Manchester United management will look into the possibility of introducing song sheets in an effort to improve atmosphere at Old Trafford. Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho recently complained that the club’s home matches were too ‘quiet’, and speaking at a recent fan forum, the club’s head of venue operations Dan Schofield said that they will […]

8 years ago

Just four Irish players – Tadhg Furlong, CJ Stander, Conor Murray and Jacob Stockdale – have been named in sports analytics company Opta’s Six Nations team of the tournament. Opta based their selections on their unique Index system which awards players points for all their actions in a game. The side is a drastic deviation from […]

8 years ago

You can take the boy, or the 52-year-old man, out of New Zealand but you can’t take New Zealand out of the boy, or seemingly, out of the 52-year-old man either. The Grand Slam was the star on the top of Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt’s coaching tree as the 2018 championship now shines above, […]

8 years ago

Kilkenny goalkeeper Daniel Brennan was the only designated goalkeeper in the Cats squad that beat Offaly on Monday. Offaly have not beaten Kilkenny at home since 1985 and that record stretches further still after Brian Cody’s men emerged victors by the slenderest of margins, 0-24 to 1-19. With four wins from six in the league now, […]

8 years ago

Of the 23 Ireland players that suited up for Ireland’s Grand Slam win at Twickenham on St. Patrick’s Day, eight of those players – Tadhg Furlong, James Ryan, Dan Leavy, Garry Ringrose, Jacob Stockdale, Andrew Porter, Joey Carbery and Jordan Larmour – were 25-years-old or younger. Second-row Iain Henderson and scrum-half Kieran Marmion just turned […]

8 years ago

How do you pick three to four standout players from a Grand Slam winning side? In 2016, when England ran the table in Eddie Jones’ first season in charge, Billy Vunipola, Jonathan Joseph and Jack Nowell were all nominated for the Player of the Championship award. Similarly, when Wales won their third Grandslam in eight seasons in […]

8 years ago

Carlow players celebrated their 33-year wait for promotion from Division 4 of the Allianz National Football League by chanting ‘we are going up’ after their three-point win over Antrim at Corrigan Park on Sunday. Carlow forward Darragh Foley scored the decisive goal after he pounced on an error from Antrim goalkeeper Chris Kerr, who misjudged […]

8 years ago

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has said that Ireland will know they were ‘a little bit lucky’ following their Grand Slam win over England on Saturday. Ireland won just the third Grand Slam in their history with a 24-15 win at Twickenham to top the Six Nations table undefeated. Johnny Sexton’s match winning drop goal […]

8 years ago

“Dublin is the best music city in the world. I’ve been everywhere and nowhere is better than Dublin,” Neil from Seapoint said triumphantly outside of Philomena’s pub in Covent Garden. Neil and Jim go to one Six Nations away game a year. Last year they were in Edinburgh for the game against Scotland and […]

8 years ago

Former Leinster captain Kevin McLaughlin has said that Johnny Sexton has been the best player in this year’s Six Nations championship. Sexton kicked off Ireland’s campaign with a match winning drop goal against France in the opening round of the tournament and he has played some stellar rugby since then in Ireland’s home wins over […]

8 years ago

Former Leinster captain Kevin McLaughlin has compared Ireland flanker Dan Leavy to what Sean O’Brien was like when he first started playing for the province in 2008. O’Brien broke into the Leinster first team a decade ago and quickly earned a reputation for being one of the most promising forwards in European rugby. By 2011, […]

8 years ago

James Ryan was one of the thousands of fans that were facing Ronan O’Gara when he kicked the Grand Slam winning drop goal against Wales in 2009. A large majority of those fans would have gone on and celebrated long into the night while Ryan took some inspiration from the pace setters of that generation. […]

8 years ago

At times you forget that Iain Henderson only turned 26 last month. The Ulster second-row made his international debut as a 20-year-old against South Africa in 2012 after impressing alongside Tadhg Beirne at the Junior Rugby World Cup, and nearly six years later, and he’s starting against England at Twickenham with a Grand Slam on […]

8 years ago

Ireland flanker Peter O’Mahony has called on his side to produce their best performance of the Six Nations ahead of Saturday’s Grand Slam decider against England. O’Mahony was awarded the man of the match award in last year’s win over Eddie Jones’ side, the first time England had lost under the Australian, and the Munster […]

8 years ago

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has made just one change to his side for the Grand Slam decider with England on Saturday. Ulster and Lions second row Iain Henderson comes back into the side with Devin Toner dropping to the bench. After winning his third title in the last five years against Scotland last weekend, […]

8 years ago

England head coach Eddie Jones has reshuffled his backline ahead of this weekend’s visit of Ireland with Owen Farrell moving from inside centre to fly-half. Farrell moves into first receiver in place of Leicester Tigers pivot George Ford who has dropped to the bench for Saturday’s match at Twickenham. The Saracens out-half’s midfield partner Ben […]

