Schmidt has made his selection and there are a few new faces. Ireland have announced their squad for the Six Nations. Joe Schmidt named his extended squad for the team’s defence of the Six Nations on Wednesday afternoon. The three uncapped playees included are all from Connacht – scrumhalf Caolin Blade, centre Tom Farrell and […]

7 years ago

“I got quite lucky. They’re not all like this, from what I know.” The ‘they’re’ Chloe Madeley is referring to is rugby players. It is a subject she has learned a lot about ever since, at James’ urging, she jumped onboard ‘The Haskell Train’. The Northampton Saints and England star has been with Madeley since […]

7 years ago

If you’re not feeling right, this is worth looking at. The bad news for Mayo footballer fans is that Cillian O’Connor is going to miss a good chunk of the Allianz Leagues campaign. The good news is that he has at least identified what was causing him issues with his knee. The Mayo captain was […]

7 years ago

One hopes the latest comeback is his last in a long stretch. Sean O’Brien is back training, and in full training too. The Carlow native has been out of action since breaking his arm against Argentina in November. Two months on and he is back in the selection mix for Leinster ahead of a game […]

7 years ago

“It’s the most terrifying moment of camp.” There was a famous Irish training session, back in 2015, when Joe Schmidt invited the Under 20s in to train with the senior team ahead of the World Cup. The young lads showed no fear, threw themselves about and there were a few feisty altercations. From that squad, […]

7 years ago

It is worth considering that the £7m annual salary cap was imposed the Premiership chiefs to save its rugby clubs from themselves. After 2016/17, in England, Exeter Chiefs and newly promoted Bristol Bears were the only Premiership side to post a profit. Three clubs had losses of over £6m. In Ireland, the success of the […]

7 years ago

Many of the World XVs compiled late last year accommodated Ben Smith on the wing yet found no room for Keith Earls or Jacob Stockdale. On Saturday, at Kingspan Stadium, Jacob Stockdale showed the world, in case folks have switched off the last 18 months, that he is the best finisher in the game. In […]

7 years ago

The Grand Slam decider went as Joe Schmidt and his players planned, and wanted. There was no hint of fear out on the Twickenham pitch, that day, from the men in green. The high ball strategy that led to Garry Ringrose’s try, the set-play and Tadhg Furlong offload that set up the CJ Stander try […]

7 years ago

“He deserves it.” Later this week, Ireland are set to name their Guinness Six Nations squad for rounds one and two of the 2019 championship. Joe Schmidt has nine games left before the World Cup and the next five are the last competitive fixtures until they get to it in Japan. The coach will name an […]

7 years ago

The Irish provinces are managing their resources very well and benefitting from clarity and having the backing of their coaches, and union. This weekend, Gloucester, Toulouse, Sale and Racing 92 all took on Irish provinces. All of them lost. One of the excuses English rugby fans, and pundits, are pulling out, in light of their […]

7 years ago

Ireland are not into a crisis just yet, but Joe Schmidt could do without any more 9s pulling up or getting dinged up. The Champions Cup weekend began with Conor Murray reminding all of Europe that he is the best scrum-half in town – whatever town he happens to be playing in. The Munster 9 […]

7 years ago

Luckily, only one gag made it to air. Gary Lineker joked about surely being Irish-qualified, back in the 1980s, as his father was an avid fisher over here for 50 years. ‘In Big Jack (Charlton’s) time that would’ve qualified me,’ he zinged. Given that Ireland gave Tony Cascarino, a man with no Irish parents or […]

7 years ago

The picture is much clearer now. What a weekend of rugby for the Irish sides. Four European games and four victories. Munster got the party started on Friday by dismantling Gloucester 41-15 over at Kingsholm. Leinster were up next, on Saturday afternoon, and they secured a bonus point win over Toulouse to avenge their loss […]

7 years ago

Puel. Pellegrino. Hughes. Hasenhuttl. Four Southampton managers and the four men on the sideline to see Shane Long score a goal for his team. After as bright start at St Mary’s, Long has struggled to find regular goals. While he prospered under Claude Puel, the Ireland forward has struggled over the past two and a half […]

7 years ago

Sun in the eyes. The Brandywell has seen some magic moments over the years, but most of the home fans would have been happier not seeing this. Glentoran took the lead over hosts Institute in Derry, this afternoon, when their goalkeeper, Elliott Morris scored from a free-kick from inside his own half. 10 minutes into […]

7 years ago

LEINSTER – 29 TOULOUSE – 13 The French side soaked up wave after wave of Leinster attack for the first 30 minutes but the dam eventually burst. Leinster avenged their October defeat to the Top 14 side, at The RDS, to take firm control of Pool 1 in the Champions Cup. Garry Ringrose, Sean Cronin […]

