Irish & International Sports News, Fixtures & Results

'If Irish people really care about going further in a World Cup then maybe that will have to be good enough to develop the style of play under new management'

Forget a Grand Slam - Ireland need to develop new style

It wasn't perfect against Wales, but there was certainly enough to show things are moving in the right direction under Andy Farrell, writes Jonny Holland.

Rugby • 11 Feb 20

'Wales will come to Dublin with a stronger pack, in particular their back row, and a better ability to score tries than Scotland'

Ireland a work in progress ahead of stiffer Wales test

Despite a nervy win over Scotland, Ireland showed signs of attacking evolution in Andy Farrell's first game in charge and with some style tweaks could hurt Wales.

Rugby • 04 Feb 20

'The one thing Farrell doesn't want to do is make too many changes at once'

Farrell would be wise not to shed experienced names

Too often players have been retired in the minds of some of the public before the player has stopped adding value, writes Jonny Holland

Rugby • 21 Jan 20

'Not getting bonus points could prove costly in the standings'

Ulster & Munster pay price for lack of killer instinct

It was a disappointing weekend for three of the Irish provinces in Europe despite some positive performances, writes Jonny Holland.

Rugby • 14 Jan 20

"Munster did have some tricks up their sleeve but it all felt very much like pattern plays that aren't as hard to defend"

Why Munster struggled to stop Ulster's forward momentum

Jonny Holland compares and contrasts the forward momentum generated by his former province Munster and Leinster in their respective Guinness Pro14 games against Ulster and Connacht

Munster • 07 Jan 20

Jonny Holland has been impressed by Garry Ringrose's return to form since the Rugby World Cup

Tall order for Ulster to turn over in-form Leinster

Jonny Holland looks ahead to the festive inter-provincial derbies

Rugby • 20 Dec 19

Salzburg striker Erling Haaland could dump Liverpool out of the Champions League tonight

Recap: Your morning sports updates

Read back on all the sports news from this December Tuesday morning.

Other sport • 10 Dec 19

'If every out-half or goal-kicker tells you that they were always excited to be put on the spot at the end of the game then they are lying or part of a minority'

Cooney can prove his mettle & kick on in Six Nations

Ulster's John Cooney is thriving in pressure situations for his province. Could the 2020 Six Nations see his breakthrough on the international scene?

Rugby • 10 Dec 19

Lionel Messi won yet another Ballon d'Or last night

Recap: Your morning sports updates

Read back on all the latest sports news from this Tuesday December morning.

Other sport • 03 Dec 19

'Leinster's forward power does most of the damage'

Leinster in rude health as provinces prepare for Europe

Leinster showed that they have many strings to their bow ahead of the start of their Champions Cup campaign, writes Jonny Holland.

Rugby • 12 Nov 19

'Rassie managed Munster in its most difficult period to date with the passing of Axel Foley and he took it is his stride'

Rassie's back to basics approach is anything but basic

Having seen his own rugby career come to an end under the sympathetic gaze of Rassie Erasmus, Jonny Holland has a sense of how the Springboks coach transformed this team into World Cup winners

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 05 Nov 19

"England went out to do a job and put it up to New Zealand very early on."

Maybe the game needs England to go all the way

Jonny Holland casts his eye over two very different Rugby World Cup semi-finals and asks: would the game be better for an English win in the final?

Rugby • 29 Oct 19

'The reality of the Irish performances is that they simply weren't good enough'

Lack of development cost Ireland dearly in the end

Ireland's game didn't develop enough over the last year or two to give Rory Best and Joe Schmidt the send-off that they truly deserved, writes Jonny Holland

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 21 Oct 19

'Schmidt showed a new way of beating New Zealand last year'

Schmidt's keep-ball tactics won't be enough this time

Many of Ireland's players have experience of beating New Zealand, something that has not always been the case.