8 years ago

Former Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has praised Barcelona forward Lionel Messi as the most complete player in the history of football. The Argentine scored twice in Barcelona’s 3-0 win over Chelsea in the Champions League as Ernesto Valverde’s side advanced to the tournament’s quarter-final stages with a 4-1 win on aggregate over the Blues. Lampard lauded […]

8 years ago

RTE football pundit Eamon Dunphy has cited Neymar’s apparent partying with supermodels in Ibiza for PSG’s lack of success this season. The Ligue 1 leaders crashed out of the Champions League last week after a 5-2 aggregate loss to Real Madrid. The reigning champions advanced to the tournament’s quarter-finals stages after they secured a 2-1 […]

8 years ago

Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa has fired a subtle dig at his former manager Antonio Conte before Chelsea’s Champions League exit to Barcelona on Wednesday evening. A brace from Lionel Messi and a first-half strike from Ousmane Dembele sealed a comfortable 3-0 win for Barcelona as Chelsea were knocked out from the competition after losing 4-1 […]

8 years ago

When Ireland play England it’s just different to most games. When any team plays England it’s different to most of their games. 800 years of British rule, heightened tensions during the troubles and decades of anti-English sentiment make Ireland’s encounters with England a little fierier than most other internationals in rugby, but at times it’s a […]

8 years ago

During Joe Schmidt’s second press conference last weekend, after it was confirmed that Ireland had just won their third Six Nations title in the last five years, a question was posed to him asking whether any players in his current squad could be held in the same light as the iconic figures from Ireland’s 2009 […]

8 years ago

Irish MMA fighter James Gallagher has had to withdraw from Bellator 196 in Hungary after injuring his hand. Gallagher was supposed to headline the card against Adam Borics in Budapest on April 6 but will now delay his return to the cage after suffering his latest injury setback. The Tyrone native has not fought since last summer when he […]

8 years ago

When Sligo Rovers kicked off their season at home to Limerick last month they were celebrating the 3000th game in their club’s history. To celebrate the milestone, the club aimed to have 3,000 plus fans at the game and they reached their target when 3,056 supporters showed up to the Showgrounds to watch Limerick open their season […]

8 years ago

Munster Rugby players Jean Kleyn and Robin Copeland rushed to slag teammate Simon Zebo after he was sidestepped by hooker Mike Sherry in training. The Munster rake dropped Zebo with a nice dummy and step off his right foot before fending away the full-back’s arm and heading upfield. Zebo could be seen smiling as he […]

8 years ago

Footage has emerged of the incident that led to Clare footballer Gordon Kelly receiving a three month suspension for allegedly hitting an umpire with water. Clare manager Colm Collins insists that Kelly was cleaning out his water bottle after the Banner’s recent draw with Tipperary, where it was alleged that Kelly had squirted water at an umpire. The […]

8 years ago

The RFU have warned Irish fans from buying tickets on the secondary market as the demand to see Ireland win their first Grand Slam since 2009 continues to rise. The match had originally been billed as a Grand Slam decider given that England had won nine of their last 10 Six Nations games heading into […]

8 years ago

Valencia winger Simone Zaza continues to add to his list of embarrassing moments after he feigned receiving an elbow by Sevilla’s Franco Vázquez on Saturday. With Valencia leading 1-0, Zaza scampered after Vázquez and once it had become clear that he would not win the ball back, he tried to headbutt the midfielder’s elbow in […]

8 years ago

Former Leinster prop Stan Wright used to startle his teammates with his anger according to former club captain Kevin McLaughlin. McLaughlin was appearing on the latest episode of The Hard Yards to disucss the fourth round of the Six Nations when he was asked ‘who was the king of the dig’ at Leinster during his […]

8 years ago

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has hit back at former Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer after the Netherlands international said that it was a ‘pity’ that Marcus Rashford was playing under Mourinho at Old Trafford. Rashford scored twice in United’s 2-1 win over Liverpool last weekend as his side extended their lead over Liverpool […]

8 years ago

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill has moved to clarify comments he made last week where he accused the FAI of only targeting catholic players in Northern Ireland. O’Neill was roundly criticised for his remarks where he said that he can list 10 players who have swapped allegiances and have never represented the Republic at senior […]

8 years ago

What do you do when everyone is tightly marked and you can’t pick out a pass to one of your teammates? Naturally, you go on a six solo run into the opposition’s half until a teammate loses his marker. It might not be the recommended tactic of any coach that likes keeping hair on their […]

8 years ago

Ireland won their third Six Nations title in the last five years on Saturday after a bonus point win over Scotland – and a French win over England – handed Joe Schmidt’s side the 2018 championship. Ireland will now head to Twickenham next weekend for the final round of the tournament where they will contend […]

8 years ago

Lille fans were furious at their side’s 1-1 draw with Montpellier on Saturday and stormed the pitch after the full-time whistle to harass the players. Lille are winless from their last six games and currently sit eight points from bottom in Ligue 1 as they battle the rest of the season to avoid relegation. https://twitter.com/dangerousattack/status/972606958728548357 […]

