This result brought some much needed joy and relief to Wasps. Wasps had a hard-fought an emotional win over Premiership leaders Leicester Tigers today. They did so without 17 senior players, including All Blacks Malaki Fekitoa and Vaea Fifita. The English side may as well get used to the feeling, as both men are set […]

4 years ago

Joe Ironside’s winner caused one of the shocks of the round Newcastle United may have been bought for a dump-truck full of money and just got back from a January shop with an England international full-back, but they could not figure out Wes Hoolahan, Joe Ironside and the Cambridge lads. The FA Cup third round […]

4 years ago

The England prop turned the other cheek, after bring turned upside down. Harlequins and Exeter were always going to tear into each other from the off, but the double clear-out on prop Joe Marler was over-stepping the mark, and then some. Quins and Exeter went into their Premiership clash knowing that it was not quite […]

4 years ago

In among an injury update for nine other players came the grim confirmation. Saracens have confirmed that back-row Jackson Wray fractured his skull in their weekend win over Northampton Saints. Sarries defeated Saints 30-6 but Wray, who came on as a half-time replacement for Billy Vunipola, appeared to injure himself while making a tackle, late […]

4 years ago

The 28-year-old has made strides in the business world since being forced to retire in 2020. The line-up for the new season of The Apprentice, on the BBC, has been unveiled, and it includes a former Irish rugby star. Conor Gilsenan played with Ireland U20s in 2012 and 2013, was in with the Leinster academy […]

4 years ago

‘Snakebite’ knew he had pulled one out of the fire. For the second time in three stagings, Peter Wright is the PDC world champion. The Scot rallied from 5-4 [sets] and 2-0 [legs] down to defeat ‘Bully Boy’ in a gripping ‘First to Seven’ final. Shortly after he had been announced as ‘world champion’ for […]

4 years ago

The Cork youngster gave a fine account of himself Caoimhin Kelleher had a decent game in between the sticks for Liverpool, and could do little with the two strikes that saw Chelsea blaze back from 2-0 down to secure a draw that, in reality, suits neither side. With Manchester City now on an 11-game winning […]

4 years ago

“We’ll just be locked away in our Airbnb thing.” Having won the world championship in 2020, Peter Wright knows the big tournaments are about progressing any way you can while trying to stay on an even keel. The Scot defeated Ryan Searle 4-1 in the last 16 at the William Hill World Darts Championship and […]

4 years ago

‘We’ll see… ‘ With most Premier League sides reaching, or nearing, the 19-game mark, it was time for Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher to revisit their predictions from August. At the start of the league season, the pundits made their predictions for teams and players, as well as picking their ‘top four’. Following the MNF […]

4 years ago

England are set to face Les Bleus in Paris in the final round of the championship. New Covid-19 restrictions and requirements were announced by the French government on Monday night, and it should have a direct impact on the 2022 Six Nations. In a further effort to fight against the spread of the virus, Emmanuel […]

4 years ago

Katie Taylor will need to bring her ‘A’ game to Madison Square Garden. And then some “I want to thank my dance partner Miriam Gutiérrez,” declared Amanda Serrano after her latest win. “She didn’t come to lay down.” Gutiérrez did not lie down, but she was on the receiving end of a real piecing up. […]

4 years ago

‘EPCR will provide a further update as soon as practicable… ‘ At this stage, no sooner does one update land than the other arrives. The Omicron variant is spreading, sporting fixtures are getting postponed and cancelled everywhere and they seem to be making it up as they go along in the Champions Cup. Earlier this […]

4 years ago

“He turned to me, a minute later, and said, ‘Mate, have you got a problem with me?!’” Wallabies star Nick Phipps and Seán O’Brien got off to somewhat of a shaky start at London Irish, but it was more of a communication problem than anything else. The scrumhalf was sitting beside O’Brien in the Exiles’ […]

4 years ago

The former Leinster and Ireland coach is back in New Zealand and already making his presence felt. Joe Schmidt is set to join the All Blacks as one of their selectors, replacing rugby legend Grant Fox in the role. The former Ireland head coach, who led them to three Six Nations titles, including a 2018 […]

4 years ago

Quick as a whip Steven Gerrard’s Aston Villa gave a good account of themselves, at Anfield, but still left empty-handed. Villa caused Liverpool a few problems but lost 1-0 after Mo Salah converted a penalty he won when he was bundled over by Tyrone Mings. The visitors felt they could have had a spot-kick given […]

4 years ago

“Get past either of them and you should be in the final.” It is Leinster or Toulouse for Brian O’Driscoll, heading into another European season, but he will be keeping a close eye on Harlequins. It is Champions Cup week, the days are counting down quickly and both JOE and O’Driscoll are well indoors as […]

