Well handled by the former Ireland captain. At a heaving Wembley Stadium, Roy Keane was often carrying the look of a man invited to the wedding of his ex. Putting on a brave face, saying all the right things and even dancing with the tipsy aunt, but doing his best to hold his tongue on […]

5 years ago

There was a consensus across the ESPN panel. Michael Bisping and Stephen A Smith were the most dismissive of Conor McGregor’s chances of ever returning to the summit of the UFC. Dominick Cruz, meanwhile, believes McGregor needs to get his head straight. While the manner of his loss to Dustin Poirier was horribly unfortunate, there […]

5 years ago

The biggest calls need to be made in the back three. Just one change to our Lions XV pecking order for the Test Series, but a couple of new faces in with the back-up options. The Lions followed up an eight-try win over the Sharks, last Wednesday, by running in 11 more against the same […]

5 years ago

“He certainly wasn’t frustrated. He was delighted with himself.” Ronan Kelleher will have returned from his two week stints with the British & Irish Lions determined to get back with the big boys some day. That day may yet come again before the summer is out. The Lions have three fit hookers, at present, but […]

5 years ago

Rassie Erasmus will train the world champions will Jacques Nienaber goes through his isolation period. Springboks fans awaiting news, of any sort, got a mix this morning. The Boks will resume training today, after a week of self isolation across the squad and management, but captain Siya Kolisi and eight others have tested positive for […]

5 years ago

“You don’t say stuff like that… you don’t wish that on anybody.” Ahead of his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier at UFC 264, Conor McGregor was reluctant to give his usual ‘Mystic Mac’ predictions. Whether it was a case of uncertainty, not wanting to pre-empt his fight strategy or not wanting to after only securing […]

5 years ago

Very few of us saw it ending like this. Joe Rogan went and sat down beside the injured, defeated Conor McGregor after he had fractured his shinbone and lost to Dustin Poirier. It was an iconic image and one that fight fans will long remember. McGregor could not continue after stepping back on his left […]

5 years ago

Appalling comments. If one were in a forgiving mood, one could argue that Conor McGregor was not in his right mind when he made the comments to Jolie Poirier. Given what he said, and tweeted, in the build-up to the trilogy-closing fight with Dustin Poirier, one could argue back that it was in keeping with […]

5 years ago

“They say karma is a bitch. I think it’s a mirror.” Dustin Poirier has now had his hand raised aloft for the second time in six months after twice going toe-to-toe with Conor McGregor. The former UFC lightweight champion is now in line for a title shot against current strap-holder Charles Oliveira after a doctor’s […]

5 years ago

“That’s a doctor’s stoppage!” That McGregor ankle looked in a bad, bad way. Conor McGregor has lost in excruciating fashion to Dustin Poirier, by doctor’s stoppage, after breaking his ankle at the end of the first round to Dustin Poirier. The result means Poirier has now won the trilogy between the pair 2-1, but the […]

5 years ago

IRELAND 71-10 USA Ronan Kelleher was the star man for Ireland as they ran amok on USA with an ambitious, attacking performance. Our full Ireland ratings reflect some great individual outings. The Americans started brightly and turned down some kickable penalties as they sought an early try, only to be repelled and then breached. The […]

5 years ago

SHARKS 31-71 LIONS An 11-try salvo from the British & Irish Lions did for a Sharks team that were going well until they picked up a silly red card. Our full Lions ratings reflect five players that helped their Test chances. The Lions and Sharks were level at 26-26 at half-time, but a red card […]

5 years ago

Another whopper blow to the Lions. Finn Russell is nursing an Achilles injury that may yet rule him out of the remainder of the British & Irish Lions’ Tour to South Africa. There is a call-up for Marcus Smith but Johnny Sexton is not required by Warren Gatland. The Scotland star had, earlier today, been […]

5 years ago

Perhaps we will soon get the fight we were all looking forward to, back in 2016. There was an interesting fork in the road moment in Conor McGregor’s fight career and it involved Rafael Dos Anjos and a broken foot. Back in February 2016, fight fans were looking forward to McGregor’s first bout in the […]

5 years ago

“It’s not over yet!” England fans were still getting their breath back. Their heart was just slowing down again. Those that drowned out the noise could just about make out Roy Keane telling them the job was not finished yet. There were still 15 minutes to play. Jeez, let us enjoy it for a second, […]

5 years ago

SHARKS 7-54 LIONS Away from all the off-field dramas, the British & Irish Lions are destroying what meagre opposition they meet. Our Lions ratings reflect well on two backline demons. The Lions, for the third game in succession, got off to a flying start. They were soon 14-0 up when Josh Adams and Duhan van […]

5 years ago

The lads were buckling at the knees. Gary Neville sets them up. Roy Keane knocks them down. Ahead of the Euro 2020 semi-final between England and Denmark, Roy Keane was holding forth and proving his comic glimpses from earlier in the tournament were no fluke. One of the songs on rotation at Wembley Stadium, during […]

