On a night when a lot went wrong, there were some positives. Not too many, mind. Gavin Coombes may have to spin his wheels for the next two weeks, until he gets another crack at the Maori All Blacks, but he proved, in Hamilton, that he is Test ready. The Munster No.8 did not have […]

4 years ago

One solution could be switching Hugo Keenan to the right wing and starting another fullback. Not long after his team to face the Maori All Blacks was named, Ireland coach Andy Farrell all but confirmed most of his Test starters for the next game. The arrows are pointing up for a veteran and a relative […]

4 years ago

“Great, lively and as brave as we knew he was going to be.” Three moments – among a day full of them – really stood out about Michael Lowry and his Ireland debut. The first arrived ahead of the Six Nations clash with Italy and was captured by the Virgin Media team as the checked […]

4 years ago

“Guys, you need to get a song about where you come from!” Back when Willie Anderson was coaching at the Ulster Rugby academy – overseeing the development of players such as Michael Lowry, Stewart Moore, Nathan Doak and James Hume – he was always perplexed when it came to the sing-songs. Instilled in him from […]

4 years ago

The veteran showing us how it’s done. Every week, we seem to be starting off with an apology. Gavin Coombes and Simon Zebo, we are sorry. Now, on to the lucky lads that made our Champions Cup Team of the Week. This season is the first time that all four Irish provinces have reached the […]

4 years ago

Former Ireland winger Andrew Trimble has said that Ulster backs Stuart McCloskey and Michael Lowry could be potential bolters for the Ireland Rugby World Cup squad. McCloskey has played just twice for Ireland since making his international debut against England in 2016 while Lowry has enjoyed a breakthrough season with Ulster after graduating from the […]

7 years ago