Aston Villa may have missed out on a return to the Premier League but Jack Grealish could yet get there for next season. The fear for any side relegated from the Premier League is that if they don’t get back within a season they could be in the Championship, or worse, for a long time. […]

8 years ago

“I hope now, at the World Cup, I’m going to take the reins of the France team, try to be the boss on and off the pitch.” Paul Pogba spoke bullishly about his upcoming role and responsibilities for the French team at World cup 2018. In an interview given in mid May, the Manchester United […]

8 years ago

“Against Carlow last year, Jim Gavin started 11 of the 15 players that went on to make the All-Ireland final team.” Ahead of their Leinster Senior Football Championship opener against Wicklow, Dublin boss Jim Gavin showed he was looking for a strong start to the summer by including a rake of big names in his […]

8 years ago

God help Clare if these lads click together. Kerry face Clare in the Munster Senior Football Championship on Sunday, June 3 and Eamonn Fitzmaurice has shown his hand. The Kingdom boss has named a mighty strong side to kick off their quest for Sam Maguire in Killarney and there is a return for a familiar […]

8 years ago

And we thought Irish fans went crazy whenever we reached a World Cup… Nigeria have been lumped into a World Cup group with Iceland, Croatia and Argentina but that has not dampened their spirits one bit. ‘The Super Eagles’ are weeks away from the footy extravaganza in Russia and have been getting prepped in their […]

8 years ago

Four into two won’t go. With respect to Grand Slam winner Quinn Roux, four of the five locks selected to tour Australia with Ireland will be travelling Down Under with realistic aims of starting the First Test. James Ryan and Iain Henderson finished a dominant Six Nations campaign as the starting lock partnership but Devin […]

8 years ago

Just the one Leinster player… You may or may not have noticed but the Guinness PRO14 have yet to announce their 2017/18 Dream Team. The ‘Best XV’ of the season is often announced at the tail-end of the season but not this time around. PRO14 communications manager Adam Redmond told Wales Online, earlier this week, that […]

8 years ago

This is a cracking team. Munster had already secured the signatures of Mike Haley and Tadhg Beirne, for next season, and promoted a couple of academy players. Their recent transfer activities makes them an altogether different beast for 2018/19. South African flanker Arno Botha was signed from London Irish but head coach Johann van Graan […]

8 years ago

Another twist in the tale. On The Hard Yards, on May 21, Dragons head coach Bernard Jackman indicated that Ulster were on the look-out for ‘a foreign 10’. The news, delivered in a matter-of-fact manner, suggested that Ulster’s intentions were in the ether. It also suggested that neither Joey Carbery nor Ross Byrne would be playing […]

8 years ago

Confirmed by the IRFU and the player this afternoon. Joey Carbery will play his rugby at Munster next season. The news was confirmed by the IRFU as players and coaches met with the media at Carton House this afternoon. News. @JoeyCarbery to join @Munsterrugby next season. pic.twitter.com/wRFNC9pNQm — Irish Rugby (@IrishRugby) May 31, 2018 Carbery […]

8 years ago

The Real Madrid players found out their manager was leaving just over 72 hours after they had claimed their third successive Champions League trophy. Zinedine Zidane has stepped down as Real manager but told reporters and fans that his departure was a case of ‘Hasta pronto’ [see you soon]. The French football legend led Los […]

8 years ago

Stop the lights. Leinster are losing Jordi Murphy, Richardt Strauss and Isa Nacewa this summer and Joey Carbery is heading out the exit door to Munster. Stuart Lancaster and Leo Cullen have overseen an damned impressive turnaround in the past two seasons and have brought Leinster to a point where they are the dominant side […]

8 years ago

“I’d just say I’m delighted with today, we are where we are and when they come back in two and a half months time to get together we will know where we need to go next.” A couple of hours after Ireland’s Grand Slam win, Joe Schmidt was asked if this was the best Ireland […]

8 years ago

Louis van Gaal wanted to bring the Dutch international to Old Trafford in 2014. It will surprise few to hear that Liverpool are in the market for a new goalkeeper ahead of 2018/19. Simon Mignolet started the season as Reds number one but he was eventually edged out by Loris Karius. The German had a […]

8 years ago

He was an unsung hero… until now. And there are a few singing about him. One of the most commonly heard phrases in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening was ’55 players’. Stuart Lancaster, Leo Cullen, Isa Nacewa, Garry Ringrose, Johnny Sexton and Sean Cronin were all interviewed after their team’s 40-32 Guinness PRO14 final […]

8 years ago

THIS is what we are paying our licence fee for. This sort of dogged determination and ingenuity. Earlier in the day, in Paris, travelling Irish fans were basking in the summer sun as they fuelled up for their country’s friendly with France. And then it began to chuck it down. By the time the Irish […]

