Whenever you think you are well stocked, life (or injuries) come up with other plans. Ahead of the Christmas, new Ireland head coach Andy Farrell called in 45 players for a 24-hour gathering at the IRFU’s new High Performance Centre. Three young back rows from Leinster were all given a taste of the big time […]

6 years ago

“It’s a tabloid headline, Cooney versus Murray.” On Friday night, Andrew Trimble was just about the only person watching Ulster’s Guinness PRO14 encounter with Munster and not tracking every move of John Cooney and Conor Murray. From midday on Thursday, when both provinces named their teams, the talk was all about the two scrum-halves going […]

6 years ago

2019 broke a streak that Stuart McCloskey would not have wanted anyway. He will be hoping 2020 can bring about a much more positive one. 2016, 2017 and 2018 all brought Stuart McCloskey one Ireland Test cap. When the Ulster centre made his Ireland debut in February 2016, he would have been hoping for more […]

6 years ago

Jorge Masvidal will be in the audience for Conor McGregor’s comeback at UFC 246. At the beginning of 2019, few would have picked out Jorge Masvidal as a Fighter of the Year nominee, let alone winner. Having not fought since a November 2017 loss to Stephen Thompson, the then 34-year-old made his UFC comeback against […]

6 years ago

Just before 8pm on Monday evening – at the start of Munster’s biggest week of the season – came news that no-one expected, nor wanted. Just two games into his comeback from an ankle injury, Joey Carbery suffered a wrist injury in the recent loss to Ulster. A scan was taken on Monday afternoon and […]

6 years ago

Jerry Flannery knows exactly how the Australian coach and all involved at Munster are feeling. Stephen Larkham has been at Munster for less than six months but a faltering run of results have the province’s attack coach under the spotlight. The man he ostensibly replaced, Felix Jones, won the World Cup with South Africa while […]

6 years ago

Unsurprisingly, 18 of the selected players are from the World Cup finalists. As well as serving up one classic semi-final and a decent final, the Rugby World Cup made scoff of the world rankings and dented the reputations of several top players and coaches. South Africa took home the Webb Ellis trophy after handily seeing […]

6 years ago

This year’s Six Nations could see Ireland share out the captaincy duties. We are under four weeks away from the 2020 Guinness Six Nations and Johnny Sexton is unlikely to play for Leinster before then. The Leinster captain has been out since he twisted his knee in an early December Champions Cup win over Northampton […]

6 years ago

Leinster won three games from three and scored 124 points in the process, but Ulster will be pretty content with their lot too. The six inter-provincial games played out in the Guinness PRO14 over the festive period did feature many senior Ireland internationals but it was mostly a period for up-and-comers and fringe players to […]

6 years ago

LIVERPOOL 1-0 EVERTON 18 years young and all the confidence in the world. Everton may never get a better chance to beat Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool as Adrian and Curtis Jones combined to make it another miserable afternoon at Anfield. The Liverpool boss now has seven wins and three draws from his first 10 Merseyside Derby […]

6 years ago

“Logically, he is next.” Justin Gaethje is currently in limbo after missing out on the Conor McGregor fight but he could yet have a title shot before the year is out. ‘The Highlight Reel’ arrived into the UFC in 2017 after four years of dominance and a long lightweight champion stint in World Series of […]

6 years ago

“It’s nice to get over the whitewash again. It’s awesome to have a good game and get back into the swing of things.” For Jacob Stockdale and Ulster, that’s more like it. Back in early November, Ulster headed down to Thomond Park to take on a strong Munster XV. Having trailed 15-6 at the break, […]

6 years ago

“I had a little game-plan. I was coming back for the season.” To Conor McGregor, if all goes according to his plan, 2020 will be his most active year since he fought three times in 2016 and became ‘The Champ Champ’ along the way. ‘The Notorious’ takes on Donald Cerrone in Las Vegas on January […]

6 years ago

The festive period is over and Leinster are as unbeatable now as they were back on December 20. Munster lost twice in six days and cracks are beginning to show. By bringing in Graham Rowntree and Stephen Larkham into his coaching panel, Munster head coach Johann Van Graan would have been hoping his team would […]

6 years ago

One hopes that the second row was withdrawn as a mere precaution. Since his Test debut in the summer of 2017, James Ryan has been one of his country’s best players. Throughout the Grand Slam triumph and winning summer series in Australia, in 2018, Ryan was Ireland’s stand-out player. Even when the team faltered, last […]

6 years ago

After years of saving his side’s skin, David De Gea appears to be a crestfallen shadow of himself. At the end of the 2017/18 season, Jose Mourinho looked to be getting to grips with Manchester United. The club had exited the Champions League meekly but they achieved their highest league position since Alex Ferguson departed, […]

6 years ago

A win will open up a world of possibilities. Defeat could well be the middle of the end. In just over two weeks’ time, Conor McGregor will make his UFC comeback against Donald Cerrone. Having been away for 15 months, the Dubliner is keen to get back to winning, active ways, meaning ‘McGregor Masvidal’ could […]

