“I don’t know man. Don’t ask me anything about the future, right now.” Suddenly, and despite not fighting since January, Conor McGregor is holding a very strong hand again. For UFC president Dana White, the shock retirement of lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was another gut-punch in a year of gut-punches, for him and his promotion. […]

5 years ago

“They typified our performance in terms of our energy, those two guys led it in many ways.” Johnny Sexton has enjoyed a box-seat to Will Connors and Hugo Keenan ripping it up, in training and in matches with Leinster, for the past few seasons. On Saturday at the Aviva Stadium, the Italians felt what he […]

5 years ago

In all likelihood, three of The Eagle’s latest victims will be scrapping over the vacated title. After all the hatred and bile that came before, during and after UFC 229, the Khabib McGregor book may have finally closed with some decency and respect. In October 2018, Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov met in The Octagon […]

5 years ago

“I’m looking forward, on Tuesday, to seeing me at Number One in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings.” Khabib retires. Who saw that coming? Looking back, it all makes sense. As Justin Gaethje tapped, for the third separate time in 10 seconds, Khabib Nurmagomedov knew he had done it all. He had fulfilled his vow to his […]

5 years ago

“Hopefully there’s more of it to come over the next few weeks” As a proud Leinster man, Johnny Sexton was probably expecting to be extolling the virtues of Will Connors, Hugo Keenan, Caelan Doris and more after Ireland’s 50-17 win over Italy. There simply had to be a Peter O’Mahony question squeezed in there! Ireland […]

5 years ago

When Ireland got emphatically booted out the 2019 World Cup, we looked at what was coming and told ourselves there would be better days. Around the time New Zealand were doling out another World Cup lesson we could have done without, Hugo Keenan was making his second start of the season, with Leinster, at fullback. […]

5 years ago

IRELAND 50-17 ITALY Ireland put 50 points on the board against an overrun Italian side, but may yet regret the concession of two sloppy tries. The Ireland ratings are dominated by a couple of newcomers and one CJ Stander. Ireland went into the game knowing they needed a big, bonus point win to stay in […]

5 years ago

“The logistics of it are going through the IRFU, so we’re really leaving it up to them.” Before Dorothy Wall once again proved to be an impressive ‘finisher’, on Thursday, Ireland Women’s head coach Adam Griggs was eager to get on with the rugby after months upon months of trying to get Test matches back. Griggs […]

5 years ago

“That’s been put on hold at the moment.” We have spoken with Ian McKinley three times in the past seven months and, each time, his circumstances have changed dramatically. Back in March, he spoke to us on House of Rugby from a locked down Italy and was hopeful the Covid-19 pandemic could be curtailed and […]

5 years ago

“I’m definitely not resting on my laurels!” Beibhinn Parsons arrived onto the Test rugby scene like a rocket, only for that ill-fated Leaving Certificate of 2020 [and much more ill fate, besides] to slow a previously rapid rise. Now, settling up in Dublin for college, she is back for the end of the 2020 Six […]

5 years ago

“I know he’ll be ready for the weekend.” Of all the selection calls ahead of Ireland’s 2020 Guinness Six Nations game against Italy, Jacob Stockdale and Hugo Keenan getting jerseys 15 and 11 sparked the biggest interest. Peter O’Mahony is benched. So is Robbie Henshaw. Josh van der Flier is M.I.A. Will Connors is in […]

5 years ago

The Ireland head coach gave an insight into some of his big team selection calls. Jacob Stockdale at fullback, Hugo Keenan on the left wing, Will Connors at openside and two more uncapped players on the bench. Not many of us saw that Ireland XV to face Italy coming. “I’m here. Let’s go!” Andy Farrell […]

5 years ago

A big call on the left wing and at openside flanker. Andy Farrell is giving Test debuts to Hugo Keenan and Will Connors in a fresh-looking Ireland team to face Italy, this Saturday. Leinster’s Hugo Keenan has been named on the left wing, with Jacob Stockdale slotting in at fullback and Andrew Conway on the […]

5 years ago

“Without us, there ain’t a ballgame.” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is here for you before Lockdown No.2. We’ll be here during and, by God, we’ll be here after. Let’s do this… then let’s do that!