8 years ago

There was not much wrong with Scott Williams’ initial tackle but it was the follow-up by James Davies that really stung. ‘The Leinster Loop’ or ‘The Sexton Loop’. Call it what you will but it has been a move that has brought great success to Leinster and Ireland for the best part of a decade […]

8 years ago

As cameos go, it was pretty damned good. If we had not seen him do it before – and on that same pitch against Fiji – many would have doubted if Joey Carbery’s 71st minute line break was that good. He has and it was. Carbery has seen little time for Leinster at 10 this […]

8 years ago

“We will be back next year in the final.” It was a rollercoaster of emotions for Liverpool fans across the world, on Saturday, and the Irish contingent of Reds supporters were left drained after a white-knuckle Champions League final in Kiev. SportsJOE and JOE were right there with many of the Liverpool faithful for the […]

8 years ago

This will be a game the Liverpool goalkeeper will never be able to forget. In the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Roma, Loris Karius got a flimsy touch of a speculative 30-yard pop on his goal but the ball ricocheted off the Liverpool crossbar and Mo Salah got to goalscoring work soon […]

8 years ago

You have to respect Johnny Sexton for not backing away from this question so soon after Leinster clinched their league and European trophy double. The Leinster outhalf helped his side to a Guinness PRO14 walloping of Scarlets that was nowhere near as close as the final scoreline of 40-32 suggests. Sexton kicked 13 points and […]

8 years ago

LEINSTER 40-32 SCARLETS Jordan Larmour scored another stunning try as Leinster steam-rolled Scarlets to become the reigning Champions Cup and Guinness PRO14 champions. The champ champs, if you will. Leo Cullen and Stuart Lancaster’s side ran in five tries against last season’s PRO12 winners to secure a historic double and prove, once again, they are […]

8 years ago

“The breakdown, obviously, is number one.” South African referee Stuart Berry sees rugby the way most of us do at the moment. Matches are won and lost at the breakdown and whoever has their way in that hot zone sets themselves up to win the contest as a whole. Berry will take charge of the […]

8 years ago

Preparation is key

8 years ago

Many Munster fans would readily agree to this and Ulster are not in a position to be picky. The Guinness PRO14 semi-final between Leinster and Munster once again highlighted an issue that has dogged the southern province since Ronan O’Gara retired in 2013. JJ Hanrahan was getting a run of starts after Ian Keatley had […]

8 years ago

“It’s a proud moment for me and my family.” With 2017/18 in the bag, Manchester United are getting some business done nice and early. To that end, United have handed a professional contract to a Northern Irish teenager who has impressed in his first season with the club’s Under-18s. Ethan Galbraith joined United last July […]

8 years ago

“I’m either off to Thailand next week or I’ll be on that tour.” Ulster scrum-half John Cooney is a glass completely full type of guy. After helping his team to clinch Champions Cup rugby for next season, the Dubliner reflected that he would either be in Ireland’s squad to tour Australia or resting up on […]

8 years ago

Steven Gerrard has already brought in three new faces but lots more are expected to follow. The former Liverpool captain will officially start as Rangers manager on June 1 but work has already been going on behind the scenes ti get the jump on next season. Rangers finished the season third in the Scottish Premiership […]

8 years ago

“One of the sharpest brains in rugby.” You can’t blame Stuart Barnes for making the suggestion. You would not blame England for reaching out and making the enquiry. Ronan O’Gara could, then, be set for a top international job just a year out from the 2019 World Cup. Still, Barnes may be reaching a bit […]

8 years ago

Make this happen, sooner rather than later. James McClean played at Celtic Park on Sunday and, as he so often does, gave a good account of himself. McClean played in an Ireland XI against Brendan Rodgers’ side in a testimonial game for club captain Scott Brown. The game finished 2-2, with Alan Browne and Callum […]

8 years ago

Under the IRFU’s current Player Welfare Scheme, we never thought we would see a player scoring so freely for province and country again. Ulster ended a woeful, drama-filled season with the best possible result as they secured Champions Cup rugby for next season. Ospreys started well against a severely injury-hit Ulster but could not maintain […]

8 years ago

“It’s easy to say in hindsight.” Leinster are setting the standard in Europe and in the Guinness PRO14, Peter O’Mahony admitted after his Munster side fell 16-15 to the Blues in their league semi-final at The RDS. There was not much else for the Munster captain to say but he was never going to get […]

8 years ago

LEINSTER 16-15 MUNSTER The winners keep winning but, hell, it was one grandstand finish. Leinster set up a Guinness PRO14 final with Scarlets, next weekend, but they were pushed all the way in a pulsating contest at The RDS. James Ryan, who was a titan for Leinster, set a bruising tone with a big, early […]

