Frank Schnittger

Live Blog: Ireland 31 Wales 7 f/t A lot of people seem to be worried that complacency and over confidence could undermine this Ireland side. The thing is, a lot of them are only one bad game away from losing their place. With players of the calibre of Keenan, Ringrose, McCloskey, Hansen, O’Brien, Ross Byrne, Casey, Bealham, Kelleher, Healy, Ryan, Henderson, Baird, and Conan, waiting in the wings, you can’t afford to get too comfortable in your position. And that …

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Scarlets 7 Munster 42 Leinster 47 Benetton 18 Cardiff 12 Connacht 16 Ospreys 19 Ulster 17   The three matchups against Welsh sides could have served as a good aperitif ahead of the Ireland Wales match next weekend, but in the end, they left a slightly sour taste. Munster only had to play well for perhaps 25 minutes of the second half to put a poor Scarlets side away. Connacht made very hard work of defeating a dogged Cardiff side …

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There have been quite a few posts on Slugger by able writers such as Michael Palmer, Ian Clarke, and Brian Walker about the prospects for political unionism and particularly the DUP now that the Assembly and Executive have been restored. Mick Fealty has also written a perceptive piece on the opportunity that being the official opposition provides for the SDLP. But no one seems to be writing about the prospects for Sinn Féin. Not being a member or supporter, and …

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Scotland 16 France 20 England 16 Wales 14 Ireland 36 Italy 0 Once again the 6 nations produced an exciting weekend of rugby, if not all of the highest quality.  Ireland hammered their opponents while the other two matches made up for what they lacked in quality with the closeness of the results and some controversy. Scotland 16 France 20 For the most part this was an appalling game of kick tennis and caterpillar box kicking. France, if anything, were …

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Writing in the Irish Times, Newton Emerson is fairly scathing about the DUP/UK government deal. “The DUP is fortunate nationalism is not laughing openly at the party’s deal with the British government. It is not just that the deal’s sea border aspects are “the Windsor Framework in drag”, to quote the Belfast Telegraph’s Sam McBride. Half of the 80-page command paper contains broader ideas for “Safeguarding the Union” – the deal’s title – that invite ridicule. Some are sensible enough …

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In my match preview I wrote: I find the France Ireland match almost impossible to call. Both sides had a massive disappointment at the world cup, but both are still a top 4 side in the world. Both sides have lost a few key players, but seem to have the strength in depth to cope. Both sides have gone with a 6:2 bench split, which is risky in the event of injuries. I think Ireland are in a good place, …

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Paragraphs 114 to 116 of the UK Government Command Paper “Safeguarding the Union” (The DUP deal with the UK Government) contain provisions for ending all British Government commitment to protecting the all-island economy in Ireland as previously agreed with the EU in 2017, and provided for in the UK European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. On the face of it this constitutes a unilateral resiling on agreements previously reached with the EU, and a slap in the face for the Irish …

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The Franco-Irish Champion’s cup head to heads ended up 2-2 after some good matches between eight teams playing some champagne rugby. It was a great prelude to the main symphony, France vs. Ireland, in Marseilles on 2nd.February. Lyon 34 Connacht 20 Lyon, helped by Paddy Jackson, were too strong for a Connacht side without Aki, Hansen, Bealham. O’Halloran and Blade. However, Connacht came to play and scored two excellent tries by Jansen and Prendergast at the beginning and end of …

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A response to Andy Pollak’s book review of The Long Game: Inside Sinn Fein… I have now drafted two responses to Andy Pollak’s book review: The Long Game: Inside Sinn Fein… – Once, a couple of days ago on his own blog Two Irelands Together, and once on Slugger O’Toole. The first disappeared into the ether, never to be seen again, and I hadn’t the heart to try and re-write it. The second fell on deaf ears as the column …

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Commentators here and elsewhere have been keen to emphasize all the things Ireland must do to make a united Ireland an attractive proposition for unionists. The presumption seems to be that if you want something badly enough, you have to be prepared to pay for it. Some exhibit an impatience that no one – not Sinn Féin nor the Irish government – has started the bidding. Conversely, opinion polls in the south, while supportive of Irish re-unification, generally show an …

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In the past Irish rugby internationals like Johnny Sexton, Tommy Bowe or Geordan Murphy were able to ply their trade in France, Wales, or England without detriment to their Ireland careers. Now the assumption is your Irish international career is over if you move abroad, even if, like Simon Zebo, you come back.   Tadgh Beirne was only considered by Ireland when he moved to Munster, and I presume the same will apply to Oli Jager. Donnacha Ryan was never picked …

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The first round of the European Cup took place this weekend with mixed results for the Irish provinces. Ulster and Connacht were hammered by Bath and Bordeaux in Bath and Galway respectively, and Munster could only draw with Bayonne in Thomond Park. Leinster redeemed themselves and Irish rugby, to a degree, with a fighting win against La Rochelle in La Rochelle. Given that Leinster had lost their last three matches against La Rochelle in the semi-final and last two finals …

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Time was when the Home Countries Championship, then the 5 Nations, and then the 6 Nations was the be-all and end all of international rugby. It is still the bread and butter of the participating Unions, funding all their other activities. The World Cup has only been with us since the advent of professional rugby and cost the IRFU a net €9 Million this time around. Without the 6 Nations, professional Irish rugby could not survive.  Now the Captains of …

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Last week I had the good fortune to see my prediction of a clean sweep for all the provinces come true but warned that tougher weekends lie ahead. This week my predictions (for the Irish Rugby Fan Forum) were altogether more pessimistic, and unfortunately came true again.  Leinster 21  Munster 16   Prediction: Leinster win, although they won’t have it all their own way.  Munster certainly put it up to a Leinster side containing 14 world cup players in their starting …

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It’s not often I get all my predictions right, so I’m going to blow my own trumpet a little here. In a preview of Round 5 of the URC, written for the Irish Rugby Fan Forum, I predicted not only four wins for the Irish provinces, but got the broad shape of those victories right.   Those results mean all four provinces are in the top 6 of the URC table (1. Leinster, 2. Glasgow, 3. Ulster, 4. Connacht, 5. Edinburgh, …

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Round four of the URC was distinguished by a few notable events. Zebre Parma won their first match since April 2022 after a number of recent near misses. All the Welsh regions lost, and the South African sides continued to struggle in the absence of their World Cup heroes, with the one exception of the Bulls, who lead the table on 15 points, where they are joined by Leinster and Glasgow followed by Ulster and Connacht on 14 points, and …

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