Tag Archives: Ultan Dillane

Sean McMahon reporting from Murrayfield Ultan Dillane made his first appearance for Ireland in 15 months when he came off the bench in their 22-13 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday afternoon.  The last time the Kerry man represented his country was when he started a 23-20 win over Fiji at the Aviva Stadium in November 2017. The 25-year-old …

Connacht second-row Ultan Dillane has signed a contract extension that will see the Kerry man remain with the western province until 2021. The 11-time capped international left Munster in 2012 to join the Connacht Academy and made his debut for the first team in 2014 whilst still an academy player. Dillane’s first three games with the first team came against …

Munster's South African-born second-row Jean Kleyn has ruled out playing for South Africa and has said he would love to play for Ireland if the chance came.

Connacht fans were taken aback when Pat Lam announced his decision to leave the province at the end of the season and join Premiership strugglers, Bristol. Lam had guided Connacht to an unlikely Pro12 title last season, and revolutionised the way in which the western province play the game. Not only that, but given the age profile of Connacht’s squad, …

The fourth instalment in this series of articles will analyse the options Warren Gatland has at second row for the British and Irish Lions 2017 tour of New Zealand. Arguably the toughest position in the squad to select, there are several in-form locks with bags of international experience who many would argue deserve a place in the initial Lions squad. However, …

There’s just over a month before Ireland kick off their 2017 Six Nations campaign as they travel to Murrayfield to take on Scotland.  Unfortunately, they will be facing Vern Cotter’s side without Ultan Dillane. Pat Lam has told reporters today that the second row has damaged ankle ligaments and is set to see a specialist as he begins his recovery. …

The task facing Connacht ahead of their New Year’s Eve clash with Munster is set to become more difficult, after RTE.ie confirmed that both Finlay Bealham and Danie Poolman face a race to be fit for the Pro12 derby. Bealham and Poolman sustained head injuries during Connacht’s 23-7 defeat at the hands of Ulster in the first derby clash of the festive …

No other Irish coach has had such depth at his disposal. During the early part of the 21st century Irish fans hoped and prayed nothing untoward would happen to either Ronan O’Gara or John Hayes. Although Brian O’Driscoll was Ireland’s stand-out player at the time, Eddie O’Sullivan couldn’t do without his tighthead or flyhalf due to a shortfall of talent. …

Joe Schmidt faces a number of tough decisions ahead of Ireland’s game with Australia. Four days after Ireland’s defeat at the hands of New Zealand, and the embers of the controversies that overshadowed the game are still burning. However, despite the 21-9 loss against the All Blacks, Ireland came out of the game with a great deal of credit, validating their …

With Lions tours only coming around every four years and places on these tours being selected from four international teams, no position can be taken for granted. Simply getting on the plane is in many ways an achievement, let alone making the starting lineup in one of the tests. With that said though, there are always positions that prove to …

Joe Schmidt has made one change to the Irish team. After recording a famous 40-29 win over the All Blacks in Chicago, Ireland must do it all over again in Dublin on Saturday evening. Last weekend saw Schmidt make fifteen changes to the Irish side to face Canada, with much attention placed on the performances of Sean O’Brien and Peter O’Mahony …

When Johnny Sexton replaced Ronan O’Gara as Ireland’s first-choice fly-half in the third round of the 2010 Six Nations it was time for some new blood in the Irish backline. Sexton had been patiently biding his time behind O’Gara who was less than 12 months removed from booting Ireland to their first grand slam triumph in 61 years. Sexton had …

As much as Ireland celebrated their historic win over the All Blacks in Chicago, it raised a number possible questions over selection. Should either Sean O’Brien and Peter O’Mahony be included in the starting XV for the return fixture? Will Joe Schmidt be tempted to start Ultan Dillane alongside Devin Toner in the second row? Despite Rob Kearney’s performance against …

After the high of the previous week, Ireland came crashing back down to earth during a full blooded first half in Dublin. Although Ireland raced into a 14 point lead, the Canadians came back into the game, leveling through a DTH van der Merwe try and a mauled effort. Joe Schmidt’s side soon regained the momentum with a try from …

Ireland are likely to rest many of their star names after beating the All Blacks.   While Ireland celebrated their historic victory over New Zealand last weekend, Steve Hansen and his players were no doubt planning their revenge in Dublin on Saturday week. Although the Italians may take some of the edge off the expected All Black backlash, Hansen’s side will …

Joe Schmidt will have to make alterations to his line-up. Just when it was thought that Ireland would be about to embark on an international series without any major injury concerns, this morning The Belfast Telegraph reported that Iain Henderson will miss Ireland’s first test against New Zealand on 5 November. The big Ulster player who can play in either …

Connacht and Ireland have received a major boost today, as it has been confirmed that Ultan Dillane and Bundee Aki have signed new contracts. This means that Aki will be available for selection in the Ireland team next year, due to residency rules. There were reports that Dillane was due to join his native Munster, along with Grenoble centre Chris …

The opening weekend of the European season has so far produced some serious scores. What a weekend of European rugby it’s been, and we still have one more day to play. Thursday night set the tone, with Harlequins and Stade Francias sharing 64 points an open and entertaining contest. Although Friday’s game between the Ospreys and the Newcastle Falcons was a one …