Irish & International Sports News, Fixtures & Results

Munster must recover from a shock defeat to Edinburgh in round one

Heineken preview: Munster to get back on track

Tadhg Peavoy previews the second round of the Heineken Cup with all four Irish provinces in action on Saturday.

Martin Moore is congratulated by Jamie Heaslip during last week's win over Ospreys

Heineken Cup teams: Moore set for first start

Prop Martin Moore starts his first Heineken Cup match for Leinster while Peter O'Mahony returns for Munster, get all the latest team news here.

Rugby • 18 Oct 13

John Kelly touches down for a vital score

Savage still haunted by Munster 'Miracle Match'

Gloucester's Tom Savage says painful memories of the Heineken Cup's so-called 'Miracle Match' have not disappeared.

Rugby • 18 Oct 13

Mourad Boudjellal has revolted against LNR regulations to encourage home-grown players in the Top 14

Toulon say they will back Heineken Cup

Current Heineken Cup champions Toulon have backed the Heineken Cup and the ERC by stating that they will compete in the competition next season due to LNR laws on foreign-trained players.

Rugby • 17 Oct 13

Brian O'Driscoll is suffering from a calf injury

O'Driscoll to miss Leinster's clash with Castres

Brian O'Driscoll will miss Leinster's Heineken Cup pool match against Castres on Saturday.

Rugby • 18 Oct 13

Leinster's Sean O'Brien scores a try despite Osprey's Tito Tebaldi's efforts

O'Brien shines as Leinster win at Ospreys

Leinster got their quest for a fourth Heineken Cup crown off to a winning start as Sean O'Brien's try helped them beat Ospreys 19-9 at the Liberty Stadium.

Rugby • 13 Oct 13

Munster head coach Rob Penney (l) unhappy with performance at Murrayfield

Penney questions players' attitude

Munster head coach Rob Penney questioned his team's attitude after their surprise 29-23 loss to Edinburgh in the Heineken Cup clash at Murrayfield.

Rugby • 12 Oct 13

Captain for the day Paul O'Connell saw his team fall to a shock defeat in Murrayfield

Laidlaw leads Edinburgh to shock win over Munster

Greig Laidlaw inspired Edinburgh to a shock 29-23 win over Munster in Pool 6 of the Heineken Cup.

Rugby • 12 Oct 13

Paddy Jackson kicked 17 points and set up Tommy Bowe's try

Anscombe delighted with Jackson performance

Ulster coach Mark Anscombe was delighted to kick off the Heineken Cup with a win over the Leicester and praised out-half Paddy Jackson.

Rugby • 12 Oct 13

Pat Lam: 'There was no doubt that some of the calls were right, but it's just consistency'

Connacht's Lam rues referee's performance

Connacht boss Pat Lam was disappointed with the inconsistencies in referee Pascal Gauzere's decisions during their loss to Saracens.

Rugby • 12 Oct 13

Munster and Leinster face conflicting tasks

With five Heineken Cups between them, Munster and Leinster will look to get off to winning starts as they travel to Scotland and Wales respectively, writes Micil Glennon.

Rugby • 12 Oct 13

Tommy Bowe grabbed a first-half try for Ulster

Ulster see off Leicester at Ravenhill

Tommy Bowe scored Ulster's only try as they defeated Leicester 22-16 in the Heineken Cup.

Rugby • 11 Oct 13

Kieran Marmion scores Connacht's opening try

Heartbreak for Connacht against Saracens

Connacht put in a full-blooded performance but Saracens squeezed past the province 23-17 in their Heineken Cup clash in Galway.

Rugby • 11 Oct 13

Alun-Wyn Jones: 'We don't want to be just making up the numbers, we want to be as near to the top of the pool as we can'

Jones: No margin for error in Heineken Cup

Alun-Wyn Jones has warned that Leinster's opponents Ospreys intend making their presence felt in this season's Heineken Cup.

Rugby • 11 Oct 13

Jimmy Gopperth in action against Ulster during a pre-season friendly

Gopperth starts at out-half for Leinster

Jimmy Gopperth will start in place of Ian Madigan in the Leinster side to face Ospreys in Saturday's opening Heineken Cup clash.

Rugby • 11 Oct 13

Tommy Bowe’s inclusion bolsters the chances of Ulster at Ravenhill

Heineken Cup preview

Tadhg Peavoy analyses the prospects of Ulster and Connacht in their Heineken Cup openers.

Rugby • 11 Oct 13

Peter O'Mahony was replaced at half-time against Leinster after getting a bang to the head

Munster without O'Mahony for Edinburgh clash

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has been left of the squad for their opening Heineken Cup tie with Edinburgh on Saturday.

Rugby • 11 Oct 13

Brian O'Driscoll is rated doubtful for Leinster's tie with Ospreys

O'Driscoll losing fitness battle for Ospreys tie

Brian O’Driscoll is unlikely to play in Leinster’s Heineken Cup clash with Opreys in Swansea on Saturday.

Rugby • 10 Oct 13

Toby Flood: 'We've had two very bad nights at Ravenhill down the years'

Ulster opponents Tigers target Europe crown

Toby Flood wants English heavyweights Leicester to re-establish themselves as kings of Europe, and their quest starts with a away date with Ulster.

Rugby • 11 Oct 13

Swift back to captain Connacht

Lock Michael Swift returns to the Connacht XV their Heineken Cup Pool 3 opener against Saracens on Friday at 8pm.

Rugby • 10 Oct 13

Ireland winger Tommy Bowe starts for Ulster in their Pool 5 clash with Leicester

Bowe back for Ulster against Tigers

Tommy Bowe will start on the left wing for Ulster against Leicester at Ravenhill on Friday night.

Rugby • 10 Oct 13

Eoin Griffin is expected to miss about five weeks of action due to a torn foot ligament

Griffin out of Connacht's tie with Saracens

Eoin Griffin is out of Connacht’s opening Heineken Cup tie against Saracens in the Sportsgrounds on Friday.

Rugby • 08 Oct 13

Clermont Auvergne and Toulon both seem to be more focused on the Top 14 than the Heineken Cup

Analysis: Jackman on the French challenge

Read Bernard Jackman on the likely strength of the French Heineken Cup challenge this year, and why some of the old clichés about the French are actually based on fact.

Rugby • 08 Oct 13

The San Siro has been selected as the venue for the 2015 Heineken Cup final

ERC award 2015 Heineken Cup final to San Siro

Italy stands ready to stage a major European club rugby final for the first time with the 20th Heineken Cup decider scheduled to be played at Milan's world-famous Stadio Giuseppe Meazza San Siro in 2015.

Rugby • 07 Oct 13

English and French clubs have invited Celtic and Italian teams to join them in their own Rugby Champions Cup next season

ERC chief confident over Cup future

European Rugby Cup chief executive Derek McGrath remains confident agreement can be reached to avert an Anglo-French breakaway tournament.

Rugby • 03 Oct 13