Tag: @BTSportRugby
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Rowntree’s shock departure leaves a sour taste
A deceased Irish rugby legend once said to yours truly in a tent at the Punchestown Festival “Rugby, my friend, is a game for thugs played by gentlemen, whereas soccer is a game for gentlemen played by roughens”. Whether you agree with the actual nuts and bolts of his views or not is immaterial. At…
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The troops may change but the ethos remains the same
France… 17 Ireland… 38 Not all that long ago, while longingly looking at clubs like Kilmacud Crokes and Kilcoo and Ballygunnar and bemoaning the fact that one’s own entity are not at a similar plateau. “Culture” explained a friend of mine with experience of playing and coaching in both GAA. “With them, it’s an in-built…
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Big Pete’s procrastination threatens to ruin the time of his life
Some people cannot equate the situation whereby a person can be an animal lover and still enjoy hunting and/or fishing. Yet for a huge number of people – including some very close to home – the two facts co-exist without so much as a whim. On foot of same, I ended up being in a…
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Casualties likely to be Cullen’s main concern
Leinster… 43 Stade Francais… 7 Just how far does Leinster’s strength in depth actually run? Is a question I’m sure many of their adversaries have long pondered. Well, unfortunately for Leo Cullen et al, they might be getting a bit closer to finding out. Certainly at fly half anyway. Obviously, the retirement of Johnny Sexton…
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Forgotten man Zebo still has a part to play
Munster… 29 Toulon… 18 There was a time I was bitterly disappointed with Simon Zebo. As a rugby fan first off. Because his decision to go and play his club fare in France meant he was (wrongly) automatically excluded from the Irish setup. Also, mind you, because loyalty is one of the qualities held dearest…
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Plenty of problems but a shortage of solutions
Sport never loses its ability to amaze. No matter how much of it you look at. In fact, maybe the more of it you observe, the more confusing it becomes. How else to explain Manchester United holding Liverpool to a draw? At a time when the form of the two sides was about as polarised…
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What was once a fortress now has swinging saloon doors
MUNSTER… 17 BEYONNE… 17 If there were any positives, let’s get them out of the way first. Which, you suspect, is exactly what Graham Rowntree will be doing when the debrief begins. If he hasn’t got the paint stripper out already. So here goes. Even though it was the French side who put the first…
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A game for the ages but ‘only’ an ordinary win
Ireland… 13 South Africa… 8 One of the strange curiosities of the four match saga between Meath and Dublin in the Leinster SFC of 1991 was, after all the hype and coverage had subsided, it was only a first round encounter. The victors still had several hurdles to cross before they could even contemplate silverware.…
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Twelve tries but still room for Paulie to give them a bollicking
IRELAND…82 ROMANIA…8 You’d hope Kevin The Carrot isn’t booked in for a session too early in the morning. Ireland’s favourite animated advertiser wouldn’t deserve to incur the wrath of an angry O’Connell. No living being would. You might wonder what Paul O’Connell might have to be put out by having seen those prepared by Andy…
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A fine line between opportunity and risk
Ireland… 33 Italy… 17 Challenge matches, Test matches, friendlies, warm ups, whatever you want. Do they carry any value? Observers of a certain vintage would be of the view they’re not worth the grass they get played on. An easy conclusion to arrive at if using the 1988 case of Meath and Kildare as a…