“I’m good. I’ll go home and I’ll get ready for Charlotte in a couple of weeks’ time and get ready for that and then obviously the PGA at Bethpage.” It was almost as if Rory McIlroy was trying to lift the spirits of the press corp, not long after he signed off for a -5 […]

7 years ago

This was a tough watch Francesco Molinari played like a man destined to win the 2019 Masters over the weekend. For 65 holes, he was the golfer with the scrambling, putting, game-plan and temperament to win his first green jacket. Then, on the 12th hole, a wheel came off. He found the water at that […]

7 years ago

“Calmness” Calmness, gum and his trusty 8-iron. Those were three of the main ingredients in Tiger Woods’ remarkable Masters victory at Augusta. The 43-year-old won his first green jacket since 2005 as he rolled back the years with a display of vintage class. Woods told reporters that the constant gum-chewing was to suppress a raging […]

7 years ago

Couldn’t let us all have this one, could you There were wet eyes all across this drifting lump of rock when Tiger Woods beat a stellar chasing pack to win his first Major in 11 years at a ram-rodded Augusta National. Tiger Woods, who had not won a Masters title since 2005, kept his nerve […]

7 years ago

Patrick Reed has been getting pelters online for how he presented Tiger Woods with his green jacket after he won his 15th major

7 years ago

Tiger Woods’ comeback in 2018 has been one of the stories of the sporting year, and this confession on his back injuries puts it into perspective

7 years ago

Four men, two wars The UFC has two new champions, and the fact that they are ‘interim’ will mean little to Dustin Poirier, Israel Adesanya or the legions of fans that saw they claim stunning victories. UFC 236 may not have been the most stacked card in the promotion’s history but there were two tasty […]

7 years ago

Masters officials have taken the expert advice on-board Masters Sunday is one of the best sporting spectacles and, for golf fans in the UK and Ireland, has delivered so many classic moments that have rewarded us for shunning an early night. Be it Greg Norman’s meltdown, Phil Mickelson’s awkward leap, Tiger Woods’ chip on 16 […]

7 years ago

“He would absolutely kill people, and he’d do it with a smile on his face.” As rugby families go, the Tuilagis are right up there as one of the most talented, and fearsome. Manu Tuilagi is back doing wonders for Leicester and England and he is prospering on a path forged, and scythed, for him […]

7 years ago

Jamie Carragher and a nifty Virtual Reality head-set brought fans into the body of Mo Salah for his solo classic against Southampton.

7 years ago

Too focused on issuing instructions or just some general shithousing? Nottingham Forest lost vital ground in their quest to reach to playoff places when they lost to championship strugglers Rotherham. Forest slipped to five points off the playoff spots after their 2-1 loss and may now have to aim for six wins in their closing […]

7 years ago

‘To miss an opportunity to play in a world cup in Japan is haunting my thoughts’ On March 27, Dan Leavy posted this infectious video of himself in the Leinster dressing room with James Tracy and Luke McGrath: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvhYCrjlifd/ Three young lads full of life and in great spirits as Leinster headed towards the business […]

7 years ago

This would be another fight that would set pulses racing For a man who has fought just once in the UFC in 30 months, Conor McGregor is still getting offers on a daily basis. Still, toss out two surnames of fighters fans would love to see enclosed inside The Octagon and Gaethje vs McGregor would […]

7 years ago

Mike Tindall would like to think he was proved right about Ireland. Next up, 2019 Grand Slam champions Wales. Back in November, when Ireland were following up a Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam, a winning Test Series against Australia and beating world champions New Zealand, Mike Tindall was the voice of caution. Ireland had great […]

7 years ago

The hatred between Conor McGregor and Khabib runs deep Five days into his retirement and Conor McGregor is already getting his head turned. ‘The Notorious’ announced he was retiring from “the sport is formally known as Mixed Martial Art” earlier this week but most fight fans and pundits have convinced themselves that this is no more […]

7 years ago

Luckily, it was the day BEFORE Mother’s Day Saracens appear to be a team with a point to prove in Europe this season. Having lost their Champions Cup crown to Leinster last season, the English side are smoking all comers in this season’s competition. They qualified as top seeds for the knock-out stages and beat […]

7 years ago

The former Irish international used to relish coming up against the big Dutch defender Whenever Jonathan Walters saw Virgil van Dijk’s name on the team sheet – be it for Southampton, Liverpool or the Netherlands – he knew he would be in for one hell of a tussle. The recently retired Ireland forward was on […]

