Mack Hansen. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile Andy Farrell’s Ireland will take on Australia in a World Cup warm-up next year as they visit the capital city Canberra for the first time in their history. Wallabies fullback Tom Wright believes victory in the fixture will provide significant momentum ahead of one of the biggest events in Australian … Read more
Massimo De Lutiis, pictured in action for Australia ‘A’, is on the IRFU’s radar. Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images Ireland are leading the chase for a player touted as one of Australia’s hottest prospects with 22-year-old tight-head Massimo De Lutiis on the verge of signing an eye-watering deal. Respected Australian rugby writer Jamie Pandaram has reported … Read more
Connacht head coach Stuart Lancaster and Sean Jansen after their side’s victory over Ulster on Friday night. Photo: Seb Daly/Sportsfile The power of the coach is sometimes overrated. Studies from the UK in football on the difference a new manager can make to a team’s performance reveal it to be at most 10 per cent … Read more
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell with Darragh Murray after their victory over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Andy Farrell has given his strongest indication yet that he would like to stay on as Ireland head coach beyond next year’s World Cup. Having led Ireland to the Triple Crown and a … Read more
Joe McCarthy, left, and Dan Sheehan are expected to return to the Ireland starting XV for the Triple Crown decider with Scotland this weekend. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Ireland head coach Andy Farrell is expected to largely revert to the same team that enjoyed a record win over England for Saturday’s Triple Crown showdown against … Read more
A general view of Twickenham Stadium in London, England. Photo: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile Tickets have gone on sale for the Nations Championship finals weekend in London next November, with the Ireland fan’s package which guarantees a ticket to see Andy Farrell’s side costing €190.80. The Nations Championship is a new competition being run by the organisers … Read more
Exclusive | One of rugby’s hottest young prospects has turned down his native South Africa in favour of Ireland and Leinster Ireland U-20 players, from left, Christopher Barrett, Derry Moloney, Ben Blaney and Josh Neill after theIR U20 Six Nations Championship victory over England at The Rec in Bath. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Josh Neill turned 19 … Read more
Cardiff 8 Leinster 7 Leinster captain Max Deegan (centre) speaks with teammates in a huddle after their defeat to Cardiff. Photo: Sportsfile Leinster came unstuck in the wind and the rain in the Welsh capital as they slipped to their fourth defeat of the season in the United Rugby Championship. The foul weather made it … Read more
Ireland head coach will likely have plenty of suitors as IRFU weighs up options Given the number of contracts that expire after the World Cup, Andy Farrell could have plenty of options. Photo: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile Andy Farrell’s focus is on the Six Nations right now, and everyone who watched his celebrations at Twickenham last weekend … Read more
Edwin Edogbo is likely to be brought into the Ireland team for the weekend’s Six Nations clash with Italy. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Munster second-row Edwin Edogbo is in line to make his Ireland debut in Saturday’s Six Nations clash with Italy at the Aviva Stadium (2.10), as head coach Andy Farrell gets set to … Read more