The last Munster man to walk that road paid tribute to the man about to do so. Peter O’Mahony is currently staving off back-row threats from within the Ireland squad, but he would dearly have loved to be doing similar with the Lions. The Munster captain put himself in the Lions picture with a series […]

5 years ago

“I hit the odd ruck!” Conor Murray took the lead from the Welsh boys in the British & Irish Lions squad, on Saturday, and gave Alun Wyn Jones his space. The four-time Lion only lasted seven minutes of his fourth tour and dislocated his shoulder after an awkward landing, when he was cleared out of […]

5 years ago

He had a good run. Literally. Hugo Keenan’s reign as fastest player in the Ireland squad has only lasted nine months. They have been a hectic, enjoyable nine months, though. The Leinster star made his debut against Italy, last October, and is already 11 caps deep into his Ireland career [seven starts, four tries]. He […]

5 years ago

“It feels f***ing great!” Granit Xhaka summed it up better than we ever could. As we have already seen at Euro 2020, Roy Keane has an enduring love of ball-players and those brave enough to demand possession and create chances. We have heard him already lavish praise on Kevin De Bruyne, Cristiano Ronaldo at Luke […]

5 years ago

FRANCE 3-3 SWITZERLAND (Switzerland win 5-4 on penalties) What a joy football can be. Roy Keane and Gary Neville were like the rest of us watching that rollercoaster. France were sensationally knocked out of Euro 2020 after being knocked out by a bold Swiss side on penalties. The first half saw France, forced into some […]

5 years ago

“It’s no secret. I mean, there’s been criticism over the last couple of years.” Conor Murray did not take long to go from international-class to world-class after he burst on the Test scene. It took him all of nine months – the 2012 summer tour to New Zealand – and he was right up there […]

5 years ago

As opening day auditions go, the Ireland centres will have been very pleased with their contributions. Following the British & Irish Lions’ 28-10 win over Japan, Dan Biggar was asked what it was like to play with Ireland stars Conor Murray, Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw in close proximity. The Lions have only seven Ireland […]

5 years ago

“It was a difficult one to watch… I knew when he stayed down that it was serious.” Sean O’Brien has given his backing to new British & Irish Lions tour captain Conor Murray after a difficult weekend for the side. O’Brien was up in Edinburgh to watch the Lions defeat Japan 28-10, and has much […]

5 years ago

The Leinster second row has had a frustrating injury run since the turn of the year. James Ryan was set to captain Ireland in their summer Tests against Japan and the USA. He may now miss one, if not both, of the games. The IRFU released a short statement on Monday that confirmed Ulster’s Michael […]

5 years ago

For those that claim Keane is an old-school, ‘not enough passion’ merchant, just listen to him speak about quality footballers. There are three things that truly make the eyes of Roy Keane sparkle – Ian Wright, Micah Richards and pure ballers. Many complain about Keane opining, in his various punditry gigs, about players needing to […]

5 years ago

DONEGAL 2-25 DOWN 1-12 On Saturday, it was Kerry fans fretting over David Clifford. Donegal supporters are mid-way through the wringer after Michael Murphy walked gingerly off today. Dublin are already heavy favourites for their seventh Sam Maguire in a row. Without kicking a ball, their odds of winning again in Croke Park, this August, […]

5 years ago

“It highlights the ridiculous imbalance we have in this system.” The 2021 Senior Football Championship got underway, this weekend, and there have been some horrendously lop-sided results. Sean Cavanagh and Tomás Ó Sé are already fed up. So far, over the past two days, we have seen Kerry, Mayo, Donegal and Limerick dole out almighty […]

5 years ago

“No one is in shock because if you’re in shock, it reflects back into the whole squad.” The Lions XV will already look different from the one Warren Gatland would have sketched out when he confirmed his 37-man squad. At Murrayfield, on Saturday, Gatland was not in the mood to give out easy headlines, or […]

5 years ago

The Lions are flying out to South Africa at 7pm this evening. The 2021 British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa finds itself in a state of perilous flux as a third wave of Covid-19 cases takes hold of the Rainbow Nation. Three Springbok players have tested positive for Covid and the entire squad […]

5 years ago

The second St Munchin’s graduate, after Keith Wood, to captain the Lions. The British & Irish Lions squad will fly out to South Africa this afternoon with their new captain, Conor Murray, still getting his head around a whirlwind 24 hours. Murray was named the new Lions tour captain after Alun Wyn Jones was ruled […]

5 years ago

What an honour this is for the Munster and Ireland star. Following a tumultuous day on the injury front for the Lions, it has been confirmed that Conor Murray is the new tour captain. Two new players have been called in as injury cover, too. The news comes after Alun Wyn Jones dislocated his shoulder […]

5 years ago

“You could see players growing out there on the field.” Ian McGeechan talked up the Test chances of seven British & Irish Lions stars after a winning start to their tour, but one that came with a high tariff. The Lions dispatched Japan 28-10 at Murrayfield, with Robbie Henshaw and Tadhg Beirne sealing the win […]

