Tag: #Rugby2024

  • Patchy performance won’t cover all the cracks

    Patchy performance won’t cover all the cracks

    IRELAND…22 ARGENTINA…19 Dermot Morgan – Live At The Olympia – April 16th 1994: “People’s walks tell an awful lot about them. At Lansdowne Road, the main sports stadium in the country after the Gaelic football and hurling headquarters at Croke Park, you have two different types of walks as both the soccer and rugby internationals…

  • It’s up to you to strike when the iron’s hot to your own benefit

    It’s up to you to strike when the iron’s hot to your own benefit

    There was a line doing the rounds some time ago – presumably with the stats to back it up – which maintained that Ladies Gaelic Football was the fastest growing sport in the country. In terms of participation numbers. Very understandable given the backing affixed to the sport by the likes of Lidl and TG4.…

  • The troops may change but the ethos remains the same

    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…

  • Big Pete’s procrastination threatens to ruin the time of his life

    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…

  • Casualties likely to be Cullen’s main concern

    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…

  • Forgotten man Zebo still has a part to play

    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…