“If things are going well, don’t sit there getting high on your own supply.” Jake Humphrey has been talking to some of the leading figures in sports, entertainment and business about high performance, for the past two years. He has distilled some of their best advice for all of you sound souls. Back in 2009, […]

4 years ago

A nice glimpse at the next few years ahead for Munster. At present, Connacht’s home United Rugby Championship tie with Munster is set to survive the Covid fixture cull and take place in Galway on Saturday evening. The only games in URC round nine that are set to go ahead are this interprovincial clash and, […]

4 years ago

“We’ll just be locked away in our Air B’n’B thing.” Having won the world championship in 2020, Peter Wright knows the big tournaments are about progressing any way you can while trying to stay on an even keel. The Scot defeated Ryan Searle 4-1 in the Last 16 at the William Hill World Darts Championship […]

4 years ago

An elite club. We’ve somewhat of a tricky Man City quiz for you all that involves some fine Irish players to have represented the club. Since the 1966/67 season, Manchester City supporters have voted for their club’s player of the season award. Over the past 55 years, then, the award has gone to a Republic […]

4 years ago

Bullet-proof sense here. What were the organisers expecting? It has been left to darts stars Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price to speak sense amid the “Covid bomb” that has ravaged the William Hill World Darts Championship. Van Gerwen and fellow Dutchman Vincent van der Voort were already forced to pull out of the tournament […]

4 years ago

Plenty of candidates in midfield and up front. This Manchester United Worst Transfers XI is filled with multi-million talent and guys that never quite found their mojo at Old Trafford. Next May will mark nine years since Alex Ferguson stepped down as Manchester United boss after leading them to their 20th league title, 13 of […]

4 years ago

“Tadhg stuck out like a sore thumb! He was good craic, to be fair to him.” Like a post-Lions Tour trip to Las Vegas, we are in giddy form as we present our big 2021 rugby quiz. 20 questions for you all from the year in rugby, with a few tricky ones thrown in there […]

4 years ago

Some ballers in here. Back in March 1991, Roy Keane made his Ireland debut, against Chile, at Lansdowne Road. With Ireland’s sights set on qualifying for Euro 92, after memorable campaigns at Euro 88 and Italia 90, Jack Charlton was starting to filter in the next generation of footballing talent. No better man, then, than […]

4 years ago

“It was not our plan tonight to give City the chance to run away.” When Jürgen Klopp arrived at Liverpool in October 2015, Manchester City were sitting top of the Premier League and looking for their second title under the guidance of Manuel Pellegrini. The Chilean and his side had benefitted by Liverpool failing to […]

4 years ago

The Dutchman is absolutely devastated at the news. Michael van Gerwen has withdrawn from the World Darts Championship after testing positive for Covid-19 prior to his match against Chris Dobey. As a result of the three-time PDC world champion’s withdrawal, Dobey has received a bye to the last 16. Tuesday evening’s session – which features […]

4 years ago

“We’ll see… “ With most Premier League sides reaching, or nearing, the 19-game mark, it was time for Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher to revisit their predictions from August. At the start of the league season, the pundits made their predictions for teams and players, as well as picking their ‘top four’. Following the MNF […]

4 years ago

Ireland are set to face Les Bleus in Paris in the second round of the championship. New Covid-19 restrictions and requirements were announced by the French government on Monday night, and it should have a direct impact on the 2022 Six Nations. In a further effort to fight against the spread of the virus, Emmanuel […]

4 years ago

Called it way before everyone else. Back in February, few would have confidently predicted Conor Murray making the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa. We bet Shane Lowry did not sweat it for a moment, though. After four rounds of the 2021 Six Nations, Murray was wondering where he stood in the plans […]

4 years ago

“We didn’t know how loud to sing or what to do.” The first time Greg O’Shea had the honour of wearing the green jersey and singing the anthem(s), it did not go exactly as planned. Back in 2012, then with Crescent College and Munster, O’Shea was selected for an Ireland U18 Schools team to take […]

4 years ago

“He just knew how to take care of himself.” One season. 21 games. 21 starts. Six tries. Multiple Man of the Match awards and a Heineken Cup winners’ medal. As one-season wonders go, Rocky Elsom set a high bar. Back in the autumn of 2008, not long after winning Wallaby of the Year, Elsom landed […]

4 years ago

“I was thrilled when he picked me – ‘Oh my God, I’m in the team!’” Paul McGrath played one of the games of his life for Ireland, at the World Cup in 1994, but don’t lavish him with too much praise about it. At Italia 90, Ireland faced off against the likes of England, Romania […]

4 years ago

“Because it’s just a ripped shirt. That’s the thing!” Rory McIlroy sat down for an hour-long interview and reflected on fame, fatherhood, pressure, Ryder Cup tears and sending his manager to the club shop to get him a new golf shirt after Rip-Gate. The Northern Irishman rarely fails to deliver in interviews and is nothing […]

