Joe Schmidt gambled with the matchday squad he chose for Saturday’s clash between Australia and Ireland, and in agonising fashion, the players he picked ultimately didn’t get the job done. The Ireland head coach made the right call by choosing several non-frontline players because 1) it allowed the ones who were involved in the … Continue reading Picking Over The Bones
The high levels of optimism among Irish supporters for a series win in Australia this month aren't necessarily naive; Ireland are an excellent side that have just won a Grand Slam, but people seem to be forgetting how good Australia can be, not to mention the fact that Ireland only beat the Wallabies by … Continue reading Australia v Ireland: Series Preview
There was an energy and a purpose to Leinster’s performance on Saturday that you don’t normally see from a team who are at the tail end of a season where they dispatched the best sides in Europe. The eight points between the sides on the scoreboard at the final whistle doesn’t fully reflect how … Continue reading Double Down
In the build-up to Munster's Champions Cup semi-final with Racing 92 in Bordeaux last month, Johann van Graan stated that Munster's pool games with the French side this season would have no bearing on their meeting in the knockout stages. It's a sentiment that I wouldn't necessarily agree with, because any time that two … Continue reading Rematch
