GETTING TO know the new man in charge may not be so tough after many of the Ireland squad got to chat with Joe Schmidt during the tour to North…
Ireland
IRELAND: Provinces still a prized asset in European negotiations
Leinster, Munster and Ulster may be as uncertain as the rest of the Rabodirect Pro12 teams, but they are still valuable players in any European negotiations and judging by some…
Diary of a new academy recruit in NZ – Part Three
SINCE MY last blog on my stay at the Inside Running Academy, a huge amount of things have happened in a very short amount of time: finals, gym sessions, tough…
Ireland snap up John Plumtree, maintaining the fashion for bringing in foreign influence
HAVING BEEN relieved of his position with the Natal Sharks by incumbent CEO John Smit, John Plumtree has not taken long in securing new employment as he has signed up…
Did George North’s Lions try inspire the Royal Baby name?
WE KNOW that rugby and royalty go together like chocolate and orange. As if Mike Tindall’s marriage to Zara Phillips isn’t enough evidence, Prince William himself is a patron of…
Lions 2013: The Series XV
SO IN the end it was a pair of props and a rampant last twenty minutes that prised two balanced outfits apart, the Lions’ power game coming to the fore…
Lions 2013: Is Gatland right to defy BOD?
THE THIRD Test is looming. The Lions and Australia have won one match each, and nerves are getting twitchy as each side prepares to nick the series at the death.…
Lions 2013: legends preview the third Test
HAS WARREN GATLAND got the selection right? How will the Lions cope without their captain, Sam Warburton? Can the Wallabies build on the momentum of winning the second Test, and…
Lions 2013: The fans meet the legends
IT’S SQUEAKY-BUM time! The series is currently drawn at one Test win each for Australia and the Lions, and with the decider looming on Saturday rugby fans all over the…
Lions 2013: 5 Things We’ve Learned. Lions v Rebels
THE LIONS recorded their seventh victory in a five try, 35 – 0 win against the Melbourne Rebels. It was an immensely comfortable win for the Lions, with the Rebels…