4 years ago

Jeez, it wasn’t a bad old sporting year, was it? As 2021 heads for the exit door, we are taking a look at the most read stories on SportsJOE in 2021. It certainly brings back some great memories. The breakdown is four football stories, four rugby, one GAA and one golf. There were three more […]

4 years ago

One man reigns supreme. As the sporting year winds down, then plunges into 2022, we have a goalscorers quiz that should prove quite the test. We are looking for the Top 10 goalscorers across Europe’s Top 5 leagues over the course of 2021. Now, that means the end of last season and the first half […]

4 years ago

There has been some significant movement in the past 12 months. Football’s top scorer of the last decade has been revealed. The king remains the king, but his lead is slipping. Given that we were moving from 2020, last year, there were a lot of ‘end of the decade’ lists compiled that took us from […]

4 years ago

A big feature of the sporting festive schedule has been nixed. The fall-out from ‘a number of positive’ Covid-19 cases in the Leinster squad continues after the United Rugby Championship confirmed another match postponement. Leinster were due to face Munster at Thomond Park on Sunday, December 26 but that game will now have to be […]

4 years ago

Katie Taylor will need to bring her ‘A’ game to Madison Square Garden. And then some. “I want to thank my dance partner Miriam Gutiérrez,” declared Amanda Serrano after her latest win. “She didn’t come to lay down.” Gutiérrez did not lie down, but she was on the receiving end of a real piecing up. […]

4 years ago

Some big names missing. The Man United senior squad returned to training at Carrington, this morning, for their first training session since their win over Norwich, on December 11. Manchester United’s Premier League trip to Brentford and their home tie against Brighton were both postponed, last week, after a number of positive Covid-19 cases were […]

4 years ago

Well said by the relative boxing newbie. Following Katie Taylor’s recent win over Firuza Sharipova, her promoter Eddie Hearn revealed Jake Paul would play a key role in teeing up ‘the biggest fight in women’s boxing’. Aside from Taylor and Clarissa Shields, who is up at middleweight, there is no bigger name in women’s boxing […]

4 years ago

So many class athletes and performances to chose from. The selecting, narrowing down conferring and debating is over. This is the strongest top 10 list of Irish sports stars we’ve seen for a very long time. 2021 saw Irish sports stars win massive individual accolades, medals of all varieties (and hefts), play big roles to […]

4 years ago

“He would have got him back for that!” Refuse Roy Keane a jersey swap at your peril. Paul McGrath would not be surprised if Matthias Sammer was on the receiving end of a chasing when he faced the Corkman again. While he had already played at Euro 88 and Italia 90 by the time he […]

4 years ago

The tightest call is at inside centre. We ended up with only five Champions Cup games, at the weekend, as a Covid surge and travel restrictions combined to chaos sporting fixture havoc. The EPCR awarded Montpellier a 28-0 forfeit win over Leinster after a Covid outbreak in their senior squad, but the four-time champions will […]

4 years ago

TOTTENHAM 2-2 LIVERPOOL Referee Paul Tierney and the Video Assistant Referee team were in the dock, this afternoon, as Harry Kane escaped a red card for a shocking challenge on Andy Robertson. The England captain was extremely lucky to avoid a red card. Kane had just put Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 up when, adrenaline coursing through […]

4 years ago

It was a day to forget for Newcastle as Manchester City ensured they would be top of the league by Christmas. Ciaran Clark will surely be looking to banish this game from his thoughts, as well, after a poor defensive display against City. Pep Guardiola’s side won 4-0 at St James’ Park and were behind […]

4 years ago

LEICESTER 29-23 CONNACHT Andy Friend’s side were leading Leicester by eight points, at one stage, but their scrum crumpled in the second half. They head home with just a single point, but Sam Warburton was impressed with two Connacht players. Connacht went 3-0 ahead, through the excellent Jack Carty, but Leicester’s forward play saw them […]

4 years ago

“Here, Pat, I’m really not great with the speaking… “ 25 minutes into a chat with Paul McGrath and I fear time may be against us, and that he may be looking to get on with his day. I have just asked him if he ever got in to present caps or speak with Stephen […]

4 years ago

MUNSTER 19-13 CASTRES No sooner was Rory Kockott on the pitch, 53 minutes into Castres’ away date with Munster, then he was getting scolded by Peter O’Mahony, and referee Matthew Carley. It was a tale of two tries and two Test Match Official reviews. One went against Munster when it looked perfectly fine. The second […]

4 years ago

PORTALINGTON 0-12 KILMACUD 1-11 The Laois champions looked to have timed their late charged perfectly but Paul Mannion and Kilamcud Crokes had a killer response. The final of the Leinster Club Senior Football Championship will be fought out between the Dublin champions and Naas after an afternoon of high drama at Croke Park. Not long […]