4 years ago

World Rugby was never going to miss out on the Team of the Year action. The World Rugby ’15s Dream Team’ have been announced as part of a week-long sprinkling of accolades. Maro Itoje, Stuart Hogg, Wyn Jones and Tadhg Furlong are four Lions stars included. Rugby’s global governing body has already announced a slew […]

4 years ago

“That’s a very good question, and a very difficult one to answer… “ ‘Who were the best and worst players to referee?’ Nigel Owens gave this one some thought before he dived on in. The Welsh referee has stepped down from officiating at Test level in 2020 and last oversaw a professional club game in […]

4 years ago

The bi-annual list was compiled by an expert panel based in the UK. Three players from Eddie Jones’ England squad included, and Red Roses star Abby Dow. Every couple of years, the long-established Rugby World magazine assembles a group of rugby lovers to put together a list of the planet’s top 100 players. If the […]

4 years ago

Munster and Cardiff fans will be following this closely. In a decision that could well impact upon Munster and Cardiff’s hopes of fielding teams for this weekend’s Champions Cup, Scarlets have forfeited their game against Bristol Bears. All three sides, along with Italian club Zebre, were in South Africa to fulfil United Rugby Championship fixtures […]

4 years ago

“I hope that we can get them in here in the next one or two weeks, but I cannot tell you any names.” In his first press conference as Manchester United manager, Ralf Rangnick confirmed he wanted to add to his coaching staff but said Brexit red-tape could cause delays. Chris Armas may step into […]

4 years ago

“We could have sat there all night listening to him.” Roy Keane and Johnny Sexton have a lot in common. Two driven leaders that demand the best of those around them, and get under the skin of the opposition, and a few referees. Keane is a big rugby fan and spent a week with the […]

4 years ago

‘I half went after one of them… ‘ When a video of Roy Keane clashing with a man outside Old Trafford, after Manchester United lost to Manchester City, gained traction last month, it saw many come to the Cork native’s defence. Keane had been signing autographs and posing for a couple of quick pictures as […]

4 years ago

“There was a story where a lad was supposed to have had 10 pints of Guinness before an All-Ireland Final!” Sean O’Brien was happy to see Tyson Fury’s ‘two pints before my fight’ story and raise it with a tale of the Offaly hurlers. Fury claimed in a chat with JOE’s Alex Roberts that he […]

4 years ago

“You should not forget that when you ask the question.” Prior to their 4-1 victory in Wednesday night’s Merseyside Derby, Jurgen Klopp needed very little reminding of what befell his Liverpool side, and two of his key players, on their last visit to Goodison Park. The Reds drew with Everton on their home patch early […]

4 years ago

10 names to get. Four minutes to do so. Liverpool and Everton’s footballing rivalry stretches back over 125 years. This Everton and Liverpool quiz deals with more recent history between the Merseyside clubs. There have been more than 40 players to have played for both clubs, over the years, but we are not looking for […]

4 years ago

“We talked about leadership.” As a player driven to be the best, and make the most out of what talents he had, Roy Keane always identified with the All Blacks. Football was always Keane’s first love but, like many sports fans in Ireland, he followed the fortunes of Munster and the Irish rugby team when […]

4 years ago

Cardiff and Munster’s squads remain in South Africa as positive cases continue to return Munster Rugby has today confirmed nine more positive Covid-19 cases in their South Africa travelling party after PCR test results from Monday were returned. This comes a day after Cardiff Blues confirmed they had two positive cases in their party. The […]

4 years ago

Roy Keane briefly allowed himself a moment to crack a joke with his fellow pundits, before interim United boss Michael Carrick brought him back to earth.

4 years ago

‘One of which is suspected to be the new variant Omicron.’ Cardiff Blues and Munster have been forced to change travel plans again and remain in Cape Town after three positive Covid-19 cases were confirmed across the two squads. Munster, Cardiff, Zebre and Scarlets were all in South Africa were rounds six and seven of […]

4 years ago

Fans now heading to Twickenham will only get to see the women’s match. ‘Confirmed positive Covid cases’ mean this afternoon’s match between the Barbarians and Samoa, at Twickenham, has now been cancelled. The news arrived just 80 minutes before kick-off in the game, which was set to be the final game of Ireland star Rob […]

4 years ago

“There’s no-one getting near him.” In early December, Antoine Dupont is favoured to pick up the World Rugby Player of the Year award. While they’re at it, the Toulouse No.9 should be given the 2020 award that was never taken off the shelf. World Rugby officials decided, last year, to forgo the end-of-season awards in […]

4 years ago

“It will provide transformational opportunities to players with dual backgrounds.” World Rugby has approved and eligibility change that will transform the prospects of many nations over the coming years. From January 1st 2002, a player can transfer once from one union to another as long as they have ‘a close and credible link to that […]

4 years ago

“I better be careful what I say!” Back in 2001, the International Rugby Board introduced that is now the World Rugby Player of the Year award. Two Irishmen, two Australians and England outhalf Jonny Wilkinson were the nominees. The award was won that year by Ireland hooker Keith Wood and not won again by another […]

