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THE BIG DAYS keep rolling for Leinster, and with another bumper Christmas crowd expected at the Aviva Stadium tomorrow night, Leo Cullen’s side are hoping to rise to the occasion again.  Champion sides make a habit of winning, and despite not being at their best in Bath last weekend, the defending European champions were able to dig deep and grind […]

MICHAEL CHEIKA WILL remain Wallabies coach as Rugby Australia (RA) announced significant changes around the embattled boss. Cheika is under fire after Australia endured a forgettable year, losing nine of their 13 Tests, a worrying run of form ahead of the 2019 Rugby World Cup. While he has survived, Cheika will now report to Scott Johnson, who was appointed to […]

Updated at 10.57 N.B. THIS LIST is in no particular order. 1. The Boy on the Shed by Paul Ferris (Hodder & Stoughton) Sports books are rarely written by their subjects, yet former Newcastle footballer Paul Ferris more than justifies his choice of himself as author with an exceptionally told story that is ostensibly about his bittersweet time in football but […]

CONNACHT HEAD COACH Andy Friend has recalled star wing Matt Healy for tomorrow’s eagerly-anticipated inter-provincial clash with Munster at the Sportsground (kick-off 19.35, TG4, eir Sport). The Western province must do without Bundee Aki, however, after the Ireland man started both of the seasonal derby clashes in Christmas week. On-loan Leinster centre Tom Daly starts at inside centre in Aki’s […]

Click:defoaming performance Click:辦公室出租 BUNDEE AKI CAN see a lot of similarities between this season and Connacht’s glorious march to silverware in 2016 as he prepares for his second Six Nations campaign. Three years ago Connacht’s great season was kick-started by a memorable trip to Siberia, a first win of the professional era in Thomond Park, the creation of their longest […]

THE FINISH LINE is in sight. The front-runners and chasing pack have made themselves known in the race for the Heineken Champions Cup knockout stage and round six brings the chance to finish the job. Before we get into the nitty gritty of outcomes and bonus points, here are some important lines in the rulebook to keep in mind. Source: […]

LEINSTER BACKS COACH Felipe Contepomi doesn’t expect to see Jonathan Sexton put off his usual approach and natural game after his communication style was highlighted by England head coach Eddie Jones. Jones’ side face Ireland in Dublin in the opening round of the Six Nations (2 February) and the Australian stoked the flames before the clash by taking issue with Sexton’s […]

THE MUNSTER BACK row could be in for a timely boost as Waterford native Jack O’Donoghue nears a return from a long-term injury lay-off. O’Donoghue suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in last season’s Guinness Pro14 semi-final defeat to Leinster at the RDS, but he has made a quicker than anticipated return to training. The former Ireland U20 captain is […]

Wales winger George North celebrates after scoring their third try. Source: Billy Stickland/INPHO France 19Wales 24 A GEORGE NORTH try double helped Wales overcome a 16-point first-half deficit to seal a dramatic 24-19 victory over France in the 2019 Six Nations opener and equal their longest winning sequence since 1999. In an uncharacteristically error-ridden first half, Wales spilled the ball […]

STEPHEN LARKHAM WAS axed as Wallabies assistant coach this morning Monday after disagreements with Michael Cheika over strategy and game philosophy just over seven months their World Cup kick-off in Japan. Rugby Australia said he will move to a new role as national high performance coach advisor, focusing on mentoring and skills development across the Sevens and junior teams. Larkham, […]