Tag Archives: Rugby

With no rugby to keep us occupied at the moment, we are already eagerly awaiting the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa next year and discussing who Warren Gatland will choose in his starting XV.  Last week, we asked you to suggest your preferred British & Irish Lions XV to face the Springboks in the first Test in …

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 …

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 …

England head coach Eddie Jones has been asked to accept a reduction in his salary of over 25 per cent by the RFU, according to reports.  Sky Sports News are reporting that English Rugby’s governing body is facing massive revenue losses of £45 to £50 million over the next 18 months as a result of the Coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak and …

Former Leinster star Jack McGrath has recommitted to Ulster, signing a new two-year contract extension that will see him remain at the Kingspan Stadium until 2022.  Since making the move to Ulster at the start of the season, McGrath has made 10 appearances for the province. With 56 caps for Ireland to-date, McGrath was selected by Andy Farrell for this …

To make a successful sports team, the work of the people behind the scenes is just as important as the players on the field and that is the message in the second instalment of Energia’s #ThePowerBehindLeinster series. The episode focuses on Lorna Quinn, the Team Manager of Leinster Rugby Women’s Team and the work she does to ensure matters on …

Six Nations Rugby have confirmed that Wales’ final clash with Scotland will go ahead on Saturday in the Principality Stadium despite fears over Covid-19. The corresponding U20 fixture between the nations will also go ahead, however, the women’s match has been postponed after a Scottish player tested positive for the coronavirus. It is the only fixture that will go ahead …

Former Ireland international Ronan O’Gara has explained the comments he made about Johnny Sexton’s role as the Irish captain saying they were misinterpreted.  Speaking in the week after Ireland’s disastrous 24-12 defeat to England, the Munster legend suggested that his former understudy may have enough on his plate without having to deal with the pressure of leading the side as …

After its break, the Guinness Six Nations returns this weekend with two highly-anticipated matches to look forward to.  While Ireland’s game against Italy, which was set for the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, was postponed due to fears over the coronavirus, the rest of the games in round four are going ahead as planned. First up, it’s the meeting …

England welcomes Wales to Twickenham Stadium today in the hopes of keeping their Six Nations Championship hopes alive with a Triple Crown on the line.  Both teams have welcomed back significant players from injury with Liam Williams and Josh Navidi joining Wales’ starting XV while Mark Wilson and Anthony Watson have been included in Eddie Jones’ side.  Ahead of this …

Wales travel to Twickenham this weekend to face England in the hope of getting their Six Nations campaign back on track following two losses on the bounce.  At the opposite end of the scale, England will bound into the clash with momentum after their comprehensive victory over Andy Farrell’s Ireland kept their hopes of a championship win alive. Eddie Jones’ …

Wales head coach Wayne Pivac has made four changes to his side for their Guinness Six Nations clash with England on Saturday in Twickenham. The reigning champions have suffered two defeats on the bounce, against Ireland in round two before falling 23-27 to France in Cardiff last month. However, there is very positive news for Pivac as Wales prepare for …

Leinster Women’s players Sene Naoupu and Lindsay Peat have opened up on the challenges they both faced in their journey to the top in the first instalment of Energia’s #ThePowerBehindLeinster series. Both Naoupu and Peat have become vital players for Leinster since arriving at the Eastern Province but the latter explained that she initially found the transition to rugby tricky …

Munster have confirmed that Joey Carbery is expected to return to training at the start of pre-season ahead of the 2020/21 campaign. The province confirmed last month that Carbery would undergo elective surgery on his ankle which he injured in Ireland’s World Cup warm-up game against Italy last year. He further aggravated the injury during his brief appearances during the …

Six Nations organisers are set to meet in Paris today to discuss the fate of this year’s tournament in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak across Europe. Ireland’s game with Italy, which had been originally scheduled for this coming weekend, has already been postponed with their clash against France on March 14th now also in doubt. The French government last …

Scarlets lock Sam Lousi has received a straight red card in the 33rd minute of their PRO14 encounter with Munster after punching two players. The incident occurred shortly after the half-hour mark as Munster were advancing and were awarded a penalty from a ruck close to the Scarlets line. Following the referee’s decision, there were some afters involving a number …

“You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.” – American Football coaching legend, Lou Holtz. Criticism is part of the parcel of professional sport, some of it justified and constructive, a lot is completely unwarranted. The Irish rugby team probably endured more of the latter this …

Eddie Jones has named a 25-man England squad for a three-day training camp in Oxford ahead of their Six Nations clash against Wales on March 7. Mako Vunipola and Luke Cowan-Dickie have been excluded from the training camp in Oxford for family reasons but there is a return for Sale Sharks’ back-rower, Mark Wilson. The versatile forward sustained an injury …