6 years ago

‘Cowboy’ has also confirmed that he is coming into his January bout determined to stand and swing. At the age of 36, and with 36 Mixed Martial Arts victories to his name, Donald Cerrone is set for the biggest fight of his career. Of all the men vying to be the opponent for Conor McGregor’s […]

6 years ago

Two Irish players make the cut in Rugby Team of the Decade. As 2019 rolls the dice on its’ final couple of days, ‘Team of the Decade’ compilations are coming thick and fast. SportsJOE has joined the throng and generated some debate with our Ireland, Leinster and Munster ‘Best XV’ selections. Over at the BBC, […]

6 years ago

Three Six Nations titles (including a Grand Slam), winning tours to Argentina and Australia, a first Test win away to South Africa, two Test wins over New Zealand and reaching World No.1 in August 2019. World Cups? Please don’t mention those frightful things. We’re all about cashing in on trophies in between those events. In […]

6 years ago

“We have exactly the same backline. 9 to 15 exactly the same.” The selection of Best XVs is very often as subjective as they come, especially when dealing with personal recollections and a long expanse of time. It was somewhat surprising, then, that Jerry Flannery and Andrew Trimble both independently came up with the same backlines […]

6 years ago

MUNSTER 6-13 LEINSTER There was a return from injury for Joey Carbery and Jack O’Donoghue was a titan, but little else to warm the spirits of Munster fans in Limerick. Leinster’s winning run shows no signs of stopping as they did the hard work in a wind-swept first half and doggedly ran down the clock […]

6 years ago

“I’ve tried to steer clear of your tried and tested big names.” 2018 brought Irish rugby fans a Grand Slam, a winning tour to Australia and another win over the All Blacks. Munster also reached a Champions Cup semi final while Leinster went on to win that competition and claim the Guinness PRO14 title too. […]

6 years ago

This one needed an honest broker to settle the tie-break. As part of their end of year awards, on Baz & Andrew’s House of Rugby [from 15:00 below], Barry Murphy, Andrew Trimble and Jerry Flannery were tasked with selecting their Irish Player of the Year, as well as handing out the ‘Young Player of the Year’ accolade, and […]

6 years ago

Seven men make it straight into the team. It gets tricky after that. For a province that became a European superpower in the 2000s, the past decade has been relatively lean for Munster Rugby. There was a Celtic League triumph back in 2010/11 but the silverware dried up after that. Over the past 10 years, […]

6 years ago

GAA fans, get updating your schedules all the way up to April 2020. TG4 is on the ball again for 2020. The broadcaster announced its’ slate of live and deferred coverage of GAA games from January to April and there are some humdingers in there. Between TV broadcasts and streams (on their YouTube channel) TG4 […]

6 years ago

If were down to form alone, John Cooney would be one of the first names on the Ireland team sheet. If only it were that simple. It never seems to be for John Cooney. Having moved from Leinster to Connacht after his successful loan spell, the goal-kicking scrumhalf has put together five consistent and impressive […]

6 years ago

“They should ring-fence it at eight games for the next two or three tours.” News of the 2021 Lions Tour being reduced from 10 to eight games was always going to cause fissures. With Premiership officials staging their final late into the summer, in recent seasons, and player welfare coming to the fore, a sizeable […]

6 years ago

Who will be the next Dan Leavy or Jordan Larmour? Back in December 2017, there was much hand-wringing when Leinster left several of their Ireland internationals back home when they travelled to Thomond Park to take on Munster in the Guinness PRO14. Among the Leinster XV were Leavy, Larmour, James Ryan, Rory O’Loughlin and Ross […]

6 years ago

“Your staff, they have to be committed. You’re basically going to war.” Saturday at Allianz Park saw Munster and Saracens add another chapter to their burgeoning rivalry with an all-out scuffle spilling over onto the sidelines and riling everyone in the ground up. Munster medic Dr. Jamie Kearns was in the eye of this storm […]

6 years ago

Sunday evening brought with it the news, from France, that Ireland’s premier outhalf was being courted by a Top 14 side. Again. Johnny Sexton spent two seasons in France, from 2013 to 2015, with Racing 92 before he returned to Leinster and Ireland. While Racing had a good league campaign in his first season there, […]

6 years ago

If your favourite player is not here, commiserations because most of Ireland’s brightest and best are. Andy Farrell and his coaching panel have called up 45 players for what the IRFU has described as a mid season ‘stock-take’. The 24-hour gathering will take place at the union’s new High Performance Centre in Dublin across December […]

6 years ago

The former Wales backs coach will be free to coach again in June 2020. Rob Howley has been suspended from involvement in the game for a period of 18 months (with nine months suspended) after breaching World Rugby Anti-corruption and Betting Regulations. Howley, a former Wasps and Wales scrumhalf that was part of Warren Gatland’s coaching […]

