Tag Archives: Joe Schmidt

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has said that the ankle injury suffered by Joey Carbery in Saturday afternoon’s win over Italy at the Aviva Stadium is “stable”.  The Auckland-born out-half left the field on a stretcher 10 minutes into the second half with an ankle injury. Carbery attempted to walk off the field but he struggled to put weight on …

In the absence of Joe Schmidt, who has returned to New Zealand due to a family bereavement, Andy Farrell will take charge of Ireland as they face Italy in their first World Cup warm-up game this weekend. The defence coach will succeed Schmidt as head coach of the Ireland side following the conclusion of the Rugby World Cup later this …

With the Rugby World Cup in Japan looming, Ireland captain Rory Best has addressed what went wrong in the 2019 Six Nations Championships.  Joe Schmidt’s side came into the game as raging hot favourites having beaten all before them in 2018. Ireland followed up their Grand Slam victory with a first series win in Australia since 1979 before going on …

Leinster and Ireland scrum-half Luke McGrath is hoping to put the disappointment of missing out on the Six Nations behind him as he eyes a starting position for this weekend’s game against Italy.  McGrath suffered knee ligament damage prior to the Six Nations, ruling him out of the entire tournament and should he feature against the Italians at the weekend, …

Ireland have had 45 players in camp for the majority of the summer but that was reduced to 43 on Monday with the news that Munster’s Rory Scannell and Connacht’s Ultan Dillane were released back to their provinces.  Of course, only 31 players can travel to Japan and although it may seem ruthless that the duo were cut from proceedings …

Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has returned to New Zealand due to a family bereavement.  Ireland are currently preparing for their opening Rugby World Cup warm-up game on Saturday with Italy the opposition at the Aviva Stadium. Defence and future head coach Andy Farrell has been leading the training sessions over the last number of days along with Greg Feek, …

There are just over seven weeks remaining until the beginning of the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.  After a gruelling preseason, many of the participating nations are beginning their warm-up schedule with a view of getting themselves in an ideal condition before they travel to Japan. Ireland’s first warm-up game takes place on August 10 against Italy at the …

We’re less than eight weeks away from the beginning of the 2019 Rugby World Cup and with the warm-up games beginning next week, players across the world will be desperate to put their hand up to gain selection for the respective final 31-man squads which will travel to Japan.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at back at …

There was a collective gasp among the Irish rugby public when news emerged earlier this week that Johnny Sexton injured his hand during Ireland training camp ahead of the Rugby World Cup.  As it emerged, a thumb injury has hampered Sexton’s preparations somewhat but the problem shouldn’t have too much of an impact as he is expected to be fit …

Will Addison has linked up with the Ireland squad after returning from injury earlier than expected. Addison suffered a season-ending back injury which ruled him out for the majority of the second half of last season and it was thought that he would also miss out on the opportunity to play in the Rugby World Cup after undergoing surgery in …

Toulouse lifting the Top 14 title on Saturday signalled the end of the northern hemisphere club season but the lengthy nature of the French campaign aside, many of Europe’s elite players will be getting back to work soon.  Today, Ireland have reconvened at their Carton House base as they begin their preparations for their World Cup opener against Scotland on …

Irish head coach Joe Schmidt has named a 44-man training squad for the upcoming Rugby World Cup pre-season and preparatory camps which commence in mid-June. The squad includes two uncapped players, Mike Haley and Jean Kleyn, while Leinster duo Sean O’Brien and Dan Leavy are left out due to injury. Ireland are set to hold camps in both Limerick and …

Saracens have won the Heineken Champions Cup trophy for the third time in their history after dethroning Leinster at St. James Park this afternoon.  It’s the third time in four seasons that the English club have lifted European club rugby’s top prize and Irishman, Mark McCall, has been an ever-present in all three of those victories. The Saracens director of …

Leinster’s Sean Cronin admitted to being disappointed following his axing from Joe Schmidt’s squad for the final two Six Nations games but the hooker is adamant that he is still in the New Zealander’s plans going forward. Speaking to the media ahead of Leinster’s crunch Champions Cup semi-final against Toulouse on Sunday, Cronin expressed his disappointment at being dropped but …

Wales and Ireland have named their teams for the Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam deciding game in the Principality Stadium on Saturday.  Liam Williams has been passed fit to play as Warren Gatland named an unchanged side from that which beat Scotland in Murrayfield last weekend. Captain Alun Wyn Jones will equal Welshman Gethin Jenkins’ total test appearance record as …

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 …

Former Welsh prop Adam Jones gave a fascinating insight into how intense an Irish training session under Joe Schmidt can be after the 34-year old experienced it with Harlequins in 2015. Jones spent over a decade as one of the key members of a strong Welsh side which won three Six Nations Grand Slam titles but retired from the international …