Munster have re-signed forwards Billy Holland, Stephen Archer and Kevin O’Byrne to new deals while academy players Liam O’Connor, Fineen Wycherley and Calvin Nash have also committed to the province. Holland, Archer and O’Byrne have all penned a two-year deals to remain with the province until June 2020. Academy prop O’Connor will move to a two-year […]

8 years ago

What can statistics tell you about a game? Match statistics can tell you that Leinster made more metres than Ulster in their 38-7 win at the RDS on Saturday. Statistics can tell you that the hosts made nearly twice as many tackles. That they had more territory but less possession. But statistics can explain only […]

8 years ago

Following his two try performance against a hapless Ulster side last weekend, there has been a lot of clamour for Leinster full-back Jordan Larmour to be included in Ireland’s Six Nations squad next month. Larmour has been outstanding for Leinster over the last three weeks and there is growing calls for his inclusion in Joe […]

8 years ago

Ulster are set to add New Zealand World Cup winner Stephen Donald to their squad on a short-term deal until the end of the season, as first reported by Jonathan Bradley. Donald, 34, is currently playing with the Tokyo-based Toshiba Brave Lupus in Japan’s Top League and SportsJOE understands that he will join the northern province […]

8 years ago

Racing 92 have confirmed that Munster full-back Simon Zebo will be playing for the club next year in an interview with the player before both clubs play each other in the Champions Cup on Sunday. Munster confirmed in October that the 27-year-old would be leaving the province at the end of the season, however, it […]

8 years ago

Former WBA (Super) featherweight world champion Carl Frampton will return to the ring in April to face four-weight world champion Nonito Donaire at the SSE Arena in Belfast. After an extended lay-off, a split from both Cyclone Promotions and trainer Shane McGuigan, and a cancelled fight with Andrés Gutiérrez, Frampton earned his first victory in over […]

8 years ago

Jordan Larmour picks up the ball approaching the halfway line and the collective sense of anticipation is palpable. The ooh’s are inevitably followed by the aah’s at the RDS as Larmour dances his way around Darren Cave, sending him one way before bringing him back the next. Larmour scored the opening try of the 38-7 […]

8 years ago

It turns out that holding gym records in rugby still counts for something. Leinster tighthead prop Andrew Porter has been earmarked as a player to watch for the last few seasons and on Saturday against Ulster he showed exactly why. After Darren Cave turned the ball over at the ruck, Leinster went wide from the […]

8 years ago

He’s been described as the most exciting Irish rugby prospect since Brian O’Driscoll and it’s not hard to see why. Jordan Larmour simply can't be stopped right now 😵 Five minutes in and he opens the scoring for @leinsterrugby with a delightful sidestep before going over 👏 Catch the action LIVE on @SkySportsRugby, @TG4TV and […]

8 years ago

John Stones has made tremendous strides under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City but it seems he is still prone to major defensive errors. During the first-half of City’s third round FA Cup visit of Burnley, a long Conor Pope clearance was headed forward by Clarets striker Sam Vokes before Stones mishit the attempted clearance. The […]

8 years ago

It’s the 26th minute of Ireland’s final 2015 Rugby World Cup pool game. Joe Schmidt’s side are tied level with France at 6-6 but the tide feels as if it’s about to turn with World Rugby Player of the Year nominee Johnny Sexton exiting stage right with an adductor injury. His tournament is over, even if he […]

8 years ago

Stephen Ireland returned to the dugout on New Year’s Day for the first time since May 2016. A gruesome leg break has kept Ireland out of football for the last 20 months but a return could beckon for the Ireland international against Coventry on Saturday. Stoke will head to the Ricoh Arena this weekend for […]

8 years ago

198 points and 25 tries has been the return thus far from the festive period of interprovincial derbies. The Saint Stephen’s Day thriller between Munster and Leinster was Munster’s best attended home game of the season with 26,267 fans turning up to watch a moment of brilliance from Jordan Larmour separate the two sides at Thomond Park. […]

8 years ago

The last round of interprovincial derbies will take place this weekend with Connacht travelling to Thomond Park to face Munster while Leinster welcome Ulster to the RDS. Ireland captain Rory Best has recovered from an ankle skin infection to captain an Ulster side that welcomes back Iain Henderson and Jacob Stockdale to the starting line-up […]

8 years ago

Southampton chairman Ralph Krueger said that former defender Virgil van Dijk’s prolonged move to Liverpool left a ‘cloud’ over his club to start the season. van Dijk secured a £75m move to Merseyside last week after first handing in his official transfer request to the club in August. The Netherlands defender signed a new six-year contract […]

8 years ago

There was only ever going to be one winner. Francis Ngannou nearly took Alistair Overeem off the ground with a brutal left uppercut at UFC 218. The first round stoppage earned Ngannou a heavyweight title shot at UFC 220 later this month where the Cameroonian will fight defending champion Stipe Miočić in Boston. 😱 Francis Ngannou 😮 Mike […]

