George Ford

By Adam Hathaway Whatever the result at Twickenham on Saturday when England host Ireland we can be certain of two things. One coach will say that the result does not…

Picture the scene: Wales and Ireland are locked at 10-10, close to the hour mark. Dublin’s Aviva Stadium is expectant. The hosts have taken a while to click into gear but are finally…

Paul O'Connell will Captain Ireland

The squad has 14 players with World Cup experience and many of those without were involved with Ireland’s Six Nations victories in 2014 and 15. Over half the squad named today…

Rugby maul

The full-on Friendly. When Ireland faced Wales on Saturday it felt as though the Rugby World Cup had started early. The fitness sessions were over, the training bibs were back…

Mike Phillips

The awkward reality of ‘Warm up’ matches Wales lost to Ireland by 35 points to 21 in what was a very difficult game to watch from a Welsh perspective. But…

Johnny Sexton

In a game of inches, sides with an established foundation of pragmatism usually emerge clutching the etched handles of oversized silverware. For once it was a debonair attitude to open…

Lions tour

The Lions have announced their 10-match fixture list for 2017 tour. Unlike 2013, where they stopped off in Hong Kong for a sponsor-led fixture against the Barbarians, there will be…