Life And Sport From An Armchair View
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... Continue Reading →
Hans Christian Andersen, you may stand down sir. For those who produce fairytales to rival anything ever penned by yourself did so again on Saturday evening in some far flung corner of South Africa. Though I don't think anybody in the celebrated writer's works ever endured as much heartache and disappointment between pots of gold... Continue Reading →
The inclusion of Leinster's uncapped centre Jamie Osborne is the only occurrence of note in Andy Farrell's Ireland squad for the forthcoming Six Nations Championship announced this morning. Some would no doubt lament the exclusion of Joey Carbery as equally newsworthy but, in the opinion of this writer, sooner rather than later the Athy man... Continue Reading →
Before the cat jumps all the way out of the bag of its own accord, let's provide the last nudge. I have returned to meaningful involvement with my local GAA club after a 15-year-hiatus. Part of which was enforced, another element thereof is old ground which doesn't need to be ploughed up again. There may... Continue Reading →
Leinster... 20 Munster... 19 You often hear it said that certain things "Aren't worth the paper they're written on". Well, moral victories aren't even written on paper. If they were, it may as well be used toilet paper. Even the most ardent Munster fan must surely be sick of patronising platitudes at this stage in... Continue Reading →
Munster... 16 Castres Olympique... 13 There will come a day when it won't work. When the bucket will come up dry from the well. Don't plan your schedule around it though. Because if it didn't happen last night in France, there may be a lengthy wait for such a situation. Again Munster found aaawwwe teetering... Continue Reading →
Munster... 34 Stormers... 18 As debuts go, rupturing your ACL in the early stages thereof and missing the rest of the season thereafter fairly stinks. Yet the giant RG Snymann had shown enough in that maiden outing to leave Munster fans in no doubt as to what they'd be missing for the remainder of last... Continue Reading →
Does anybody else remember 7/11 Supermarkets? Whoever was behind the business was certainly well tuned in from a marketing perspective. Not only do the numbers rhyme, in a sporting context at least, they are and for a long time have been seminal digits. Most notably at Manchester United, where the almost inevitable - and merited... Continue Reading →
At a point in the early 1980s when Meath football would have required promotion to be considered in the doldrums, the Meath Chronicle ran a front page depicting a coffin with the words 'Meath Football R.I.P.' inscribed thereon. Obviously, to the betterment of generations of us, the prophecy was certainly debunked and then some. However,... Continue Reading →