8 years ago

The young man is clearly determined to finish the season unbeaten, and with another trophy. If you include Ireland’s summer tours to America and Japan as part of 2017/18, James Ryan has 21 wins and 0 defeats in his first full year of professional rugby. The 21-year-old has already won himself a Grand Slam and […]

8 years ago

With Conor McGregor unlikely to face any jail time for his part in the bus attack before UFC 223, he could well fight a couple of times before the year is out. McGregor is due in court, in Brooklyn, on June 14 to face charges pertaining to his role in the attack on a bus […]

8 years ago

This man has a way with words. Saturday afternoon at the Allianz Stadium, La Vecchia Signora will bid farewell to a man who goes beyond the word legend. Gianluigi Buffon will play his final game for ‘The Old Lady’ when Serie A champions Juventus take on Verona in the final game of the league season. After […]

8 years ago

Typical of Ronan O’Gara, he never backs down from a hard truth. The pinnacle of O’Gara’s many, many battles with Leinster is, to his mind and the minds of thousands of Irish rugby fans, the 2006 Heineken Cup semi-final annihilation. Leinster had beaten Toulouse to earn a Lansdowne Road semi against Munster and Biarritz would […]

8 years ago

How Mayo could have done with him at MacHale Park last Sunday. Last season, we flagged how Mayo fans were screaming out for Shane Nally to get more of a run in Stephen Rochford’s team. This championship season, with Mayo already on the ropes and facing into another slew of challenges in the qualifiers, Nally […]

8 years ago

He got into the France World Cup squad ahead of the likes of Alexandre Lacazette, Karim Benzema and Anthony Martial. Nabil Fekir will help Lyon secure Champions League football if, this weekend, he helps them to overcome Nice on the final day of the Ligue 1 season. Lyon currently sit in third and are a […]

8 years ago

Jurgen Klopp is expected to spend big this summer after giving fans a taste of how good this Liverpool side can be. Liverpool still have the gigantic matter of a Champions League final in Kiev to think about but plans are already afoot to bring in some fresh faces. The Reds had already secured the […]

8 years ago

“He was very talented, was Ando.” Michael Owen spent a few seasons with Anderson Luís de Abreu Oliveira at Manchester United. The Brazilian was signed from Porto at the age of 19 after United had taken a long, hard look at him and decided he was worth the punt. He had already made his debut for […]

8 years ago

Such raw honesty from Kevin McLaughlin

8 years ago

Scott Arfield, Allan McGregor and Jamie Murphy are all in, but Steven Gerrard is not finished yet. The former Liverpool captain has not stopped since he was confirmed as Rangers manager and has already made significant additions to his coaching and playing staff. Arfield looked to be Ibrox-bound even before Gerrard got the top job […]

8 years ago

The Athlone native will play no further part in Leinster’s push for a European and PRO14 double. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has confirmed that Robbie Henshaw’s season with the Blues is over. The 24-year-old will miss the Guinness PRO14 semi-final with Munster, this weekend, and the final should his side get there. Speaking at […]

8 years ago

If this lad can avoid serious injuries, he could be remembered as one of Ireland’s best ever. In the mixed zone at the San Mames stadium in Bilbao, a group of rugby reporters were reflecting on the man of the match performance by Leinster lock James Ryan. Out of the group of nine or 10, […]

8 years ago

If you pick one outside the Top 6, the quiz is over!

8 years ago

Fullback, outhalf, right wing, left wing, sub. That was the gist of it for Isa Nacewa in his first season at Leinster after Michael Cheika brought him over from Auckland Blues. Nacewa played his first game for Leinster just under 10 years ago and while there were glimpses of his potential in the early months […]

8 years ago

The list of candidates is outstanding. With two weekends of the 2017/18 regular season to go [we still have Australia to look forward to], Irish rugby is in great shape. Joe Schmidt’s men are the Grand Slam champions, Leinster claimed the Champions Cup and both they and Munster are in the Guinness PRO14 semi-final. As […]

8 years ago

“For Munster, this is their final. Coming up to Dublin and trying to turn over Leinster in their back yard. It’s going to be a great game.” Former Munster centre James Downey spent two seasons at the southern province and he knows how they get themselves up for games against Leinster. Downey was joined by […]

8 years ago

The ‘Champions’ part of the competition name is likely to stay but Heineken could be back in a big way. Back in 2014, we all had to get used to calling the Heineken Cup the Champions Cup. Some never got their heads around it at all. Over in France, where alcohol sponsorship is a teeny […]

8 years ago