5 years ago

Just the seven forwards named to the bench… Whoever has the behind-the-scenes documentary rights to the the 2021 British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa could have an Oscar winner on their hands. It is chaos on the Lions Tour right now, as one player and a member of the management team have tested […]

5 years ago

‘Further updates will follow in due course.’ At this stage, there are more updates from SA Rugby, the Bulls, Georgia and the British & Irish Lions than we know what to do with. On Monday we had cancelled training sessions, press conferences and Boks’ second row Lood de Jager testing positive for Covid-19. That was […]

5 years ago

“Best team in the tournament, for me.” It will be strange not to have Damien Duff on the punditry beat for the Euro 2020 semi-final between England and Denmark, on Wednesday. With Didi Haman subbing in for him tomorrow, he at least had a cracker of a game to work on. Ahead of the game, […]

5 years ago

“Let’s talk about the football. Let’s talk about the football!” Liam Brady was probably looking forward to talking about Giorgio Chiellini’s defending masterclasses, Roberto Mancini’s influence on Italy’s attacking style or Spain’s ingénue, Pedri. Richie Sadlier had other ideas. The RTÉ pundits were in studio for the Euro 2020 semi-final between Italy and Spain. 60,000 […]

5 years ago

South Africa Rugby has confirmed the swathe of bad news. The British & Irish Lions’ Saturday game with the Bulls has been postponed and the Springboks squad are dealing with a severe Covid-19 outbreak in their squad and management group. The world champions’ game against Georgia, on Friday, has been put on ice after four […]

5 years ago

Six years older, but already well established as a global superstar. Brian O’Driscoll was on his third British & Irish Lions tour, and would go on to form a brilliant midfield partnership with Jamie Roberts. Tom Croft was not part of the original Lions squad, in 2009. He only made it as a call-up when […]

5 years ago

The situation is developing rapidly, and it is looking bleak. Positive Covid cases in the Springboks, Georgia and Bulls camps are set to cause huge disruption to games in South Africa. The world champions’ Second Test against Georgia, on Friday, is now set to be cancelled while the British & Irish Lions’ third tour warm-up […]

5 years ago

Warren Gatland may need to ramp up training sessions if tour games are cancelled. As they prepare to face the Sharks, on Wednesday, the British & Irish Lions are anxiously awaiting news of their Saturday date with the Bulls. Supersport, in South Africa, has reported of positive Covid cases in the Bulls squad. The team […]

5 years ago

A big choice will have to be made on Wednesday night. The pundits and commentators for the Euro 2020 semis have been confirmed, and all the big broadcasters are swinging for the fences. Irish viewers are a little more spoiled for choice that football fans in Britain. While they have either ITV or BBC to […]

5 years ago

Straight in with the wind-up. Sean O’Brien is heading back to Ireland for 10 days, later this week, and delighted at the prospect. All he can hear, wherever he goes in London, is how football is coming home. Football fever has reached such a peak that we are having it filter into many other sports. […]

5 years ago

What a honour for the Ulster and Ireland star. Warren Gatland has named his British & Irish Lions team to face the Sharks, on Wednesday, and there are several changes again. As promised, there are starts for those squad members who have yet to have one yet. 10 members of the squad – including the […]

5 years ago

WEXFORD 0-7, DUBLIN 0-15 The Yellowbellies were projected to lose by over 24 points by some bookies. The Wexford lads had something to say about that. It is not often that Dublin don’t beat the spread. Whether it is 10 points, 16 points, hell, 22 points or more, the Dubs usually get down to it […]

5 years ago

“Right now, he’s got first dibs on one of those wing shirts.” The tour has just begun and yet there are only three weeks to go to the start of the Test Series against South Africa. There are some changes in the Lions XV pecking order. Warren Gatland’s side are now two wins from two […]

5 years ago

The Irishman’s Lions legacy lives on. Back in 2009, Paul O’Connell was British & Irish Lions captain and South Africa were the team to beat. O’Connell led the Lions superbly but they fell to a narrow Test Series loss. Four years later and O’Connell, in his third tour, finally got a series win. He was […]

5 years ago

Only seven Irish players in the Lions squad, but six of them in this Test XV selection. Maggie Alphonsi was given the toughest tasks of all the Lions pundits lined up by Sky Sports. She responded with a ringing endorsement for Jack Conan. The broadcaster is going with a deep punditry roster of Alphonsi, Ian […]

5 years ago

“There’s a small chance.” RG Snyman has had a tough 10 months, and then some. A marquee signing for Munster, announced in late 2019, the World Cup-winning lock arrived at the southern province amid Ireland’s first Covid-enforced lockdown. Snyman, by all accounts, trained the house down but his Munster debut, and his entire 2019/20 and […]