7 years ago

“I’m going to keep going until the wheels come off.” Justin Gaethje was the World Series of Fighting champion and had a record of 17-0 in his pro career when he arrived at the UFC. Veteran fighter Michael Johnson warned him the major leagues were a different beast but Gaethje dismantled him after two slobber […]

7 years ago

Many in the game would love to see him involved with the senior England squad. Ben Ryan had twice previously been a guest on of JOE UK’s House of Rugby, offering a brilliant insight into his coaching stint with the Fiji Sevens team that ended with gold medal glory at the Rio Olympics. On the latest episode, host Alex […]

7 years ago

McGregor made the shock announcement that he’d retired from MMA on Tuesday morning Conor McGregor and Dana White have been very good for each other The UFC president and ‘The Notorious’ have had some downs but a parade of ups during their seven-year relationship. Both are considerably richer than when the UFC gave McGregor his […]

7 years ago

A smidge more poignant than ‘thanks for the cheese’. In recent months, Conor McGregor has been speaking and tweeting like a man with unfinished business in the fight game. But instead, the 30-year-old has announced his shock retirement, apparently deciding to quit MMA to pursue other business ventures. One of the biggest names in the […]

7 years ago

From out of sight to out in front and brought back down to earth in the space of a mad-cap hour at Twickenham. England’s Guinness Six Nations finale against Scotland had it all. Eddie Jones’ men went into the game knowing Wales were Grand Slam champions but tore into the Scots regardless. England raced into […]

7 years ago

We were waiting for the hammer to drop, but it never came. Mike Tindall is not convinced about Ireland, their tactics or their chances at the World Cup. When the former England captain voiced that opinion, in November last year, Joe Schmidt’s team were preparing to face the All Blacks after winning a Guinness Six […]

7 years ago

West Ham star Declan Rice has been tipped to make his competitive England debut against Czech Republic this weekend, at Wembley.

7 years ago

‘I’ve had an insane couple of days’

7 years ago

Handling errors all over the place from Ireland Ahead of the Guinness Six Nations clash between Wales and Ireland, the IRFU formally requested for the Principality Stadium roof to be left open. Warren Gatland and Wales complained, but the decision ended up going in their favour. While Wales’ handling – like many other aspects of […]

7 years ago

WALES 25-7 IRELAND Wales are the 2019 Guinness Six Nations champions, and with a Grand Slam to boot. Joe Schmidt’s final Six Nations game as Ireland head coach happened to coincide with the worst performance during his six-year tenure. Wales scored early and never let up all afternoon in a raucous Principality Stadium, in Cardiff. […]

7 years ago

“It got to a point where they were playing each other and I was named in both squads.” James Haskell has played 77 times for England, represented his country at two World Cups and won three Guinness Six Nations championships with a red rose on his chest. Very early on in his career, however, and […]

7 years ago

You should get most of them, but a couple may catch you out As we head into the final few months of the Premier League season, we’ve got a nice quiz to test your wits. We are celebrating the league’s assist maestros and there are nine for you to get. You have four minutes to […]

7 years ago

“Ici c’est Manchester!” Cantona, Neymar, Pogba, Evra, Neymar’s father, a crazy match and some fleet-footed security staff. All the ingredients right there. It all kicked off up in the stands of the Le Parc des Princes on Wednesday. Manchester United were roundly written off before their Champions League Last 16 second leg clash with Paris […]

7 years ago

Arguably his best moment in a Manchester United jersey There was always a feeling that Jose Mourinho was not exactly the driving force behind the £52m transfer of Fred to Manchester United. The Brazilian had a decent start to life at Old Trafford but faded into the background so much that Andreas Pereira and Scott […]

7 years ago

‘Although we’re rivals on the pitch, we are sisters first and foremost.’ Back in 2009, brothers John (for Leinster) and Denis (Munster) Fogarty went into battle against each other in a European Cup semi final at Croke Park. Neither of the Tipperary natives gave an inch that day but it was John that emerged the […]

7 years ago

Anne, Princess Royal as the biggest ‘rugby nause’ in the royal family. There you have it. Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips Tindall joined Alex Payne on JOE UK’s House of Rugby and were great value as they discussed how they met, supporting each other in their various sporting pursuits and on who the biggest ‘rugby nause’ in the […]

