No, but seriously – how few players could Ireland afford to field and still beat Wales this weekend? And would they even all need to be rugby players? Could we, for example, get by with a few of the Kiwis and Aussies, maybe keep Peter O’Mahony for vibes and fill out the rest with people … Read more
Unsurprisingly, given the occasion of leading out Ireland for the first time, someone dug out an old photo from Dan Sheehan’s childhood. Ahead of Saturday’s Six Nations game against Wales, a four-year-old Sheehan went viral. Back in 2003, Jonah Lomu was in town for a marketing gig. There, pictured on the All Black’s shoulders, is … Read more
Under-20 Six Nations: Wales 20 Ireland 12 Ireland succumbed to their first defeat to Wales at this level since 2018, the hosts securing their first back-to-back victories since 2020 in front of a raucous Rodney Parade. Henry Walker and Eoghan Smyth crossed to limit the first half damage after Ireland fell 14-0 behind, but Ireland … Read more
Who is playing, when and where? After a week’s break, Ireland face Wales in their third match of the Six Nations on Saturday, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff. Kick-off is at 2.15pm. How can I watch it? You can watch the game on Virgin Media One in Ireland, coverage starts at 1pm. In the … Read more
An apocryphal story in coaching circles tells the tale of a new head coach who walks into his office on day one and finds three sealed envelopes on his desk. Written by the outgoing coach who was just sacked for a series of poor results, the first envelope was labelled “Open after losing five games”. … Read more
Matt Sherratt wants his Wales team to be brave and not “die wondering” against Six Nations title favourites Ireland on Saturday. Wales begin life after Warren Gatland with Cardiff boss Sherratt taking the reins for three games only – Ireland, Scotland at Murrayfield and then England in Cardiff. A run of 14 successive Test defeats … Read more
Dan Sheehan is set to be named as the latest Ireland captain for Saturday’s Six Nations match against Wales in Cardiff when the team is announced on Thursday morning. Both regular captain Caelan Doris and Rónan Kelleher have been ruled out of the round three tie, and the signs are that Sheehan has been asked … Read more
The intense rivalry between Ireland and Wales from my playing days wasn’t imagined. Familiarity didn’t breed contempt, but it did manage to foster a dislike for one another on the pitch. Off it some of the best nights out I had during my international career were in Cardiff. There were some proper scraps on the … Read more
A “bounce” is a real thing, not just a figment of our imagination. It doesn’t always happen when a new head coach or a new manager takes over in any team sport but it can have a dramatic impact. Sport is littered with examples of it working. It’s why so many head coaches or managers … Read more
After the first fallow weekend, the Six Nations kicks back into gear this week with Ireland travelling to Cardiff. However, across the first two rounds of the tournament, Ireland have ranked second bottom of all six teams for lineout success rate. This fits in with the narrative of the Irish coaches battling to fix a … Read more