Ireland… 59 Tonga… 16 A connection currently in France at the rugby said to me the other day, with a tinge of sadness attached, that it was unlikely Keith Earls would be seen in an Irish jersey again. I wouldn’t be so sure. In the reverse of what often happens in this space, let’s go… Read More Another decent score with plenty to work on
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… Read More A fine line between opportunity and risk
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… Read More Carlsberg don’t sponsor Munster…but if they did…
Ireland… 19 New Zealand… 42 You might think that scoring three tries against the All Blacks – especially at Eden Park – represented a commendable day’s work. Don’t be fooled… This was a classic case of ‘come into my web, said the spider to the fly’, before the resident takes a choke hold of the… Read More Ireland crumble in Fortress Eden
There are several words and phrases often deployed in this trade to which yours truly has an intense dislike. The word ‘veteran’ being one of them. If a competitor in any sport has something to offer, it shouldn’t matter whether they are 16 or 36 or even beyond that. Neither Sean Boylan nor Sir Alex… Read More It always means something
In some ways, things in sport are cyclical. Unless of course there happens to be an all-dominating force at the head of affairs. Manchester United in the early years of the Premiership, Dublin currently in Gaelic football, Willie Mullins in National Hunt racing. Now read on… Examine rugby through that lens and you get both… Read More Red Alert! The Shannon tide is murmuring