Eddie O'Sullivan's Biarritz were thumped 41-6 by Pau in the French Pro-D2 on Sunday. The two-time Heineken Cup finalists were put to the sword by the league leaders and there was an Irishman on the score-sheet.
Former Munster forward James Coughlan broke off the back of a Pau scrum in the 65th minute to crash over and secure his team a bonus point with plenty of time to spare. O'Sullivan, who is in his first season in charge at Biarritz, looked on as the wheels came off. Pau crossed for two tries in the final five minutes and re-emphasised the gulf in class between the two sides.
It was an evening to remember for Irish scrum-half James Hart, on Saturday, as he came off the Grenoble bench to score a late try. The former Leinster Under-19 player has found himself behind South Africa's Charl McLeod in the pecking order this season but is making his substitute appearances count. Hart's 75th minute try, which was converted, turned a 30-24 deficit into a one-point advantage.
Grenoble out-half Jonathan Wisniewski added an insurance penalty with two minutes to spare. The result meant Bernard Jackman's side climbed to fifth in the Top 14 and kept up their winning streak at their home venue, Stade des Alpes. Former Ulster player Chris Farrell had another solid game in the Grenoble midfield. Ronan O'Gara served out the first of his two-match sideline ban but his Racing Métro side won 27-10 to stay fourth in the table.
It’s getting close! With the Six Nations over and done with, Ireland’s 2027 World Cup match-day squad has become a whole lot clearer. We’ve picked the side we would like to see, with a few surprises on the bench. Loosehead prop – Paddy McCarthy After injuries to Ireland’s top-three looseheads – Andrew Porter, Jack Boyle […]
Very fair from the Ireland boss. Scotland came to the Aviva Stadium with a Six Nations title on their minds, but these dreams were firmly put to down bed by an Ireland side who were on top from minute one to 80. Aside from the stellar displays from most of the players, another aspect of […]
Another top performance! Our Ireland player ratings as Andy Farrell’s men put in a six-try performance to defeat Scotland. Tom O’Toole – 8.5 The Ulsterman’s switch to loosehead looks to be paying real dividends with another great showing in the scrum, the highlight of which was an early penalty that led to Jamie Osborne’s try. […]