ULSTER 14-15 MUNSTER “If there was a camera on my face at the end, when Ben Healy went over, the colour completely drained from it!” Munster were dreadful for long, grim stretches against Ulster but two second half tries saw them puncture another tyre in Ulster’s teetering bandwagon. Munster have lost six of their 11 […]

3 years ago

Even crazier than we expected

3 years ago

No better buck, too. They may have a combined age of 70, but Peter O’Mahony and Johnny Sexton proved, this year, how crucial they remain for their provinces and for Ireland. We have already looked back on our Top 10 GAA stories of 2022, so it was only right to do likewise for rugby. We […]

3 years ago

The record stood for just over four years. Arsenal go into 2023 seven points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League after a 4-2 win over Brighton. The Gunners were 3-0 up, early in the second half, but had a nervy finish after a well-taken Evan Ferguson goal. The 18-year-old chased […]

3 years ago

We have one newcomer, some big jumpers and one man zooming up the rankings. 2022 in Irish rugby will undoubtedly be remembered as the year Ireland did a number on the All Blacks, and the year of Josh van der Flier. His Leinster and Ireland teammate, Garry Ringrose, is finishing on a CHARGE, though. Welcome […]

3 years ago

There was plenty of spice in this New Years’ Eve clash at Etihad Stadium. Erling Haaland and Kevin de Bruyne were two of five Manchester City and Everton players booked in a feisty first half, at Eastlands. On another day, or with another referee, both men could easily have been sent off in their 1-1 […]

3 years ago

The England forward scored the winner after coming off the bench. Marcus Rashford was sprung from the bench, after being dropped from Manchester United’s starting line-up, to score the winner against Wolves. The 25-year-old was in top form at the World Cup and scored and made an assist in United’s last league win, over Nottingham […]

3 years ago

We’ll forgive them for the Josh van der Flier boo-boo. The end of the year has seen the usual host of lists, ‘Best XVs’ and awards shared out. Midi Olympique has released its’ Test ‘Team of the Year’ and there are four Irish inclusions. While Ireland finished 2022 as World No.1, the French outlet awarded […]

3 years ago

“Look at his face. LOOK AT HIS FACE!” Heading into his match against Mensur Suljovic, for a place in the last 16 of the World Darts Championship, Michael van Gerwen was conscious of the high profile carnage across the main draw, at Alexandra Palace. In the space of 24 hours, past, multiple world champions Peter […]

3 years ago

Completely lost the head. Neymar Jr. was shown two yellow cards in the space of 90 seconds and sent off in his first Paris Saint Germain match since his return from the World Cup. With PSG tied 1-1 against Strasbourg in their Ligue 1 clash, the Brazilian was cautioned for flicking out an arm at […]

3 years ago

Glad to see the Kerry captain in there, amidst the madness and arguments. 2022 has seen a host of uplifting and altogether brilliant GAA stories, with David Clifford and Shane Walsh putting on one hell of an All-Ireland Final show right up there. Looking back at the top GAA stories on SportsJOE this year, though, […]

3 years ago

Fair play to ‘Church’ on this one. The two days around Jimmy O’Brien’s Ireland debut were about as whirlwind as a player can get. Fortunately, he had the likes of Garry Ringrose and Cian Healy looking out for him. Back in November, O’Brien was called into an extended Ireland squad and expecting to be part […]

3 years ago

“There was a moment where you looked in each others’ eyes and knew it was really, really go time.” James Lowe captures what was in the air in Dunedin, earlier this year, when Ireland made history against New Zealand. It was at a venue where the All Blacks had proved unbeatable that Andy Farrell led […]

3 years ago

The England loosehead has previous in the ‘banter’ department. Harlequins and England prop Joe Marler has offered Jake Heenan an apology after a comment directed at the Bristol back-row sparked a brawl in Tuesday’s Premiership encounter. Bristol Bears pulled off a superb, gritty win over Harlequins, the 2020/21 Premiership champions, at The Stoop to climb […]

3 years ago

If anything sums up where this Ireland team are it, this is it. As someone that had experienced, and bounced back from, the 3-0 Test Series loss to New Zealand in 2012, Peter O’Mahony had more than his fair share of scar tissue. Still, he was expecting different scenes when he arrived back to the […]

3 years ago

“I don’t think Munster are that far off.” While many of us will be dealing with festive hangovers and fuzzy time-lapses, the Munster players that faced Leinster at Thomond Park, on Monday, will have woken up with a different sort of fear. After 43 minutes of their festive inter-pro against Leinster, Graham Rowntree’s side had […]

3 years ago

Brought to you by NOW. Let the Premier League games begin, again. The 2022 World Cup is now in the history books, with Lionel Messi’s Argentina the top dogs. Premier League games return on Monday, December 26 with a rake of great games and continues unabated through the holidays. There are seven Premier League ties […]

