Leinster have now beaten La Rochelle on three consecutive occasions. Is this a sign they have turned the corner against bigger French sides, or was it a smash-and-grab with worrying implications for the future? Gordon D’Arcy believes the bigger picture thinking should be placed to one side for now and that Leinster should be pleased … Read more
It was only a pool win and La Rochelle can undoubtedly still live to fight another day, but few away wins can have been as hard-earned, as rewarding, or as significant as Leinster’s tense 16-14 win in the Stade Deflandre on Sunday. But after the Deflandre had been deflated by Leinster’s defiance, Ronan O’Gara struck … Read more
Leinster and Munster both secured hard-fought victories to put their fate in their own hands, while Connacht ran out comfortable winners in the Challenge Cup and Ulster’s defeat means they need a win on Friday to join them in the competition. The four highest-ranked clubs in each pool will qualify for the Round of 16. … Read more
Champions Cup: Leicester Tigers 38 Ulster 10 Despite a first half which threatened to make this more of a contest than anticipated, Leicester Tigers pulled away after the break to hand Ulster a 38-10 shellacking at Welford Road. The Irish province initially led 10-0 thanks to a slice of luck and some decent defensive sets, … Read more
Absence of Andy Farrell creates an element of the unknown about next year after a 2024 that had its share of ups and downs Simon Easterby and Andy Farrell during Ireland training at the Sport Ireland Campus last February. Photo: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile In splendid isolation, 2024 was a very good year for Irish rugby. The … Read more
IRFU performance director David Humphreys needs to start work on spreading the talent pool that is coming out of Leinster Back in the day come Christmas, and specifically early new year, it was final trial time with the one we all dreaded top of the rugby agenda. The interprovincial championship – three games alternating home … Read more
URC: Connacht 7 Ulster 17 Ulster prevailed over Connacht in what was not just a match for local bragging rights, but a vital URC fixture to ensure one of the two provinces would make a push for the top eight. It was a massive win for Richie Murphy’s team, which was without several key players … Read more
URC: Connacht v Ulster, Dexcom Stadium, Saturday, 7.35 – Live on RTÉ 2 and Premier Sports 1 More than just bragging rights are at stake for Connacht and Ulster when they meet in the post-Christmas interprovincial URC fixture at Dexcom Stadium on Saturday evening. With five teams all on 18 points, including Connacht and Ulster, … Read more