, he could have sat back and let his teammates carry the attack to Wales. He had won Ireland enough games over recent years – France springing immediately o mind – but it was not looking like his day. Sexton […]

8 years ago

What do Eddie O’Sullivan, New York’s Gaelic Park, Shane Horgan and WWE star John Layfield all have in common? If you guessed ‘massive shoulder pads’, you’d only be half right. The answer is rugby…. of course. Major League Rugby is kicking off in America this year and will look to follow the template, and success, […]

8 years ago

They have to be right up there. Ahead of the 2015 World Cup, SportsJOE ran a series of polls for the greatest Ireland XV of the professional era. Stephen Ferris ran away with the blindside vote, Jamie Heaslip pipped Anthony Foley and Sean O’Brien just lost out to David Wallace. Those three men were the […]

8 years ago

You’d have thought they’d have had the proper gear for it and all. Ireland’s Winter Olympics team were due to have a big homecoming at Dublin Airport this afternoon but the Irish spring is too wintry. Minster for Sport, Brendan Griffin T.D was due out at the airport to help welcome back the Olympians – Brendan […]

8 years ago

Ireland may opt for a more dynamic, unpredictable presence for the Scotland game. On Monday morning, Fergus McFadden was back on the training pitch for Leinster. Leinster are away to Scarlets this weekend [weather allowing] and McFadden is in need of a decent run out. He has done well for Leinster this season but even […]

8 years ago

Three changes from the Ireland team that saw off Wales in five-try style last weekend. Joe Schmidt’s men are three from three in the 2018 Six Nations and next face a Scotland side buoyed by recent wins over France and England. The knee injury Chris Farrell sustained during Tuesday’s open training session at Lansdowne Road […]

8 years ago

Look, we understand if you’re worried. We’re worried too. Conor Murray is just too bloody good right now. That makes some folks nervous. In New Zealand, the Kiwis worried for years what would ever happen if they lost Dan Carter. They wrung their hands over it for so long that, when Carter pulled up during […]

8 years ago

Last week, Earls. This week, Farrell. What the heck is going on?! Harsh on Chris Farrell but there is room for six of his Ireland teammates. Another week in the books with Ireland now leading the way and are the only team left chasing a Grand Slam. France kicked off the weekend by defeating Italy […]

8 years ago

“Ireland in dreamland in Chicago!” Jamie Heaslip’s career can be summed up in three special moments in the green jersey. Each one of them showed a different side to his game and proved so crucial to his team, and country. Heaslip announced his retirement from rugby on Monday, February 26 and did so with a […]

8 years ago

This would make your blood boil. Ireland Women restored some pride at Donnybrook Stadium, on Sunday, when they beat Wales 35-12 to make it two wins from three Six Nations games. Adam Griggs’ side avenged their Women’s World Cup defeat to the Welsh in some style with tries from Claire Molloy, Hannah Tyrrell, Leah Lyons […]

8 years ago

Sean O’Brien can clearly remember Jamie Heaslip’s Leinster debut. 2005 and the Heaslip was lining out for Ospreys in the Celtic League. O’Brien was involved in the province’s underage set-up and was in awe of the man. Nine years on, in 2014, O’Brien told me: “I went to a lot of Leinster’s games at Donnybrook, […]

8 years ago

The journey is over. Jamie Heaslip – one of the most decorated players in Irish rugby history – has retired from the game. The Leinster, Ireland and Lions star has not played since injuring his back in the warm-up of Ireland’s Six Nations clash with England in March 2017. It was hoped he would return […]

8 years ago

Nothing short of cruel. Eamonn Brannigan made short work of Brian O Beaglaoich in Tralee this afternoon. The An Gaeltacht man was tasked, for much of his side’s Allianz League encounter with Galway, with containing Brannigan but he met his match today. And then some. The 22-year-old has shown glimpses of what he can do […]

8 years ago

The man was relentless. There were suggestions, leading into Ireland’s Six Nations encounter with Wales, that CJ Stander’s place in the back row could be under threat. Stander’s form had certainly done nothing to suggest that he was in line to be dropped but certain quarters had mused on whether Jack Conan could add more […]

8 years ago

Joe Schmidt was asked about his star outhalf several times and did a good job of deflecting. As early as the third minute, most of us watching Ireland’s Six Nations clash with Wales knew something was up with Johnny Sexton. The Ireland No.10 had taken a limited part in Friday’s Captains Run, at Lansdowne Road, […]

8 years ago

Joe Schmidt will have loved this. Alun Wyn Jones is one of the canniest operators out there but he could not escape James Ryan in time. The Wales captain is one of the most experienced forwards in the game and he knows just about every trick of the trade. One fine example of it arrived […]

8 years ago

In the context of the game, John Ryan’s penalty win for Ireland was absolutely gigantic. The Munster prop had come on for Andrew Porter with 15 minutes to go and with his side seven slender points to the good. Ireland had looked to be home and hosed after Cian Healy got Ireland’s fourth try, on […]

8 years ago

England had the Calcutta Cup wrenched off them on the same week that centre Ben Te’o boldly proclaimed that his side’s storied history against Scotland was “irrelevant” to him. Bold words but Te’o will have to live with them for a while yet after the Scots blew England off the Murrayfield pitch on Saturday. After […]

8 years ago

The Munster and Ireland centre is softly spoken but his words hold a lot of weight. I first met Chris Farrell in 2014 on a trip to France to watch Grenoble prepare for a meeting with Racing 92. He had opted to join Bernard Jackman’s side in the Top 14 after two injury-ravaged seasons with […]

8 years ago