Tag: Paul O’Connell
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The West’s Awake but there’s strife in the deep south
“When all beside a vigil keep, the west’s asleep, the west’s asleep/but hark me boys, like thunder spake, the west’s awake, the west’s awake”. It’s not all that long ago the the brain-less trust were advocating the abolishment of of Connacht altogether. As a rugby team, not literally. With the idea being that players deemed…
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There’s no instruction manual for captaincy
It’s funny, the things that pop into your mind when looking for solace. Actually, that’s not the term. It’s more reassurance. Hope. I’m sure, like me, there were plenty of people a tad surprised at Robbie Brennan’s nomination of Eoghan Frayne and Ciaran Caulfield as captain and vice captain respectively for his first campaign working…
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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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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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Reserve Tanks do little to enhance their status
Ireland… 35 Fiji… 17 Anybody with the slightest knowledge about rugby for the four decades this writer has been on the go – at the very least – will surely know of the efficiency of those from the Pacific island of Fiji in the 7s format of the game. Therefore, you’d have thought that a…
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Impressive variety but staple diet needs freshening up
Ireland…19 South Africa…16 How much store do you place on the Autumn Internationals? A passive observer would probably deem them no more than puffed up friendlies. The aficionado, though, sees them as the laying foundations and building something as the nuts and bolts of the day job kicks off for International players. My own view…
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Ireland issue bench warrant for All Blacks demise
Ireland…29 New Zealand…20 Don’t let anyone tell you it was ‘only’ an Autumn International. Representation always mean something. Whether it’s a Division 8 football match or this. Taking on the greatest Rugby Union team on the planet. There was a time, not all that long ago, when Ireland – and many more like them –…
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Superman will have to go shopping again!
At various times over the years, the fact there’s a fairly extensive video library in Boylan Talks Sport HQ has surely got a mention. That and match programmes. The latter are actually quite the big deal. As was discovered when attempts were made at re-arranging storage of same. People so set in their ways they…
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DriveThru Sports Weekly – Ep. 12
This week’s episode looks back on the latest player to make a big breakthrough in darts, Jonny Clayton of Wales. I also look back at what happened regarding Irish players in the recently closed transfer window, while a look is taken as well at the addition of Paul O’Connell to the Irish rugby backroom team.
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Red Alert! The Shannon tide is murmuring
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…