Month: October 2022

IT’S JUST OVER twelve months since Rory Best was installed as Ireland captain and there’s a stark contrast in the mood now compared with the backdrop in early 2016. Click Here: offaly gaa jerseys Then Ireland were coming off the back of a World Cup that ended in disappointment and the provinces had all bombed…

CONNACHT FANS HAVE been known to voice their displeasure over players being snubbed for Ireland selection, but with stocks dangerously low due to injuries, Martin Redington is happy just four of the province’s squad were included in Joe Schmidt’s initial Six Nations training group. Liverpool’s liking for Southampton players in recent years made Wednesday night’s…

Murray Kinsella reports from Edinburgh DEFEATS FOR IRELAND invariably bring a few calls for heads, but Joe Schmidt says he is unlikely to be ditching players in the wake of an opening-day Six Nations defeat in Scotland. Schmidt at Murrayfield on Saturday, with Andy Farrell in the background. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO There were certainly individual…

Source: Inpho/Billy Stickland LIKE QUESTIONABLE FASHION tastes, rugby strategies too often seem just as whimsical. Initially entrenched in some simplified notion of the now, they’re then dumped after dubious overuse in ways that weren’t originally intended. When Ireland finally beat New Zealand in Chicago in early November, it felt monumental, and that a real shift…

LEINSTER WILL BE without captain Isa Nacewa for the next set of Guinness Pro12 fixtures after he had a keyhole procedure on his knee to rectify an injury sustained in training last week. The 34-year-old missed last Sunday’s win in Treviso and after seeing a specialist at the start of the week, went under the…

FRANCE WILL BE without Mathieu Bastareaud and Damien Chouly when they face Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday. Mathieu Bastareaud. Bastareaud was added to Les Bleus’ squad for the clash in Dublin over the weekend, but the powerhouse centre has now been ruled out with concussion. The 28-year-old was assessed after taking a blow in Toulon’s…

CONOR MURRAY NEVER plays like a man with too much weight on his shoulders, but his scrum-half masterclass against France on Saturday had a touch more grace and effortlessness to it than usual. He’s his own man, Joe Schmidt rightly pointed out, but at least in part, the freedom Murray was afforded came from the…

WALES WOMEN’S SIDE are mourning the tragic death of Elli Norkett as they prepare for their Six Nations clash with Ireland. The two teams meet at Cardiff Arms Park on Saturday 11 March, but the build-up to the encounter has seen Wales left heartbroken by Norkett’s passing. Norkett, who was just 20 years old, was…

EDDIE JONES HAS made two changes to his side ahead of Saturday’s tournament finale against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium. Saracens’ Billy Vunipola starts at number eight, while Anthony Watson is named on the right wing. “We’ve had a really good week’s preparation,” said head coach, Eddie Jones. “The intensity of training has been good.…

REWARDING YOURSELF WITH membership of The42 will give you access to more benefits than Jurgen Klopp has had centre-back pairings, and with another tasty line-up in store for the week ahead, there’s scarcely been a better time to get involved. Membership includes exclusive podcasts, newsletters, prizes, insights and more. By joining our community, you’ll also…