In 2007, I sat in a hotel in the centre of Rome watching a title-chasing France struggle past Scotland on the final night of the Six Nations. Earlier that day, we had played some cracking rugby in beating Italy. Denis Hickie’s prematch speech provided the catalyst for our bells and whistles performance. We thought France’s … Read more
Andy Farrell has rotated his squad like never before in his seventh Six Nations campaign, with a nod toward the more congested format and the next World Cup. Yet with more on the line in this Saturday’s Triple Crown shoot-out against Scotland at the Aviva Stadium (kick-off 2.10pm), one has the distinct impression that the … Read more
Andy Farrell is expected to largely revert to the team which pitched up in Twickenham for Ireland’s record-breaking 42-21 win in round three when the side to face Scotland in Saturday’s eagerly awaited Triple Crown shoot-out is announced around 2pm on Thursday. Two players from that starting XV are sidelined, namely James Lowe, who suffered … Read more
Jacob Stockdale is his own toughest critic. It’s been that way since his youth, and it’s worth recounting a story from his first year on the Ireland Under-20 squad to illustrate the point. Sitting in the Lansdowne pavilion in January 2015, the 18-year-old Lurgan-born wing opened a folder to reveal handwritten notes alongside numbers on … Read more
It was one of Irish rugby’s great Twickenham days, the performance and the result equally satisfactory. Everyone has their favourite memory, Simon Geoghegan’s try in 1994, or Ireland beating Clive Woodward’s world champions in 2004, spring to mind. The unexpected nature of the win for those outside the camp made it all the sweeter. England … Read more
Jamison Gibson-Park could probably outrun the superlatives if he was of a mind. Instead, the quietly spoken Ireland scrumhalf will ignore or shrug them off in much the same way that he did opponents at Twickenham, content to let others lead the eulogies regarding the majesty of his contribution. There are rare occasions when a … Read more
On the last night of athletics at the Paris Olympics, the hopes of a nation rested on the young shoulders of Cyréna Samba-Mayela. As Olympic hosts, France had yet to win a single medal on the track or field, and only Samba-Mayela could save their blushes. For all those inside the packed Stade de France … Read more