Tag: Ronan O’Gara
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Byrne keeps it in the genes as old menu tastes best for Leinster
LEINSTER… 25 LA ROCHELLE… 24 For the Byrne brothers, it must have felt two vessels passing in the night. Ross, who departed the home paddock looking for greener pastures but found himself outside the grazing platform on the day in question. Meanwhile, brother Harry was summoned from the bench after both Ciaran Frawley and his…
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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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SIDELINE CUTS – 19
HARRY’S HEROICS ALL IN VAIN Now is not the time for a major analysis or critique. For personal reasons which should be fairly obvious. Meath’s defeat in Ennis last night is still far too raw. Emotionally and in other ways. Suffice to say that the end result was bitterly disappointing. Have got off to a…
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Assuming the limelight in the afterglow of Brady’s brilliance
Whether Colm O’Rourke made a formal announcement regarding his retirement from inter county GAA cannot be recalled. There was definitely activity in the media the following year when rumours of a comeback began to swirl. Either way, feelings in this seat were of tremendous sadness. An era was ending. Of course, the disappointment from a…
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Zebo homecoming a timely boost for stagnant reds
Johnny Sexton’s early departure from Leinster’s victory over Exeter last weekend for yet another Head Injury Assessment (HIA) enabled Ross Byrne to deliver his best and most important performance yet in the blue jersey. Whilst not in any way seeking to construct the rugby obituary of the former World Player Of The Year just yet,…
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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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Strength in depth trumps bravery and faith any day
Munster…… 10 Leinster…… 13 It was another case of shoulda, woulda, coulda for Munster last night as their wait to eclipse their great rivals has now reached a half dozen games. In this typically attritional arm wrestle, the outcome boiled down to the fact that Leinster’s strength in depth was always going to trump their…
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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…