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NEW ZEALAND RUGBY (NZR) boss Steve Tew is facing calls to resign over off-field scandals that have damaged the sport’s reputation in the home of the All Blacks. Pundits turned on Tew after an embarrassing U-turn over a teenage star who escaped conviction for viciously assaulting four people including two women. After initially backing Losi […]

IRELAND HAVE BEEN handed a tough draw for the World Rugby Sevens Series tournament in London next month, as Anthony Eddy’s side bid to replicate last year’s exploits at Twickenham.  As the invitational team, Ireland — who secured a place as a core team on the World Rugby Sevens Series 2020 last weekend — have […]

PETER O’MAHONY and Ciara Griffin have been handed Munster Player of the Year awards, while Donal Lenihan has been inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame. All smiles at the 2019 Munster Rugby Awards. Source: Dan Sheridan/INPHO The awards were distributed at the annual Munster Rugby Awards at the University Concert Hall in Limerick. There were 11 […]

TOMMY BOWE IS a very, very busy man. So busy, in fact, that he can’t even bring himself to consider adding some coaching strings to his… eh, bow, for a £2 million salary! Over the past few years, Ulster have pulled out some interesting stops to promote their season ticket sales, but Jacob Stockdale impersonating […]

Murray Kinsella reports from St James’ Park IT COMES AS little surprise but when the going got tough, James Ryan got going. Saracens laid down the most physical marker we have seen in European club rugby in years and the Leinster lock was more than able to match it. 19 carries and 19 tackles showed […]

IRFU PERFORMANCE DIRECTOR David Nucifora has signed a three-year extension to his contract, keeping him with the union until the end of the 2021/22 season. Five years on from his initial appointment, the Australian has proven successful in his role at the top tier of Irish rugby with increased movement of Irish players between provinces […]

NO REST FOR the wicked. Days after his Ulster career was brought to a shuddering halt in Glasgow, Rory Best was back in training under Joe Schmidt’s orders. There was little time to dwell on the disappointment and there will be little time to switch off this summer. Aside from a quick family trip to […]

MUNSTER SECOND ROW Jean Kleyn is set to make his international rugby debut for Ireland when Joe Schmidt’s side begin their Rugby World Cup warm-up schedule against Italy at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 2pm). The South African lock is newly-qualified for Ireland under the three-year residency rule having moved to Munster after being […]

JAMES O’CONNOR IS edging closer to a stunning return to the Wallabies after the Queensland Reds announced a new deal with the once-exiled utility back. O’Connor joined Australia’s World Cup squad at a training camp in South Africa last week, some six years after a string of off-field incidents saw him banished from the Wallabies […]

NOT EVEN A single minute on the pitch in the warm-up games and already Ultan Dillane and Rory Scannell are on the outside looking in. The Connacht lock and Munster centre completed six gruelling weeks of pre-season with Ireland but the brutal nature of World Cup squad selection was underlined as Joe Schmidt opted to […]