7 years ago

This would be in keeping with the Conor McGregor that fans know so well

7 years ago

What a gem of a goal

7 years ago

“I haven’t ever seen a fitter guy.” Two of the fittest players ever to share a pitch with James Haskell – a Welsh outhalf and an English prop that used to enjoy the post-match sessions. Not exactly what we were expecting but a big compliment, all the same. The latest episode of House of Rugby dealt […]

7 years ago

It was all going so well… Dana White had some bad news for UFC fans, this weekend, as he put the kibosh on a potential summer ding-dong between Conor McGregor and Donald Cerrone. McGregor was expected to fight either Dustin Poirier or Tony Ferguson next, after he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229, but […]

7 years ago

“Sorry mate, I did not see that happening.” Rugby teams the world over have a tradition of making the debutants or, in international circles, the new cap sing a song in front of the squad. Whether it is ‘The Gambler’, ‘Jump Around’, ‘Wonderwall’ or the Home & Away theme tune, or anything good or bad […]

7 years ago

‘Sanjay’ has crafted a reputation as a class, evasive player and an antagonist supreme. For a back three player, Liam Williams has always had the habit of getting stuck in, laying some shots and winding the opposition up. The Wales and Lions star worked as a scaffolder and played club rugby for Waunarlwydd RFC before he […]

7 years ago

There is a zip gone in the pass and teams have cottoned on to it Conor Murray really had us spoiled for a while there. The Munster scrum-half handled himself well in his breakthrough season in Test rugby, 2011/12, and came of age on the summer tour to New Zealand. He never looked back. The […]

7 years ago

Former England stars Jeremy Guscott and Martin Johnson were far from happy at how Eddie Jones’ side ceded control. 10-3 up at half-time and looking well set to push on, England rested on their one-score lead and paid for it. Wales countered England’s kicking game well and matched the visitors with physicality and drive on […]

7 years ago

Absolutely magnificent from the England forward, but not enough. Less carries, more tackles, fewer possession and playing most of the opening 40 minutes in their own half. And yet England went into the break leading 10-3. It looked as though England would remain on course for the Grand Slam, but Dan Biggar sprung from the […]

7 years ago

“It’s not f***ing happening, mate.” In between the First and Second Tests of the British & Irish Lions tour to New Zealand, in 2017, Warren Gatland’s side took on the Hurricanes in Wellington. Kristian Dacey, Cory Hill, Tomas Francis, Gareth Davies Allan Dell and Finn Russell all joined George Kruis and Leigh Halfpenny on the […]

7 years ago

Should be a cracking fight, but making it for a belt is crazy On Tuesday of this week, we reported that UFC 236 was slowly kicking into gear. There is still no venue confirmed for the pay-per-view but New York and Abu Dhabi were, reportedly, both in the mix. Then, on Tuesday evening, word came […]

7 years ago

“Can I say this story?!” Back in September, two months after turning 28, and after 59 Test caps, Joe Marler announced his retirement from international rugby. Marler, who helped England to Guinness Six Nations titles in 2016 and 2017, had toured with his country to South Africa and had played superbly in the Third Test […]

7 years ago

Just under eight weeks to go and UFC 236 has no confirmed venue, main event or fights For a pay-per-view event due to take place on April 13, under two months away, UFC 236 is looking sparse. UFC 235 is in Las Vegas on March 2 and will be headlined by Jon Jones defending his […]

7 years ago

A 34-man squad was named but that will be paired down to 23 for the weekend trip to Rome Ireland’s squad for their Guinness Six Nations game with Italy has confirmed that Will Addison, Garry Ringrose and Rhys Ruddock will not be involved, but there is some good news for Joe Schmidt’s side. Chris Farrell has […]

7 years ago

The Spaniard was often marginalised by Jose Mourinho but he is right down Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s street Ander Herrera was one of Manchester United’s better players in the disappointing Champions League defeat to Paris Saint-Germain. He has been one of their better players since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer arrived as caretaker manager and, in truth, one […]

7 years ago

‘Given the lax rules FIFA have in place and the ambiguity surrounding them there will be ways and means to get the best players playing for the world’s richest nations’ On Wednesday, Declan Rice announced his decision to represent England in future internationals, should he be fortunate enough to win a call-up. The news came […]

7 years ago

“For years, people grew up probably wanting to play for Cardiff, Swansea or in Bristol, but now they can be proud to want to play for this club.” Class words, well spoken from Newport County striker Padraig Amond. The former Shamrock Rovers player scored in the fifth consecutive round as his club exited the FA […]

7 years ago