Tag Archives: ireland rugby

World Rugby have confirmed that the draw for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France is still set to take place at the end of November this year.  The draw has been pencilled for the weekend of the 21/22 November in Paris but it was expected in many circles that it would be moved due to the fixture disruption as …

Jacob Stockdale is relishing the prospect of increased competition within the Ireland setup. Earlier this week it was announced that James Lowe has signed with Leinster for a further three seasons meaning the New Zealand native will be eligible for Ireland selection in the near future. Since joining the eastern province in 2017, Lowe has become a fan favourite among …

The return of Super Rugby in New Zealand over the last number of weeks and in Australia (beginning this weekend) has been a welcome sight for rugby supporters starved of action over the last number of months.  However, those of us in the northern hemisphere are keen to see the return of professional competition in this neck of the woods. …

For Peter O’Mahony, the main thing, as he explains, is that he is back on the pitch training with his teammates after three months where the world was turned upside down due to the onset of COVID-19.  O’Mahony and his Munster teammates are in their second week of preseason training with the goal being a showdown with Leinster at the …

Munster CEO Ian Flanagan has confirmed that “serious conversations” have taken place regarding the potential naming rights for Thomond Park. The famous Limerick rugby ground has long been earmarked for naming sponsorship and although this was met with resistance during the southern province’s heyday in the 2000s, there is a growing understanding and acceptance that this needs to be established …

Munster Rugby CEO Ian Flanagan has said that he is happy with the investigative process which was undertaken regarding the anti-doping violation committed by James Cronin.  Cronin received a one-month ban after testing positive for the banned substances, prednisolone and prednisone, after Munster’s Champions Cup clash with Racing 92 last November. Cronin’s ban is considered lenient by some, particularly Sport …

The resumption of the northern hemisphere rugby season is getting closer.  Many clubs across Europe are already back in training. In Ireland, Munster and Leinster will return to training next week while Connacht and Ulster will be back out on the paddock on June 29. For the Irish provinces, the Guinness PRO14 season is expected to return at the end …

This month saw the one-year anniversary of the 2019 Union Cup being held at Dublin City University.  The Union Cup, Europe’s largest LGBT+ and inclusive rugby tournament, was held in Ireland for the first time last year and the tournament hosts, Dublin-based Emerald Warriors RFC, are reaping the rewards and positive impacts of that hugely successful weekend. Richie Fagan and …

“Yeah…,” John Hayes replied with a weary sigh. A long pause follows before ‘The Bull’ begins his explanation as to what went wrong in south-west London, with the heartbreak of that day 20 years ago still very much inflicting pain despite the two decades which have passed since that groundbreaking 1999/2000 season. Today is the 20 year anniversary of Munster’s …

In a cruel twist of faith, Tyler Bleyendaal’s Munster career ended in the same way that it started, with a neck injury.  The 29-year-old Christchurch native sadly called time on his professional rugby career this week after a long-suffering neck injury forced him to retire. Bleyendaal suffered a prolapsed disc in his neck while playing against Waikato for Canterbury in …

For many, this enforced period of lockdown provides an opportunity for looking back, reflection and growth. For Ulster and Ireland’s John Cooney, there are no shortage of memories or experiences to mull over and dissect. To say Cooney’s career has had its ups and downs would be an understatement but the 30-year-old Dubliner has certainly experienced the euphoric highs and …

In our latest rugby quiz, we want you to name every Irish player to have played for the Lions since 2001.  In this quiz, we’re including all fixtures, so you will have to name some of the Irish players who may have only played the midweek games. We have compiled a list of 37 players, including two players who made …

With our hugely successful Pundit Arena Daily Sports Trivia Challenge series, we’ve decided to start a daily trivia challenge based solely on rugby.  Welcome to day one of our daily rugby trivia challenge. Each day, we’ll give you 20 questions and 20 clues, similar to a crossword, and you have to guess the answers before the time runs out. So, …

“Well, obviously it’s not the 21st you think you’re going to have,” Craig Casey laughs as he recalls the celebrations on what is a significant milestone in any young man’s life.  The Munster scrum-half turned 21 just over two weeks ago and due to the new reality which we’re all currently experiencing in Ireland, the celebrations in the Casey household …

In our latest rugby quiz, we want to test your knowledge on the nicknames of Irish players past and present.  Nicknames in professional sport are commonplace and rugby is no different. We have provided you with 20 different Irish players from the last 20 years or so and we want you to name them based on the popular nicknames which …

How well do you know your club rugby stadiums?  In our latest rugby quiz we want to test your knowledge on a number of rugby stadiums and grounds across the Guinness PRO14 and Gallagher Premiership. If you consider yourself to be a rugby fanatic, then you should get close to full marks in this. We are giving you a total …

“You have to pinch yourself” and “it was a dream come true” are regular phrases in Louth native Michael McDonald’s vocabulary such has been the meteoric rise of the Irish born scrum-half in the last 12 months. When we last spoke to the talented scrum-half, just under 12 months ago, he made his senior rugby debut for the Western Force …

Paul O’Connell will always be remembered as one of the greatest Ireland second-rows ever to play the game.  A Munster legend, O’Connell won European Cups, a Grand Slam, Six Nations titles, Triple Crowns and of course, he also captained the British and Irish Lions on the tour of South Africa in 2009. The Limerick man is held in incredibly high …