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Posted 28 days ago
IN THE aftermath of the Six Nations and with time running out we are all confronted with the starkest of choices: who are our Lions? An obvious point of conjecture, there were at least some standouts in recent weeks. So in the interest of making clear what Warren Gatland, Graham Rowntree, Rob Howley and Andy Farrell face before the squad announcement on 30 April, Rugby World will sift through runners and riders in each key position.
Posted 63 days ago
“IS IT time to go back to the drawing board Declan?” The question posed after so many basic errors saw Ireland defeated by England. “No” was the simple answer given. He was right too. For Ireland the drawing board is no longer the issue, it’s the architect.
Posted 65 days ago
ITALY MADE history as they beat Ireland for the first time in the RBS 6 Nations at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, on Saturday. In what has been widely suspected to be Brian O’Driscoll’s last Test match for Ireland, the iconic centre was sent to the sin bin for a stamp on Simone Favaro – a mark of the frustration that is being felt throughout the Irish camp.
Posted 70 days ago
JUST LIKE his French counterpart Kidney is a man under pressure. At the beginning of the tournament, it was expected the fourth round in Dublin would be a defining moment in the tournament but instead of either team going for the Championship, it was a battle to avoid the bottom of the table.
Posted 72 days ago
France remain winless in the 2013 RBS 6 Nations as their visit to Dublin resulted in a draw. On a wet, grey day in the Irish capital, the hosts were the ones who initially looked to be gritting their teeth, and were rewarded on the scoreboard in the first half, earning a 13-3 lead by half-time. Ireland came out of the changing room full of confidence at the start of the second half, only to lose their way in the third quarter of the game.
Posted 84 days ago
SOMETIMES THE stats do lie.
If you didn’t know the score at Murrayfield on Sunday and were just handed the match data afterwards, everything would suggest that Ireland had beaten Scotland and consequently joined Wales and England at having a shot at the Championship title. But as everyone knows by now, against the odds, it’s Scotland who earned that right.
Posted 90 days ago
THE BRITISH and Irish Lions are still hotter than a Justin Bieber and David Beckham collaborative calendar. Need proof? Every single test ticket for this summer’s tour sold out in 15 minutes. People are tearing their hair out, trying to find a seat. The powers that be Down Under have promised a spectacle to rival the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the omens are good.
Posted 97 days ago
WALES FULL-BACK Leigh Halfpenny watched the Living with Lions video that followed the 1997 tour to South Africa countless times and remembers the 2001 trip to Australia well too. Here are his three top Lions memories from those tours…
1. South Africa v Lions, Second Test, 1997
“I remember Scott Gibbs running over Os du Randt – that was one of my…
Posted 105 days ago
BOD’S HANDS… Zebo’s feet… First half demolition… Second half defensive scrambling… It’s hard to know where to start with the latest celtic clash in Cardiff because as the late Belfast comedian Frank Carson would have said “It’s a cracker!”
Posted 107 days ago
IRELAND ENTERED the Millennium Stadium with confidence and a resolve to give Brian O’Driscoll, a win on what could be his final encounter in Cardiff. They didn’t disappoint. They didn’t disappoint. Ireland went on to dominate the first half, racing to a 20-0 lead within the first half-hour.