5 years ago

“Is that mine? About time! Cheers man, I’ve been waiting for that for ages.” The legend of Joe Marler has grown even more over the past nine days. Last weekend, Harlequins arranged for a helicopter ride so he could attend the birth of his fourth child, and then get over to Bristol to help beat […]

5 years ago

“We understand we have to be able to react and make decisions. That’s the only way you get on with it.” Warren Gatland is lucky that he has seen it all before, because this is a hammer blow, and then some. The British & Irish Lions got off to a winning start on their 2021 […]

5 years ago

LIONS 28-10 JAPAN A satisfactory opening match triumph for the British & Irish Lions, but at a cost. The Lions ratings reflect well on the squad’s Irish contingent. The first half was dominated with two narratives – the Lions looking dominant in attack while losing key players along the way. Captain Alun Wyn Jones (shoulder) […]

5 years ago

“It takes a lot for Alun Wyn to go down, and stay down.” British & Irish Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones could be out of the remainder of the 2021 Tour after badly injuring his wrist. Jamie Heaslip, commentating for Channel 4, knew it was bad. The Wales international, who was playing on his fourth […]

5 years ago

You only live once. After England beat Croatia in their Euro 2020, Rio Ferdinand got a smidge carried away. Looking ahead to their next game, against Scotland, the former Manchester United and England defender proclaimed: “England are going to win. I can’t see anything else, I’m telling you. I’ve never been this confident about a […]

5 years ago

Two sublime passes to get his team goals, and the whole game on a string. If you were one of those (albeit rare) football fans that only tuned in for major international tournaments, you would be forgiven for thinking Paul Pogba was a golden god. For long stretches of Euro 2016 and the 2018 World […]

5 years ago

“They talk about their core values… Their core values, to me, are money and power.” Damien Duff and Richie Sadlier combined forces – and common sense – to rinse Uefa over their rainbow colours stance. Much of the talk around Germany’s Euro 2020 clash with Hungary has centred around Uefa blocking moves to light up […]

5 years ago

After such a positive start to his game, this was all sorts of awful. In a European Championship littered with own goals, Martin Dúbravka has come up with the worst. 10 minutes after saving a penalty from Spain’s Alvaro Morata, Dúbravka lost his bearing completely after Pablo Sarabia had cracked the Slovakia crossbar with a […]

5 years ago

“He smashed my door!” The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is on a big Euro 2020 and F1 buzz, after getting our fill of the footy and the Netflix documentary over the last couple of weeks. Good luck, and let us know how you get on.

5 years ago

“Controlled progression.” Not exactly a slogan you would want to be slapping on the side of a bus. For Gary Neville, though, he was nodding sagely as ITV’s Mark Pougatch uttered the words. To be straight, few will remember England vs. Czech Republic if Gareth Southgate’s side go on to reach the final, or win […]

5 years ago

The Corkman has an innate sense of comedy, and timing. “I hope your wife gets more than five minute chat with you?” Mark Pougatch was brave. He threw it out there. It was up to Roy Keane now… Much of the talk, ahead of England’s Euro 2020 game against Czech Republic, was of Ben Chilwell […]

5 years ago

“He was such a pain in the arse!” Sean O’Brien used to hate training against Tadhg Beirne. Every player that has faced the Kildare native in training or matches over the years would agree with O’Brien’s statement. Beirne is a nuisance, and he prides himself on the fact. In terms of breakdown operators, there are […]

5 years ago

“The success he has had speaks for itself.” Warren Gatland has been deprived of several top England stars – such as Owen Farrell, Sam Simmonds and Maro Itoje – for the first stretch of Lions camp, but they are beginning to filter in. On Sunday, Tom Curry and Kyle Sinckler linked up with the squad […]

5 years ago

A healthy dollop of Ireland stars. Warren Gatland has named his matchday squad for the British & Irish Lions’ 2021 tour warm-up against Japan. The Lions team has a big Irish contingent. The Lions head coach is without several England internationals and Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg, who are finishing out their club seasons in the […]

5 years ago

“Obviously the red card was unfortunate.” Bundee Aki has faced adversity in his rugby career. It is not foreign to him. He has suffered enough blows to make him truly cherish the highs. Back in March, he found himself drafted into the Ireland midfield for a game against England that had nothing at stake, but […]

5 years ago

“The almost impossible has happened.” On 67 minutes at the Parken Stadium, fans of Denmark let up a roar. The ball was metres from the Russian box, but Russia had possession. The Danes were 2-0 up, but that was not why the fans in Copenhagen were in a tizzy. Over at the Krestovsky Stadium in […]

5 years ago

“I don’t want to cause a drama for Scotland, but… “ Gareth Southgate did not need this extra hassle ahead of his side’s final Euro 2020 group game. The England boss has been left reeling after being forced to rejig his Starting XI plans just over 24 hours out from a crucial Euro 2020 group […]

