Fiona Steed

Former Ireland rugby international who won 62 caps

Spare a thought then for the players, some of whom were trolled on social media, where comments were far from acceptable from keyboard warriors behind a Twitter or Facebook handle.

Delays a shame, but I met match in 2001 due to no game

All three Ireland sides would love to be in action against their Italian counterparts next week, but our columnist can recall one upside to the last disrupted Six Nations back in 2001

Rugby • 01 Mar 20

"The thing is that England are likely to have the ball quite a lot and defending a team with the perfect mix of power and pace is extremely tiring both mentally and physically and eventually holes will come"

Groundwork in the provinces should bear fruit

There are reasons to be more hopeful for the women's game in Ireland as the skills of talented teenagers are being honed.

Six Nations • 22 Feb 20

'On Sunday the opening 20 minutes certainly spoke volumes and backed up the talk. It was evident that the skillset had improved considerably, the team showing increased efficiencies in all aspects of the game'

Winning back-row battles the key to building momentum

It was an encouraging if hard-fought opening weekend for the men and women, but our columnist believes this weekend will bring a real test for both sides' back-rows.

Rugby • 08 Feb 20

'Anything less than a comprehensive victory over Scotland this afternoon will have the warning bells ringing. I'm hoping that there will be no bells rung for quite a while'

Anything other than Ireland win will sound alarm bells

Fiona Steed is looking forward to a family day out at the Aviva Stadium where she expects Ireland to see off the challenge of Scotland.

Rugby • 01 Feb 20

Erasmus has helped transform the struggling team into world-beaters

Munster tint on Springboks multi-coloured triumph

There was a distinct Munster flavour to South Africa's memorable World Cup win, writes Fiona Steed.

Rugby • 07 Nov 19

Steed: From a neutral perspective, we would love a free flowing game, where the play-making of Owen Farrell and Handre Pollard comes to the fore and the electric pace and finishing skills of Kolbe, Watson, Mapimpi and May are on display

Head and heart says England to be crowned champions

Fiona Steed is backing England to defeat South Africa in Saturday's World Cup final, but is hoping the spectacle lives up to its billing in Yokohama.

Rugby • 01 Nov 19

If we were playing Japan tomorrow we might lose

Warning signs were there but hope took over

Beauden Barrett is the new hero in the Steed household as the kids reach for the stars.

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 25 Oct 19

'Well boys, now is the time; this can be the defining moment of many careers and it needs to be'

All Blacks will have doubts and Ireland can beat them

All Blacks will have doubts and Ireland can beat them, writes Fiona Steed.

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 18 Oct 19

'If we play New Zealand or South Africa in the quarter-finals and beat them, playing poorly with one dimensional rugby, will it matter? Will we care?'

Russia was tough but I foresee four tries versus Samoa

Nobody is kidding themselves that Ireland impressed against Russia, but qualification is the name of the game and our columnist is positive Ireland can secure a bonus-point in over Samoa.

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 11 Oct 19

Defeats home and away make for a miserable weekend

It's a long way from Cappamore to Shizuoka, but Fiona Steed watched two of her favourite teams suffer defeat in both venues this weekend.

Rugby • 29 Sep 19