7 years ago

The Champ Champ… Champ? It could be just two fights away. Conor McGregor has been linked with Dustin Poirier, Nate Diaz, Donald Cerrone, Max Holloway and a rematch against Khabib Nurmagomedov in the past few months. There has even been talk of a return to the boxing ring to face Paulie Malignaggi. UFC president Dana White […]

7 years ago

The former Leicester and England star returned to this comedic well two more times during the match. Austin Healey is clearly from the Mike Tindall school of winding up Irish rugby fans. He was not shy sharing his thoughts on Joey Carbery, at Kingsholm, on Friday. The ex-England and Lions player is heavily involved in […]

7 years ago

“We do all the hard work and they get all of the glory, that’s why they are here.” CJ Stander made the post-match comments then cracked a wide grin. Having assumed the captaincy duties when Peter O’Mahony’s rib injury forced him off, Stander followed that up by facing the press in the bowels of Gloucester’s […]

7 years ago

As the Munster captain looked to make a rip on the ball-carrier, and keep up with his ridiculous average of three turnovers per game, he looked in immediate discomfort. Peter O’Mahony is in the form of his life, this season, but his momentum is set to be slowed by a rib injury sustained in Munster’s […]

7 years ago

“When the Australian army came to help, afterwards, they said the place was like a war zone.” Ben Ryan’s story about guiding Fiji to gold medal glory at the Rio Olympics, in 2016, is simply incredible and, after his well-received debut, we simply had to invite him back on House of Rugby – JOE’s weekly rugby show […]

7 years ago

“There must be around 50 back rows in Ireland, and all in good form. Madness.” That was the chat, on Sunday evening, between one current Ireland international and two men that both donned the green jersey during their playing careers. Jack McGrath was in for Baz & Andrew’s House of Rugby and he brought home-made biltong […]

7 years ago

“I’m the right man for the job, at this time.” Padraig Harrington has been confirmed as the Team Europe Ryder Cup captain. Harrington will lead the reigning champions into the 2020 tournament in the USA. The three-time Major winner was announced as the successor to Danish golfer Thomas Bjorn, who led Europe to a resounding win […]

7 years ago

With a big game in the melting pot, don’t be surprised to see this tactical switch rolled out. Joey Carbery is getting more and more assured as Munster’s starting 10. With each game he plays, the 23-year-old is displaying a greater understanding of those around him and, though it is early days yet, taking the […]

7 years ago

Both men have been peripheral figures for Munster this season. Ian Keatley is on his way out of Munster in the summer and South African centre Jaco Taute looks set to follow him. SportsJOE understands that the Munster and Ireland will join Benetton Treviso at the end of the season after settling that his future […]

7 years ago

It was a throwaway line made, Nick Easter, suspects to a couple of close teammates that knew he was being “facetious”. The 2011 World Cup was pretty forgetful for England. Having claimed the Six Nations title, six months previous, Martin Johnson’s men went to New Zealand as the northern hemisphere side to watch. England topped their pool […]

7 years ago

“I think he’s having the season of his life, at this point.” Munster went to Connacht, at the weekend, without Conor Murray, CJ Stander, Chris Cloete, Dave Kilcoyne or Rory Scannell in their starting XV. They had Peter O’Mahony leading them out, however, and that was a great way to start. He was on the pitch […]

7 years ago

The list of midfield options for Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt is verging on ridiculous. Tom Farrell shaded it over Munster centre Chris Farrell at The Sportsground, on a night that saw Leinster loanee Tom Daly go well in the Connacht 12 jersey and Munster 12 Dan Goggin bag a brace of tries. Tom Farrell […]

7 years ago

CONNACHT – 24 MUNSTER – 31 What a game in Galway! Connacht came up just short against Munster at The Sportsground after a cracking contest between the Guinness PRO14 Conference A rivals. The Westerners led through a superb Tom Farrell try, after he ripped the ball from Arno Botha (below), but Munster hit back with […]

7 years ago

If this was a football game, it’d be a late time to get a winner. In rugby, it is bonkers. It was all going so well for Bath but, not for the first time this season, they imploded from a winning position. Todd Blackadder’s side were leading 19-3 against Worcester, at Sixways, but a complete […]

7 years ago

LEINSTER – 40 ULSTER – 7 It will take some doing yet but don’t rule out Leinster centre Conor O’Brien forcing his way into Joe Schmidt’s plans before the year is out. The Leinster centre scored a sensational first-half try and was at the heart of most of his side’s best attacks, as well as […]

7 years ago

“This is what we do.” Irish rugby fans have seen a bit of needle in the interprovincial Guinness PRO14 fixtures, over the festive period, and most of it has merely added to the occasions. There were moments in Munster’s win over Leinster, however, that got out of hand. At four points of the first half, […]