3 years ago

The lads that soared, and scored. We have concocted a great Premier League quiz that is all about the players that have scored the most goals with their head. Opta are providing some great statistical insights and answering fan questions about the Premier League. Their answer on the most headed goals in Premier League history […]

3 years ago

“What hurt me most and seeing most of my mates present laughing.” Benetton Treviso has condemned the actions of an, as yet, unnamed player after he ‘gifted’ his teammate Cherif Traore a rotten banana as part of the club’s Secret Santa. The 28-year-old made the sad revelation on his Instagram account, on Wednesday. Although he […]

3 years ago

“It’s ridiculous money we’re getting into now. Heading into soccer territory.” After being flagged as a move near the finish line, on Sunday, Bath confirmed on Tuesday morning that Scotland and Lions outhalf Finn Russell would be joining them at The Rec, next season, after the World Cup. Russell turned down a contract extension that […]

3 years ago

“Our focus is to honour the tradition of bringing together a pre-eminent field of golfers In a move that is a blow to the PGA Tour, US Masters chairman Fred Ridley has confirmed LIV Golf stars will be getting invites to the 2023 tournament. LIV Golf was the biggest story in the golfing world, in […]

3 years ago

The knock-out stages sorted the cream from the milk. The 2022 World Cup is in the history books and Argentina have taken the big prize back to Buenos Aires. As much as many of us disdained the notion of hosting the tournament – a blatant cash-grab – in a country with an appalling human rights […]

3 years ago

Keane still brooding over this one, two weeks on. Such is the loveable moodiness of Roy Keane that few of us were surprised when he equated Argentina winning an epic World Cup Final to his night’s sleep getting affected. The former Manchester United and Ireland captain joked, as ITV wrapped their tournament coverage, that he […]

3 years ago

“A great ending for a great player. Brilliant.” Roy Keane summed it up well as the ITV panel reflected on a wild and wonderful World Cup, capped off by a bonkers, exhilarating final. Their World Cup XI tells a story, too. Argentina ended a long stretch of European dominance by defeating France 4-2 in a […]

3 years ago

Sharp as a tack, is Ally! For the final of the 2022 World Cup, ITV teamed up commentator Sam Matterface with Ally McCoist and Lee Dixon for all the action. Dixon openly mused if Kylian Mbappé taking a second penalty against Emi Martinez was a wise idea (after Harry Kane’s travails) before he made it […]

3 years ago

“They’ve been singing every night for the past two and a half weeks. God help us tonight!” Roy Keane was bracing himself for a sleepless night, and hordes of celebrating Argentina fans, but it was all worth it to see Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé leave it all out there in a World Cup final […]

3 years ago

“A player can sit back for a single second and think, well, it’s meant to be.” Roy Keane may have been rocking a country & western moustache, but he arrived at the World Cup Final in the mood for some serious analysis. Ian Wright, as per usual, was hoping for a mix of that and some […]

3 years ago

“We always like to hear that the opponent is the favourite.” Emi Martinez has been a catalyst for so much good ever since he took over the No.1 spot for Argentina. The Aston Villa goalkeeper was a key part of his side’s World Cup qualification, Copa America triumph and their Finalissima victory. In this World […]

3 years ago

Thanks, but no thanks. After a flurry of excitement following France’s World Cup semi-final win over Morocco, Karim Benzema will not be making a miracle comeback for Didier Deschamps’ side. As it now turns out, he will not be attending the game in Qatar, either, to cheer on his teammates. The Real Madrid forward is […]

3 years ago

‘Levels of rage are off the charts’ Fighting for their Champions Cup lives after a dreadful start against Sale Sharks, Ulster were pushed into playing their pool match against reigning champions La Rochelle in Dublin. The Kingspan Stadium pitch was deemed frozen and unsafe to play on, on Friday evening, and a contingency plan was […]

3 years ago

“I’m just getting attacked from every angle!” One of the big highlights of the 2022 World Cup, away from the stadiums and matches, has been the series that follows Roy Keane, Micah Richards and Gary Neville together. ‘The World Cup Meet-Up’ has reunited the Sky Sports pundits, and provided a barrel of laughs, hot-takes and […]

3 years ago

Brought to you by NOW. Only the second game in, for Munster, and they know victory is crucial to get back on track. Munster travel to Northampton, this weekend, in a game that is already verging on must-win for both teams. You can stream the Champions Cup game with a NOW Sports Extra Membership, with […]

3 years ago

“You said Mbappe wouldn’t lace his boots?!” Joanne Cantwell was about to move to her next point when Damien Duff managed to flabbergast her. Following Argentina’s World Cup semi-final win over Croatia, in which he scored once and assisted Julian Alvarez with a sublime piece of footballing skill, the RTE panel were allowing themselves to […]

3 years ago

Cristiano Ronaldo is assessing his next club options, but World Cup hurt for sting a while longer. Ronaldo came into the World Cup hoping to lead Portugal to glory but, after a tactical switch for the knock-out stages, he ended up as a substitute as his country was eliminated. Didi Hamann still has a bad […]