5 years ago

“Sometimes we have to pretend we don’t know the team to you guys, but we actually don’t know what the team is, at the moment!” Johnny Sexton was talking about his Leinster teammate Hugo Keenan, this afternoon, when he made that aside. If the 24-year-old ends up in the Ireland XV, when it is named […]

5 years ago

“It’s a funny one. I don’t want to be barging into the rowing club, imposing myself on them.” Growing up in Cork, Gary O’Donovan watched ‘a little bit of whatever sport was on the telly’ but was lucky to have his sporting heroes living just down the road. At the end of the summer, Gary […]

5 years ago

“Woooooooo! Yeahhhhh!!” It was only when rugby returned, with little or no-one in the grounds and fake TV crowd noise filtered out, did we realise how much Bundee Aki yapped, hollered and cajoled during games. The Connacht and Ireland centre had everyone talking, about the amount he was talking, when the professional game kicked off […]

5 years ago

“We haven’t really discussed it too much, to be honest. The minute you start talking like that, you’re in trouble.” The Ireland team to face Italy will be named on Wednesday afternoon, and expect James Ryan [quoted above] to be one of the first names branded onto Andy Farrell’s master copy. We always do it […]

5 years ago

The game is afoot. The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is coming at you hard and fast today. There are high scores to be had, if you keep your cool.

5 years ago

“I thought I was renegotiating my contract. And there was him telling me he was letting me go.” February 2004 was the moment Gordon D’Arcy stepped out of his own shadow and became the player his mentors and peers long believed he could be. Not long out of secondary school [Clongowes], D’Arcy made his Leinster […]

5 years ago

CELTIC 0-2 RANGERS Alfredo Morelos has had his fair share of run-ins with Celtic but he finished on the winning side today, and even lasted the full 90 minutes. It was a day to forget for a strangely listless Celtic as they succumbed to a well-drilled and purposeful Rangers side. Ahead of the first Old […]

5 years ago

“I tried to tell myself that I was on holiday and after (a while), I was like, ‘I need to go home!’“ Linda Djougang was only nine when she arrived in Ireland from Cameroon and went to live in Rush with her father. 15 years on and she is in contention to be named Ireland Womens’ […]

5 years ago

“I thought it was Darth Vader asking me the question for a second!” Slow internet connections, for some, and looming white domes filling computer screens. Andy Farrell encountered all sorts as Ireland tried to keep a focus on Italy despite swirling uncertainties. Farrell sat back at the IRFU’s High Performance Centre, on Friday, and faced […]

5 years ago

“I think I have made the right choice!” Finn Russell is on a conference call with the great and good of European rugby writers and taking in another day in a plush hotel on the French island of Corsica. The rain clouds have moved in, this Wednesday afternoon, but the rest of the week has […]

5 years ago

A good soldier, but not the answer for Ireland. Before we get into it, a couple of points about Jeff Hendrick. He started three Ireland games in seven days and one of them went to extra time. He has started the Premier League season well with Newcastle United. Now… how much more proof do we […]

5 years ago

Out of adversity comes opportunity. Benjamin Franklin – one of America’s ‘Founding Fathers’ – passed away 81 years before the first ever recorded game of rugby, but his truisms and observations have sailed serenely on into the 21st century. Out of the adversity of losing a top second row prospect, and future Lion in the […]

5 years ago

“The world meets nobody halfway. When you want something, you gotta take it.” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz has a real treat for you today… especially if you love Sylvester Stallone, Kerry GAA and Irish Olympic medals. For everyone else, we’ve got you covered too. Have at it!

5 years ago

If you know your Spanish football, you’ll get off to a fast start. We’ve got a football quiz for you, today, that will test your knowledge of the European game. Can you name every top flight club, from Europe’s top five leagues, that begin with the letter ‘R’? We are looking for clubs in the top […]

5 years ago

Another rollercoaster quizzing ride for you all to enjoy. The SportsJOE 2000s Football Quiz is back for another round and we have a nice mix of questions that will swerve you through two decades of footballing action, and characters. All the best!

5 years ago

“Keith Wood would have been someone I would have modelled an awful lot of my career on, at that stage.” Many Irish rugby fans will hear the name Gordon D’Arcy and think instantly of the inside centre that partnered Brian O’Driscoll, for a decade, in the Leinster and Ireland midfield. What many will not be […]

5 years ago

“He’s taken a pretty heavy bang to his shoulder.” There are plenty of fullback options for Andy Farrell, but switching Andrew Conway to the 15 jersey makes the most sense. Leinster head coach Leo Cullen was never going to provide a complete medical diagnosis when he shared his post-match thoughts on the the Leinster Rugby […]

5 years ago

“As close as we could possibly be, already, that brought us closer.” The Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 106-93 to win Game 6, at Buena Vista, Florida on Sunday night, to clinch the 17th NBA title in the history of the franchise. It was an emotional night for many at the Lakers as […]

5 years ago

“This is getting completely out of hand now.” The red card for James McClean, against Wales, was unfortunate. His reaction to that decision was reckless. The last thing Ireland manager Stephen Kenny needs, after five days of Covid-19 frustrations and rulings, is a key player suspended for a competitive match. He will be hoping that […]

