There’s a widely held misconception out there that Thomas Ramos’ 45-metre penalty in the last kick of the 2026 Six Nations to beat England, sealing the title for France, was effectively worth an additional €3-3.5 million for the French Federation, which the IRFU therefore missed out on. This is based on the premise that the … Read more
Imagine being told in advance of Thursday night’s Six Nations opener the following: Ireland’s set-pieces would hold their own, securing all four of their put-ins in the game’s 11 scrums and retaining all but one of their 17 lineout throws, and they’d only lose the penalty count 6-4. You’d have taken it and, indeed, presumed … Read more
As a metaphor, the Irish squad exchanging Sports Campus Ireland for the generally warmer climes of the Algarve, and finding unusually rainy, windy and bleak weather in Quinta do Lago could hardly be more apt. It may not be as sopping wet or bitingly cold as back home, but for Andy Farrell and the Irish … Read more
Scott Robertson’s abrupt departure from his role as the All Blacks’ head coach serves to further damage much of the perceived wisdom around the roles of international head coaches and four-year World Cup cycles, not least in New Zealand. Granted, Rassie Erasmus’ first stint as South Africa’s head coach disproved the theory that World Cup … Read more
Rarely, one imagines, can a British & Irish Lions selection have caused so little argument or controversy, save for predictable sources irritated and maybe even a little flabbergasted by the audacity of the best team from these islands in the last four years actually being the most numerously represented. Eh, seeing as it’s little auld … Read more
Some of us who have opposed the introduction of a 20-minute red card were compelled to view this compromised concept in a new light when Garry Ringrose’s on-field yellow card for his head-on-head hit on Ben Thomas in Cardiff was upgraded to a red. One of the game’s loudest cheers from the Irish supporters in … Read more
Funny, isn’t it, how some bans work out? If you’d thought about it, before Mack Hansen’s midweek disciplinary hearing for the remarks he made about the officiating immediately after their pre-Christmas loss to Leinster, a three-week suspension would have served to hit the player and the province, while leaving him free to play for Ireland … Read more