4 years ago

“This was the moment that O’Mahony could reinforce what Munster means to the group.” One week removed from Munster’s thrilling away win over Wasps and Peter O’Mahony is ready to do it all again. Castres are coming to Limerick but many at the club would just as well preferred staying home. Travel restrictions set down […]

4 years ago

“If they stay fit, Leinster can absolutely go on to win the Heineken Cup.” Last weekend – before Omicron came along and completely tilted sport on its’ ass – I got along to see Tadhg Furlong, Rónan Kelleher and Andrew Porter in action, against Bath. ‘To Leinster, and Ireland, this front row are now what […]

4 years ago

BALLINA 0-16 MOUNT SION 2-5 Not the way they would have planned it, but Ballina got there. Austin Glesson has had his fair share of success as a hurler, but he had his heart set on helping Mount Sion reach the Munster Club Junior Football Championship Final today. Up against the Waterford hurling star were […]

4 years ago

“We are not afraid to say we want to win the World Cup.” So proclaimed Ryan Baird after Ireland beat Argentina, in November, to win their eighth consecutive Test match. James Lowe surely approves the spunk but is targeting some silverware with Ireland much sooner than 2023. There is no doubt that Andy Farrell, having […]

4 years ago

‘EPCR will provide a further update as soon as practicable… ‘ At this stage, no sooner does one update land than the other arrives. The Omicron variant is spreading, sporting fixtures are getting postponed and cancelled everywhere and they seem to be making it up as they go along in the Champions Cup. Earlier this […]

4 years ago

“It’s definitely looking that way.” Seán O’Brien played for nine years under Joe Schmidt, at Leinster and with Ireland. He has no doubts that the Kiwi will not take long to make an impact with the All Blacks. Schmidt stepped down as head coach of Ireland after the 2019 World Cup and took up a […]

4 years ago

“Winners take control.” Robin Van Persie did not always take the popular decisions, in his football career. She lost some friends and ruffled some feathers along the way. But, as often as possible for a professional footballer, he was calling the shots. After 22 years in the game, the Dutchman hung up his boots in […]

4 years ago

The former Arsenal captain is this week’s sporting piñata. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is getting it from all sides after Arsenal stripped him of the captaincy and hung him out to dry. Arsenal boss Mike Arteta told reporters all about the Gabon international’s breach of club discipline but then told reporters he would not be divulging any […]

4 years ago

“He turned to me, a minute later, and said, ‘Mate, have you got a problem with me?!’” Wallabies star Nick Phipps and Seán O’Brien got off to somewhat of a shaky start at London Irish, but it was more of a communication problem than anything else. The scrumhalf was sitting beside O’Brien in the Exiles’ […]

4 years ago

The game has evolved, and it is not going back. In the past two weeks, I have had the opportunity to see two Leinster games in amongst the supporters and see games unfolding from a different perspective. It is not often that I get to take in games as a rugby supporter and with a […]

4 years ago

The South African is on his way, next summer. The rumours had been circulating for the past fortnight and have now been confirmed – Munster head coach Johann Van Graan will depart the province at the end of this season. Van Graan joined Munster in November 2017, learning under Rassie Erasmus for a short spell […]

4 years ago

Big debates for just about every position. The Champions Cup kicked off at the weekend and there were talking points all over the shop. The Irish provinces dominated, too. We are used to reflecting on weekends when the provinces fare well in the United Rugby Championship [and its’ previous iterations] but to sit here on […]

4 years ago

‘We are certain that with your support we can come out of this better and stronger.’ 56 current and former Ireland rugby players have written to the Irish government to state they have ‘lost all trust and confidence in the IRFU and its leadership’. In a letter seen by SportsJOE – and included, in full, […]

4 years ago

The former Leinster and Ireland coach is back in New Zealand and already making his presence felt. Joe Schmidt is set to join the All Blacks as one of their selectors, replacing rugby legend Grant Fox in the role. The former Ireland head coach, who led them to three Six Nations titles, including a 2018 […]

4 years ago

Young fans across Munster would have been buzzing by their side’s display against Munster. On Monday of last week, a clip of Peter O’Mahony sending a good luck message to a UL Bohs team, ahead of a match with Garryowen, was sent my way. Never intended to go beyond the team itself, O’Mahony and Bohs […]

4 years ago

WASPS 14-35 MUNSTER Although it was never part of the plan, a couple of weeks back, Munster handed out 12 senior debuts and still produced a bonus point win against Wasps, away from home. Munster, who were without over 30 senior players due to Covid positives, close contacts isolating and injuries, handed five debuts in […]

4 years ago

“We had Gareth Southgate say, ‘Your podcast got me through lockdown’.” Jake Humphrey already had the honour of being the youngest ever Football Focus and Match of the Day presenter when, in 2009, he was chosen to front the BBC’s Formula One coverage. 30 years old and another major career landmark achieved. Humphrey was excited […]

4 years ago