5 years ago

“I was crying out for a chance and to get Jack Byrne on.” Phil Babb was not the only one, but Jack Byrne was not getting off that Ireland bench. Stephen Kenny went into the Nations League game against Wales without: David McGoldrick (injured) Unnamed player (positive Covid-19 case) Alan Browne (close contact) Callum Robinson […]

5 years ago

IRELAND 0-0 WALES A day of missed chances, some solid performances, a rash red card and another Irish draw. Stephen Kenny’s wait for his first win as Ireland manager goes on as his side drew 0-0 with Wales in their Nations League encounter at the Aviva stadium. The Ireland ratings are, therefore, a mix of […]

5 years ago

“To be honest with you, we haven’t had any Coronavirus in the camp at all… “ Stephen Kenny is hopeful he may get some senior players cleared to face Finland, but he has already moved to bring in the cavalry, including the uncapped Derby star Jason Knight. Kenny has been left as frustrated with Covid-19 […]

5 years ago

Stephen Kenny has been forced to make a raft of changes from the side that lost their penalty shoot-out to Slovakia. The Ireland team to face Wales for this afternoon’s Nations League clash with Wales has been confirmed by the FAI. Jack Byrne and Daryl Horgan are among those that would have been hoping to […]

5 years ago

“Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is coming out hard at fast with today’s offering. Two movie classics to get us cooking and a nice mix of sport from there. Good luck.

5 years ago

Lots of rejigging needed for Stephen Kenny, and ourselves. The Republic of Ireland squad did not have too much time to dwell on their crushing penalty shoot-out lose to Slovakia. 66 hours and one flight back to Dublin later, they are back in action against Wales. Stephen Kenny’s Ireland side have a home tie with […]

5 years ago

The Leinster star left the field of play after 48 minutes. Ireland head coach Andy Farrell may have to do without Jordan Larmour for the 2020 Guinness Six Nations and the Autumn Nations after he sustained a bad injury against Benetton Treviso. Larmour was injured, minutes into the second half, when executing a tackle. He […]

5 years ago

“Rugby is about what you are doing on the field and how much you are willing to work for the person inside and outside of you.” There is a picture of Louise Galvin doing what she does best, in the Sportsfile archives, for her Listowel basketball team back in 2002 – competing. 18 years ago, […]

5 years ago

4D transfer strategy from the team that brought you the Ander Herrera failed bid fiasco of 2013. While most Manchester United fans, and their club’s manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, were hoping transfer deadline day would see the likes of Sancho, Koulibaly, Dembele or Upamecano arrive at Old Trafford, Ed Woodward, Matt Judge and a crack […]

5 years ago

“We had Bundee Aki commentating the whole of the game, at the weekend.” Bundee Aki has returned to rugby in top form and helped his Connacht side off to a winning start to the 2020/21 Guinness PRO14 season, in Galway, last weekend. Aki scored two tries for Andy Friend’s side as they defeated Glasgow Warriors […]

5 years ago

“That’s what my team asked of me. That’s what they needed me to do.” LeBron James and Jimmy Butler went kitchen sink in Game 5 of the 2020 NBA Finals, and it was everything we could have wished for. Miami Heat went into the game trailing James’ LA Lakers 3-1 and needing to go to […]

5 years ago

“They love their gym!” This time last year, Caelan Doris had 18 Leinster senior caps to his name and was looking on from afar as Ireland faced into another uphill battle at a World Cup. 12 months on and he is a go-to selection despite being part of a highly competitive Leinster back row batch. […]

5 years ago

Sound the trumpets! The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz has turned 200 (days) and we are celebrating in bi-centennial style! 20/20 scores will be thin on the ground, but we’re expecting some 18s and 19s today.

5 years ago

“It’s just the new world and we’ll just have to live with the way things are.” Johann van Graan and all of the Munster coaching and backroom staff will have to be nimble on their feet, and quick with Plans B, C, D thru Z, as the 2020/21 season develops. On Tuesday morning, Munster confirmed […]

5 years ago

“We are taking every precaution by standing down training today.” Munster Rugby have confirmed, today, that a player in their senior squad has tested positive for Covid-19. This is the third instance of a positive test for a player or players for Coronavirus at the southern province. The full statement from Munster Rugby reads: ‘Munster […]

5 years ago

“Believe me, something will be done about that.” Scott McTominay could hardly stand still for more than two seconds as he faced the camera – albeit for Manchester United’s in-house TV channel, MUTV – and tried to talk his way through his club’s most abject performance in years. The Scotland international is a Lancaster lad […]

5 years ago

“I would have done a huge amount of work with him around getting more flexible, stronger, better technique.” Watch any Leinster or Ireland game when both sides are humming and you will usually see the red scrum-cap of Josh van der Flier all over the park. While the Wicklow native may not have that global […]

5 years ago