6 years ago

10 of the 15 spots shared out between the two sides that meet at The RDS this Friday. Three wins from four matches for the Irish provinces in this weekend’s Champions Cup. Leinster secured a quarter final berth while Ulster are just one more good performance away. In our Champions Cup Team of the Weekend […]

6 years ago

This will be a serious strain on the resources of each province. This weekend sees the return of the Guinness PRO14 and there are three sets of inter-provincial fixtures for Irish supporters to look forward to. Each of these games will be well attended and Munster have already confirmed that they are bringing in extra […]

6 years ago

The next five games could see it all change again but there are several players doing all they can to be involved in the 2020 Six Nations. There were a few moments in Leinster’s 50-21 thumping of Northampton Saints, on Saturday, that showed Jordan Larmour at his very best. Twice in the first half, the […]

6 years ago

“Thousands of players have come through this club that had more talent in their little finger than I ever had.” Nicky Butt has no issues admitting that he was never the most talented of the Manchester United squads he was in. Still, he ended up playing 387 times for United and won six league titles […]

6 years ago

Not a bad aul’ card at five weeks’ notice. Back in the saddle. That is how the UFC are selling next month’s pay-per-view bout between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone. We have known about that fight for a while now but the rest of the UFC 246 card is taking shape. Earlier this week, the […]

6 years ago

“Hey, this one’s not just for me. It’s for the whole, entire world.” UFC 245 delivered three high class title fights and quite literally ended with a bang as Kamaru Usman successfully defended his welterweight belt for the first time. Usman broke the jaw of title challenger Colby Covington in the third round of their […]

6 years ago

LEINSTER 50-21 NORTHAMPTON Leinster are on course for a home quarter final and No.1 seeding in the Champions Cup knock-out stages after thumping Northampton Saints for the second time in seven days. Leinster found themselves 14-0 up after only seven minutes as Garry Ringrose scored two lightning quick tries. Ross Byrne converted both of those […]

6 years ago

SARACENS 15-6 MUNSTER “They were sparring for the first 50 minutes but now the gloves are off.” – Donncha O’Callaghan Munster Saracens delivered the goods again, but a moment of magic from Billy Vunipola sealed a feisty contest. Munster kept European champions Saracens from breaching their tryline for 144 minutes but Vunipola’s carry and offload unlocked […]

6 years ago

“Stay in the battle.” Those were the short and sweet instructions from the Munster coaching staff before their players took to the field at Allianz Park for their Champions Cup group stage game against holders Saracens. Tadhg Beirne and his teammates got stuck in from the start but injuries were to strike, and force Johann […]

6 years ago

Colby Covington is a lot like Conor McGregor in one significant way. Both men are more fondly regarded when they are active fighters. Next January will see Conor McGregor return to The Octagon for the first time in 15 months. Colby Covington, meanwhile, has only fought once in the UFC since June 2018. The trash-talking […]

6 years ago

“He’s just been outrageous; phenomenal.” Stuart McCloskey is loved up in Ulster but Joe Schmidt never truly gave him a proper go of it. 2020 presents a big opportunity for McCloskey to force his way onto the Test scene. Later this month, Andy Farrell will assemble the brightest and best of Irish rugby for a […]

6 years ago

The man with pixie dust in his left peg is back in the inter-county scene with Mayo. Ciaran McDonald has been 11 years out of the county game but he is still fondly remembered, and revered, by the Mayo faithful. McDonald last played for Mayo in 2008 but carried on playing club football and many […]

6 years ago

There was a moment in Manchester United’s post-match press briefing at Etihad Stadium where Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Scandinavian logic kicked in. The Norwegian was being asked about the horrific abuse that was doled out to Fred and Jesse Lingard, by a section of Manchester City fans, during his side’s 2-1 victory. Solskjaer, who said the […]

6 years ago

“Hopefully we’ll get three good fights from him next year.” Conor McGregor is coming back, Jorge Masvidal has made himself into a pay-per-view star and there is a date fixed for Tony Ferguson versus Khabib Nurmagomedov. We could even have a McGregor Masvidal fight by next summer. Dana White is a happy man. The UFC […]

6 years ago

The American is itching for a trilogy fight, but he may have to wait awhile. Back in April, Andy Ruiz was fighting Germany’s Alexander Dimitrenko at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California. He earned ¢200,000 for his win, which was the 32nd of a professional career stretching back 10 years. When Jarrell Miller pulled […]

6 years ago

The 34-year-old wrenched his knee on the Franklin’s Gardens turf during his side’s latest Champions Cup win. As play raged on inside the Northampton Saints 22, Johnny Sexton appeared to be in some discomfort. The Leinster outhalf had been hit hard with a couple of borderline late tackles in the first half, and had taken […]

6 years ago

MAN CITY 1-2 MAN UTD Manchester United inflicted another damaging defeat on rivals Manchester City and, in doing so, put themselves back in top four contention. A night to celebrate for Manchester United but a night English football was blighted by with the idiotic and dangerous behaviour of some City supporters, in particular towards Jesse […]

6 years ago