8 years ago

289 days was the amount of days that had passed between goals for yet to be capped Ireland striker Scott Hogan. The Aston Villa forward ended his drought on New Year’s Day against Lee Johnson’s side when he found the back of the net with a header in the Villains 5-0 win over Bristol City. Hogan […]

8 years ago

When Sam Arnold clotheslined Christian Lealiifano in the 58th minute of Ulster’s 24-17 win over Munster On New Year’s Day, it turned the game on its head, and unfortunately, the Wallabies fly-half into the turf. Munster were leading 17-5 at the time with substitute lock Fineen Wycherley in the sin bin. Ulster scored four minutes after […]

8 years ago

Tiernan O’Halloran is an exceptional rugby player. He has a great eye for a gap, he has top end speed, he runs intelligent lines and he can make tacklers miss. It’s often a wonder how he only has six caps to his name given he was first brought in to train with the Ireland squad […]

8 years ago

Munster ran into one of the best forward packs in European rugby on Saint Stephen’s Day. On New Year’s Day, it initially looked like they ran through one of the worst. After getting utterly dominated by an ever improving Connacht side last week, Ulster sought redemption. They needed to restore some pride. The Connacht pack […]

8 years ago

“In my time we had no social media, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram….” Hang on, is that your da talking again? No, it’s actually Galway hurling coach Noel Larkin calling on Croke Park and the Government to work together in bringing an end to the ‘faceless’ online abusers who target young players. Larkin was speaking at the recent […]

8 years ago

The performances of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez have been a consistent source of scrutiny during their time together at Arsenal. Both players are among the very best that Arsenal have to offer, however, both players are also off contract at the end of this season. Their uncertain futures in North London has led to […]

8 years ago

Two teams. Two losses. 22 combined changes. Both Munster and Ulster have rung in the changes after their respective interprovincial defeats to Leinster and Connacht last weekend, with internationals Keith Earls and Charles Piutau both set to return. Earls will make his return to outside centre where he will partner Sam Arnold in the midfield, […]

8 years ago

How do you make a laughable excuse even more laughable? By trying to justify it. Following Manchester United’s 2-2 home draw with Burnley on Tuesday, manager Jose Mourinho said that his side were punished in the transfer market due to the history of the club, before adding that rivals and league leaders Manchester City were ‘buying full-backs […]

8 years ago

It hasn’t been easy for Ulster Director of Rugby Les Kiss over the last three months. There was the loss to Zebre at the end of September, the trouncing away to La Rochelle and the defeat at home to Leinster in October, and the embarrassing 28-point drubbing last weekend away to Connacht. The pressure on […]

8 years ago

Deserved recognition. The Ireland and British & Irish Lions trio of Tadhg Furlong, Sean O’Brien and Conor Murray have been named in the BBC’s Team of the Year. BBC Sport users selected more than 100,000 teams of the year and the broadcaster collated the results to determine their combined team of the year. Murray edged […]

8 years ago

In the summer of 1996, Ronaldo moved to Barcelona for a then world record transfer fee of £13.2 million. The following summer he signed for Inter Milan for a fee of £19.5 million , breaking the world record yet again. Club President Josep Lluis Nunez claimed before the move that the Brazilian striker was ‘ours for life’, under […]

8 years ago

What a horrible end to the year for Jonny Hayes. The Celtic winger broke his leg in a challenge with Dundee defender Josh Meekings in their Saint Stephen’s Day clash at Dens Park. Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has said that Hayes will most likely be ruled out for the rest of the season after visiting him […]

8 years ago

Another stop on the storied career of Alan Gaffney. Northampton have appointed the former Munster head coach as their technical coaching consultant until the end of the 2017/18 season. Gaffney, who also served as a backs coach for Leinster and Ireland, arrives at the club following the sacking of former director of rugby Jim Mallinder earlier this […]

8 years ago

Johnny Sexton is set to return for Leinster for the first time since the Blues Champions Cup win over Exeter two weeks ago. Sexton departed in the second minute of the match after a collision with Exeter flanker Matt Kvesic. The Ireland fly-half had failed his HIA and did not return to the game, however, Leinster backs […]

8 years ago

How will 2017 be remembered in Irish sport? Will it be remembered as the year when Dublin won their third consecutive All-Ireland title and cemented their status as one of the greatest Gaelic Football teams of all time? The year when Galway brought the Liam MacCarthy Cup back to the West for the first time […]

8 years ago

I know what it looks like. I know the story, I know the characters, and I know the screenshots that will undoubtedly be sent towards this site, but hear me out: An All-Ireland medal. An All Star award. The GAA–GPA All Star Hurler of the Year award. A Leinster title. A division 1 league medal. […]

8 years ago

His favourite memory from Irish Rugby’s biggest rivalry was Brian O’Driscoll’s intercept in the 2009 Heineken Cup final. With Munster pressing on the Leinster 22, Ronan O’Gara threw a spiral pass towards Paul O’Connell that was plucked out of the air by O’Driscoll who then ran the length of the field to put the nail […]

8 years ago

Take a bow Jordan Larmour. With Munster pushing their way into the Leinster half after climbing out of a 22-point hole from the first-half, Leinster full-back Jordan Larmour gutted the hosts with one of the tries of the season. Starting in his first Munster-Leinster derby, Larmour caught the ball just outside his 22 before leaving […]