7 years ago

Four weeks to go, but a lot of rugby to be played yet. On February 2, at the Aviva Stadium, Ireland begin the defence of the Guinness Six Nations trophy they won in Grand Slam style in Twickenham, last March. Joe Schmidt’s men would lose their next Test match, against Australia in Brisbane, but they […]

7 years ago

“This is just a weekend job, really.” College students, how did you spend your Christmas holidays? Did any of you race to a stunning win on your maiden ride? That is what 19-year-old Emma Doyle did at Dundalk Stadium, on Friday, when she drove Northern Surprise over the line ahead of the chasing pack to start […]

7 years ago

The real tests will flood in after the FA Cup tie with Reading. The 2-0 victory over Newcastle, midweek, was only Manchester United’s third clean sheet of this Premier League season. In 21 league games, United have conceded 32 goals. That is already five worse than the total number they conceded in all of the […]

7 years ago

“Sit down you silly boy!” James Haskell, Mike Tindall and Alex Payne in festive suits and in end-of-year party mode. The final House of Rugby episode of 2018 was a cracker and all three men were in fine form as they spoke about everything from abusive Springboks supporters, dinner at Richard & Judy’s and the […]

7 years ago

“That was great for me, as well.” Joe Schmidt is immersed in rugby. It is his livelihood and his life. You meet a lot of people in rugby that would prefer to talk about anything but the sport that pays their bills, but not Schmidt. Sure, he is clued in about business, politics and pop […]

7 years ago

A crescendo of boos and abuse rang down as Johnny Sexton and referee Frank Murphy exchanged words again. It had been six and a half years since Sexton had lined out against Munster at Thomond Park and the home fans were both baying and braying. Ireland’s No.10 had been rattled early and had been fortunate […]

7 years ago

Water into wine. 12 goals scored in three games and nine points secured from three victories. The joy has been brought back to Manchester United. Sure, a run of Cardiff (away), Huddersfield (home) and Bournemouth (home) was always going to help new caretaker Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but don’t try telling us one of those games, […]

7 years ago

Coming from a country that produced the Robbie Keane roll and bow-and-arrow celebration, we’re happy to see any and all goals celebrated. In 14 Premier League games under Jose Mourinho, this season, Paul Pogba had two goals and three assists. In three games under new boss Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, the French midfielder has five goals […]

7 years ago

Rough call for the World Rugby Player of the Year. No Johnny Sexton but his Irish half-back partner gets the nod. Back in November, Murray was presented with the ‘World Player of the Year’ award at the Midol ‘Rugby Oscars’. Readers of Midi Olympique and Rugbyrama, their website, voted the Munster and Ireland scrum-half as […]

7 years ago

Can’t imagine this went down well

7 years ago

Wise move

7 years ago

“He was brilliant for Ireland all year, so… Deserves to be sung as a hero.” Robbie Henshaw, Chris Farrell, Garry Ringrose. All have come into the Irish midfield for big Test matches this year but Aki has been there for all but one. The Connacht centre was rested for the Melbourne win over Australia and […]

7 years ago

Tadhg Furlong goes from strength to strength, to strength. He may have ended 2018 in a frustrating manner – yellow carded in Leinster’s loss to Munster – but, on the whole, it has been a year to remember for Tadhg Furlong. The Leinster and Ireland prop has won a Six Nations Grand Slam, Guinness PRO14 […]

7 years ago

There is a consolation coming for the unlucky player in the inaugural Baz & Andrew’s House of Rugby Awards, but we’ll get to that later. Each year, the BBC ask rugby fans to submit their Best XV from players the world over. The uptake is always huge and some 60,000 people made their selections. From […]

7 years ago

This feels like the beginning of a beautiful rivalry. Ronan O’Gara was 32 when Johnny Sexton arrived on the scene and took his Ireland jersey. The pair traded it over the next two years before O’Gara finished out his Ireland career in a supporting role. Johnny Sexton is 33 now but he expects to be […]

7 years ago

Leinster are still the standard-bearers but Munster fired a mighty shot across the bows. It says a lot about the Leinster spirit, and collective talent, that they were still within winning distance with eight minutes to go. They played 50 minutes with 14 men and were down to 13 at one stage in a rabid, […]

7 years ago

“Fair play to Munster… I’m proud of our boys too. Not one of them gave up.” Johnny Sexton had regained his composure by full-time, at Thomond Park, and spoke gracefully about the Munster team that had handed Leinster only their third defeat of the season. Johann van Graan’s men tore into the Guinness PRO14 champions from […]

7 years ago

MUNSTER – 26 LEINSTER – 17 Munster rediscovered their bite and bile to dole out a beating to 14-man Leinster at Thomond Park and reawaken an old rivalry that was in danger of fading away.  A rugby match broke out in the second half but we will be long talking about a first half that […]

7 years ago