Michael Robinson Eddie O’Sullivan has quit from the job of Ireland coach following a disappointing Rugby World Cup and 6 Nations. Rumours were rife that O’Sullivan would be leaving after last weekend’s defeat by England. The last straw for the Lansdowne Road blazers may have been Ireland’s home defeat by a Grand Slam winning Welsh team, coached by Warren Gatland who O’Sullivan replaced in 2001 “to take Ireland to the next level”. The search now starts for a new Ireland coach… Michael …
… and comes up with the same XV for Ireland’s final Rugby World Cup group game against Argentina. Well almost. Trimble is this week’s scapegoat and drops to the bench while Geordan Murphy returns to the first team for the injured Dempsey. Meanwhile, the hacks scent blood in the water and futher pieces like this by Ciaran Cronin, must surely be inevitable: One of the key skills of good man-management is the ability to put oneself in the shoes of …
Ireland rugby coach Eddie O’Sullivan has named his 30 man squad for next month’s Rugby World Cup. Former GB Rugby League international, Brian Carney, gets the nod but no real surprises in the selection. An Ireland team of mainly 2nd XV players didn’t impress during yesterday’s 31-21 defeat in a warm-up game against Scotland. Ireland’s world cup preparation continues with next Friday’s warm-up game against Italy in Belfast, the first Ireland international at Ravenhill for over 50 years. Michael Robinson
The GAA Central Council has approved the use of Croke Park for rugby 6 nations and football world cup qualifiers in 2008 but have yet to decide on the use of the ground for friendlies. In addition to closing the door on Croke beyond 2008 and the use of other GAA grounds for rugby and football, the Central Council had a shot at these sports claiming they had not reciprocated by enabling other grounds for GAA sports. They also confirmed …
Irish hopes of a Grand Slam and a winning debut at Croke Park were shattered with a last minute French try giving the visitors a 17-20 victory Michael Robinson
Ulster Rugby had its own Cantona moment when Trevor Brennan, the Toulouse player and former Irish international assaulted an Ulster fan during the Heineken European Cup tie between Ulster and Toulouse. Reports from fan websites claim that banter between Brennan and the fans involved nothing more than disparaging comments regarding Brennan’s pub in Toulouse however there are also claims that there were more insulting remarks. Ulster lost a bad tempered game 28-13. Michael Robinson
With Irish rugby (currently) on the up with [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6186068.stm]3 wins[/url] in the Autumn International series, yesterday’s Observer reported how one school in County Armagh is beginning to [url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1957368,00.html]break down the barriers[/url] existing between GAA and rugby in Northern Ireland. (My thanks to Aaron S for pointing out the story) Michael Robinson
A winning start for all 3 Irish provinces in first round of the Heineken European Cup. Ulster [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/irish/6073066.stm]beat 3 times winners Toulouse[/url], Leinster [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/6073746.stm]beat Guinness Premiership side Gloucester[/url] and the holders Munster [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/leicester/6058294.stm]beat twice winners Leicester.[/url] Munster out-half Ronan O’Gara caused some controversy during the week when he was reported to say that the English Guinness Premiership and players were [url=http://sport.guardian.co.uk/rugbyunion/comment/0,,1924002,00.html]over-hyped and over-rated[/url]. With 7 out of 8 Magners Celtic League teams winning and 5 out of 6 Guinness Premiership …
[url=http://www.ulsterrugby.com]Ulster[/url] went top of rugby’s [url=http://www.magnersleague.com]Magners Celtic League[/url] with a [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/ulster/5397002.stm]17-24 victory over Connacht[/url] while in the other Irish inter-provincial clash, Leinster gained some revenge for last season’s Heineken European Cup semi-final defeat with a [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/my_club/leinster/5406318.stm]27-20 victory[/url] over the current European Champions, Munster. The Leinster-Munster game had a record Magners League attendance of 27,252. There is one more week of Magners League games before the first round of the European competitions. Michael Robinson
With the start of the new rugby season a couple of days away and the anthems at Ravenhill debate being the major rugby talking point, another story slipped under the radar. For the second time in a few months, an Irish province raised the issue that they will play home matches outside Ireland for the next two seasons if they qualify for the later stages of the Heineken European Cup. Current European champions [url=http://tinyurl.com/n4r3z]Munster has announced[/url] that they are looking …
The Ireland rugby team will play their [url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/rugby/story.jsp?story=698116]first full international in Belfast for 53 years[/url] against Italy on 25 August 2007. The ground at Ravenhill has been used for under-age internationals and will also host the [url=http://www.ulsterrugby.com/11_3714.php]2007 Under 19 Rugby World Cup[/url] but the last time the full Ireland team played there was against Scotland in 1954. Redevelopment of Ireland’s normal home ground at Lansdowne Road is planned in 2007 hence the move to Ravenhill. Ireland’s home games against France …
The draw for rugby’s 2006-2007 [url=http://www.ercrugby.com]Heineken European Cup[/url] was made today and the increasing number of fans who travel to away fixtures will be consulting flight schedules, inventing excuses and buttering up partners. [url=http://www.ulsterrugby.com]Ulster[/url] won the European Cup in 1999 however their record in the competition since then has been mediocre at best. Ulster coach Mark McCall will be under pressure to take the team to the next level with more success in Europe after Ulster’s [url=http://www.sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/ulsters_celtic_league_title/]Celtic League win[/url] last …
The Irish rugby team currently touring New Zealand has been creating more news off the pitch than on after they refused to speak to Irish Independent journalist David Kelly (http://www.nzherald.co.nz/author/story.cfm?a_id=23&ObjectID=10386455) after his [url=http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stories.php3?ca=15&si=1633325]”Harsh Reality” article critiquing the Irish team performance[/url] after its [url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/rugby_union/international/5061412.stm] 34-23 loss to New Zealand[/url]. The rest of the accompanying Irish journalists walked out in solidarity with Kelly. The media and team [url=http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stories.php3?ca=15&si=1633683]now appear to be back on speaking terms[/url] however as you would expect, the hacks …
Some belated recognition for the [url=http://www.ulsterrugby.com]Ulster rugby[/url] team that won the [url=http://www.celticleague.com]Celtic League[/url] on Friday 26 May with a nail biting 17-19 victory against the Ospreys in Swansea. The competition came down to a two horse race between Ulster and fellow Irish province Leinster, with Ulster needing a win to finish on top. The title was heading for Leinster after the Ospreys took the lead with 5 minutes of normal time left. However three minutes later, the Ulster out half …