3 years ago

“As hard, dangerous and nasty as anyone I’ve ever seen.” In his 15 seasons playing professional rugby, Alex Goode has come across his fair share of hard nuts and fierce competitors. Asked to name some of the hardest players in rugby, he came up with a fine list that drew a swift response. The Saracens […]

3 years ago

“He’s gone up so many levels.” Tuesday night at the Lusail Stadium was where Luka Modric ran into his old El Clásico foe, Lionel Messi. Every football fan with even a passing knowledge of the game recognised that only one modern-day legend could walk out of this evening’s World Cup semi-final and be just one […]

3 years ago

“I have to say, right here, right now, Morocco are one of the four best teams in the world.” England may have somehow leapfrogged France in the updated FIFA world rankings, despite losing a World Cup quarter final to them, but Damien Duff takes heavy stock in major tournament performances. Right now, rankings will mean […]

3 years ago

Killer, handing out steamy bowls of truth broth for these cold winter days. Kevin Kilbane will find that many football fans, particularly in England, will disagree with him, but he makes a solid point. Watching England, from a reasonable distance, in their latest quest for major tournament honours, the end product has not matched the hyperbole […]

3 years ago

Seemed like a bad take at the time, too. Read the quotes in black and white and it does not sound too awful. But we urge you to look at the video (below) and the way Danny Murphy delivers this stone-cold take on Argentina. Remember November 24th? It came three days after England got their normally […]

3 years ago

The pure insolence of it. Paudie Clifford and his brother, David (you may have heard of him) combined for 1-14 as Fossa won the AIB Munster GAA Football Junior Club Championship, this afternoon. The Clifford brothers capped off a memorable 2022, which included All-Ireland glory for Kerry, by helping Fossa to an 11-point win over […]

3 years ago

“We won’t linger on that.” While referee Wilton Sampaio gained plenty of English detractors, on Saturday night, he was none too popular in France. Sky Sports awarded the Brazilian ref a 1/10 rating, he got 4/10 from L’Equipe and Adrien Rabiot called his decisions “borderline”. The Juventus midfielder started for France as they defeated England […]

3 years ago

Scenes of utter joy from the Irish team. The Irish women’s team clinched a superb bronze medal at the European Cross Country Championships at La Mandria Park, in Italy, this afternoon. Eilish and Roisin Flanagan, twin sisters from Tyrone, led the way – picking their way through the field together, and finishing in an identical […]

3 years ago

“Absolutely awful.” Gary Neville has directed the bulk of his World Cup frustrations and disappointment at referee Wilton Pereira. Jamie Carragher, meanwhile, has been more constructive with his criticism. The England wait for a second World Cup trophy will stretch on to at least 2026 after France beat Gareth Southgate’s men 2-1, at Al Bayt […]

3 years ago

“You just put it over by a mile.” Harry Kane stood in the mixed zone at the Al Bayt Stadium, on Saturday night, and answered every question that was put his way. As England captain, these are part of the job requirements but many in the media would have understood if Kane had cried off […]

3 years ago

One wonders if the suitcase will make the trip back to England. Declan Rice was one of the most vocal, and positive, about England’s World Cup chances. The West Ham midfielder felt England had every right to be confident in targeting a first World Cup triumph in 56 years, especially with the wealth of talent […]

3 years ago

Not sure Keane will thank Mark Pougatch for sharing. Harry Kane equalled the all-time goalscoring record with one England penalty, but missed a glorious chance to clinch the accolade outright. Roy Keane felt for the England captain, but his off-air comment on the miss cannot be denied. England were eliminated from the World Cup at […]

3 years ago

The man’s delivery is right up there. Roy Keane gave Jordan Henderson his debut, at Sunderland, and has often spoken highly of the England midfielder. Keane himself had a big effect on Henderson’s career, on and off the pitch and how he carried himself. The Liverpool star once spoke with The Daily Mail about not […]

3 years ago

RACING 10-42 LEINSTER How the mighty have fallen. Caelan Doris and Josh van der Flier were the Leinster top performers, but all contributed to a thumping win. Four years ago, Racing 92 pushed Leinster to the brink in the Champions Cup final. Today, in Le Havre, calling this a contest would be an almighty stretch. […]

3 years ago

We get the feeling FIFA have enough to be dealing with so could let it slide. That would be a mistake. While the RTÉ crew got themselves into a tizzy about the potential of Andries Noppert staging some penalty shoot-out heroics, the rest of us readied ourselves for Emi Martinez to take centre stage. The […]

3 years ago

‘He was the guy for soccer in the US.’ US soccer reporter Grant Wahl has tragically died while on duty at the 2022 World Cup, in Qatar. The American, who was formerly of Sports Illustrated and who reporting at his eighth World Cup, was at the quarter final between Argentina and the Netherlands, in Lusail, […]

3 years ago