4 years ago

Over half a million votes were tallied, and yet some folks will still complain. The votes have been tallied and a pretty impressive ‘Best XV” for the Autumn Nations Series has been selected. Following the final weekend of Autumn Nations Series games, which saw excellent wins for France and Ireland and closer-run victories for England, […]

4 years ago

“It depends on what you’re doing. Do you want an actual boxing match?!” Many rugby teams use boxing training to build up cardio for their players, as well as hand-eye movement. Sean O’Brien has always enjoyed when the gloves have been thrown his way for a sparring session. The Ireland back-row has not done too much […]

4 years ago

And then some, Harry. Harry Maguire and Michael Carrick were the first club representatives to face the media after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked as manager on Sunday. Carrick, who was one of Solskjaer’s assistants under Solskjaer and Jose Mourinho before him, has been named caretaker manager while the club look for someone to steer […]

4 years ago

ENGLAND 27-26 SOUTH AFRICA England gained a small but sweet measure of revenge for the 2019 World Cup Final with a nail-biting win over South Africa, at Twickenham. A few of the young guns top our full England player ratings. England got off to a flyer when the aerial game gave them territory and possession, […]

4 years ago

“When you went to Leicester, you realised why they had been so successful. They were just ruthless.” Toby Flood’s first four years as a rugby professional were spent with Newcastle Falcons. They had some good players on their books and were often in the upper echelons of the league, but they were not a patch […]

4 years ago

“The quote sounds aggressive when I start it… “ There was a period of two years when Will Greenwood and his England side looked to be bedding in for a long period of domination. Having built steadily under Clive Woodward, and won a couple of Six Nations titles along the way, 2003 was the banner […]

4 years ago

“There was nothing clear and obvious.” Seán O’Brien was still buzzing after being in Dublin to witness Ireland beat the All Blacks, last weekend, and not even Will Greenwood and his valid T.M.O point could bring him down. O’Brien faced New Zealand five times with Ireland but was never on the winning side. He did […]

4 years ago

‘An an attack on the impartiality and the integrity of the match officials’ There was always going to be repercussions from the Rassie Erasmus video that was uploaded between the First and Second Tests of the Lions Tour, this summer. World Rugby has suspended South Africa Rugby Director Rassie Erasmus from ‘all rugby activities’ for […]

4 years ago

“Johnny always used to say to Cheika, ‘You should have played me 10 and Felipe 12!’“ Images from England’s training session, at Bagshot, on Tuesday evening got everyone suitably excited. The legendary Jonny Wilkinson was in for the session and was pictured with Marcus Smith. Having made his Test debut during the summer, the Harlequins […]

4 years ago

“At the time, I was thinking , ‘Oh no. What have I done here?’” Sean O’Brien is never reluctant to hold his hands up if he feels he has done something wrong. Back at the 2015 World Cup, he recalls giving his Ireland teammates a lecture, in the tunnel, before they went out to face […]

4 years ago

At the end of such an gripping battle, a lovely show of respect. Back in October, New Zealand rugby player Sean Wainui died after he was involved in a single vehicle car crash in Tauranga. The Chiefs and Maori All Blacks star was only 25, and left behind a wife and child, as well as […]

4 years ago

“Oh, I learned heaps from him.” All Blacks star Braydon Ennor smiles broadly when Ronan O’Gara’s name is mentioned, early in our chat. Ennor played under the Munster legend when he was assistant to head coach Scott Robertson at Super Rugby trophy-hogs, the Crusaders. O’Gara had a two-year stint in Christchurch and came away even […]

4 years ago

“Yeah, mate, it does leave a bit of a sour taste.” Ardie Savea is a typical All Black. The wins taste sweet, but the ones that get away often linger longer. Early November and the Hurricanes and New Zealand back-row is sitting in his hotel room and chatting with us over a ‘Zoom’ call before […]

4 years ago

“‘Look at him, he’s all triangles!’ There was just muscles everywhere.” David Pocock may have just recruited a couple of hardy bucks to help him out on the farm, back in his native Zimbabwe. The former Wallabies flanker is doing his part for the environment, and then some. At present – as he talks with […]

4 years ago

“The young girl who won the US Open… “ Not long after England had smashed Tonga 69-3, at Twickenham on Saturday, Eddie Jones decided to reference Emma Raducanu to give Marcus Smith something of a lesson. The England head coach was fielding questions as to why Marcus Smith had not been given the No. 10 […]

4 years ago

“The most highly rated Irish prospect since Conor McGregor… “ UFC commentator John Anik laid it out for fight fans ahead of the promotional debut for Dublin’s Ian Garry at Madison Square Garden. The 23-year-old came into UFC 268 with a 7-0-0 record and Joe Rogan was declaring, before he entered The Octagon at MSG, […]

4 years ago