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 17 Oct 19

'The Samoans tackle technique is one of the most dangerous aspects of their game'

Samoan raw power can spell danger for Ireland

Ireland will face a physical and determined Samoan side on Saturday, writes Jonny Holland

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 09 Oct 19

"There's still time to get things right and this team is capable of a huge performance"

Time running out for Ireland to produce at World Cup

The potential is still in this Ireland team but they're running out of time to show it at the World Cup, according to Jonny Holland.

Rugby • 04 Oct 19

'No matter what way Ireland line up they should always be good enough to beat Japan.'

This Ireland team should have no issues in Shizuoka

Ireland will be wary of a fired-up Japan but this side should be far too strong for the host nation.

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 26 Sep 19

'The difference between the sides was in defence'

Ireland to rest key players with one eye on quarters

With Ireland shipping injuries because of the intensity they brought to the defence, head coach Joe Schmidt may shuffle his pack.

Rugby World Cup 2019 • 23 Sep 19

'Scotland have been chopping and changing a bit more and their starting combinations haven't all been together in the last couple of games'

Scots World Cup prep may not leave them fully primed

Given the lack of quality opposition they played in their warm-up games and question marks over their best XV, there is a chance that Scotland may be somewhat under cooked for Sunday's World Cup opener against Ireland.

Rugby • 18 Sep 19

'The return of some key players will help the controlled game plan that we are used to seeing from Ireland'

Ireland turning corner at right time for World Cup

Ireland may have turned a corner just in time for the opening round of the World Cup in Japan following their win over Wales at the Aviva stadium last weekend.

Rugby • 12 Sep 19

'I'm not all too convinced that an extra couple of inches is the key'

Schmidt's list divisive as ante up for Wales clash

With the premature announcement of the Ireland rugby squad it seems as though public opinion is divided, writes Jonny Holland.

Rugby • 04 Sep 19

'Sparring is over, if Ireland are to get up to speed and achieve something in this World Cup it's time to start landing punches'

Byrne kicking one plus but time for sparring is over

It was not entirely doom and gloom at Twickenham in Jonny Holland's book, but Ireland's World Cup campaign needs to crank into gear this weekend.

Rugby • 28 Aug 19

'Of course you want your front row to be confrontational, but England cross the line too easy, very similar to their coach'

Keeping up with Jones' settled England crew a big ask

Our rugby columnist believes England will provide a stern test for Ireland this weekend, but feels Eddie Jones' side may lack the discipline required for a World Cup bid.

Rugby • 28 Aug 19

"We saw in Ireland's win against the All Blacks in November that they clearly wanted to hold on to the ball for longer periods of the game."

Irish tactic comes with risks but rewards could be huge

Ireland have adopted an interesting kicking strategy that may only be fully finetuned for the knockout stages of the World Cup.

Rugby • 14 Aug 19

'You could fill the team with Leinster players alone and be pretty competitive'

Good fits and characters important in Ireland selection

It is no surprise to see that Leinster topped the numbers in the Irish selection, writes Jonny Holland

Rugby • 29 May 19

Jonny Holland

Forget a Grand Slam - Ireland need to develop new style

Ireland a work in progress ahead of stiffer Wales test

Farrell would be wise not to shed experienced names

Ulster & Munster pay price for lack of killer instinct

Why Munster struggled to stop Ulster's forward momentum

Tall order for Ulster to turn over in-form Leinster

Recap: Your morning sports updates

Cooney can prove his mettle & kick on in Six Nations

Recap: Your morning sports updates

Leinster in rude health as provinces prepare for Europe

Rassie's back to basics approach is anything but basic

Maybe the game needs England to go all the way

Lack of development cost Ireland dearly in the end

Schmidt's keep-ball tactics won't be enough this time

Samoan raw power can spell danger for Ireland

Time running out for Ireland to produce at World Cup

This Ireland team should have no issues in Shizuoka

Ireland to rest key players with one eye on quarters

Scots World Cup prep may not leave them fully primed

Ireland turning corner at right time for World Cup

Schmidt's list divisive as ante up for Wales clash

Byrne kicking one plus but time for sparring is over

Keeping up with Jones' settled England crew a big ask

Irish tactic comes with risks but rewards could be huge

Good fits and characters important in Ireland selection

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