Rugby

The lockdown which is currently in place in Italy is more stringent and further down the road than the one which we are currently experiencing in Ireland.  Ian McKinley, the Dubliner who plies his trade with Guinness PRO14 outfit Benetton, spoke to the media last week and he described what it’s like living in a country which has been hit …

While there is no rugby to keep us occupied at the minute and we are not sure when it will return, we can instead choose to focus on the mouthwatering line-up of events for 2021, the highlight of which will be the British & Irish Lions Tour to South Africa.  Warren Gatland’s side are due to take on the world …

In our latest rugby quiz, instead of looking at prolific try scorers, we will be focussing on those who were a little shy when it came to crossing the whitewash. Scoring tries isn’t the be-all and end-all. Most supporters would be happy to see their tighthead prop solely lock out a scrum for 60 minutes, for example. Nevertheless, we’re taking …

Someone’s ears were burning.  Just as former Munster out-half and current Benetton 10 Ian Keatley was speaking to the media about how family life has altered his view on life and rugby, there was a brief interruption… “My daughter’s knocking on the door!” And that’s when Keatley’s two-year-old daughter, Beth, was introduced to the world of Zoom video conferencing as …

Newcastle Falcons have received confirmation from the RFU that they will be promoted to the Gallagher Premiership for the 2020-21 season. Dean Richards’ side were 18 points clear at the top of the Championship table, having won all 15 of their league games, when the RFU took the decision to cancel the remainder of the season due to the ongoing …

Johnny Sexton believes his position as Ireland captain may be reviewed following the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.  The Leinster and Ireland out-half took over the captaincy from Rory Best at the turn of the year before leading Ireland in their opening three games of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations before all sporting events ceased due to the pandemic. Speaking on Off …

England head coach Eddie Jones has signed a new contract extension which will see him remain in charge until the 2023 World Cup in France.  Jones’ current contract was due to expire in 2021 but it was expected that it would be extended, especially after the Australian guided England to the World Cup final last year. Jones has a win …

In our latest Irish rugby quiz, we want you to name the oldest players to make their debuts for Ireland in the professional era.  For the purpose of this quiz, we’re just including the oldest players who have made their debuts between 2000-2020.  This is no doubt one of our tougher quizzes so we’re giving you 10 minutes to get …

Sport across the world is in a difficult and troubling place. And rugby is no different.  We have already seen that the US Rugby Union have filed for bankruptcy and the Australian Rugby Union have stood down 75% of their workforce. While closer to home, the IRFU have implemented pay deferrals to all professional players in the country. No one …

Finlay Bealham is speaking from his girlfriend’s house in Claregalway.  The small town about 10km north of Galway City is proving to be somewhat of a refuge for the 28-year-old as he and the rest of the country remain low in what are unprecedented and often, frightening times. All professional rugby players in the country are currently on lockdown while …

We’re testing your knowledge on the stalwarts of Irish rugby in our latest quiz.  Once you’re finished with this quiz, make sure to check out the bottom of this article for links to all the quizzes we have produced over the last few weeks which are sure to keep you busy in these rugby scarce times. Today’s quiz looks at …

Rugby Australia, rugby’s governing body in Australia, announced that they have stood down 75% of its workforce from April 1 to June 30, while any remaining staff will have their hours reduced or will be offered significant salary reductions due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.  Rugby Australia are looking at a loss of up to $120 million if the entire …

USA Rugby’s Board of Directors and Congress voted to officially file Chapter 11 bankruptcy as a result of financial constraints caused by the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Earlier this month, the governing body suspended all rugby activity indefinitely and that has “accelerated the existing financial challenges facing the Union”, according to a statement on their website. USA Rugby will now undergo …

In our latest throwback, we remember the 2001 British and Irish Lions Tour and the infamous attack by Duncan McRae on Ronan O’Gara.  On Saturday, June 23 2001, the British and Irish Lions took on the Waratahs just a week before they were to face off against the Wallabies in the first Test on what was a three-Test tour. The …

Can you get top marks in this rugby stadium quiz?  We have developed a quiz which will test your knowledge of some of the most famous rugby stadiums around the world. How familiar are you with some of these hallowed grounds which have seen some epic clashes in the past? The premise for this quiz is very simple. We give …

The nostalgic mood continues here at Pundit Arena as we look back at some of the greats to play the sport of rugby union.  In our latest quiz, we want you to cast your minds back to remember the greatest and most prolific try-scorers in Test rugby. With the current season suspended indefinitely due to the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, …

After a disappointing 2006/2007 European campaign, Munster were back on track a season later with the final destination once again being Cardiff’s Millenium Stadium.  The stage of their maiden Heineken Cup victory just two years previously, Munster went into the final where they met Toulouse who contained some French rugby royalty in the shape of Fabien Pelous, William Servat, Thierry …

As Covid-19 continues to put an indefinite halt on the rugby season, we’ve decided to dig out some of our favourite autobiographies in search of some interesting and memorable anecdotes.  Paul O’Connell’s ‘The Battle’, co-authored by Alan English, is a superb read. It gives a fascinating insight into the mindset of one of Ireland’s greatest ever players and the steely …