The Six Nations is over for another year which saw Wales emerge with a first Grand Slam since 2012 and a first championship title since 2013.  Warren Gatland’s final Six Nations match in charge of Wales will live long in the memory as they produced an emotional and dominant performance which Ireland had no answer for. For Ireland, the post-mortem …

The Six Nations is over for another year and 2019 will be remembered for Wales securing their first Grand Slam since 2012 and their first championship title since 2013.  Warren Gatland’s side produced a suffocating performance in Cardiff which Ireland had no answer for as they eased to a 25-7 victory over Joe Schmidt’s side. That win sees Wales up …

England 38 – 38 Scotland  Scotland produced a stunning second-half performance to overcome a 31-7 deficit at halftime to find themselves 31-38 in the lead with just minutes remaining at Twickenham. However, a try from George Ford with the clock in the red saw England salvage a draw when they were so close to falling to a remarkable defeat. ___ …

Wales 25 – 7 Ireland Wales secured a first Grand Slam since 2012 and a first championship title since 2013 as they produced a dominant performance over Ireland at a rain-sodden Cardiff en route to a 25-7 win. Wales raced into a first-half 16-0 lead thanks to the boot of the excellent Gareth Anscombe and a sucker-punch of a try …

Italy 14 – 25 France  Italy’s wait for a first Six Nations win since 2015 goes on as they couldn’t show the composure required to come out on top against an unstructured France side in Rome. Italy dominated the match for long periods but they spurned numerous try-scoring opportunities. They will look back at this 80-minute performance with a lot …

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt is expecting another tight battle when his side meets Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon.  Matches between these two teams are rarely won by big margins. In fact, a two converted try margin of victory hasn’t been achieved since Ireland beat Wales 26-3 in Dublin in the 2014 edition of the …

Wales U20 17 Ireland U20 26 Ireland secured a first U20 Six Nations Grand Slam since 2007 as they came out on top of a see-saw battle with Wales in Colwyn Bay. Wales dominated the opening minutes of the game through a series of lineout mauls deep in Ireland’s 22 and although Noel McNamara’s side repelled many of these attacks, …

The Six Nations enters its final weekend and the championship is still up for grabs with Wales, Ireland and England all in contention to lift the trophy on Saturday.  Wales can secure a first Grand Slam since 2012 and a first championship title since 2013 if they can get the better of Ireland in Cardiff while a loss for Warren …

Tadhg Beirne is set for his Six Nations debut on Saturday after Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt named the Munster lock in his starting XV for the clash with Wales in Cardiff.  This will be Beirne’s fifth cap for his country and his first appearance in the Six Nations as a knee sprain to Iain Henderson opened the door for …

Leinster Rugby have confirmed that head coach Leo Cullen has signed a contract extension with the club while Stuart Lancaster has been retained as “senior coach”.  Cullen, who won 221 caps for Leinster and was captain of three Heineken Cup-winning squads, was appointed Head Coach at the start of the 2015/16 season and will now lead the province for a …

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has said that he would like to see the Principality Stadium’s roof remain open when his side take on Wales on Saturday.  Generally, the decision on whether the roof remains open or closed rests with the visiting team. However, Schmidt revealed at this afternoon’s team announcement at their base in Carton House that Wales have …

Joe Schmidt has named his Ireland team which will take on Wales in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon. Ireland are still within a chance of retaining their Six Nations crown but they will need to overcome a motivated Wales side who will be aiming for a first Grand Slam since 2012 and a first championship title since 2013. Ireland will also …

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has named his side for their Grand Slam clash with Ireland at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Saturday.  Wales will be bidding for their first Grand Slam since 2012 and their first championship victory since 2013. It will also be Gatland’s last Six Nations match in charge of Wales so there is no shortage of motivation …

Sean McMahon reporting from the Aviva Stadium Ireland will be keen to quickly move on from their bonus-point victory over France as they must immediately prepare for next weekend’s trip to Wales which is made all that more difficult considering Ireland’s six-day turnaround.  Ireland’s week, will, in Joe Schmidt’s’s words, be “truncated” and that will pose it’s own challenges as …

Sean McMahon reporting from the Aviva Stadium Ireland’s one-sided win over France means that Joe Schmidt’s side are still in contention to retain their championship as the Six Nations enters the final round next weekend.  Of course, that is out of Ireland’s hands even if they do achieve the difficult task of beating an in-form Wales who will be chasing …

Sean McMahon reporting from the Aviva Stadium Ireland have kept alive their hopes of retaining the Six Nations championship after they recorded a 26-14 bonus-point victory over France at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.  The performance was much improved from Ireland, especially in the first half, where they registered 77% possession and 89% territory. However, final preparations didn’t get off …

Ireland 26 – 14 France Sean McMahon reporting from the Aviva Stadium Ireland secured a bonus-point victory over France this afternoon at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and the result ensures that Joe Schmidt’s side will be involved in the conversation around who will claim the championship next Saturday. A lot of pressure was on this Ireland side going into this game …

Ireland have received a late blow with the news that Rob Kearney is a late withdrawal from the team which takes on France this afternoon at the Aviva Stadium (KO 3 pm).  Ireland confirmed the news approximately 90 minutes before kick-off but they didn’t provide a reason for Kearney dropping out of the squad. As a result, Jordan Larmour, who …