5 years ago

“Back in your life, baby!” Ariel Helwani is on the move again, but this time he is spreading a wide net. Back in 2018, Helwani pulled down the curtain on his highly successful show, The MMA Hour, on MMA Fighting and headed for a new role with ESPN. He fronted The Ariel Helwani Show and […]

5 years ago

“It will be interesting but, at the minute, it’s exciting and enjoyable.” Iain Henderson and Alun Wyn Jones look primed to start together in the British & Irish Lions second row against Japan. With fewer games on the 2021 Lions Tour, one bad or good individual performance means so much more. The last time Warren […]

5 years ago

The Leinster hooker could yet find himself involved this weekend. Ronan Kelleher has now travelled and trained with the British & Irish Lions in Jersey and Scotland. He may even feature against Japan at Murrayfield, this Saturday. On Sunday, he is set to head back to Dublin, though, as the Lions squad prepares to embark […]

5 years ago

“Imagine being a young fella or young girl watching that.” Greg O’Shea had a clear path ahead of him, filled with TV appearances, guest spots, sponsorship deals and photoshoots. He dabbled his toes in it, briefly, but chose the tougher path. It is just after 9pm in Monaco and just over 90 minutes since Ireland […]

5 years ago

“We started right at the bottom.” Growing up, Billy Dardis dreamed of winning trophies with Leinster and playing in the Six Nations for Ireland. His rugby journey took a different path – a tougher path – but it will now see him head to the Olympics with his Ireland Sevens team. The Ireland captain found […]

5 years ago

FRANCE 19-28 IRELAND The Ireland Sevens side are off to the Tokyo Olympics after a stunning final victory over France at the Monaco Sevens. The event was used as a World Rugby Repechage qualifier for the Tokyo Games, and Ireland qualified in style, despite trailing 12-7 at half-time. Ireland reached the final after wins over […]

5 years ago

“All that nonsense… is a no, no for me.” With Paul Pogba dialled in and winning games for France, Graeme Souness is looking for other players not reaching his standards. Step up Bruno Fernandes. Saturday at Euro 2020 saw two Portuguese stars cop earfuls from old football guys about their on-field behaviour. First up, we […]

5 years ago

“It was just good to get back out playing a level of rugby again.” It has been a long time coming, but Ireland U20s are back in competitive action again. They are back winning again and, with a new crop, making folks sit up and take notice. Richie Murphy is the new man in charge, […]

5 years ago

“You’ve got to put your shyness in your pocket.” There is an easy confidence to Tadhg Furlong. It is nothing new, but it grows like another ring to a tree. He has an aura about him. The British & Irish Lions have three tightheads in their squad for the tour to South Africa, but Furlong […]

5 years ago

“There’s an old saying that says, fool me once, shame on… shame on you. Fool me… you can’t get fooled again.” Danny Murphy was probably nodding along to those sage words from 43rd President of the United States of America, George W. Bush when he uttered them. The reason being, it does not seem to […]

5 years ago

“The rest is up for grabs.” Stephen Jones feels six players are on-course for Lions Test starts, but notes Sam Simmonds could yet force himself into the picture. This time next week, we will all be reflecting on the British & Irish Lions tour opener… in Edinburgh of all places. Warren Gatland’s side have been […]

5 years ago

“What is he trying to achieve?” Without Johnny Giles and Eamon Dunphy not in the RTE studio, and with Liam Brady off punditry duty for Portugal vs. Germany, Didi Hamann took up the curmudgeon mantle. The former Liverpool and Germany star was in cheerful form – for the most part – after watching Jogi Löw’s […]

5 years ago

Guzzling the elixir of eternal footballing youth like a nice, cool bottle of water. You wonder why they are even talking about Cristiano Ronaldo possibly aiming for the 2022 World Cup. He 100% is going to be there. Gunning for his 120th international goal, or something ridiculous like that. The 36-year-old scored a memorable counter-attack […]

5 years ago

“Czech Republic beat them in qualifiers for this tournament… They’ll be under almighty pressure.” Damien Duff knows a thing or two about Czech Republic. He seemed to play them an awful lot in his Ireland career. The former Ireland midfielder knows much more about England, though, having spent most of his professional club career there. […]

5 years ago

“They could go out in Last 16 if they carry on playing like that.” Liam Brady and Damien Duff were already calling England “awful” and “absolutely awful” after 45 minutes of their game against Scotland. By full-time, they had the carving knives out. Such is the expectation on Gareth Southgate’s side that they are a […]

5 years ago

“I’m about ready to march on Carlisle!” Ally McCoist was feeling it tonight. He was in his element. The former Rangers star was teamed up with Sam Matterface at Wembley Stadium as part of the commentary team for the Euro 2020 clash between England and Scotland. On jingoism duty for England was Lee Dixon. Having […]

5 years ago