8 years ago

Southampton striker Shane Long has now gone 34 games without a goal for club or country. The Ireland forward’s last goal came for Southampton in a 4-0 win over Sunderland on February 11 and it’s been curtains ever since for Long. The 30-year-old received a rare start for the Saints on Tuesday in the absence […]

8 years ago

Leinster flanker Dan Leavy scored the first of three first-half tries for the three-time European champions on Saturday when he latched onto a superb crossfield kick from Ross Byrne. With Leinster pressing deep into the Munster half, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park skipped multiple forward runners before firing the ball to Byrne who composed himself before picking […]

8 years ago

Tottenham striker Harry Kane has broken Alan Shearer’s calendar record of 36 Premier League goals in a single year. Kane notched his 37th goal in the first-half of Spurs’ Saint Stephen’s Day clash with Southampton at Wembley Stadium. 22 – He’s done it! @HKane leaps highest at the far post to break @alanshearer’s record of […]

8 years ago

Former Ireland and British & Irish Lions flanker Stephen Ferris has said that Ulster’s 44-16 loss to Connacht on Saturday was ‘unacceptable’ and that a couple of the Ulster players will have to look at themselves in the mirror following a dismal in Galway. Connacht ran in six tries to two as they smashed a […]

8 years ago

Southampton striker Charlie Austin has been charged with violent conduct following a clash with Huddersfield Town goalkeeper Jonas Lössl on Saturday. The bad and the ugly from @chazaustin10. That'll be a retrospective red I'm afraid.#saintsfc #huddersfield #SOUHUD pic.twitter.com/4C7ZqzJnTv — TractorSaint 🌐 (@TractorSaint) December 23, 2017 Austin collided with Lössl’s face a clear second after the Dane corralled […]

8 years ago

Joe Schmidt handed out 14 Ireland debuts in 2017. We are looking at some of the bright talents that are best placed to make a breakthrough in 2018. This time last year, we tipped Adam Byrne, Jacob Stockdale, Darren Sweetnam and James Ryan to make their Ireland breakthroughs, and while the likes of Stockdale and Ryan […]

8 years ago

Arsenal’s all-time leading goalscorer Thierry Henry was completely baffled by Manchester United’s defence in the final minutes of their 2-2 draw against 10-man Leicester on Saturday. With the Tigers trailing 2-1 deep into injury time, England international Harry Maguire popped up at the back-post unmarked to finish past United goalkeeper David de Gea. The draw for […]

8 years ago

Paul O’Connell is finally set to take up a coaching role in Irish Rugby. The former Ireland captain has been linked with a coaching role in Irish Rugby since his retirement from professional rugby in 2015, and although he has done some work with the Munster Academy over the past year, he is now set […]

8 years ago

How do you say his name again? Cloete is it? Munster openside Chris Cloete has made Irish Rugby fans sit up and take notice over the last month. After breaking into the side in Rassie Erasmus’ last game in charge of the province against the Dragons last month, the South African flanker has quickly established […]

8 years ago

James McClean won the RTÉ Sportsperson of the Year award on Saturday night. You know James McClean, don’t you? The non-poppy-wearing, chest-thumping, rebel-song-singing Irish winger who scored that goal in Cardiff that one time that thrust Ireland into a World Cup play-off. You know him don’t you? The guy that could barely speak following Ireland’s […]

8 years ago

Oldham Athletic are looking to add to their Irish contingent at Boundary Park. The Owls already have Jack Byrne, Eoin Doyle and Paul Green on their books, and with some luck, they’ll add Dundalk midfielder Patrick McEleney to the mix. McEleney enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Lilywhites last season and was nominated to the PFAI […]

8 years ago

Hip-hop mogul Diddy stated his desire to become the first majority African-American owner in NFL history. A report from Sports Illustrated last week revealed allegations of inappropriate workplace comments and conduct by Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson. The team responded to the allegations on Sunday by announcing that the ‘Carolina Panthers and Mr. Richardson take these allegations very […]

8 years ago

WBA, IBF, and IBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is targeting a unification bout with WBO heavyweight champion Joseph Parker next year. Joshua was at the Liverpool Echo Arena on Sunday night for the BBC’s Sports Personality of The Year awards and said that the Parker fight could potentially happen in March or April depending on negotiations. “We […]

8 years ago

Terms agreed

8 years ago

‘Sean Cronin sacrificing a tooth for the cause’ Leinster Rugby tweeted from their official account after their 22-17 win over the Exeter Chiefs on Saturday. The win keeps Leinster on top of Pool 3 with four wins from four matches, but it did not come easy, with Johnny Sexton departing in the first two minutes […]

8 years ago

Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan moved one step closer to a world title shot on Saturday night after he won the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Middleweight Title with a dominant victory over Antoine Douglas in Laval, Quebec, Canada. O’Sullivan stopped the American in the seventh round with a devastating flurry of punches that sent Douglas crashing to the canvas and […]

8 years ago