5 years ago

‘Pathetic’ George Hamilton was never going to take his commentary being described as ‘bitter’ lying down, especially from someone going by the username @rocketman_ For many years, RTÉ pundits knew their role. They would watch major tournaments – more often than not with Ireland missing out – and see how the hype machine went into […]

5 years ago

“Hopefully, in another week, it’ll be football coming home.” The BBC pundits were practically giddy before a ball was kicked at the Stadio Olimpico. They even hooked up with Trent Alexander-Arnold on his hollliers, at half-time, to welcome him on to their bandwagon. The Canadians invented basketball, but you rarely hear them bleating about basketball […]

5 years ago

On Jose Mourinho’s new playground, his former player/play-thing ran amok. For all the talk of Gareth Southgate’s each and every decision being vindicated, it is still odd to think of him selecting right-back Kieran Trippier ahead of Luke Shaw for the Euro 2020 opener against Croatia. The Manchester United defender got his chance against Scotland […]

5 years ago

“Players I haven’t started yet, will start.” Warren Gatland is never really one for the mind games. He loves laying his cards out early and staring back at you until you blink. On Test match week, some coaches prefer to wait until the last possible permitted moment – getting in just before the sanctioned cut-off. […]

5 years ago

SIGMA LIONS 14-56 B&I LIONS A flying start and a merciless end. In between, the Lions had a much-needed scrap. Our Lions player ratings have one 10/10. It only took the Lions three minutes to open the scoring, with Chris Harris teeing up Gloucester teammate Louis Rees-Zammit for his first try with a dink over […]

5 years ago

That is what he is capable of. Josh van der Flier has twice stood and posed in British & Irish Lions jerseys for photo-shoots, only to miss out on the final squad. The Lions usually get ahead of themselves, during the Six Nations, when they send a batch of the fresh kit and get most […]

5 years ago

IRELAND 39-31 JAPAN What a wild game that was. Andy Farrell’s side have got their two-game summer spin off to a winning start. The full Ireland ratings reflect a mixed bag performance. Ireland somehow went into the dressing rooms 19-17 ahead at the break. Japan were superb in attack but once Ireland got into their […]

5 years ago

A case of what could have been for Ulster, and what could yet be for Ireland. Stuart McCloskey and Chris Farrell know they are up against it. They have always been up against it. The previous generation of Irish centres had Gordon D’Arcy and Brian O’Driscoll to contend with. For Farrell, McCloskey and a handful […]

5 years ago

There were other, safer options to take. Luke Cowan-Dickie is set to make his British & Irish Lions debut, later today, when the tourists take on South Africa’s very own Lions at Ellis Park. The Lions, who had a rough run of it in the Rainbow Cup, are the first local test for Warren Gatland’s […]

5 years ago

Stuart Hogg gets the captaincy honour. Warren Gatland has named his Lions team for the tour opener against Emirates Lions, on Saturday. Gatland had promised to give game-time to most of his players in the first game, and he is keeping true to his word. The only players missing out are Tom Curry and the […]

5 years ago

Everyone’s an expert. The 2021 British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa is officially underway, and the first match takes place in Ellis Park this Saturday. With Warren Gatland expected to give several newcomers game-time in his Lions XV, this will be a chance to stake an early Test Series claim. Before a match […]

5 years ago

“These boys are fit, they’re strong, the competition is fierce.” Warren Gatland has been using this Lions training drill to test the character of his players for over a decade now. Sean O’Brien toured with the British & Irish Lions in 2013 and 2017 and is still rucking away, at the age of 33, with […]

5 years ago

A chance to get out of the blocks and make a statement or two. Warren Gatland’s Lions XV for their first game on South African soil, for the 2021 tour, will be announced at 11am on Thursday. Expect it to have a very English feel. Gatland has been without many of the England stars in […]

5 years ago

Welcome back, friends. The SportsJOE 12 o’clock quiz is in the middle of a heap of sports – golf, GAA, rugby, football and Olympics qualifications – and our brains can hardly take it! Enjoy today’s quiz, and let s know how you get on.

5 years ago

“Hi, I’m Tom.” Faf de Klerk is ready and raring to get stuck into the British & Irish Lions. ‘The Ultimate Test’ is giving Lions fans a mix of laid-back, behind-the-scenes action within Warren Gatland’s squad, and a slick, glitzy production with some soundbites and lots of slow-mo shots of lads jogging and mullets flouncing. […]

5 years ago

“We really believe.” Declan Rice came out firing at anyone that had their doubts about this England side, and what they are capable of. Rice was part of an England team that out-gunned the Germans in the Last 16 to march on to the quarter finals of Euro 2020. There were long stages were both […]

5 years ago

The former Liverpool and England defender will surely be happy to eat his [tweeted] words on this one. Jamie Carragher was just about every England supporter this afternoon as he went through the wringer of a taut encounter with Germany. England took a while to break down a stubborn German side, in their Euro 2020 […]

5 years ago