8 years ago

Fiorentina lined up for their first game since the tragic passing of club captain Davide Astori after the Italian international was found dead in his hotel room last weekend. Fiorentina defeated Benevento 1-0 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi with a Vitor Hugo goal separating the two sides but football was a mere backdrop to the […]

8 years ago

Ireland flanker Dan Leavy is unfazed by the prospect of going to Twickenham next weekend as Ireland chase a Grand Slam and Triple Crown against England. Ireland won their third Six Nations title in the last five years on Saturday after they secured a bonus point win over Scotland before England then lost to France […]

8 years ago

Ireland number eight CJ Stander says that he’s preparing for the biggest game of his career next weekend ahead of Ireland’s Grand Slam decider against England in London. Ireland will take on an English side that is coming off back-to-back losses following consecutive defeats to Scotland and then France. England’s 22-16 defeat in Paris on […]

8 years ago

Everton forward Wayne Rooney has sent his best wishes to Derry football team the Oxford Bulls, a team made up of kids with Down Syndrome from the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. The Bulls went on tour to Liverpool this weekend where the team met with Seamus Coleman, Wayne Rooney and Sam Allardyce […]

8 years ago

Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton has credited former teammates Brian O’Driscoll, Ronan O’Gara and Paul O’Connell for their roles in helping bring along a number of players in this current side. Ireland won their third Six Nations title in the last five years with a 28-8 bonus point win over Scotland on Saturday and were awarded […]

8 years ago

Joe Schmidt has singled out second-row James Ryan for an immense performance following Ireland’s 28-8 win over Scotland on Saturday. Ryan led the way for Ireland in the forwards with a team-high 15 carries and 13 tackles as Ireland once again dominated the ball with 62% possession and a whopping 601 metres on the ground. […]

8 years ago

Ireland fans had been dreading a situation like Garry Ringrose’s heading into Saturday’s game with Scotland. Ringrose had played just 113 minutes since Leinster’s New Year’s Day win over Connacht and there were concerns that any rustiness in his return to international rugby would be brutally exposed by his opposite number Huw Jones, who came […]

8 years ago

Ireland maintained their perfect start to this year’s Six Nations and have moved one step closer to their first Grand Slam since 2009. A first-half brace from Jacob Stockdale and second-half tries from Conor Murray and Sean Cronin gave Ireland a well deserved 28-8 win as Joe Schmidt’s side dominated a Scotland side that failed […]

8 years ago

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will reportedly play no part in today’s derby with Liverpool. The French international is understood to have suffered a gash in his leg in the final training session at Carrington and has apparently been ruled out ahead of Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off. Sounds like Pogba has been ruled out. Assessed this […]

8 years ago

Cora Staunton scored another brilliant goal for the Greater Western Sydney Giants in their round six win over the Western Bulldogs on Saturday. Staunton has picked up Australian Rules Football exceptionally well since moving to Sydney last year and she added to her already impressive collection of goals with another superb effort against the Bulldogs. […]

8 years ago

Former Ireland head coach Declan Kidney and ex-Ulster Director of Rugby Les Kiss have taken the reins of Aviva Premiership strugglers London Irish with immediate effect. Kidney will operate as the club’s technical consultant while Kiss has been appointed as head coach. The Exiles currently sit 12 points behind Worcester at the bottom of the […]

8 years ago

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has fired a thinly veiled shot at former club captain Gary Neville, among others, ahead of his side’s match with Liverpool on Saturday. Increasingly, Premier League managers are having to answer criticisms from television pundits with Chelsea manager Antonio Conte labeling Sky Sports pundits Jamie Redknapp and Neville as “stupid” […]

8 years ago

The FAI have confirmed their nominees for the upcoming FAI International Awards with Darren Randolph, Shane Duffy and James McClean all nominated for the Senior International Player of the Year award. McClean won the RTE Sportsperson of the Year award in December and will be favoured to pick up the senior player of the year […]

8 years ago

Indian cricketer Mohammed Shami has had his professional contract put on hold by the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) in India after he was charged by Kolkata Police on Friday. The Times of India are reporting that Kolkata Police booked India pace bowler Mohammed Shami and four others under various non-bailable and bailable sections […]

8 years ago

Liverpool and Manchester United fans have been left puzzled over Sky Sports’ combined XI ahead of tomorrow’s derby match at Old Trafford. Both teams are fighting for second place in the league and automatic qualification for next season’s Champions League with just two points separating the sides. Ahead of the match, Sky Sports have published […]

8 years ago

Cork City manager John Caulfield was quite scathing in his assessment of the lack of coverage in the League of Ireland at last month’s season launch at the Aviva Stadium. The rebels boss bemoaned that the Presidents Cup only got four seconds of coverage on an eight minute RTE sports bulletin and also called for […]

8 years ago

PSG forward Neymar is reportedly looking for a move back to Barcelona just one year after moving to Ligue 1 leaders PSG. Neymar left the Catalan club in a world record move last summer but it is understood that he now has regrets about leaving the Blaugrana. According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Neymar is planning a […]

8 years ago