Dead Rubber »

• Taking no prisoners

  February 15, 2012 @ 12:29 pm | by Noel O'Reilly

  No quarter was asked for, nor given, when Paddy Barnes and Katie Taylor went at it during the Irish team’s elite training camp in Co Kildare. (more…)

• Gallant Gallic hosts leave a lot to be desired

  February 13, 2012 @ 6:46 pm | by Johnny Watterson

  When Christine Connolly addressed the crowd at Stade de France to confirm the bad news they had already heard from Ireland via text was perfectly true, her discomfort suggested the organisers had just pulled their pointy sticks out off camera, before prodding her to a reluctant, chilly apology. (more…)

• Time for Ireland to drop the dead donkey act

  February 10, 2012 @ 2:20 pm | by Liam Toland

  We’ve got to up the pace to meet the predictable French onslaught in Paris (more…)

• Ireland’s use of possession became puzzling

  February 6, 2012 @ 8:38 am | by Liam Toland

  LET’S TEMPORARILY suspend reality and assume that yesterday was a draw and not a fortunate two-point win for Wales. Who would then have more confidence in Paris, Ireland or Wales? With your answer in mind let’s now look at yesterday. (more…)

• Like many before them, Persepolis fans fall for Zayed

  February 3, 2012 @ 12:24 pm | by Carl O'Malley

  The League of Ireland will miss Eamon Zayed. If that wasn’t already apparent, it is now, after the former Derry City, Sporting Fingal, Drogheda United and Bray Wanderers striker single-handedly dismantled a 2-0 deficit in the Tehran derby for new club Persepolis. (more…)

• Earls needs to dominate his channel

  @ 11:08 am | by Liam Toland

  THE 2009 US PGA money list was topped by Tiger Woods having earned $10,508,163 (€8 million). That year, way out in 100th place was Ted Purdy. When you delve deeper, as coaches do, certain facts pop out. Purdy played 30 tournaments to Woods’ 17 where the average earned spanned from Purdy’s $27,957 (€21,100) to Woods’ $618,127 (€469,000) per tournament. The gap between number one and 100th was $9,669,456 (€7.4 million). (more…)

• Lancaster hoping Saracens experiment doesn’t bomb

  February 2, 2012 @ 4:23 pm | by John O'Sullivan

  It seems interim England coach Stuart Lancaster is hoping that Saracens reaching the Heineken Cup quarter-finals – the only English side to do so – can provide the national side with the impetus they crave as they open their campaign against Scotland at Murrayfield on Saturday. (more…)